Redefining Strength Podcast
You train hard. You try to eat well. You stay disciplined. And yet progress slows. Energy drops. Fat loss stalls.
The Redefining Strength Podcast is for women who work hard on their health… but still feel like their body isn’t responding the way it used to.
Hosted by Cori Lefkowith, founder of Redefining Strength, this show helps you understand what’s actually happening inside your body — and what to do about it.
Cori is the creator of the STRONG System, used by over 10,000 women around the world to transform their bodies and build results that last.
Through real coaching insights and conversations with leading experts in women’s health, metabolism, and behavior change...each episode breaks down the science in a way that actually applies to real life.
Because the answer isn’t working harder. It’s learning how to work smarter so your effort finally creates the strength, energy, and confidence you’ve been chasing.
If you’re ready to stop starting over and start building a body you can count on, this podcast will help you get there.
Redefining Strength Podcast
FHP 537 - Why 1% Tweaks Can Lead To BIG Results
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So often when we want to see a better result, we feel like we need to make these massive changes.
When often it is 1% tweaks, slight shifts in perspective that add up.
That’s why I’m excited to share some amazing meal prep and workout hacks you can implement this week without really making any massive changes to what you’re currently doing.
And the meal prep hacks from Michelle can help you not only get more micronutrient value from your food but even make meal prep easier and your meals more fun
Fitness Hacks and Nutrition Tips
Speaker 1Hey guys , it's Kori from Redefining Strengths . Welcome to the Fitness Hacks podcast . Today , I want to talk about some hacks to help you get better results and I want to talk about these different changes that actually meet you where you're at , because I think so often we think we have to make these sweeping overhauls of everything we're doing in order to get the results that we want , and this ultimately keeps us stuck . I always say , you know , it's those 1% improvements that add up , and I thought it was really funny the other day when a client was like team 1% . But it is true , those 1% changes are truly what snowball and lead to the results we want . And I want to talk about the mindset so that I can help us embrace this outlook on life instead of being all or nothing people as well as some different hacks from Michelle in order to improve the nutritional value of your food , and then even different ways to create progression through the same but different in your workouts . That will be changes and improvements , but not necessarily changing your overall workouts that you're even doing right now . So let's jump right in . So we all want the tactics , the actions we can take to make the changes , to see the results we want . It's why we get really excited at a new program and then make this sweeping overhaul of everything in our lifestyle . It's also what keeps us stuck , because so often we first don't step back and say where am I at currently and what are 1% improvements I can make based on where I'm at ? Because when we actually look at our current lifestyle , we might realize that we're requesting ourselves to do or requiring ourselves to do is so far outside our comfort zone that we're going to have to use so much willpower to do it that ultimately , we're going to get depleted , especially when our motivation runs out . So I really do want you to think of changing your mindset first before you even approach making changes in terms of the tactics or the actions that you're doing .
Speaker 1I know it's tempting to be an all or nothing person . I made this excuse for the longest time . Well , if I can't do it perfectly , I might as well wait till Monday instead of starting on Friday . If I can't do it perfectly , I might as well wait till this next month . Or why start this a few days before vacation ? Because I'm going on vacation ? Right , all the excuses because I couldn't do a program perfectly , instead of realizing , hey , if I can make one change now when I get back from vacation , when it's perfect on Monday , I can make more changes and it might not lead to the fast overnight results that we're seeking , but ultimately those results don't last . They hit the plateau anyway . We haven't made actual changes .
Speaker 1It's why we keep ourselves stuck in this change loop where we're like oh , I'm working super hard , super excited , make all these changes , and we think we have to rely on willpower and motivation and that we just don't have the willpower and motivation of somebody else . It's because we never build discipline . But discipline isn't something that's either given to us genetically or truly built . Discipline is not having to rely on willpower and motivation because we've made changes .
Speaker 1Through those 1% improvements We've said , hey , instead of trying to shoot for eight glasses of water when we're not drinking one , we say , hey , I'm going to have one glass of water this morning . Or hey , I'm even going to remember to have a sip of water before I go to bed because I forgot all day that 1% improvement is what's going to snowball . And if we can start doing those small things daily , then all of a sudden we're doing them and we build that momentum and then the next day . We're like , okay , well , I've been doing this so that I'll be doing this other thing . Probably it's not the next day but the next week or the next month .
Speaker 1But you can make those 1% improvements that really snowball and allow you not constantly to have to rely on willpower to replicate them . But before you can even do those actions , it's embracing this mindset shift and taking yourselves out of the equation for just a second to be like , okay , I've always repeated this pattern of all or nothing . How can I instead assess where I am and then figure out 1% changes that will really add up and almost feel so easy . I want to do more over feeling so overwhelmed I just don't do anything . I'm super excited to talk with Michelle about how to get more nutritional value out of the foods we're eating from how we meal prep them . So often we don't think about the cooking methods we're doing other than the fact that we're cooking something to eat it right . So can you talk a little bit about Michelle , like different ways we can actually prep foods to get the best results from our fueling ?
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 2So there's a few things that I always like to talk to people and I think in this , in this life , where a lot of times you know we try to talk about and we glorify kind of the hustle and the busy lifestyle Sometimes we overdo things and over complicate things where it's often sometimes taking the lazier route when it comes to like cooking and prepping can actually give you mean more bang for your buck , especially when it comes to the nutrients and kind of getting the most nutrients and being able to increase nutrient absorption .
Speaker 2So a few big tips is one leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables if you , if that's not something that you don't mind consuming . But also there's a lot of times where , truthfully , we're taking out a lot of some vitamins and minerals , but fiber , when we tend to pill our fruits and vegetables , so making sure you're eating the skin off your apples , you're even I know some people are ick with this but even eating the skin of a potato is going to be ways to help increase your fiber and I've known we've mentioned this in the past but fiber is really a great way to make sure that we are also staying satiated and that's a big thing that I see , when people are trying to lose weight they kind of misstep where they are not putting the emphasis on the fiber to make sure that they're staying well , so well , satiated .
Speaker 1Fiber is so cute to our gut health , to actually help us get better fat loss results as well , and I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to anybody . But if you're Ryan , you even eat the skin of the kiwi , so there's lots of different skins of fruits that are edible and potentially valuable . Not to mention a lot of times when we are removing the skin , we're juicing things , and when we're doing that , we're going to more easily consume too many calories , potentially too many carbs . We're not going to feel as full just from the fact that we're drinking our calories . So it's even thinking about how can you be satisfied from even taking in the bites and more bites of food when you're in that calorie deficit too ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I know we put a lot of emphasis on avoiding processed foods , but sometimes we can ourselves over-process foods past an extent that they're not going . I mean , they're still going to be fine , but they're going to lose some of their nutritional value because of our processing . Everything's a great example of that .
Speaker 1And then , in terms of like cooking vegetables , there's some different techniques that are often demonized , like the microwave , but also some nuance to how we can cook those to get more nutritional value out out of them , and I wanted you to touch a little bit on both of those things .
Speaker 2Yeah , steaming and microwaving vegetables are actually a great way to keep in a lot of the vitamins and minerals that we tend to lose when we are either boiling them or frying them , even sometimes sauteing them , because we a lot of vegetables and fruits even have high amounts of water soluble vitamins and those actually will become oftentimes destroyed while we're cooking them and over cooking them .
Speaker 2So that's another big thing is we actually want to undercook our vegetables too if we are planning on kind of mill prepping batches , because if you're going to be adding extra heat later , you don't need to cook it to the point of doneness that you typically would actually slightly undercooking it when you know you're going to be reheating them . And then the other option that you brought up was being able to pair foods with items that are going to actually help you absorb vitamins better . So a big thing is that soluble vitamins . So that's going to be your vitamin K , A , D and E and , just like they're called , they are better absorbed if you consume fat sources with them . So things like carrots are going to be better in olive oil , maybe a little bit of butter if you like that , but vitamin A and vitamin K oftentimes are going to be leafy green vegetables . Making sure you're having like an olive oil based dressing served with them are going to actually help you absorb those fat soluble vitamins better .
Speaker 1And with the meal prep and even like seaming or microwaving and having them not be fully cooked , I even like to take frozen vegetables and I'll have cooked the meat . I'll cook maybe a carb or source , like maybe rice or potatoes , and then I'll even just take the frozen vegetables and put them in that freezer meal that I'm like going to have , and then I'll even later heat them up , using that to steam them and cook them right , because it's like they're frozen , they're like potentially picked at the peak of ripeness . I don't have to worry about them going bad , I don't have to worry about overcooking them , and so there's a lot of little hacks you can do to make sure that you're meal prepping in an efficient way and getting the most out of all the food you're consuming .
Speaker 2Yeah , and utilizing frozen fruits and vegetables . I mean , you touched on it . They're picked and frozen at the peak ripeness . So oftentimes , if you're especially now where we're headed into the fall and winter , where we're going to be out of season for a lot of fruits and vegetables making sure you're taking advantage of those frozen foods even though they may be a little bit slightly more processed because they've been frozen , they actually are probably going to provide you more nutrients than if you were to buy them fresh during their off season .
Speaker 1Another tip you mentioned for meal prepping , which this is a little fancy for me , but sous vide cooking and I think this is super interesting because it's not a technique I've necessarily considered before , even though I'm like aware of it , and I'll be curious to see how many people do this already but there's some benefits to it that I was surprised by .
Speaker 2Yeah . So I know not everyone has one , but it is a little bit beneficial because one it actually does cook fairly quickly , if you've ever used one . But because it's cooked in a water bath it's at the precise temperature . It actually allows you to kind of control the environment that you're cooking your foods in a little bit more than on the stove , but it also helps retain the maximum nutritional value of your food that's being cooked . So this I mean of course you can use meat and things like that and it will preserve those better as well . But even for again I'm saying fruits , but most of the time people are cooking their vegetables , so it'll also make sure that you are keeping those water soluble vitamins as well within the vegetable .
Speaker 1I have to admit it is tempting now with the fact that it helps you get more out of your foods and it's really quick and easy , and maybe Ryan won't accuse me of burning everything . Maybe I should get one and try it out .
Speaker 2They're fun . They're a lot of fun to use . I have one and we like to play around with it , for sure .
Speaker 1And that I mean this is like a slight tangent , but I think that's also a big thing is when we think about going on a diet right , making dietary changes to lose fat , to gain muscle for an aesthetic reason , we sort of lose the fun in our cooking versus that's like , that's what makes us feel like it's more restrictive , versus when we're just cooking . You know we're cooking delicious things , but you can find different ways to make healthy foods fun and not feel restricted by even investigating some of these other cooking methods to make potentially really nice date night chicken Right , chicken doesn't have to be bland and boring . We can make these things that are delicious meals that have a lot of nutrient density to them . But it might take exploring other cooking options , other types of recipes than we usually turn to .
Speaker 2Yeah , I often talk to clients about kind of . Sometimes they get I call it like protein fatigue , but it's really just because they're eating one item over and over and over again , whether it's , you know , the chicken breasts with the rice and the broccoli , you know kind of the typical dieting meal . Yeah , we have to have those conversations of like you can still get these macros in a variety of ways and I do think , while Mill Prep can help avoid some of that the choice fatigue , to the mental fatigue that you can kind of be affronted with when you're constantly trying to think about food there's still a lot of ways that you can add things to change it up and make it exciting , whether that's sauces and again , even focusing on different type of oil based sauces and dressings to kind of be able to absorb some of those fat soluble vitamins . But really making your food exciting , dieting and trying to consume foods that are going to help you with weight loss does not need to be boring .
Speaker 1I like diversity of hot sauce , if I can't even say diversity , but I love even different hot sauces on things . That makes it fun , like there's a lot of little ways you can tweak things to give yourself that fun to the meal so that they're not bland and boring .
Speaker 2And this is just a little side tangent too but also even using things like vegetable broth within your grains , within your rice , just to add a little extra flavor , that's also going to add a little bit more nutrients to those items as well .
Speaker 1So many ways and little hacks you can find and I'll be curious to see I'd love for you guys to comment what you've even tried , because there's so many different ways and the more we share different perspectives , the more we even get those creative juices going
Maximizing Nutritional Value in Meal Preparation
Speaker 1. Which brings me to the next meal prep hack to get more out of your food , which I thought was interesting , because so often we demonize processing and , as the word of the year has become nuance and as we've talked about in a lot of episodes , there's so much nuance to these things . Right , we talked about GMOs and the nuance and what GMOs really are , and even with processing there's nuance , and I was actually fascinated to start this conversation about the meal prep hacks off of finding out that smoking fish might actually make it even better , because that's not something I considered . I consider that to be more processed , even in my head .
Speaker 2Yeah , so smoking fish can actually preserve the omega-3 fatty acids better . So this makes it I think it just makes it more . Again , a little bit of a lazy hack , too , because that's something that you can often purchase , but then the store is just something like a smoked salmon . But this adds a nutritious and flavorful addition to your meals as well , and a little bit less effort on your part , and now you can know that you can do it and you're actually going to be getting more omega-3 fatty acids , versus just cooking the fish yourself , which is a little bit more of a hassle .
Speaker 1It makes it very easy . It is that grab-and-go snack , like I mentioned , even grabbing cocktail shrimp , right , there's certain things that if they're just cooked and you can just grab them and snack on them , maybe if you want to be kind to your coworkers , maybe you're not bringing in fish , I guess , I don't know whatever , but at the same time it's delicious . You can get even those extra , like I mean , so often talk about getting more omega-3s , right , because it's a struggle and this is a way you don't have to cook fish even if you don't like it , but you can really get that bang for your buck and make some pretty freaking tasty meals too .
Speaker 2Yeah , and I'm one of the . Maybe I'm weird in this sense , but I actually don't mind eating smoked fish . Like smoked salmon cold , like that's not something that I would reheat . So if you're worried about eating fish in the office , that actually would be my recommendation because it's not gonna get so stinky .
Speaker 1That's true . I eat it cold too , but I don't know if that smells still too much . I've been out of the office too long . But anyway , you mentioned at the beginning , you know , eating stuff with the skin on . But when we're even like , I mean I think that's really key because we don't want to juice and everything . But in terms of like skin on for like protein sources , there's some debate with that , any opinions with that ? I just wanted to touch on that . With like , in terms of like skin on chicken and different things like that . Yes , it's gonna change the fat content , but is there any nutritional value even with that ?
Speaker 2Yeah , absolutely . There's always going to be extra vitamins and minerals in every food that you're kind of consuming , so it's really just going to be based on your goal at the end of the day . So , yeah , you can definitely eat some chicken skin , but oftentimes it's going to be more of a saturated fat . So typically we want to consume , of course , more unsaturated fat . So I typically would recommend people to avoid the skin on animal proteins just because of that . But to say that you're not going to get any benefit would be false too , because you can definitely enjoy some of that and , like I said , it's going to provide that fat that you can also be able to consume more of that fat soluble vitamins as well .
Speaker 1So it's not necessarily bad .
Speaker 2It can be a little bit of a preference , so if you are someone that does just like chicken skin and the crispiness that it has , you can still enjoy that that . I would just recommend that most of your fat is coming from , of course , unsaturated fat sources .
Speaker 1Again the nuance and I wanted to bring that up because I think when we say , eat the skin , that would be a question people will have , like , what about the skin ? On the animal protein and I even think that's such a key point Like , okay , well , maybe if you do need the extra fat yes , it might not be like the same as your heart healthy omega-3 fat , but it could still have its role in helping you digest more nutritional value from other things , make your diet sustainable , help you hit your fat macros , make your meals enjoyable , give you that diversity if you're sick of chicken breast , right . There's so many opportunities and little nuances to things and too often we just label things as good and bad .
Speaker 2And just to kind of go off that too , because I know people hear collagen and they're like , yes , I need to have more collagen . Well , collagen is often coming from , like , the skin and the scales and those type of things too . So that is where , if you were trying to eat more collagen , that's actually where the part of the animals you would be eating to consume more of that as well . So definitely some benefits there .
Speaker 1Cost and reward , though . But next meal prepping thing and this is something I am extremely , extremely guilty of because I am well , according to Ryan , I burn everything but extremely guilty of , and it's over cooking things . Why is this bad ?
Speaker 2So this is just going to go back to the thing that the longer you cook something , the more likely that you are going to have vitamin and mineral loss . So water soluble vitamins I know I kind of mentioned it earlier . They are actually extremely sensitive to high heat and prolonged heat . So if you're trying to cook your vegetables and you are cooking those vegetables too much , you are actually going to be degrading some of those water soluble vitamins . And I know a lot of us get plenty of vitamin C , but I'm just using this as an example . Vitamin C is one of the easiest vitamins that you can actually lose . Thankfully , a lot of us get enough of it from our fruits that we're able to eat raw or our vegetables that we're able to eat raw , but it's one of the biggest things that's actually destroyed within cooking .
Speaker 1So don't be lazy . Use different pans for different things that need different heat is what you're telling me . Or cook my protein on the stove top so I can potentially over cook that and then steam everything else in the microwave , exactly Okay . And then the last hack you had was really interesting , and you mentioned making overnight oats , which is something I had never thought about . Can you explain a little bit more why overnight oats can be so good ?
Speaker 2So I mean , this has been kind of a craze , which I think it deserves its spot for sure , because you're able to add a lot of protein to it . It's an easy grab-and-go in the morning , but one thing that a lot of people don't know is actually being able to soak your oats breaks down the phytic acid and this actually inhibits mineral absorption such as iron , zinc , magnesium , calcium . So oats are great , but it's going . If you consume oats , you're going to have that phytic acid . So really making sure that you are soaking them actually is going to decrease that and make it a little bit easier for you to absorb those really important minerals like iron , zinc and magnesium . And sprouting , if you're like I don't really like the overnight oats , not my thing . Even buying sprouted oats is actually a great alternative for this , because that's going to also decrease the phytic acid if you're already purchasing it that way , and sprouted oats also have a little bit more nutrient value to it and a little bit more protein to them .
Speaker 1It's nice to know that we can be a little bit lazy and get more nutritional value out of things like the overnight oats are a great way to . Whether you work in Greek yogurt , cottage cheese , you know a protein powder . Whether you add berries , chia seeds , like there's so many ways to make them hit your macros and you can prep them for the week and have this easy grab-and-go snack . That's very filling as well , but it also even helps you get more out of the foods you're consuming .
Speaker 2Yes , exactly that , and that's kind of the point is , we want to be able to not just get the more bang for our buck , but we also , if we are going to implement these things , you're gonna find yourself feeling a little bit better just because little things add up . These little tweaks are going to make it so that you are getting more of those vitamins and minerals .
Speaker 1And while we always want to focus on macros first , if we do want those aesthetic goals , especially the micronutrient intake is so key to making sure that our body functions well so that we can actually see the best results as fast as possible , because we want to treat it like a sports car , not like a broken down , rundown car , so like the . The last tip again makes my lazy heart happy , and it's batch cooking things , but specifically you mentioned legumes and grains .
Speaker 2Yeah , this is one of my favorite things because and maybe it's just because I'm lazy when it comes to this there's so many times that I'll get ready to sit down for dinner and I have forgotten to start the the rice that was going to be paired with the mill , or I want to add beans to the side to kind of give it a little bit of a boost . But really making sure that you batch cook these things One it's easier because they're so simple to add to mills that are already that you're already going to have to boost those mills . But a big thing is is when you cook and cool legumes and grains these really carb heavy items you actually increase the resistant starch in them . So even if you cool it down and you reheat it , you have still increased that resistant starch . And resistant starches do not break down .
Speaker 2So this allows it to kind of actually ferment in your large intestine and I know some people are thinking that's a bad thing , but that actually is a good thing because it allows the good bacteria to actually feed on these starches and it makes it so that you are actually able to create , have more good bacteria , multiply , and it boosts your overall gut health so you'll get less constipation . This also because of a resistant . Resistant starch also helps decrease cholesterol levels . It's just a great way to kind of get those added benefits . And of course , your it's starches and legumes sorry , grains of legumes are excellent sources of fiber and vitamins and minerals as well , so it's really just a great way to make your week a little bit easier , adding in some extra fiber but also getting some gut health benefits and lowering cholesterol levels as well .
Speaker 1And getting to be lazy because it's really hard and annoying . Not that hard , but it's annoying enough that I don't want to do it often to make a single portion for something . So having that excuse that I can bulk prep it , then be able to take the portion I need , even adjusting the portion based on what I've done earlier in the day , it makes it very , very easy and it's that added health benefit as well . Exactly Well , thank you so much , Michelle . These were great tips to not only help us meal prep more easily , including diversity of foods , but also get more nutritional value and really bump our micronutrient intake , even consuming things we're already consuming .
Speaker 2Awesome .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Thanks for having me .
Speaker 1Often when I'm sharing workout tips , it's a new workout designed to try , it's a new technique to try , and you do feel like you have to either redo the workouts you're doing currently or wait till your next progression to do them , especially if you are designing progressions which hopefully you are , and not just stringing workouts randomly together . But it takes a bit of revamping to implement them . So I wanted to talk about ways that you can take your workouts right now and potentially increase the value of them through challenging yourself , because if we want to grow muscle , if we want to get in better shape , we have to constantly challenge ourselves and make their progression in the movements right . We can't just keep doing 20 reps of the same move with the same weight and expect ourselves to get stronger . We're not challenging yourself to tear things down , and just because they move feels hard doesn't mean it's even necessarily challenging us to the maximum extent that it could to see the best results as fast as possible . So I want to talk about how you could take your current workouts and potentially create more progression in the movements without just adding loads , because I do think that's another thing we always default to . Well , I don't have weight , so I can't challenge myself more , or I don't know if I can do a heavier weight , or we're even potentially fearful of doing a heavy weight because we haven't passed that point .
Progressive Workout Techniques for Better Results
Speaker 1So there's so many other ways we can create progression . Whether it's that we don't have them , we don't feel comfortable with it , whatever else , we're in between weights , right . So we can't get to the next one with proper form . But these different forms of progression are something you can implement today with the current moves you're doing . The first type is changing up type of load .
Speaker 1Okay , so I actually even got this comment on an Instagram post where I did four different ways to create progression , which is like I can't see how that band resistance is equal to the weights and you can use lighter bands than you use weights , but you can also use heavier bands than you use weights . You can apply just as much resistance with a band as you can with dumbbells . Especially if you get the different resistance bands that you can attach all to the same handles , you can make those things fricking really heavy and intense . So don't think that bands are going light because they aren't . They also apply tension in different ways . Dumbbells are based on gravity .
Speaker 1Okay , resistance in the band actually increases as you stretch the band out , which is generally where the muscle is strongest . So you're applying resistance in a different way and even by doing sometimes the same but different , we're having to stabilize in a different way , we're having to engage in a different way , we're having to establish my body connection in a different way . So you'll be surprised , by even using a comparable load , sometimes in a different tool , you are challenging a new way and you find you even get sore from that new right , and not that we should be seeking to be sore , but I'm saying that is a that shows you how much it is really different , even if it's not more in that clear progression in terms of resistance . But you can . It doesn't have to be bands , it can be cables , it can be kettle balls . But by creating a different balance , a different resistance , a different type of resistance , you're going to create progression . And then it's not even just either . Or say you have a pair of dumbbells and you have a light resistance band and you're like okay , well , this band isn't more than my dumbbells , but I don't have more dumbbells to go up . Combine the two right . By using two different types of resistances , you're not only getting the benefits of the loads of the dumbbells and now adding extra load through the band , but you're creating that different type of tension . I love and this is one of my favorite moves that I've been including recently is the landmine RDL with the band as well , and that load plus that different tension . If I can't and I'm sort of stuck in between weights , that band creates that much more resistance and makes me control to move that much more . It's a great way to emphasize even the eccentric . Okay , but change of types of loads and you can do this to any move you're doing currently . You don't have to make a big search for a new best exercise , go get any fancy equipment . You can just change up with the types of loads that you have on hand .
Speaker 1The other thing I wanted to talk about is changing up tempos . Okay , I love going to the eccentric , especially when we are talking about building muscle and establishing the mind body connection by slowing down the lengthening portion of that movement . So where you're lengthening the muscle you can create more time under tension , more muscle tissue damage . This can help with muscular growth . It can also be a great way to progress movements if you're sort of stuck in between two levels of pull up or push up , because we are stronger in that eccentric portion . And I'll hear people be like , yes , slowing down is the best . Okay , yes , it is , it's fabulous .
Speaker 1But changing up tempos doesn't mean just slowing them down . It could mean adding in an isometric hold in them . I love doing a controlled squat down at the bottom , making a client hold there and then even stand back upright . That makes you really control the weight too . I also like speeding things up , and we think about this as only with cardio workouts , but sometimes that explosive power is what we need . This is going faster with the movement . To show that we can recruit muscles quickly is very , very valuable . Okay , we can't deny the importance of being able to recruit things efficiently and quickly as well . It's not just about slowing things down . So if you're only slowing things down , think about changing up the tempo to speed things up . Don't demonize one tempo and even combine a few different . Maybe slow it down and speed it up . Maybe you speed it up with a pause . Right , there's different ways to create progression through different tempos . Especially if you are working with body weight stuff , you can spend more time under tension by changing up this tempos . Another technique I like that you can use with anything you're doing currently is rest polytechnique .
Speaker 1So a lot of times when we see in our workouts you know rep ranges of eight to 12 reps , we might do the 12 reps with the weight and be like , okay , I was challenged , I had also stopped at 12 and we really should have done 15 with the weight . But if you can do 12 reps with that weight , I would encourage you to work down in reps and add weight . So if you have extra loads there , work down in reps and add weight . So maybe you max out now at eight reps and you've done eight reps with this weight for the entire thing . You get to that final round and you can't do eight reps . So you think , oh , I shouldn't have done eight reps , it was too heavy . No , that's perfect . Okay , do the eight reps or do the six reps . You could do pause for 10 to 15 seconds and then do the two reps to complete the eight .
Speaker 1This is where you know you might have loads but you might be in between weights or can't fully get to the bottom of the rep range . But that's the way you really maximize and challenge yourself , not by constantly hitting 12 reps the entire time . Of course you can go up and wait at that 12 reps and see where you sort of max out , where then you hit 10 , right , if that's where you're more comfortable , if that's the form that you're working on and how your experience level allows you to go that heavy . Right . Maybe you don't have stuff to challenge an eight , but you do want to think about how can I challenge myself going down in reps to then earn the top rep range . That's double progression through adding weight and also earning more reps with that weight . But then using that rest pause technique is a great way to maximize that rep range . So if you even did , say , hit 12 with each one , hit 10 on the last one , pause for 10 to 15 seconds , finish those last two reps and get 12 out , you're using that rest pause technique to get out a few more reps with a weight that you couldn't do in a rep . Okay . So that's a great to correct and balances If you have one stronger side and one weaker side and you can do the heavier weight with the weaker side but not the same number of reps as with the stronger side , okay .
Speaker 1The other things in terms of progression which you can do with the current moves that you're doing is just simply change of postures . If you're doing , say , like a glute bridge with abduction , so you're pressing out against the band as you're doing that glute bridge and you're only pressing out of the top , try lifting , doing the bridge , going back down and pressing out at the bottom when you're lying down . That's different degrees of hip flexion right there . It might seem like a very small change , but you're going to feel in a different place in your glute medius , and you might even find that you're able to better engage the glute medius in one over the other , which means you need to work on the mind body connection in that other posture position , which might then help you engage your glutes better in different lunges , different squats , different positions elsewhere . Okay , but think about different postures and positions when you do movements , and that even comes back to just simply changing up exactly the variation of the move you use .
Speaker 1We think of , you know , two leg deadlift or single leg deadlift , but there's so much room for a variety in there . There could be a single leg deadlift where you're using a slider so you have a little bit more stability . There could be an 80 , 20 deadlift where you still have the other toe down but 80% of your weight is one side . There could be a single leg deadlift where you have the back leg up on a bench . So it's not fully that balancing move that the other one is right
Maximizing Progression and Small Changes
Speaker 1.
Speaker 1There's so many ways to vary that single leg deadlift and create that different progression from the two leg variation . But even the range of motion you're working through as well , you know again , it all goes back to those postures , positions of the same basic movement . But you can take that split squad and raise your front foot up . You can take that split squat and raise your back foot up , which is usually the balance lender Bulgarian split squat . But by changing the range of motion you can make it move harder . Or if you can't get fully control of the range of motion , to do a split squat dropping your knee all the way down the ground . Maybe you put a block to be able to control it down to that block and slowly lower that block as you become more mobile and stronger through that floor range of motion . But you can use range of motion to progress moves , to create that difference . We have to stop looking at it as it's like we can only make it move harder by clear progression in weights , and see that sometimes the same but different can really add up .
Speaker 1Not to mention there's so many ways to tweak the things we're currently doing , over having to go search for a completely new plan , a completely new workout design , a completely new best move out there , as sexy and tempting as it is to try and find one . There probably isn't one in the best movies based on what you need right now . But you don't need to go search for something big and new and life altering . It's often these little 1% changes to what we're currently doing that really add up . So that's a wrap for this episode of the fitness tax podcast .
Speaker 1Remember to think in terms of those 1% improvements based on what you're doing currently . Don't shoot for some ideal , even as excited as you could be about starting a new program . Really focus on assessing who and what you are and what you're doing right now to make those small changes , so that you can see that discipline really being built over having to rely on willpower and self-control , because ultimately that's what sets us back and makes us feel like we're starting over . But in order to do this , in terms of the tactics and actions that you take . You need to first assess your mindset and really step back and realize , when you get that all or nothing attitude , how much those 1% improvements are truly valuable .
