In case you were hiding under a rock, we hosted a seminar at J&M last weekend called, “Train Like A Girl.”  It was a seminar geared towards anyone who trains/coaches women, as well as women who just want to look and feel better.  We had top notch speakers like Mike Robertson, Julia Ladewski, Kiefer, my business partner Jim Laird, and somehow I snuck into that lineup as well.

It was a 2-day seminar, and the first day was all lecture, and the second day was one lecture, and the rest hands-on.  Looking back now, we should have split up the lecture and hands-on so people didn’t have to sit so long, but you live and learn I guess.

Each presenter had a fantastic topic, and we kept getting the feedback, “I’ve never been to a seminar where I was excited to hear every single speaker!”  That was awesome.

PRESENTATIONS

The audience listening attentively.

A quick run-down of the presentations:

Mike Robertson – Mike talked about the mobility and stability needs of female athletes.  And by athlete, he means anyone training on a regular basis, in an effort to improve their physical performance.  He touched on posture, positioning, diaphragmatic breathing and why it drives almost everything we do or don’t do, and much more.  I’ve heard Mike speak almost a dozen times, and it never gets old!

Kiefer – Kiefer discussed the science of female fat loss.  He talked about how women’s need for carbs is significantly lower than men’s, and how many women set themselves up for failure from the very beginning by waking up and having a huge, carb-laden breakfast.  Very interesting stuff.  It’s obvious Kiefer is a smart guy who gets great results.

Kiefer talking females and fat loss.

Jim Laird – Jim discussed how to get women to fall in love with weight training.  In doing this, he discussed the best methods for training women, how to make sure they always progress, and how he might train them differently than he would train a man.  If anyone knows training women, it’s Jim.  Over the last 12 years, he’s gotten dozens of women incredible results in just 2 days a week of training, by “tricking” them into falling in love with lifting.  In fact, he tricked me into it almost 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back since.

Jim clearly knows how to get ladies to love lifting heavy…

Julia Ladewski – Julia talked about training the young female athlete.  Young female athletes are one of the most neglected demographics, which is crazy because it’s not only a huge group, but they need strength training so badly.  Julia discussed what young female athletes needs to feel and perform their best, as well as discussing how they might respond differently to different coaching styles.

Julia presenting on the topic of training female athletes.

I discussed 6 mistakes females make when trying to lose body fat, and I touched on many topics from nutrition and training, to lifestyle and emotional aspects of losing body fat.

We finished each day with a Q&A Roundtable discussion, where attendees had 30-60 minutes to ask questions!

Roundtable Q&A Day 1. We missed Julia Ladewski but she was helping at the Learn to Train Seminar. She is in high demand!

HANDS-ON/PRACTICAL

A panoramic view of the coaches walking around working with everyone! So cool.

The hands-on section was positively amazing, and we brought in coaches from all over the country to help us out.  We initially started out in one big group, with over a dozen coaches walking around and helping.  Here is what was covered:

Dynamic Warm-up led by Mike Robertson

Diaphragmatic Breathing led by Yours Truly

Squat and Hinge Patterns led by Jim Laird

We did those stations in one large group with coaches walking around helping attendees.

Then we split up into the following stations:

Squat and Deadlift – coached by Jim Laird, Julia Ladewski, and Ryan Brown

Julia coaching the squat!

Turkish Getup – coached by Dave Randolph

Kettlebell Swing – coached by Kris Freeman and Ryan Patrick

Split Stance, Half Kneeling, and Core – coached by Lucy Hendricks and me

People were getting crushed by half kneeling and proper split squats!

Functional Movement Screen (FMS) – coached by James Escaloni, Jared Woolever, Steve Long, and Quinn Henoch

Steve Long and crew talking Functional Movement…

All of these coaches also helped with the big group coaching as well, in addition to my good friend Sarah Martin, who is an awesome coach as well.

Attendees had ~30 minutes at each station, and were coached by some of the best coaches in the industry.

In between presentations, we gave away raffle prizes like Mike Robertson’s Bulletproof Back and Knees, a Smart Group Training package, Bootcamp In A Box, Dave Randolph’s Action Movie Hero Workout Book, Kiefer’s Carb Backloading, and even some Lululemon gear, and a gorgeous watch!  All in all, we gave away over $2,000 in prizes.

We also allowed lots of time for presenter/speaker/coach/attendee interaction, and many of the coaches stayed late to help the attendees.  We also had a group dinner with all of the speakers and attendees on Saturday night.  All in all, we wanted our attendees to feel incredibly special and valuable, and feel like they got 10x their money’s worth.

Hanging with Missy Neely at the group dinner Saturday night! It was awesome!

Based on the surveys they filled out at the end and the video testimonials they gave us, I think it was a success.  Check out what they had to say:

“I really felt like I made a difference this weekend. I’ve been to a lot of seminars before where I can’t walk away and say that, so it was actually rewarding for me. Thanks again for having me!”  – Presenter and Coach, Mike Robertson, President Robertson Training Systems, Co-Owner Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training

“I just wanted to say that I have never learned so much great material in my whole life.  I just graduated from Purdue and I feel like just now, because of this weekend, I actually have the knowledge and experience to move forward.  Thank you all so much!” – Alicia McKinley

“I just wanted to take a moment after starting to come down from the high of the weekend and say thank you to you both. I don’t honestly think I can really express how much the whole event impacted me. But I know this, I left different than when I came. I feel like last weekend was a defining point for me. I know you both know this, but what you are doing there in Lexington as well as via the web is so important and getting to be there and feeling that passion for helping others find health was beyond contagious. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” – Heather Verstat

“I wanted to thank you for a fabulous weekend.  You have made me feel like I’m opening up to new things in fitness and in life, when I feel like I’ve been bored for a while. Thank you so much for taking a personal interest in me when I know you had so many other people to talk to. It’s made me re-think lots of things about my life that have needed to be questioned. Thanks again for an amazing weekend and an incredibly refreshing take on fitness. When you host another seminar consider me already signed up. Thanks again.” – Mallory Miller

The biggest question we have gotten so far is: When are you doing this again?  We can’t say for sure, only that we definitely will!  We are also turning this one into an information product available for purchase, so that will be awesome!  Please visit our website and sign up at the bottom of the page so you will be on an email list for updates and early-bird discounts on the product and future seminars.  This one sold out FAST, so if you sign up for the email list, you’ll be the first to know, as we will open up registration to you guys FIRST!

THANK YOU!

Like I said, it was an absolutely FANTASTIC weekend, and could not have been pulled off without the help of all of the presenters and coaches, an amazing camera and sound crew, a bevy of amazing volunteers and coordinators (THANK YOU ALL!), and last but not least, our own personal Ninja, Joann Lianekhammy.  She is the Wizard behind the curtain, always.

I wish I could list every single person that helped, but inevitably I’d forget someone and then wouldn’t be able to sleep for 3 days.  So please know that we are grateful to you, and grateful to our sponsors and supporters:

Dangerously Hardcore/Athlete.io

Dapper Creative

Epic

Julie Wilson, Story Magazine

Kind Snacks

Lena Edwards, MD

Locker Public Relations

Lululemon

Max Muscle

Robertson Training Systems

Rod Martin, Sound

Shelia Bayes Fine Jewelers

Skin Authority

Smart Group Training

In part 1, I give you a glimpse into my personal journey into the fitness industry.  

In part 2 of this article, I discussed 5 tips for starting your own successful business.  

Now, in part 3, I will give you 5 more tips for starting your own sucessful business, in the fitness industry, or any other industry.

6. Don’t be afraid to turn clients away.

Along the same lines as the advice given in tip number 5, if you differentiate yourself from your competition, you’ll attract a lot of potential clients.  Not every one of them will be a good fit for you.  And that’s OK. 

I still struggle with this idea of wanting to sign up everyone who walks in our door.  Jim, on the other hand, is fantastic at turning people away if they don’t buy into what we do (see tip number 2!).  The fact that he can do this well is fantastic and saves all parties involved a lot of time and headache.

You read the advice we give our clients, and it may have sounded strange to you.  Many potential clients don’t understand this philosophy at first, and that’s fine.  But once you start building a culture that encompasses what’s important to you, it will catch on quickly, and you’ll attract the kind of clients you want.

We only pursue clients who buy into our philosophy and trust our expertise. Otherwise it’s a waste of time and energy for everyone involved.

7.  Be the BEST in your area.

This should be a no-brainer, but if you love what you do, you should try and be the absolute best at it!  If you’re the best at what you do, and have good systems in place for your business, you should be a success.  Never stop learning.  Use what is useful and discard what is not.  Always be honing and refining your skills.

If you’re running group classes or bootcamps (or you want to!), one way to be the best at what you do is to check out Bootcamp in a Box, a product I created with Jim Laird (my business partner) and Mike Robertson.  It allows you to get inside our brain and figure out exactly how we program for our group classes, and how we keep our clients healthy while giving them an awesome workout.  We’ve sold hundreds of copies so far, and it’s catching on like crazy.  If you don’t start implementing this programming soon, your competitors will, and you’ll be too late.

Don’t fall behind the curve. You should always be learning and always honing your craft.

 8. Invest in a coach to help you.

This should probably be number one on the list because it’s so, so important.  Even though I have a Master’s Degree in Business, nothing I did in school could have prepared me for running my own (just like any other school vs. practical experience). 

 Lucky for us, we have resources like Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry of Fitness Consulting Group, and Debra Locker of Locker PR to help us.  We are Fitness Revolution franchisees (Pat and Nick own/run FR), and we have been able to implement the business systems they offer through the franchise to help make sure everything in our business runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.  Debra is fantastic at helping us with local PR like TV spots, magazine articles, etc.  And we recently hired an amazing woman to be our General Manager at the gym.  She *technically* works for us, but let’s be honest, she is the BOSS.  And it works out perfectly.

You see, in every business you need a technician, an entrepreneur, and a manager. 

Jim is an amazing technician, and has some fantastic ideas for growing the business.

I am more of an entrepreneur, and am becoming a better technician every day.

Neither of us can manage anything to save our lives. =)

So we hired Joann as our GM and it’s been the best thing we’ve done for our business. 

Invest in people who can teach you how to grow your business (Pat and Nick), so that you have the time to do the public relations activities that will get your face seen in your community (thank you Debra), and hire someone who can take care of the administrative and managerial things so you don’t have to (we love you Joann!!). 

It’s worth every penny.

9. Barter services whenever it makes sense.

Bartering services is a fantastic way for both parties to get a ton of value from a relationship, as long as it makes sense.  For example, we barter with a massage therapist, an acupuncturist, a web designer, and a woman who cooks delicious Paleo-approved food for us!

 We have also bartered for PR work, spa and skincare services, and more.  Since we run a lot of group classes and semi-private sessions, adding one more person to class or a semi-private session adds very little to our workload and virtually nothing to our schedule in terms of time.  Since we are already training clients during that hour anyway, it’s convenient for us, and we get the benefit of the services listed above.  Obviously if you do a lot of one-on-one training, bartering might not make as much sense.

Always make sure you have a contract or written statement from each party about the services being exchanged so things don’t get confusing or messy.  (i.e. Jane Doe will provide (2) 60 minutes massages each calendar month in exchange for 3 group training classes a week).  This will ensure both parties are receiving exactly what they expect, with minimal potential for misunderstanding.

 10. “Don’t give up.  Don’t ever give up.”  – Jimmy Valvano

 It’s a very cliché statement, but most clichés exist for a reason. 

In part 2 of this article, I discussed how Jim lived in our old, dingy gym for months so that we could put more money into the business.  I talked about how I worked at a bar, often until 4 am, to support myself while we tried to make the gym successful. 

It took a LONG time for us to find and secure this building, and even longer before we could get approved to move in!

We encountered numerous setbacks from having to leave one of our buildings almost overnight, to having several buildings fall through completely, to having to close down for longer than expected because of zoning and city permit issues, and me having to take a leave of absence because of the unexpected loss of my Father, leaving Jim to run the gym by himself for a while.

We could have given up. 

We could have decided that it was too hard. 

We could have decided that it took too much work, too much time, too much effort.

We could have determined that the odds were stacked against us.

We could have used the excuse that, “most small businesses fail.”

We could have surrendered to that fear of failure.

We could have spent more time worrying about failing, that being committed to succeeding.

But we didn’t.

We decided that success was our ONLY option, and it was.  And here we are.

We aren’t “out of the woods” just yet, of course.  We still have a long way to go.  I have no doubt it will be a long, bumpy ride with dozens of unexpected twists and turns.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

BONUS TIP # 11:  Be slow to hire, but once you hire well, take good care of them.  

We were lucky enough to meet Lucy Hendricks a few years ago when she did an internship with Jim.  We couldn’t hire her immediately because we couldn’t afford it, so she trained at another gym to get experience, but she was totally miserable.  During that time, she was willing to shadow us (pretty much for free) to get experience and learn our training methods.  She was so intent on working for us that she waited for 6+ months until we could bring her on board, and she started off with just a few hours and a few classes a week.  It wasn’t easy, but she stuck with it.  She even got a second job so she could afford to work for us.

We LOOOOVE Lucy!

Now that things have taken off, we do everything we can to take great care of Lucy.  We constantly ask for her input, ask her what her short and long-term goals are, and do whatever we can to help her reach them.  We have set up a pay scale where she is rewarded handsomely for performing well (which, of course, she always does!), and it’s our intention that she loves working for us so much, and is compensated so well, that she never wants to leave. 

Find amazing employees, and take great care of them.  Period. 

Do you agree? Disagree?  Did I leave anything out?  Let me know below! 

In this article, I want to give you some information on what we did wrong, what we did right, and how you can take the leap for yourself.  I have 10 tips to give you, but I don’t want to overwhelm you, so I’ll give you 5 today, and 5 more tomorrow!

Enjoy.

1. Start small and lean.

A lot of new businesses want to invest a ton of money up front to have state-of-the-art everything.  This is rarely a good idea, unless you have an unlimited source of money and/or you want to bring on some heavy duty investors who will own a lot of your business and who will want to have a lot of say in what you do.

We started our renting space from another gym on a percentage basis.  If starting a gym is what you want to do, I’d recommend this route almost every time.  Tons of places are looking for an additional revenue stream during their off-hours (think dance and yoga studios, churches, etc.).  We also had minimal equipment (some bands and a few kettlebells).  Start with the absolute basics and build from there.

Even when we moved into our own space, it was small and not exactly state-of-the-art, but we wanted to be frugal.  (Notice the duct tape holding the carpet in place?)

2. Have a good partner.

Jim Laird is my business partner and I think we both agree, we could have never, EVER done this alone.  Having someone else to lean on, someone else to rely on, and someone else who is strong where you are weak is absolutely essential!  Do your best to find someone who complements you, and make sure you pick wisely.  Owning a business together is very similar to a marriage, and you want to make sure they are in it for the long haul!

You’ll fight, you’ll laugh, you’ll want to kill one another. But you HAVE to learn how to make it work.

3. Make sacrifices.

In part 1 of this article I discussed foregoing a “grown-up” job so I could have more time to focus on my own businesses.  In the meantime, I supported myself with a job as a cocktail waitress.  Yes, it was an awesome job for me during that time, and I will forever be grateful for it.  But I was an MBA grad who was waiting tables at a bar.

I always head my held high because I knew I was doing what was best for me in the long haul, but I’ll admit, it was a bit embarrassing at times.  Please understand I am not saying there is anything wrong with that profession.  I did it for almost 7 years and have the utmost respect for those that do it.  I just never thought that I’d be a 27 year old with a Master’s degree asking if people wanted a side of ranch with their Chicken Nachos.

And try explaining to people why you’re working at a bar 2 nights/week if you’re actually a really good trainer and coach.  It was tough.

As for my partner Jim, he made the sacrifice and lived in our old gym for a while so we could put more money back into the business.  He had a tiny little room with a bed on the floor.  It wasn’t exactly a great place to live.  But he did it because he knew he had to.

4. Pick a do-or-die date.

Several times over the last few years, I told myself that I would stop working at the bar, “once X, Y, and Z happened.”  I was waiting for the “right time” to quit.

Guess what?  There is NEVER a “right time.”  If you wait until all of the stars have aligned and everything is perfect, you’ll never take the plunge. You MUST have that sense of urgency… that “Holy crap!  If this doesn’t work, there is no other option.”  It’s at that point, that your survival mechanism kicks in and you get shit done.

I remember feeling like I was on a bungee cord plummeting towards the ground, and I didn’t know how long or how scary my fall would be… all I knew is that somehow, some way… my cord would catch me before I hit the ground.  I can’t explain how I knew.  I just knew.

5. Differentiate yourself.

No matter what field you are in, it’s imperative that you differentiate yourself from the crowd.

What makes you special?  What makes you different?

For us, it was telling our clients to exercise LESS.  To leave a “quarter in the tank.”  To choose sleep over exercise if they are lacking sleep.  To eat real food.  To walk for leisure, not exercise.  To not overdo it or push themselves too hard.

When the current trends include P90X, Insanity, CrossFit, Spinning, Cranking, and other activities that are very intense and hard on the body, you better believe we were able to differentiate ourselves with the advice above!

I have no doubt that one of the reasons you want your own business because you think you can do it better than your competition.  So be different.  Do it better.  And tell everybody about it.

Tune in tomorrow where I’ll follow up with 5 more tips for you!

Hey Amanda!

Thanks so much for this question!  I get this question very often, so instead of replying to you directly, I wanted to write a post about it so everyone can benefit!

I guess the best place to start is my background.  My Bachelor’s degree is actually a double major in Finance and Marketing, and my Master’s is in Business (MBA).  I fell in love with strength training and nutrition around 2004 (my junior year of college), but I was not about to switch majors after almost 3 full years of college.  Plus, I still never thought I’d end up with a career in fitness!  I’ve loved numbers and business for as long as I can remember.

Heck…at 7 years old, I was charging my family members interest on any money they borrowed from me!  I didn’t know what it was called at the time, but I figured if they had my money, and I didn’t… I deserved to be compensated for that. =)

I didn’t quite understand “compound interest” at the time… but I was still a “businesswoman” from a very young age.

When I finished undergrad in 2006 (I took 5 years to get my Bachelor’s because I switched my major 3 times before settling on Finance and Marketing), I decided to immediately get my MBA. Around this time I met a young man that I would go on to date for the next 6 years.  He introduced me to an idea for a piece of software he wanted to have built that would automatically build meal plans for customers based on certain information about themselves (height, weight, goals, etc.).  I loved his idea and was convinced that it would make us rich.

When I finished grad school in the summer of 2007, because I wanted to work on Red Point as much as possible, I decided to forgo getting a “grown-up” job and keep my cocktail waitress job at the swanky piano bar where I worked during undergrad and grad school.

Yes.  I was a cocktail waitress with an MBA for many, many years.

By day I was reading everything I could get my hands on related to nutrition and training, working on Red Point, blowing up the forums on T-Nation and the now-defunct Figure Athlete, training for figure competitions, and completely and totally immersed in all things “fitness.”

After spending two full years having the software built, in April of 2008 Red Point Fitness launched.

From a Red Point photo shoot…

We just knew, “If we built it…they would come.”

Seriously.  That was our marketing plan. No seriously.

Quit laughing.

Wait…did you just snort?  I thought so.

:::::tapping my foot:::::

Are you going to keep laughing or are you done yet?

Anyway, yes, we thought if we built it, they would come.  And, well, some people came.  And they really liked it.  But we didn’t know enough about user experience or customer satisfaction and anytime we got feedback about what customers didn’t like, we just got mad and justified why our way was better, and we didn’t change much of anything.  Ask me how well that worked out…? (Hint: it didn’t.)

After a frustrating year or two of hanging out in limbo, training some clients here and there, and spending more and more time with my good buddy Jim Laird, I knew that I wanted to be in the fitness industry, I just didn’t know in what capacity.  I was embarrassed that Red Point hadn’t done as well as we’d hoped, I felt like I didn’t have many options in terms of where I could train clients (my commercial gym was saturated with trainers, and I didn’t want to train at a Globo-Gym), and I felt very stuck and discouraged.

Hanging with some of my faves… Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman of IFAST

In January of 2010, I started training with Mike Robertson of IFAST, and so did Jim.  We both quickly realized that there was a whole world of training to which we hadn’t been exposed.

Don’t get me wrong… at this point Jim had been getting people moving and feeling better and getting them extremely strong for over a decade, and he was damn good at it.  But integrating what he learned from Mike with what he already knew about training clients, allowed him to get results at lightning speed.

After a major life transition, and spending times at other gyms in our area, Jim decided that he wanted to help as many people as possible by giving them what they really needed, and that was an intelligent exercise program, and solid nutrition and recovery information.  So he started a group class, and asked for my help.  The initial plan was, I would help coach 1-2 nights a week, and that was it.

A couple of weeks after he started classes, we both attended a “Bootcamp Blueprint” event held by Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry.  I was hooked, and after a brief chat and a handshake, J&M Strength and Conditioning was born (well, we were under a different name then, but the concept was born).

We jumped in with two feet, and no idea what we were getting ourselves into!

We started out renting space from a local CrossFit gym.  We didn’t have any money, so we agreed to pay them 25% of what we brought in each month, that way if we didn’t make anything, we wouldn’t owe anything.  The plans were to continue renting space from them and grow our business within their building.  Unfortunately, they had to move into a smaller building with very little parking, and between their CrossFit classes, on-ramp classes, bootcamp classes, and our group personal training classes, it was way too confusing and cramped.  So in May of 2011, we moved into our own space.

It was small.

It was dingy.

It reeked of cigarette smoke.

It was an old adult video store. <—- NOT KIDDING!

But it was OURS and we were thrilled!

Fancy, huh? Notice the umm…very dark windows. =)

At that point, we had about 50 clients in our classes, plus Jim’s personal training clients, so we couldn’t afford much and because had to find space quickly, we had to take what we could get.  We stayed there for 18 months, despite almost bursting at the seams with new clients after 4-5 months!  We were locked into our lease for a year, but even after the year was up, buildings kept falling through over and over again.  Every time we got our hopes up, another building would fall through.  It was frustrating and discouraging, and our clients thought we would never move!  In fact, they started joking that our “new building” was like a mermaid riding atop a unicorn frolicking over a rainbow (i.e. they thought it was just a myth!)

During this time, I was still waiting tables 1-2 nights a week as a safety net in case something didn’t work out with the gym.  Now this may not seem like a job that would be scary to leave.  After all, it’s just waiting tables, right?  WRONG.  I had been with this company for almost 7 years and was able to make my own super flexible schedule, work as much or as little as I wanted, and in 2 nights a week I was making more than most of my MBA classmates at their “grown-up” jobs.  Yeah, it was a freakin’ sweet deal.  And SUPER hard to walk away from.

In the end, it wasn’t what I loved, and I knew it had a shelf life.  I wanted to build something where I wouldn’t have to trade hours for dollars.  I wanted to help people.  I wanted to be my own boss and have a ton of freedom!

In March of 2012 I called it quits for good.  It was absolutely terrifying, but looking back, it was the best decision I ever made. It was do or die time, baby!

Finally, after months upon months of searching, Jim found us a fantastic space, and in November of 2012, we moved in!  It’s 7,500 square feet and in a fantastic location.

Just a small part of our new building!

When we moved in, we had well over 110 class clients, plus our private and semi-private clients.  Within a few short months of moving in, we added another 80 clients to our roster, and we are already looking to add more space!

SUMMARY

June 2010: renting space from a local gym, 20 clients in class, 2 classes/week

March 2013: leasing 7,500 square feet and looking to expand, ~175 class clients, 50 private/semi-private clients, 24 classes/week

In addition to J&M, I have been fortunate enough to hook up with the likes of Neghar Fonooni and Alli McKee to form Girls Gone Strong.

****(The four other original co-founders, Julia Ladewski, Jen Comas Keck, Nia Shanks, and Marianne Kane all stepped away to focus on other projects and they are all rocking out in the industry in their own ways!  Be sure to check them out when you get a chance!)

Starting GGS was one of the most exciting and important things I’ve ever done!

I also have my personal blog (which you’re reading right now), and I’ve got much more in the works, so please sign up for my newsletter so you can stay tuned to what I have going on!

So here I am!  After all of the twists and turns and failures and things that fell through… I am still here and still busting my butt every day to make things happen.  I am nowehere close to being where I want to be, and all of my businesses are still in their infancy, so every day I take a huge *risk* by continuing to do what I do.

(I say *risk* because I believe it’s a much bigger risk to shy away from what you are passionate about, what lights you up from the inside out, what makes you tick… I believe the “safe” route of finding a “good job” and plugging away up the corporate ladder for 30-40 years is much more terrifying than chasing my dreams.  But then again, I am a little crazy…)

Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2 where I give my top tips on how to transition into fitness full-time. (HINT: LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!)

“The last time I went bowling (before last month) was probably 9-10 years ago (before I started lifting). I always remembered the bowling balls being SO HEAVY I would always look for an 8-10 lb. ball.

Last month I went bowling and hasn’t even thought about how much I had changed in the last 9 years, and when I went to pick up the ball it felt like a feather!! In fact, I flung it over my head and start overhead pressing it and doing windmills with it!

It felt so weird!“

(NOTE: My sister-in-law reminded me that I actually went bowling in 2006, but I don’t remember it, so it doesn’t count! ;-D)

After an 80 lb. Turkish Getup, a bowling ball feels like a feather!

Then I posed the question:  ”When has your strength surprised you in an “everyday situation?”

I got some awesome answers!  Check them out below!

1. Nicola Murray I almost dropped my daughter while lifting her the other day. I went to toss her above my head (as you do with kids, obviously) and she was lighter than I anticipated. Good thing my reaction time has improved too!
2. Carla Tang I have a 10 y/o chocolate lab with bad joints. After running the other day she was so sore she couldn’t get into bed and just cried. I figured I would at least try to pick her up though I had failed before. She felt very light albeit a bit awkward at her 80lbs!
3. Stacie Larabell Now, when I’m doing some killer ab workout with my trainer, I remember when I couldn’t do even one full sit up 5 years ago.
4. Amanda Meddaugh I can change those big ol’ 5 gallon water jugs at work all by myself. I used to need assistance =]
5. Bobbejo Maynard Kohler It might sound stupid but I always pick lettuce by feel. The other day all the lettuce felt light. My husband starting laughing at me and said whats wrong is the lettuce light.
6. Alma Mebar I was rushing to get into my cab that had arrived to take me to the train station. My very chunky and heavy 1-year old started crying so I picked her up to carry her on my left hip, while I grabbed my heavy suitcase with my right hand, and ‘ran’ down the stairs. Once in the cab I realized what I had done – and how easy and effortless it was! I did it so smoothly and without thinking, or breaking a sweat. A few months before that I would’ve had to do 2 trips up the stairs – one to get the suitcase and drag it down, and one to get my daughter, and would’ve been panting both times and sweating like crazy! It’s exactly in those moments that I remember why I train so hard.
7. Anna Goska The first time I noticed it was when I stacked 5 loads of laundry (two tall baskets) on top of each other and carried them to the car without a problem. I was amazed!
8. Joy Spaulding Every day! I just went to work in the field for our chimney business and hoisted the ladder off the truck…first time ever! Plus everything is easier, watering my horses, i curl the full 5 gallon buckets now!
9. Karly Gomez 45lb sand bags that we have to load in the back of the pick-up during the winter months. I used to only be able to drag them out of the garage to the truck while my husband put them in the back. This time I was able to pick the bags up, host on my shoulder and throw in the back of the truck  I also notice it when hauling heavy yard bags to go to the dump.
10. Carrie King-Myers When I went to lift a box. Thought I needed hubby but no, that was 10 yrs ago, I got this!
11. Marie Shipp I was able to load and carry #50 bags of feed all through my pregnancy. It was fun shocking the boys at the feed store when I would help load my own feed, with a huge baby belly
12. Diana Fisler Rototiller! I wrestled that thing with all my weight to till the garden when I was skinny. Then I got strong. I was so confused when it felt like a toy the next time I used it.
13. Michelle L Hill When I threw a classmate last week in jujitsu and then got thrown like a piece of meat onto the mat….and then said…that felt good….
14. Christina Doody I work at a restaurant. I used to have to change the soda syrup bags in the back. I used to barely be able to pick up the boxes. Last month, I picked up the box, carried it quite a distance, and hooked it up to the machine, with almost no problem! The guys can always do this with ease, but it was an accomplishment for me!
15. Amber Lauren Kelly I work at pet store where we sell large bags of dog food and heavy buckets of salt water. I have always asked one of the guys to pick them up since the first time I tried I was reminded that I had the upper body strength of a newborn. Well the other day I decided to man excuse me, Girl up and try. I lifted that salt water bucket like it was the infant and smirked when the boys asked if I needed help carrying it out side!!!
16. Saskia Schijf Grab my kids for fun and when they are bad behaving. I just put them on my shoulder for a squat or to carry them upstairs
17. Georgia Rakusen I used to think I was strong, but nothing like I am now. I’ve been on the road with work exhibiting at trade shows. We have to unload the van, set up big flat screen TVs on heavy stands in the show, then carry everything back out and put it in the van. Usually I’m with a man who offers to do it, I let them help so as not to make them feel useless, but actually it is far easier and quicker for me to do it all by myself
18. Claire Wood carrying shopping from the car . . its my everyday farmers walk . .
19. Angela Reed Me and my hubby went bowling a few years ago had a great time decided to drive to the supermarket afterwards only to discover we still had our bowling shoes on ….we were in stitches laughing so much (not related to strength but funny)
20. Lisa Callaghan-Goddard I regularly have to carry large boxes weighing upwards and 50lbs, many times lifting directly off the floor and more than one box at a time. Squatting heavy things has made this a breeze and I now actually relish the chance to get in a deep squat and show the boys how it’s done.  I’ve been offered help before and actually said “Thanks, but I’m okay. I’m not exactly a delicate flower.”

SO COOL!  So now I’m asking you…

“When has your strength surprised you in an “everyday situation?”

Let me know below!

Let me preface this by saying that I realize gluten-free diets are not for everyone.  That being said, many of my friends and clients have come off of gluten, and felt remarkably better.  Many of them were eating a very nutritious, whole foods diet when they decided to pull gluten out, so it’s not as if they went from McDonald’s 4x a day, to a gluten-free whole foods diet (feeling better would be a no-brainer in that situation!).

Lucy Hendricks, my friend and an awesome trainer at our gym, J&M Strength and Conditioning, is also gluten-free and decided to compile stories from friends and family who have also gone gluten-free with wonderful results and share them with my audience.  Enjoy!  And please share your experience with going gluten-free in the comments section!

P.S.  Read about how to painlessly ease into a gluten-free diet here!

How A Paleo-Style Diet Changed My Life 

By: Lucy Hendricks

When some people think of eating meat, they think of chicken covered in salmonella and growth hormones, cows injected with antibiotics and meat coloring, pigs stuffed fed anti-bacterial drugs and pork treated with preservatives. They think of cancer, fat people, high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and heart attacks.

 I, on the other hand, don’t believe that meat is the root cause of our health problems. And I like to publicly announce it! I put it all over the internet.

 In fact, if we’re friends on Facebook, you know how much I like bacon, and how many patties Molly, Jim and I get when we go to Five Guys (hint: at least 4).

 People who agree with me think my posts are accurate, funny, or clever (or at least I like to think I’m funny and clever).  I also have a lot of people who don’t agree with me, and that’s OK too.  I’ve had people send me messages telling me I’m sending out the wrong message about how to be healthy, and that the information I’m putting out there is completely wrong.

 I understand that the information I’m putting out there might not be the same information that some of my friends are learning in medical school, but after experiencing what I’ve gone through when experimenting with different nutrition strategies, and seeing the proof of what a Paleo-style diet can do for you, I could never agree with a doctor who says that all saturated fat is bad, and that copious amount of grains are good for you.

 So instead of arguing with people and explaining why they are wrong, I asked some of my friends and family members to write ONE paragraph about how a Paleo-style diet has changed their lives (but as you’ll see, some of them are so excited to share their story, they wrote much more!)

 I’ll start with myself, and it’s a little longer than a paragraph!

 After going from eating all real food in Guatemala (where I was born and lived until I was 15) to eating fast food, and cafeteria lunches every day when I moved to America, I ended up gaining almost 40lbs in two years.

As you can see, I am naturally quite thin, but moving to America and eating a processed food diet packed the pounds onto me quickly!

 After my junior year in high school, I suffered from PTSD, and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and depression. My anxiety was so bad I would convince myself I left the stove-top on and picture my whole entire house burning down. I would lay in bed at night and just make things up in my head, like what people thought of me, and assume the worst in every situation. I also ended up with fibromyalgia, leaky gut, and every time I would eat something my stomach would hurt. For the longest time I was looking for a magic pill that would make everything go away.

 Oh, and I used to seek out anti-Paleo nutrition experts because I hated Paleo and thought it was so stupid.

  Then I met Jim Laird, my boss at J&M Strength and Conditioning, and my training mentor, and he introduced me to “Wheat Belly.”  Soon after that, I realized in order to fix my health issues, I had to change my entire lifestyle.

It took some time, but now I’m a completely different person. In fact, I get pretty emotional when I think about how much my life has changed for the better since changing my diet.

A picture shortly after I changed my eating to a Paleo-style diet.

It’s crazy to think that I could have easily ignored my diet and would likely have taken anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, and suffer from pain for the rest of my life.

 So how is life now?  Well, I am in no pain from my fibromyalgia!  I also don’t have stomach pain when I eat, and I don’t take any medicine for my anxiety, and I feel like I manage it very well.  On the other hand, if I get really stressed out, and somehow have gluten contamination, all of my symptoms start to come back.

I feel so passionately about how eating real food and avoiding gluten has changed my life, I just want to spread the word.  It’s not for everyone, but we have seen such dramatic results with our clients, that we ask them to try it for 30-60 days just to see how they feel.  At the very worst, they eat more meat and vegetables, and at the very best, their life might be changed forever.

Read below about more of my friends and family members whose lives have been changed through good nutrition.

Angie Miller

I will begin by saying that more people should be aware of what they put into their bodies and the direct effect it has in their system.  The saying, “you are what you eat,” could not be any more true.  In my personal experience, switching to a gluten-free diet has helped my health tremendously.  Not only have I switched to a gluten-free diet, but I have eliminated a lot of processed foods as well.

 I do not eat fast food under any circumstances.  I have cut back on dairy, and grains in general.  The only grains that I consume now are the occasional splurge of rice, quinoa, or corn.  My biggest cheat food is corn tortillas!  Before I began this change in lifestyle (because it IS a lifestyle change and not a diet), I experienced a lot of negative symptoms, mainly from my gluten intolerance.

 I was deficient in B12, D3, my hair was falling out, I had plaque psoriasis on my face, chronic fatigue, chronic diarrhea, and a persistent state of “brain fog.”  All of this from the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.  And gluten is in almost ALL processed foods!

 Since I have changed my lifestyle, I am full a lot sooner because I am eating more nutrient dense foods, I no longer have stomach/digestive problems, my hair is growing back, and I do not have any traces of plaque psoriasis!  Have I completely given up carbs?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  My body is thriving on lean meats, healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, and coconut oil, and gets full on carbohydrates & fiber from fresh fruits and vegetables.

 Do I eat bland, boring food?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  And I certainly do not miss the highly processed, sugar-laden slop that I was eating before.  Remember this: eat to live, not live to eat.  Your health starts in your kitchen.

Ardena Gojani

After struggling with constipation that would last for weeks, I knew that something was not right in my diet, but as for the problems with acne, I thought it was hormonal and I needed to take birth control.  I went to many doctors trying to understand my issues and not a single one asked me what my diet consisted of, but they knew that whatever it was, antibiotics would fix the problems.

After taking antibiotics and dealing with even more severe candida, I had lost hope.  As for taking birth control, it did not help my acne at all.

It was six months before my wedding, and I was slightly depressed and consumed with ways I could prevent my acne from showing up on my wedding day.  I spent thousands of dollars going to facial treatments in hospitals where they used lasers and acid form chemicals. Although it helped a bit, it did not stop the illness, because new acne would continue to show.

 Finally, I went to J&M Strength and Conditioning to work out and the first thing that Jim Laird told me is, “Girl, your acne is because something is wrong with your gut.”

I was a bit confused but he suggested adding some foods that would heal my gut while also suggesting to read a book called, “Wheat Belly.”  It took 24 hours after reading the first few chapters to convince me to give it a shot and eliminate wheat from my diet.  It took 1 week for my acne to stop appearing and four weeks for it to all be gone.  In addition to that, I began to have bowl movements every day.  As a bonus, my body has changed completely, and I have lost all of my belly fat and can actually see muscles under there (I guess they call them a six pack but I am only at 4 pack).

 Overall, eliminating wheat has completely changed my life.  I never feel sick, sleepy, or tired after eating. I sleep better than I ever have, and I have much more clarity and energy throughout the day.

Hayley Hawkins

All of my life I’ve always been a big bread/pasta eater. I always worked out multiple times a week, but I could never lose weight.  In high school and the beginning of college my body just always stayed the same, and I never felt that great.  I always getting tired as soon as I ate something.

This past year, I heard about gluten-free, and was shocked to find out about all this new information. I read the book, “Wheat Belly,” and saw my friend Lucy posting a bunch of stuff on Facebook about it. I’d never even considered bread being bad for me.  I thought that eating my wheat bread was really healthy!

 I decided to try it since I’d tried going vegetarian and vegan before, and neither of those worked at all for me.  So I incorporated a lot of meat and veggie dishes in my diet, and cut out bread and pasta, which I had been eating at least twice a day for a long time.

 I must tell you, I have NEVER felt better.  I have so much more energy it blows my mind, and I never get tired right after I eat.  I also lost about 10 lbs. really quickly when I first started.

 I’m not extremely strict, as I might eat something that has traces of wheat in it once in a while, but I have tried eating bread a couple times and it made me feel awful.  I felt bloated and uncomfortable.  Once you try it, you will feel so good, you won’t want wheat anymore.

Emily Lavender

I tried a “30 day Paleo Challenge” my senior year of high school and I had no idea what to expect.  I definitely had no idea it would change my outlook on nutrition as much as it did.

Eating clean, gluten-free, grain-free, non-processed foods did amazing things for my body. I got lean and I had a lot of energy too!

When I started college last year, I did not follow a Paleo-style diet at all, and I could tell instantly.  My acne was horrible, I had no energy, and I was starting to look a little “fluffy.”  Now, in my second year of college, I have gone back to eating gluten-free and grain-free and guess what? My acne is clearing up, I have more energy, and I have lost 6 pounds.

Give it a try! Don’t be afraid of eating meat. Don’t be afraid of food not tasting as good. Don’t be afraid of not seeing results. I promise IT WILL BE WORTH it!

 Chris Goodykunz

 When I first learned of a gluten-free diet, I couldn’t fathom why somebody would willingly give up bread and other wheat products. It was one of my favorite food groups. After hearing a friend of mine talk about their gluten-free experiences I decided to do some more research about gluten. I learned that gluten causes an inflammation in the lower intestine which can lead to symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, and diarrhea.

 All of these are symptoms I often suffer from after eating. I decided I would try a gluten-free diet for a week to see if I could tell a difference. Well a week turned in two, then into a month, and now it’s been six months. I thought it would be very difficult giving up wheat products, but thanks to modern day science there are a slew of products available that have gluten substitutes so I am still able to eat a lot of my favorite foods.

 Anybody that is suffering with digestive problems should consider trying this diet, even if it is just for a week or two. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn you feel better and have more energy.

 (Side note from Molly:  Gluten Free DOES NOT mean healthy or nutritious!  You can definitely enjoy the occasional gluten free cookie/pastry/cake as a treat, but by most people, they should be eaten sparingly.  Real, unprocessed food should still be the focus of every meal).

Allie Hendricks

My grandma must have forgotten to write me. You know how grandmas are Here’s a chart she made after going on a grain-free diet. It looks like saturated fat doesn’t make your cholesterol go up. For the first time since 1992 all of her levels are normal.

Teresa Hendricks

My Mom, on the other hand, knows that a picture is worth a thousand words.  =)

So those are just a few people whose lives have been changed by switching to a Paleo-style diet. Maybe you can relate to one of them.

You might have a few pounds you need to lose.

You might have some health issues that have been baffling you and/or your Doctors.

You might just be curious to see how a gluten-free diet might change your life.

Give it a go!  You’ll never know until you try!

MOLLY: Thanks so much to Lucy for taking the time to put this together!  Feel free to include your own stories in the comment section (apologize for the tricky captcha… you just have to look for the captcha box, it’s there.  I promise. 

You can get in great workouts just using your body weight!

Happy Spring y’all!

It’s April and I couldn’t be more excited!  Warm weather is on it’s way and I have a few trips/vacations planned soon, so I am in a great mood.

Speaking of warm weather and vacations, several of our clients have been on, or are about to go on Spring Break and they were asking for workouts that they could do while on vacation!  Since a lot of them won’t have access to a gym or any type of equipment while they are gone, I put together 2 full-body workouts they can do while they are on vacation!

Keep in mind that the workouts I have put together are for the “lowest common denominator.”  That is, I made them as simple and easy as possible, so that they work for everyone.  You can easily up the intensity of difficulty of these workouts by adding weight, adding reps, adding rounds, holding the position longer, etc.  So if you do the workouts and don’t find them to be super challenging, make sure you adjust according to your ability level.

Alright, I won’t keep you waiting any longer… here we go!

Workout 1:

10 breaths in rockback (for those of you not familiar with the breathing, see this video, it will help explain)

Follow this warm-up:

Circuit 1:

A1) Wall Sit (wide stance, then narrow stance, then wide stance) x 20 seconds each

A2) Plank x 5-10 seconds x 2-3 times

A3) Side Plank x 5-10 seconds x 2-3 times

Rest minimally between exercises, and rest 1 minute between circuits. Repeat twice for a total of 3 circuits.

Circuit 2:

B1) Glute Bridge or Single Leg Glute Bridge with 3 second hold at the top x 10

B2) Walk-Out x 6-10

B3) Shoulder Blade Retraction with Dynamic Blackburn x 10

Rest minimally between exercises, and rest 1 minute between circuits. Repeat twice for a total of 3 circuits.

Workout 2:

10 breaths in rockback (for those of you not familiar with the breathing, see this video, it will help explain)

Follow this warm-up:

Circuit 1:

A1) Body Weight Squat x 12 (can add weight if available)

A2) Walk-Out with Shuffle/Push-up/Turn-and-Reach x 8

A3) Split Squat/Stationary Lunge x 8 each leg

A4) Slow Mountain Climber x 6-10 each leg

A5) Birddog with 5 second hold + 1 diaphragmatic breath x 4 each side

Repeat circuit 2-4x for a total of 3-5 circuits resting as needed between exercises and sets.

Hope you enjoyed these two body weight workouts that can be done at home, in a hotel room, or anywhere you may be!

Please comment below and let me know your favorite at home body weight workouts!

Hi, Rebecca!  Thanks for writing in with this question as it’s one we get a lot from our female clients.  Luckily, you have a few options which I will discuss in the video, and outline below:

1. Lighter Bumper Plates 

See if you can find Olympic bumper plates that are 5 kg, 10 kg, or 15 kg. They are the same diameter as the 45 lb. plates, but obviously much lighter.

2. Barbell Glute Bridges

Get stronger at barbell glute bridges first (where your back is on the ground). If you can get super strong at those (for example, 225 lbs. for reps) there is a chance you will be able to hop right into 135 lb. hip thrusts.  Of course, don’t assume that you can… but you MAY be able to. For example, at one point, I had never done hip thrusts (only done barbell glute bridges on the floor) and I was able to hip thrust 135 lbs. the first time with no problem (also keep in mind I’ve been lifting for almost 10 years).

3. Single Leg Hip Thrusts

Once a 45 lb barbell is no longer challenging on hip thrusts, which it sounds like it’s not… try doing single leg hip thrusts. Start with body weight and work your way up to the 45 lb barbell. They will get you a lot stronger and you won’t have to use as much weight.

4. Other Implements

Use other weighted implements (chains, bands hooked in the squat rack, weight vest draped across your lap) if you have access to them.  We use 20 and 40 lb. chains in our classes for hip thrusts. They are pretty easy to put on and take off and our clients love them.

5.  Just do it 

I personally just roll the bar up my thighs even if the weights aren’t tall enough to clear them. I roll it right above my knees and then bend my knees slightly… just enough to barely pick the weight up off the floor with my legs (and not my arms and back) and then guide the weight up my legs with my hands. Often times this means that the weights are hovering over the ground before I even start, but that’s fine.

QUICK TIP:  In order to ensure that you are not hyper-extending at the top of the Hip Thrust and getting your movement through your lumbar spine, make sure you’re bracing your core hard before you do the movement.  My favorite thing to do is to take a big breath in through my nose, blow out hard through my mouth, and picture driving my ribs down towards my pelvis to brace as hard as I can, and then knocking out a few reps.  I tend to knock out 3-4 reps like this, then take another breath and go again.  Repeat until your reps are completed.

Keep in mind, I had *not* thought of this trick yet in the video below, where I am hip thrusting 225 and 315 for reps.

I hope you find this advice helpful!  Good luck and keep me updated on your progress!

Do you need isolation exercises or can you just stick with the big lifts like squats?

“I have recently started to focus more on bigger lifts rather than using machines and dumbbells. I use mainly barbell exercises and have been doing heavy lifts mixed with metabolic resistance training. 

I am used to doing more of a workout split targeting all the muscle groups, so it feels weird to not directly work my biceps, shoulder heads, or triceps. I have been doing compound exercises that hit the smaller muscle groups as well such as triceps dips and overhead press, dumbbell snatch, chin ups etc. 

Do you feel that it is necessary to directly train the smaller groups in order to get aesthetic improvements? Such as adding in some biceps curls, cable triceps pressdowns, or lateral raises? I love defined shoulders and arms and as much as I love focusing on strength it is nice to see some aesthetic improvements. I know that most upper body compound exercises do hit the smaller muscle groups in some way but I am just unsure as to whether or not that it enough to see aesthetic improvements?!” – Kate B. 

Hey Kate! 

First, off, thank you for submitting this question.  I get this question quite a bit so I am confident others will benefit from the answer.  As with anything regarding nutrition and training, there isn’t really a hard-and-fast answer to this question.  How much “isolation” work you need will vary from person to person based on: training age/experience, strength levels, overall aesthetic goals, hormonal makeup, and genetic predisposition for muscle growth, among other factors. (I say “isolation” in quotations because I think we all know it’s impossible to truly isolate a muscle group, but that’s a discussion for another day). 

To give you an extreme example: a 30 year old competitive male (or even female) bodybuilder who has been lifting for 15 years will need significantly more isolation work than a 50 year old woman who is new to strength training and just wants to look better and feel better.

Since you have expressed that you like defined shoulders and arms, I’ll assume you want a relatively lean and lightly muscled look; a look many women seem to desire these days, and I will base my answer on an “average” woman wanting to achieve those goals.

I think it’s safe to assume you’re looking for nice arms like Miss Alli and Miss Jen are sportin’ here….

My Isolation Work Extremes

But first, I’ll be completely honest, I have been on both ends of the spectrum.  When I first started lifting, I absolutely abused the heck out of body part splits.  There were days I literally worked on, “rear delts, forearms, and calves,” or “hamstrings, front delts, and obliques.”  Looking back now, considering I was just getting started with lifting, there was absolutely no need for me to be breaking my body part splits down like that. I needed to focus on learning to manipulate my own body weight via push-ups, pull-ups, planks, split squats, and other big movements, and I needed to focus on getting stronger in the big lifts.  Period.

Fast forward to the last few years and I absolutely despise isolation work.  I hate doing biceps curls, lateral raises, skullcrushers, or calf raises…ugh.  I’d much rather be squatting, deadlifting, snatching, pressing, or pulling.  That being said, isolation work does have its place, and I am starting to realize that I could benefit from more isolation movements.  I know my chin-ups could benefit from some biceps work, my bench press and my Turkish Getups could benefit from some triceps work, and I definitely don’t train my hamstrings as a knee flexor nearly as often as I should.

I’m a sucker for anything that will help my Turkish Getup!

So, as you can probably imagine, the answer is somewhere in the middle for most females who want to look better and feel better.  Focus mainly on the bang-for-your-buck compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, lunges, and swings 3-4 days a week, and supplement with a few sets of the smaller isolation movements 1-2 days a week. 

So How Do I Incorporate Them? 

Here are 3 of my favorite options:

1. Place isolation movements at the end of your workout.

This one is simple enough.  After you do your big lifts, throw in a few isolation exercises at the end.  You can do them in super-set or circuit fashion, or just do the individual exercises with plenty of rest in between.  Your choice.  An example might be:

A1. Barbell Bench Press

4 sets of 5-6 reps

 B1. Chin-ups

4 sets of 6-8 reps

 C1. 1 Arm DB Rows

3 sets of 8-10 reps

***superset with***

C2. Lateral Raises

3 sets of 10-12 reps

 D1. Lying DB Triceps Extension

2-3 sets of 8-12 reps

***superset with***

D2. DB Hammer Curls

2-3 sets of 8-12 reps

2. Incorporate a “beach body” day.

If you lift heavy 2-3 days a week doing all of the major compound lifts, sometimes it can be fun to have a “beach body” day at the gym.  This is the day where you focus on all of the “beach muscles” or “vanity muscles” that so many people love training.  Here is an example:

A1. Leg Extension

4 sets of 8-12 reps

***tri-set with***

A2. Leg Curl

4 sets of 8-12 reps

***tri-set with***

A3. Calf Raises

4 sets of 15-20

 B1. 3 Way Shoulder Raise (front raises, then lateral raises, then rear delt raises)

3 sets of 20 reps each directions

 C1. Triceps Pushdowns

3 sets of 12-15 reps

***tri-set with***

C2. EZ Bar Barbell Curls

3 sets of 12-15 reps

***tri-set with***

C3. Hanging Leg Raises

3 sets of 12-15

3. Use isolation exercises as an “active rest” in between conditioning movements.

 You can make this as simple or as complicated as you’d like.  If, for example, you were planning on doing (12) 30-yard Prowler Sprints, you could pick 3 exercises and do them for 4 sets each in between pushes.  For example: one arm lateral raise, alternating dumbbell curl, overhead triceps extension.

 Your workout would look like this:

 30 yard Prowler Push

1 Arm Lateral Raise (each arm)

30 yard Prowler Push

1 Arm Lateral Raise (each arm)

30 yard Prowler Push

1 Arm Lateral Raise (each arm)

30 yard Prowler Push

1 Arm Lateral Raise (each arm)

30 yard Prowler Push

Alternating DB Curl

30 yard Prowler Push

Alternating DB Curl…….

And so on an so forth until you have completed 12 Prowler pushes, and all of your isolation work.

You could also pick 3 exercises for conditioning, (i.e. KB swing, sled drag, medicine ball slam) and 3 isolation movements and pair them together.

A1. KB Swing

3 sets of 8-10 reps

***superset with***

A2. Lateral Raises

3 sets of 10-12 reps

 B1. Backwards Sled Drag

3 sets of 30 yards

***superset with***

B2. DB Curl

3 sets of 8-12 reps

 C1. Medicine Ball Slam

3 sets of 8-10 reps

***superset with***

C2. Triceps Rope Pressdown

3 sets of 8-12 reps

 As you can see, there are dozens of ways to fit isolation work into your programming, while still prioritzing the big lifts.  Give one of these programs or workouts a try a let me know what you think! 

Oh, and please comment below and let me know how you like to incorporate isolation movements into your training.

All kinds of good shiz…

Earlier in the week, I discussed 7 of my favorite all-natural beauty products, mostly in the realm of skincare.  Today I am back with 5 more that I love for my teeth/mouth and yes, you guessed it, my armpits.

Isn’t that the glorious thing about having a blog?  You can write publicly about the status of your armpits and:

1. Not be embarrassed.

2. Assume that people actually care…?

Oh, the humanity!

Without further ago, 5 more products I am currently using: 

8. Tom’s Whole Care Toothpaste

I am an absolute FREAK when it comes to dental care.  I brush multiple times a day, I floss daily, and would go see the dentist every month if I could.

Love. The. Dentist.

TRUE STORY!  I guess I am trying to make up for the 7 week time period when I was 6 years old where I thought it was cool NOT to brush your teeth and I thought it was even cooler to tell EVERYONE I knew. (O_o)  No clue how I had any friends… but that’s neither here nor there.

- What I love about this product: Nothing in particular other than the spearmint flavor is pretty tasty and it leaves my teeth feeling clean and shiny.

- Where you can get it:  Anywhere.  I have seen it at Whole Foods, Kroger, our local Co-op…just about anywhere that toothpaste is sold.

9. Dental Herb Company Tooth & Gum Tonic

See above. =)

- What I love about this product: Nothing in particular.  The taste is so-so, but it gets the job done, and leaves me with a clean and healthy mouth.

- Where you can get it: CLICK HERE to buy some.

10. KAL Activated Charcoal

As you can imagine, an obsession with clean teeth also means wanting them to be pretty and white.  Not unnaturally, blinding white, just healthy-wow-she-must-floss-daily-white.   That’s where this stuff comes in.  Read here to see exactly how to use it.

Uh huh. You know dats right.

CAUTION:  My teeth did feel a little sensitive the day after I used it for the first time.  Nothing crazy, but worth noting.  Also, make sure you get it all off of your teeth, otherwise, your teeth will become a magnet for everything you don’t want (coffee, tea, wine, etc).

- What I love about this product: Umm…It whitens my teeth well for cheap!  Duh.

- Where you can get it: CLICK HERE to buy the cheapest teeth whitener ever!

11. Badger Lip Balm

This is where my obsessed with nice teeth and moisturized skin meet.  Your lips are a frame for your teeth, and thus, to have a nice smile, you should have moisturized lips!  In September of 2009, my lips actually started hurting and peeling for no particular reason.  I thought maybe I had gotten sunburned while I was outside walking one day, but it didn’t feel better for several weeks and no matter how much lip balm I used, they kept hurting and peeling.  One day I saw this lip balm at the co-op and picked some up.  I ditched all my other lip balms and started using only this and my lips went back to normal and have felt awesome ever since.  I still use my MAC Lipglass occasionally, but other than that, Badger is all I use.

My favorite stuff for keeping my lips soft and smooth!

- What I love about this product:  Makes my lips feel soft and moist, but not greasy.  It also absorbs well, and the unscented had 4 ingredients: olive oil, castor oil, beeswax, and rosemary extract.

- Where you can get it: CLICK HERE to find the lip balm (they have tons of other products too, but I haven’t tried them…yet!)

12. Thai Crystal Deodorant

Everyone knows that a girl who loves to hit the gym better have a good deodorant (if she also wants to have friends, that is)!  I’ve been leery of anti-perspirants for a while, because as my friend Jen Sinkler discusses on her website, they can be linked to some bad stuff.

Personally, I am not much of a sweat-er.  Even when I do a kick-ass workout, I rarely find myself getting very sweaty.  It’s actually a bit frustrating, because I like to sweat.  I have wondered if this could be linked to my Hashimoto’s and low body temperature…?  Hmm… just hypothesizing here.

Anyway, even though I don’t sweat much, I still have to worry about being stinky.  The Thai Crystal Deodorant is pretty good for keeping stink at bay, at least for a several hours.  They have a roll-on product as well, but if you’re even the slightest bit stinky when you use the roll-on, your stink “sticks” to the roll-on, and it’s kinda ruined from there on out. =(

So yeah, this is my current deodorant of choice, although after reading Jen’s article, I may look into other products.  Rememer, this product only helps with odor, not sweat.  So if you sweat a lot, you might want something else.

- What I love about this product: It’s made with only mineral salts and water, and it gets the job done just fine most days. I’m not devoted to it by any means, but it works for now!

-Where you can get it: CLICK HERE to get the Thai Crystal spray.

There you go!  5 more natural beauty products that will keep your mouth and your armpits so fresh and so clean CLEAN!  (clearly two very important areas to look after!)