(00:00):
I just want to get rid of this jiggle here. So A, if I had a dollar for every time a woman said that to me about her arms, well, I'd still be coaching because it's my passion, but I'd have a very fat piggy bank. Also, B, relaxed muscle does jiggle. Just want to clear that up. But after my five triceps exercises video got so many thank yous from women who finally started to see a difference in their arms, I knew I need to go a little bit deeper because there's so much more to arm definition than tricep kickbacks or isolation moves because you can't spot reduce an area in the way we often try to. You can't do a bazillion arm exercises and magically lose fat from just your arms. But there are ways to strategically create the conditions where your arms do change, where that jiggle reduces, where the definition actually shows through.
(00:52):
And it's not just about building muscle. It's also about the skin sitting on top of it. Because during perimenopause and menopause, collagen loss changes how your arms look even when the muscle's there. So we have to take care of both as well as addressing fat loss over the muscle tissue you want to reveal. So go for a walk, listen as you meal prep or get comfy on the couch because by the end of this, you're going to have the five specific tips that have helped the women I work with finally see the arm definition they've been working for. And if you do want my full recomp guide, I'm going to link out to that as well as the five triceps exercise video in the show notes and video description. Now jumping into tip number one, you got to pick your lane and your primary focus for recomp.
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So when you're seeking to see arm definition, there are going to be different approaches based on your current results or your current position. So if you are very skinny and you want to see arm definition, your approach is going to be different than if you are potentially more muscular but have a little bit more fat on. Because with recomp, while we can gain muscle and lose fat or lose fat as we gain muscle, there is a primary focus and that impacts everything in our approach. So if you're skinnier and you're saying, "I really want to see arm definition, I'm looking a little soft," you are probably going to take a more muscle focused recomp approach versus if you're like, "I have a lot of muscle, I just need to see it." And you need to lose a little bit more weight, you're going to take a fat loss first approach to recomp.
(02:21):
Now with both, I like to call this still muscle first fat loss because we're always focused on building and retaining lean muscle that fuels our metabolic health, that ultimately makes us look leaner as we lose the fat. However, if you are skinnier, in order to actually see more definition, even if you're like, "Well, it seems like there is fat there," you're going to have to build the muscle. That's what's going to ultimately change your recap versus if you're like, "I have a lot of muscle mass, but I just need to reveal it." Fat loss is going to be your focus to finally see that definition. So there is a slightly different approach. And when we own which direction we need to go, that's then going to impact the exact macro ratios we use. It might impact whether or not we use cardio at all or not, which I'm going to go over a little bit with tip number five and how we can strategically use that.
(03:04):
It might even impact how we use tip number four with our lifting workouts, but it also is going to really impact our calorie intake. So often I will start clients with the current calories they're consuming without even trying to create a deficit or surplus and adjust macros because of the importance they have. But if you're a fat loss focused recomp, you're going to create that small deficit of 100 to 200 calories potentially. But if you're a more muscle first focused recomp, then you're going to potentially go into a surplus of 100 to 200 calories or at least start at maintenance. So that is going to impact your approach. And it's very key we know which direction we need to go because just treating everything like it's the same thing, and I will tell you even two women who are in the exact same position and thin might have to have slightly different approaches.
(03:47):
But if we treat it just like seeing definition is one size fits all, we're not going to ultimately meet ourselves where we are and see the results that we want. So really understand which lane you need to sort of be in, in order to see that reccomp happen and that definition happen. And then make sure you're still not under eating even if you are going into that deficit, otherwise you're going to negatively impact even your skin health, your metabolism. And during menopause, we're way more sensitive to those calorie changes. And often we have been underfueling, especially if we have been trying to lean down in the past. So just make sure you are eating enough, especially during perimenopause and menopause. Now, tip number two, protein is non-negotiable. And I know this is a really boring tip and it's a really basic tip and it's the tip that we all kind of know, but also sort of try and avoid and really don't like.
(04:34):
And I mean, there's so many other good things to eat that aren't protein, but protein is key. And the older we get, the more we have to emphasize protein because the less able that we are to use it as efficiently. We can see anabolic resistance increase, which means that we don't utilize protein as efficiently to build and retain the muscle. We also don't build muscle as easily. So focusing on protein, especially during menopause is incredibly important because we are less efficient during this hormonal shift, especially not even just as we get older and go into post-menopause, but during menopause, we are less efficient at using protein. We might not only have to increase the protein portions that we consume per meal, but our overall intake has to go up. And protein isn't just key for building the lean muscle that we want to reveal. So yes, protein is incredibly important as the building blocks of muscle, but it is incredibly important for fat loss as well, not only because of the thermic effect, which means we burn more calories to utilize protein.
(05:30):
So it's important for fat loss, it's important for muscle building, the two things for recamp that we want to see that definition, but it is also incredibly important for skin health. And I bring this up because our skin health changes during perimenopause and menopause. We can see it negatively impacted where our skin becomes more fragile. It feels like it's a little more creepy, a little bit thinner, and especially into postmenopausal years. And this is partly because of the anabolic resistance we can see with the hormonal shift. Our skin isn't as easily hydrated. We can see changes because of that. Collagen breaks down. So we don't have to take a collagen supplement. We can simply increase our protein intake. And that's where I'd like someone to start over even considering supplementing with collagen. But because of the changes in collagen and even hydration, which I'll cover in a little bit, we want to make sure that we're getting enough protein.
(06:20):
This will be the building blocks of muscle. It'll help with fat loss, but it'll also help our skin look healthier, which then allows us to see more definitions so that we don't feel like we have that saggy skin covering the muscle mass that's underneath. And no, we can't completely tighten up all loose skin, but there's amazing things we can do through controlling our macros with wanting to lose weight, wanting to lose fat, and also building that lean muscle. All this plays hand in hand. So I can't say enough about increasing your protein just because during menopause, we even see that response protein more blunted than it's ever been before. And as we get older, we're less able to utilize it. So muscle gains, fat loss, and skin health without any fancy supplements. Now, tip number three, hydrate for skin health and reccomp. So hydration is so important.
(07:07):
And often as we get older and even as we go through menopause, our thirst signaling actually changes. So we may not feel thirsty, but need to drink more water. And we see actually our hydration levels really impacted where our skin isn't retaining water in the same way. Our body isn't retaining water in the same way because of those hormonal shifts. So we really need to make sure that we are drinking enough water. This helps with not only skin health, but muscle mass. So our muscles are 75% water. Adequate hydration is essential for muscle protein synthesis, strength performance, glycogen storage. Basically, if we are dehydrated, we can undermine the entire system of building muscle and we can feel more fatigued. So we can't push that progression in our training as well. Now, when it comes to fat loss, because hydration supports liver and kidney function, it is so incredibly important because the liver is actually the primary fat metabolizing organ.
(07:59):
So we want to make sure that we are. And hydration water plays a role in the lipolysis process. So we need to be hydrated in order to lose fat. Not to mention if you've ever been dehydrated, your cravings can actually go up. You can mistake thirst for hunger cues. So we want to make sure that we're eating or we're drinking enough water so that we're not having those cravings sabotage us while trying to potentially be in that calorie deficit. We're making sure that we're actually fueling our body the way it needs through our hydration. And we can see our fatigue even increase. Again, that can be detrimental to performance, but it can also make us be a little bit lazier during the day. We're not moving around as much, which slows the fat loss process as well. And then again, for our skin health, hydration is incredibly important.
(08:41):
It's going to make it look healthier, plumper in a good way, but it's going to help with that collagen and looking more elastic and firmer. So we want to make sure that we're drinking enough water because we're not going to be retaining water in the same way we were when our estrogen was actually higher. So we want to make sure that we're drinking enough water to support that skin health. And we often think of water retention as a negative thing, but it's actually a very positive thing when we're trying to see that recap. Water is incredibly important for our skin looking healthier and firmer. So don't ignore the importance of water and also with that electrolytes as well. You need that balance. So it's not just drinking more water, it's drinking more water with that electrolyte balance, but it's focusing on this hydration because we aren't retaining water in the same way.
(09:28):
And we actually need more. Not to mention our body is not giving us the signal to drink as much as we actually should. Now, tip number four is getting into the workouts a little bit more. And when we think about wanting to see arm definition or work that stubborn area, we instantly go to isolation moves. And they are incredibly important. If you want to, we'll say tone, strengthen, build muscle in a stubborn area, you need to work it. And I can tell you that compound lifts are incredibly key because they do burn more calories, they mobilize more fatty acids. They do work all those muscle groups. So your biceps are getting work during backwards as well. However, that's often not enough work for those areas. So we do want to combine both. And I think that's incredibly key to note. We want to combine both.
(10:10):
We want to use that compound move and then finish it off with isolation. However, when there is a stubborn area that we feel like isn't getting fully worked, like let's just say our arms, we can also use pre-fatigue so we can actually do the isolation move before the compound move. I wouldn't recommend this very often when it comes to your arms just because generally our biceps fatigue before our back will with back rows. But if you aren't feeling them work because you're really good at activating your back with the move, maybe you do implement that. But you want a combination of compound and isolation moves, potentially going lower rep. So even in that six, maybe 12 rep rate up to 12 reps, so in that hypertrophy rep range, even maximal strength, one to five reps for that compound lift and then finishing it off whether you do a compound burner.
(10:51):
So isolation right after or isolation moves later, maybe even in that 10 to 15 rep range for some of those more isolated moves because you can't really go as heavy and it's more trying to fatigue more muscle fibers to see that same stimulus for muscle growth through getting that further fatigue. So compound move and isolation move, lower rep and heavier weight for the compound than doing the more isolated. But we also want to note it is incredibly important that we are working the areas that we want to grow, that we want to change, because while we can't spot reduce them in the way that we think, we do actually mobilize more fatty acids from the surrounding tissue and definition is based on building muscle. So you need to combine those compound and isolation moves. I would also highly recommend that when you're trying to see that arm definition, especially if you're coming from the standpoint of needing to gain muscle, that you're working that stubborn area two to three times a week.
(11:40):
Now this isn't doing 50 bazillion arm exercises every single workout, but it's maybe doing two upper body days that you're really focused on those things with a third isolation or just arm burnout even included. But you want to consider more of that frequency to stimulate that muscle growth, especially during menopause where we might even have to reduce volume per workout because we can see higher volume workouts really impact our recovery negatively, see chronic inflammation pop up, even have some aches and pains of joints because those can increase during menopause when we have more inflammation in our body. So reducing training volume per session and increasing frequency can be a way that we can get more work done and more quality work done without hitting that point of exhaustion or lack of recovery or even joint aches and pain. So definitely consider playing around with that frequency as you're using the compound in isolation moves.
(12:27):
And that's where you can use those two things strategically to get more volume of workout and more quality volume of workout for an area without compromising or creating injury. Now the last tip goes back to my, you can't spot reduce in the way that you think because you can't actually help with spot lipolysis to some extent or spot reduction. So there's nuance to this is basically what I'm telling you. And that nuance is cardio. So when you lift and you mobilize, or when you lift for a specific muscle group, you mobilize more fatty acids from the surrounding muscle tissue. So if you do workouts for your biceps, your back, all these different things, you're going to mobilize more fatty acids into the bloodstream during those workouts from those tissues surrounding those muscles. Now the key is utilizing those, which is where you can't just do a bazillion arm exercises and expect them to be used.
(13:20):
But by doing the compound list with the isolation lifts, you're burning more calories, which means that you're going to have to utilize those mobilized fatty acids. But this is where cardio can also strategically come into play, especially walking. Not only does this not create more stress and strain on the body, but because walking works in that fat burning zone where more of the calories that you're burning are coming from fat, you can utilize those mobilized fatty acids. So I would highly recommend that if you have a stubborn muscle group or you want to see more definition like your arms, you include walking at the end of that workout. It's also a great opportunity to do some med ball work or some battle ropes where you're even working that area further. Now, I will also put out there that if you are trying to include more sprint work for metabolic health and for muscle mass retention, and especially if you're more on that building muscle side of things, you could strategically even, and I would even say fat loss actually.
(14:10):
So I would say for both. I'm going to correct myself there, but I would say you can even include the sit that you're trying to include on those upper body days instead of you including it on your lower body days because it will help you utilize those mobilized fatty acids. So overall just if you're including any cardio and it's more supplemental, it's not your endurance runs or rides, which even then if you can lift first and put these after, that's going to be great because you're going to be able to push progression more in your lifting sessions. But that can help you utilize the mobilized fatty acids. The caveat being the cardio does have to come right after. It can't be done hours later. So consider those sit sessions, especially if you are. And actually, you know what? I'll even say looking to lose that last little bit of fat while retaining that lean muscle, it can be very beneficial, but then include those walks as well because they're lower stress.
(14:53):
You can do more of them. They improve your needs so they help with that fat loss without being at all catabolic to muscle mass. So even potentially more beneficial when you're trying to build because you're already thin, but you need that muscle to see that full definition. Now using these five tips, they have to work as a system together. And that system does look unique for each one of us, which is why it goes back to tip number one of always focusing on that primary focus. But you'll note with all these two, it's not just about fat loss or it's not just about muscle building. It's about a combination of both because we need that lean muscle underneath in order to see it revealed as we lose fat. So it has to be that reccomp happening, but we need that primary focus to determine how we're going to utilize everything.
(15:33):
Again, and I'll even give this final word on the cardio. Walking potentially more if you're trying to build more muscles so you're not putting anything at risk, a little bit more sit if you're even trying to lose the fat over it. And then making sure that you're dialing in your calories, increasing your protein, using those lifts strategically as well and staying hydrated because it's so important. And this will also improve your skin health, which does shift with perimenopause and menopause. Now I'd love to hear where you feel like you've sort of been missing the mark a little bit in implementing these tips to see results or which ones you've found that the little tweaks really added up to help you see the arm definition you wanted. I
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