We come across so many different types of people in the gym and so many, if not all of them, work incredibly hard in this space. Day in and day out, we see them grinding away in Cardio Lab classes or loading up the barbell in the Strength Lab. We see dedicated people training for races on the treadmills and others using up their lunch hour during the week to grab a quick sweat. Yet despite all of this hard work here, how many of them are actually well? Being well is not just a physical trait, so why is it that we continue to base wellness on what we do inside the gym or what we look like on the outside? I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about what wellness looks like and how we can achieve a more holistic view of wellness in our own lives.
 
So first things first, what does wellness look like to you?
 
I asked some members what being well meant to them and they touched upon what they believe creates a healthy and balanced life. Yet so many of their answers were dependent upon physical traits or characteristics: body composition, sleep, nutrition, being healthy/not sick, feeling good about themselves, etc. And it’s not that they are wrong but that there are so many aspects of wellness that we are missing or at least failing to consider. So what does wellness really look like then? Truth be told, there is no one correct answer or only one approach to view total wellness but I think it’s easiest to break it down to different categories or dimensions.
 
There are eight, yes EIGHT, dimensions of wellness: Emotional, Environmental, Financial, Intellectual, Occupational, Social, Spiritual and Physical. Each category is equally weighted and interrelated. True wellness, some believe, comes when all of the eight are in equilibrium.
 
Let’s talk about the one we know best: Physical Wellbeing. It’s easy to see why we are drawn to this one– after all, we are all interested in fitness. Being a member of a gym usually means that we are seeking some higher level of health. And with this higher level of health, or at least health awareness, comes knowledge about sleep habits and nutrition because of how it factors into our training. We know that physical aspects are an integral part of our wellbeing even if it’s as simple as “working out makes me feel good” or “I function better with 8 hours of sleep”. Physical wellness is easy to put your finger on. It’s easy to set quantifiable goals. It’s easy to see the progress because it is measurable. Emotional Wellbeing on the other hand is a feeling or an experience so it’s a lot harder to calibrate. Being emotionally well is subjective too, right? My emotional health needs will not look like yours. This branch of wellness includes things like managing stress and self care. This is where I think Union Fitness does a great job in communicating a more well rounded approach to wellness. Our staff here regularly preaches the importance of stress reduction and self care activities.
Emotional Wellbeing Tip: Try purposefully smiling at least 20 times today.
 
Environmental Wellbeing is an aspect that is often overlooked but like we discussed earlier it is equally important and equally weighted as the others. Surface level environmental wellness includes things like having a roof over your head but lets take a look at just that one aspect– Does your heat work well when it’s cold outside? Do you have mold/pest issues? Is your space always a mess? Do you have feuds with your neighbor? Do the neighborhood dogs always use your lawn as their personal lavatory? These are all (and more!) factors in your environmental wellbeing. I know personally that I feel stress when the dishes aren’t done, toys are all over the place and everything is in complete disarray. My environmental wellbeing soars when my space is clean and tidy. And because the different branches of wellness are often blending into one another, once my environmental wellbeing is healthier my emotional wellbeing benefits as well.
 
On an even grander scale though, this branch of wellness can also be seen as being respectful of your surroundings or even your interactions with nature. After all, Earth is everyone’s home. I know, I know it sounds hippy dippy but you can’t deny that sense of calm that overcomes you when you’re out for a hike or spending some time at the beach.
Environmental Wellbeing Tip: Stop your junk mail. Remove yourself from mailing lists or request electronic communications.
 
If you’ve ever had a job you’ve hated then you know the importance of Occupational Wellness. You cannot be occupationally well if you hate your job. On the flip side, you could have a job you love but your occupational wellness could still be stunted. Your wellbeing in this branch is more than just simply enjoying your work endeavors. Do you feel a sense of personal satisfaction within your job? Do you appreciate your contributions? Do you feel a sense of personal growth and enrichment? If you answered no to any of these questions, it doesn’t mean you have to up and quit your job but it may mean that you have to take a good hard look at your occupational skills and discover how you can accelerate growth. But being occupationally well also means being able to find work/life balance. Maybe you’ve found a job in which you excel, feel challenged and a deep sense of occupational enrichment but you get home so late you never see your kids. Or you work so much you barely sleep. Or even when you’re home you are working, checking emails, taking calls, etc. If this is you, then it’s time for a reality check or have that difficult conversation with your boss about scaling back or take those hard earned PTO days.
Occupational Wellbeing Tip: Turn off your cellphone to work related activities when you leave work.
 
Occupational wellness isn’t so cut and dry either—Financial Wellness plays a large role in our occupational wellness, right? How we wish we could just up and leave a job we hate without the financial repercussions of mortgages, student loans, childcare expenses, grocery bills, utilities and the like. This dimension is tough for a lot of people because it is so closely tied to many of the other dimensions of wellness. Not enough money means not being able to pay rent/mortgage (environmental), lack of sleep (physical), stress (emotional), not being able to go out to dinner or other recreational activities (social), working longer hours or multiple jobs (occupational) and possibly make us question why we are being punished (spiritual). Who said money doesn’t buy happiness again? So ok, it may not buy happiness but, for many, it can definitely help buy a little wellness. But being financially well doesn’t just mean making more money. It also involves being able to successfully manage the money you do have and the ability to plan for the future. As much as I love a good cup of Starbucks, I know in the long run I would be more financially well saving that $5 per day from my habitual daily coffee habit, so I make coffee at home.
Financial Wellbeing Tip: Track what you spend in a month and create a realistic budget.
 
There’s a reason we come home from a Paint ‘N Sip party and proudly display our new artwork on the mantle and post it to our Social Media accounts. There’s a reason why the crossword puzzle is a staple in every newspaper. It’s the same reason why we were drawn to Candy Land and Monopoly board games when we were younger. You know that urge you get to blow into a harmonica even when you have noooo clue how to play? Yep, it’s that too. It’s because, as humans, we have a drive to be creative. We crave new ideas and knowledge. We have an innate drive to be mentally stimulated and it is all a part of our Intellectual Wellness. Being intellectual well means learning to see the value in curiosity and life long learning. It is about picking up that guitar you haven’t played in years or finally learning Chinese like you promised your grandfather you would. Intellectual wellness isn’t just about scholastic or creative endeavors either– it can also involve joining in on cultural and community activities.
Intellectual Wellbeing Tip: Read a book that interests you just for fun.
 
These types of activities encourage our expansion of knowledge and it also blends into our Social Wellness. Our wellbeing in this dimension is dependent upon how we interact with the people around us. But introverts, don’t panic! You can still have a high level of social wellness without immersing yourself in large groups of people. This aspect is all about being able to communicate well and have meaningful personal relationships with those in our support network: family and friends. Having a healthy social aspect to your wellbeing means engaging in positive and rewarding relationships and your ability to foster genuine connections. That means quality over quantity!
Social Wellbeing Tip: Call a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while just to say hi.
 
Last but not least is the dimension of Spiritual Wellness. This category provides us with systems of beliefs, values, ethics, principles and morals in which we use to guide us through meaningful life. Sounds great on paper, right? The truth is though that work in this dimension is never truly finished. It is a constantly evolving process of self-discovery and reflection. Values and principles can change or fluctuate over time. So how then do we become spiritually well? I think the first step here will always be to stay true to yourself. Not sure exactly what that is? Take a yoga class. Meditate. Travel. Volunteer your time. Mentor someone. Be accepting of other viewpoints. Practice tolerance, love and forgiveness. We may never be able to answer the question “What is the meaning of life?” but spiritual wellness gives us the tools to guide us through a fulfilling life with purpose.
Spiritual Wellbeing Tip: Take a 5 minute silence or meditation break right now…yes right now!
 
So there you have it—a long (and somewhat daunting) list of wellness. How many of these categories can you tick off your wellness list? If the physical dimension is the only one you can say you are well at then you have some work to do. Don’t be overwhelmed with trying to achieve this perfect idea of wellness but use this as a guide to find some more harmony and balance in your life. Tackle small steps. And most importantly know that no one can tell you what wellness in your life looks like, only you can know that.

Hypertrophy: the enlargement of an organ or tissue from the increase in size of its cells.

 

This marks the second phase of my hypertrophy program. Four weeks ago my bodyweight was sitting around 235-238lbs. After four weeks, and a big increase in calories per day, I’m sitting around 244-247lbs. The ultimate goal is over 250lbs, so I still have plenty of work to do. And those last few pounds will be more difficult than that first big jump. Why am I doing this? I need a “training cushion” because going into powerlifting meets I tend to lose weight for a number of reasons that I won’t discuss here. How am I doing this? Well, it looks something like this…

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Saturday Lower

SSB	475-485	2×5
Belt squat	1050#	2×8 paused
Backwards sled	7 plates	6 trips, 30 sec rest
Seated leg curl	heavy	8x3x 15 sec rest
Single leg RDL	heavy	3x3x 30 sec rest

Pallof Press

 

Safety Squat Bar 455×5

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Monday Upper

Fatbell bench	4×10	(124-150×3)
Fatbell row	4×10	80
Chain fly	5 chains 15-8-6	(not on purpose, gassed)

Dips, Lat pull downs, Bicep curls/Tricep ext

 

Fatbell bench paired with Fatbell rows

 

Chain flyes

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Wednesday Back

Split squats	65s	2×8
Farmers walks	275	4 trips
Rows	295	4×5
RDLS	405	2×5
Weighted plank	60	6x1x20 sec

 

Farmer’s Walks

Everyone likes to be a little sore. You wake up the next day or two with that feeling of accomplishment. But what if one day that soreness isn’t there? And honestly what really causes you to be sore in the first place? Some people may jump to the conclusion that they slacked off at the gym if they don’t wake up in some sort of pain. But this isn’t the case.

 

Let’s first address a very common myth: Lactic acid does not cause soreness. Lactate is produced during anaerobic exercise but it acts as a buffer in your cells. Lactate will buffer hydrogens that are being produced during exercise. Once oxygen is introduced again lactate can then be utilized as energy. Lactate is your friend.

 

Soreness is your body registering the microtrauma (small tears) that was caused to the muscle fiber during exercise. Now not every portion of a lift causes soreness or microtrauma. There are three main components of each lift: eccentric, isometric, and concentric. The eccentric portion of the exercise is when the muscle is being lengthened. When your muscle is bearing load during a lengthening phase that’s when the most microtrauma happens. The second portion is the isometric (or an isometric exercise) phase, which causes some microtrauma but not nearly as much as the eccentric movement. The concentric portion of the lift causes minimal to no damage to the muscle fiber. This is very useful when you want to work out but you are sore. Concentric movements can be used as recovery. The best examples of concentric only exercises are walking with the sled or more exercises using the sled.

 

The question is still– do I need to cause microtrauma to get a benefit from working out? No. True, microtrauma will produce the most effect towards any fitness goal. But you don’t need it every time you workout.

 

Let’s take the concentric movements only as an example. Doing this will still produce an excess of post-exercise oxygen consumption (increasing metabolism) and will still get a CNS response to help the body prepare for moving weight. This meaning if you still want to lift big weights your body will be prepared for that and if you want to lose weight concentric movements will still increase your metabolism.

 

So if one of these days you don’t wake up sore, don’t beat yourself up. You still put the work in! Being sore all the time is not necessary! Yes, at times you need to load that eccentric phase to cause microtrauma but giving yourself a break sometimes will still get you toward your goals.

I’ve been following a very basic Catalyst Athletics training program for the past 6 weeks. Normally I program for myself, but with the olympic lifts I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, so went to a reputable source of information. I’m so new to this that literally anything that allows me to snatch and clean & jerk regularly is going to make me better, so here we are.

 

Transitioning to this style of programming has been… interesting. I’m working on a longer blog now about transitioning sports/fitness regimens, so I won’t spend too much time here. But honestly, some of it makes very little sense to me. I was supposed to max out my snatch, clean & jerk, and back squat a few weeks ago, but I skipped it. That was partly because I was traveling and partly because WHAT. It had only been 4 weeks! How often can you max these lifts? Turns out it’s pretty often. I was probably right in skipping the max back squat, as my squat is considerably higher than it “should be” given my proficiency with the oly lifts. I can’t squat in the 280-300lb range as frequently as I can snatch 125lbs or so. Something to keep in mind with future programming.

 

I DO get to max out this Saturday and I’m pretty excited. I’ve been spending this whole week eating a ton of healthy food that makes me feel good. And sleeping. All the time. Here’s what I’ve been up to, and how I’m approaching my max out day:

 

Monday:	Tuesday:	Wednesday:
Power snatch – 75% x 2 x 5	Snatch – 90-95% x 1	Power clean – 75% x 2 x 5
Jerk – 75% x 2 x 5	Clean & Jerk – 90-95% x 1	Snatch balance – daily max
Snatch pull – 95% x 3 x 3	Back Squat – 90% x 1 x 5	Clean pull – 95% x 3 x 3
3 sets, no rest:	Good Morning – 3×8 light	3 sets, no rest:
Box Jump (at least 24″) x 5		20 knees to elbows
Pull-up x 10		20 plate topside halfmoons

Thursday:	Saturday:
Snatch – 85-90% x 1	Snatch – max
Clean & Jerk – 85-90% x 1	Clean & Jerk – max
Snatch pull – 95% x 3 x 3	Back Squat – 90% x 1 x 5
Front Squat – 95% x 1 x 2	Back Squat – max
	* rest 10 minutes between 3 max exercises

Here’s my last heavier day and some powercleans from earlier in the week:

 

 

Otherwise, I’m focusing on keeping my shoulders healthy. If I don’t keep up with the rehab exercises Ryan talks about all the time, I can’t put my hands over my head without pain. Not great in this sport (but I got away with a lot in powerlifting and now I have to change my habits). So at least 5 days per week I’m doing wall angels, band pull-aparts, ITYs, etc. I also had a massage focusing on my upper back with Lavender on Tuesday (highly recommended), and I’ve been to yoga THREE TIMES this week (I’m obsessed now). Everything I can do to recover and get ready for a big day Saturday.

Jocko Willink, a decorated Navy Seal turned Jiu-jitsu instructor and podcaster, has a saying- DISCIPLINE IS FREEDOM. Personally, this didn’t sit well with me when I first heard it. I rejected it, which in my experience usually means it’s worth exploring.

 

Consider setting a goal and failing. Any number of factors could have contributed to that, but typically lack of discipline can be to blame in almost every case. So wouldn’t FREEDOM come from setting goals and succeeding? That feels pretty ‘freeing’ knowing that you have the ability to set your sights on a goal and through your own discipline in actions accomplish that goal. I have the FREEDOM to accomplish whatever goal I set for myself. So, in this case, I was wrong. And I accepted that discipline does, in fact, equal freedom.

 

Why a nighttime routine?

 

Setting a routine for yourself does a number of things:

1. Takes stress out of planning
2. Takes mental energy out of ‘what else do I need to do”
3. Removes some potential unexpected’s the next day or later in the week
4. Let’s you focus on achieving a goal through daily, manageable tasks

 

By getting into some good habits in that 1-2 hour block before going to bed, it will allow you to get MORE SLEEP and BETTER QUALITY SLEEP. Which, in turn, will help your body regulate your hormones so you can lose fat or build muscle more efficiently. It will also make waking up easier.

 

How should you set up a routine?

 

Work backwards. What time do you need to wake up? 6am? Great- that means we’re going to bed at 10pm. That’s a non negotiable. If you’re not getting eight hours of sleep, you’re wrong. If you don’t agree, you can stop reading because nothing else you do will matter. If you say “I get six hours and feel just fine,” then you, my friend, have lowered your baseline for ‘feel good’ and don’t remember what GOOD actually feels like. Have I made my point?

 

I recognize going from a regular six hours of sleep to eight may not be manageable ‘overnight,’ pun intended. But starting at six hours and adding in a half hour of sleep each week can get you to eight in a month…with DISCIPLINE.

 

Reduce screen time. About an hour before bed we want to put down all of our electronics. Blue light emitted from TVs, cell phones, and tablets signals to your body that it should not produce melatonin (see sleepy time hormone). So get all of those emails done, or better yet wait until tomorrow. But it can’t wait! Yes, it can. There will always be more work. And that company you work for will replace you in a week if you drop dead. You and you alone are responsible for your health. Also, no Instagram, or Facebook, or funny dog videos on youtube.

 

Hot shower. This is an easy one. A drop in body temperature signals to your body that it’s bed time. So a hot shower followed by a quick cooling off period, either naturally if your house is cool enough or in front of a fan for some air flow. Most experts agree on this, and my personal experience leads me to believe the same. But, like anything else, you’ll have to experiment for yourself.

 

Other tips:
Avoid caffeine after 5pm.
Avoid a late high-intensity workout after 8pm.
Avoid hydrating after 9pm.

 

For an example, here is my nighttime routine:

 

6-7pm	Cook and eat dinner, feed the dogs
7-8pm	Clean up and let the dogs out, including some training for the puppies
8-9pm	Play with the dogs, TV (this is MY time for the day. I try to avoid work if possible)
9-10pm	Snack, let the dogs out, prep food for the next day
10pm	Dogs in the crate
	My routine begins…
15 min	Shower
5 min	Stretch in the shower, great for stress and tension relief
10 min	Get pretty- brush my teeth, my hair, lotion, nose strip, clean my cpap
10 min	Clothes ready for the next day including work clothes and training clothes
10 min	Whisper sweet nothings into Odi’s ear (my oldest dog who sleeps with me)
11 pm	Lights out, CPAP on, ready for a 7am puppy alarm

 

*I do fail sometimes. I get to sleep too late because I got home late, the dogs were being a pain, I spaced out scrolling through Instagram- whatever the excuse is, it sucks. But I get right back into my routine the next night. Find your discipline.

 

Start small. Add steps to make your routine manageable, and remember the best routine is one you’ll stick to. Just make an effort to make it healthier. I recognize having children can make this tougher, so consider trading off duties with your partner when possible, or sacrificing your ME-TIME for more time with your head on the pillow.

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**CPAP. It is a Continuous Positive Air Pressure machine that keeps my airways open while I breathe (see fat neck syndrome). They’re relatively common and using one has changed my life. My sleep quality is a million times better. So if you have a good routine but still don’t feel rested, please get a sleep study. It can add years to your life.

 

Your run of the mill articles via google search, painstakingly put together by me, to back my wild claims…

 

Men’s Health, shower before bed: https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19541192/shower-before-bed/

 

“Health”: https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20462696,00.html?

 

Care2Healthy Living: https://www.care2.com/greenliving/stop-doing-these-things-before-sleep.html

 

CPAP: https://www.sleepapnea.org/treat/cpap-therapy/

Training Log: October

 

Just when I think I’m getting into the swing of things, life happens. Then it happens some more. Last week I was hit with a pretty bad case of mastitis, which is a clogged milk duct that gets infected. Rather suddenly I was overcome with massive flu like symptoms: fever, chills, all over body aches, dizziness, headache along with a lemon sized lump and decreased milk supply. All around, not good. Lately, I’ve been trying to approach my own training through the eyes of what I would tell my clients in the same situation. Coach Alison would have insisted upon a training hiatus in order to clear the infection and allow the body to heal. And just like most of my clients, I listened but not without some whining/lamenting/cursing before begrudgingly taking a week off.

 

So I’m back at it this week, right where I left off: Squats, squats and more squats with a sprinkle of booty. Five months postpartum is still pretty early to be asking my body to return to pre-pregnancy state, so I’ve been focusing on form, building my core and identifying my weaknesses. Because of the C-section, I’ve been finding it difficult to maintain tightness in my core during my squats. Filming my sets enables me see how and where I’m failing to stay tight so I can attempt to fix these areas through a variety of assistance work and drills and the most important/frustrating thing: Time.

 

Ryan also graciously wrote me a booty program. Beyond aesthetics of having a firm tush, I’m trying to recruit more glute activation and drive in my training. Lack of glute drive has always been a weakness of mine (pre and post pregnancy) so there’s no time like the present to fix it! Today’s workout:

 

Warm up to encourage healing of abdominal diastasis:
3 rounds:
:20 Wall Sit
Glute Bridge x 15
Side Plank x :15per
Down Dog x 5 breaths
Plank x :20
Buddha Squat x :30

 

Week 5 of my Squat Program:
Front Squat/ Back Squat 6x 3/6 @ 85%

 

 

Big Booty Alison Program:
Heavy Belt Squat 4×8
Banded Paused Goblet Squat 4×8
FB Swing 4×12
Squat Pulses 4x 15
Banded Glute Kickbacks 4×20

 

Core:
3 Rounds:
Heel slides x 20
Heel touches x 20

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -MLK

 

We tend to ask “why,” after these all-too-often tragedies. To be brief, the why doesn’t matter. It’s done. People who were with us one day were gone the next. I received the news as I was training Saturday morning in the gym. It hit close to home for two reasons. This happened in Pittsburgh- our hometown- a place that is, or was, seemingly invincible. And Lindsey, our assistant manager, lives about a mile from the synagogue that was attacked. It brought to light a whole new perspective in regards to these “national” tragedies.

 

I’m not going to go down the political rabbit hole. That discussion has it’s time and place, but not here.

 

What ELSE can we do?

 

As I was sitting in the gym on Saturday, I scrolled through social media out of habit. I posted the first thing that came to mind…

 

We’re saddened by today’s events. Unfortunately there are people in this world that are lacking their own love and humanity. Grieve the lost. But find someone in your world that needs a little love and give it to them. A hello to a stranger. A text to someone you haven’t talked to in awhile. Anything to let them know that SOMEONE in this world does, in fact, care about them.

 

So, for selfish reasons, hug your family and friends a little tighter today and every day. Don’t leave things unsaid because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

 

And in an effort to improve your small community in this world, BE BOLD. Seek out those that hide in the cracks of society. For most it won’t come naturally. It will take courage. But it will be worth it.

 

The world IS a good place, unfortunately through these tragedies we are reminded that there are people out there that have been lost, mistreated, misguided, or missing love for so long in their lives that their only outlet is to hurt others. They try to make others feel their pain.

 

They don’t need our hate or our anger. They need our love. No, we can’t save everyone. But we can love our neighbors. We can show love to those that may not deserve love.

 

Marcus Aurelius said, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” It doesn’t sound logical to love someone who hurt you, or someone who may hate you, but love is the way.

 

In memory of:

 

Irving Younger
Daniel Stein
Joyce Fienberg
Richard Gottfried
Rose Mallinger
Jerry Rabinowitz
Cecil Rosenthal
David Rosenthal
Bernice Simon
Sylvan Simon
Melvin Wax

 

With LOVE,

 

Union Fitness

Tools for building the body you want, no matter what that means.

 

When I talk about Union Fitness, one of my absolute favorite things to bring up is the huge number of women we have lifting along side the guys in the Strength Lab. And even more-so, how many of those women are very new to training with barbells. Our #powerful (women)’s class has been moving along steadily since it first began over a year ago, and many of the women that dipped their toe into lifting in that class have moved on to doing their own thing now! This has always been my number one goal as a trainer at UF, and I’m so proud of our women every day.

 

For many of us, when we first start lifting we realize that we’re doing something that’s not the norm. It can bring up a lot of anxieties that we weren’t even fully aware we had. Sometimes that’s related to injury, sometimes it’s just doubting that we’re strong enough to move the 45lb barbell to begin with, but usually it comes down to how we look.

 

“Won’t lifting weights make me too big? I don’t want to look bulky!”

 

Let’s break this down.

 

First and foremost, we need to define what “bulkiness” means in this context, and that’s not easy to do! There are thousands of articles floating around on the internet right now that mock women for having these fears. “You can’t accidentally get too big, it’s like assuming that learning how to drive means you’ll immediately turn into a Nascar driver.” Of course that’s true, but that’s not the point. There is no clear line in the sand demarcating what is “just right” and what is “too big.” That’s different for every single person, regardless of gender.

 

For many men in the fitness industry, there is an assumption that when women voice this fear, they’re saying they are afraid they’re going to turn into a pro bodybuilder like Iris Kyle without meaning to (and an aside, the actual women’s bodybuilding category has been all but eliminated because of lack of popularity, so think about that juxtaposition for a minute before spouting this line off). That’s usually not the case. Women who strength train have all kinds of bodies, and not all of them are #goals for every single woman who comes through the gym. This is where I wish this industry had a little more patience and compassion for new lifters. Aesthetic goals are highly individual and also tend to change with time. Slow down and listen.

 

If you, reader, are worried about getting too big, that’s ok! Build the body you want, not the one someone else thinks you should have, no matter who they are or where they’re coming from. It’s your body and you have complete agency over it. My only caveat that is to make sure you have all the tools at your disposal to understand what’s going on when you start resistance training. I’m going to help out with that a bit here.

 

Muscle Building, Strength Building

 

Generally speaking, men and women can train exactly the same way in the weight room. There are some minor differences (which I’ll get into below) but we don’t need to do different exercises or train at different rep ranges to build strength and get results. You can choose to alter your program for your specific goals, and you should!

 

The primary difference, especially in this context, is the rate at which men vs women build muscle. Surprise, men can build more and do it faster, thanks to testosterone. We don’t have much – around 1/10th of what men have on average (but that’s not always a bad thing). Without supplementing testosterone, women with hormonal profiles within normal ranges will never get that big. Our biology simply doesn’t permit it. This isn’t to say that women can never build lots of muscle, just that it takes a lot longer than you’d think!

 

Keep in mind that there is a difference between muscle gain and strength gain. Yes, because of their larger body size and proportionally higher percentage of muscle vs fat, males will typically always be stronger than females of equal size, but the rate at which we build strength is actually quite similar! Strength building is about much more than just growing bigger muscles: there are a lot of neurological adaptations that take place as well. As you practice movements more, your body gets more efficient at performing them, and learns to recruit more muscle tissue to help with time.

 

We have some advantages too. While women’s absolute 1 rep max (the most you can lift) is usually little lower than would be predicted because we typically have fewer fast-twitch muscle fibers (the ones that let us move something really quickly one time) than men, we are typically able to handle a lot more volume and variety than men. That means you can train a little more than the men around you do and you’ll have the ability to recover and get right back to it. We typically have better metabolic health due to our fat distribution, our increased amount of estrogen, and our proportionally smaller size. All pretty awesome things! It’s a trade-off, but not a terrible one.

 

The How

 

Above we talked about the difference between building muscle and strength, but not the how or the why. Let’s start with the practical bits, which means we’re talking rep ranges.

 

There are three general rep ranges that we use when lifting – low reps (5 or fewer) to build strength, medium reps (6 to 12) to build muscle (hypertrophy), and very high reps (13+) to build endurance. The lower the reps, the more weight you can use. For some reason, that low rep range, where we build the most strength, is the one that many women shy away from in fears of getting too big. But that doesn’t make much sense does it? A lot of women’s programs tend to work in the higher rep ranges, which may actually be more muscle-building!

 

All of these rep ranges are important, and we use all of them in our programs and classes for a reason. But if you’re goal is specifically to get stronger without adding size, skip that middle hypertrophy tier for the most part and focus on increasing the weight you can use for a few reps.

 

The last and most important thing to think about when it comes to gaining (or losing) size: how you’re eating. You can do as much work in that hypertrophy range as you want, but if you’re eating fewer calories than you’re burning each day, you will not get bigger. Your body needs fuel to build your muscles, and if you’re not providing it, your body can’t’ build it. You will gain some of those neuromuscular adaptations we talked about above, so it’s not that you’re working out in vain, but the results will not be bigger muscles. This is just another tool at your disposal: eat the right amounts for the size you want to be. Everything else is just extra.

 

One final aside on the practical: this is purely anecdotal but I’ve experienced it and heard it form countless other women. When you change your training program, like beginning to lift or starting a new intense HIIT program, you’ll feel some water retention. You’re using your muscles in a new way, causing microtears and inflammation that need to be healed for you to get stronger. Part of that healing response is your body holding on to more water. It’s necessary but can be uncomfortable for the first few weeks of lifting. I always called the the “stuffed sausage” phase. It’s temporary, I promise. I will gladly commiserate with you if you’re dealing with this.

 

The Why

 

Why build strength? First, for the physical benefits. Getting stronger doesn’t just apply to your muscles, it also applies to your bones. If you want to avoid osteoporosis and osteopenia later in life, resistance training is key. That doesn’t mean you need to squat huge weights, just that you need to resist some kind of force – your own bodyweight, bands, fatbells, barbells. Walking and running and jumping and playing all apply too, just move your body and resist the forces of everyday life!

 

Muscle is also more metabolically demanding than fat, meaning that the more muscle mass you have, the more you’ll need to eat to fuel your body. Same goes for activity – more active, more food, meaning more opportunity to get important nutrients in your system. That’s all a win.

 

Strength training can also help you achieve better posture! Ever wonder why we have everyone doing 5000 band pullaparts and face pulls a week? To build a stronger upper back, which will definitely make you a better lifter, but will also help you stand and sit up straighter and decrease back and neck pain.

 

Building strength also means building mental strength. And in many ways, that’s super personal. I can list a million reasons why getting stronger was so life changing for me, and most of them have absolutely nothing to do with the way I look. As a young(er) woman I let other people dictate how I should live. I didn’t feel like my needs or wants were important enough to override anyone else’s. Lifting was the first thing I really did just for myself, and I came to love it. Lifting taught me to take care of myself, that I didn’t need anyone to do that for me. Lifting was my coming of age story.

 

It comes out in practical ways – I don’t need help walking my groceries home from Giant Eagle (it’s a half mile uphill, can’t wait to share that with my kids someday). I don’t need someone to move my furniture for me. I can carry my 55lb dog around when he’s too hot/cold/wet/dry/lazy to walk anymore (something that occurs more frequently than it should, wonder why).

 

A lot of my blogs come back to “figuring out the why” and this one is no different. Your why may be to look a certain way, and that s fine! Hopefully now you have some guidelines for reaching those goals, no matter what they are. Maybe your why is to avoid bone density loss later in life, or to be able to hike longer and avoid knee injuries on the trail. Whatever it is, please feel free to share it with us. What makes our community so great is that we support each other in reaching our goals, no matter what they are.

 

Additional Resources

 

If this is a topic that interests you, there is a ton of information out there that goes into much more detail than I could here.

 

This is the article that tends to change a lot of women’s minds about strength training:
https://www.nerdfitness.com/success-story/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
Staci is a fantastic lifter that you can follow on Instagram as well:
https://www.instagram.com/staciardison/?hl=en

 

For more information on males vs females with regards to metabolism and strength training:
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/gender-differences-in-training-and-diet/
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/strength-training-women/

We’re going to introduce a newly recurring blog for our gym- training updates from our staff. The aim being two fold:
We want to share with you our successes and failures while hopefully teaching you a little bit of the “why.”
We want you to get to know us better through these trials. We do practice what we preach (most of the time) and this should be an honest representation of that.

Leadership:
There are times to lead from the front and times to lead from the back- this is one of those times that the former is more important. To get this ball rolling, I’ll share with you my recent goals and how well I think I’m doing to achieve those goals.

Past:
August 25th I had an international meet in Mountain View, California. It went as well as it could have, and I learned a lot from my failures that day (and really the weeks prior). Since then my training took a back seat. I just wasn’t interested in training, so I let my body and my mind wander, so to speak. My ultimate goal in this sport is to total 2300lbs which might look something like 850 squat, 600 bench, 850 deadlift. To get there will take time, effort, patience, consistency, and some tenacity. So I have to realize that if I need six weeks ‘off’ after a meet to let my body get back to baseline, then that’s the step necessary to get me closer to 2300 as opposed to jumping back in and “grinding it out.”

Present:
What happens to muddy water if you keep stirring it? Nothing- it stays muddy. But if you leave it alone, it becomes clear again. So after I let everything settle down, the path to my goal became much more clear. I need to rebuild a foundation for my training. I also want to reduce my stress as much as possible. So I hired a well respected and accomplished coach, Josh Bryant, to lay out my training for me, with the goal being to go from 235lbs to 255lbs. One week in, I’m up to 244lbs- which is to be expected. The next 11lbs will be a little more difficult. My training has looked like this for the first week:

Day 1

SSB 455	2×5
Pause belt squats	max set of 6 (11 plates for 10)
Backwards sled drags	6 plates 6 trips
Heavy leg curls	6×3 15 sec rest
Single leg RDL’s	2×3 45 sec rest
Pallof press	3×6 60 sec rest

Day 2

DB Bench	130	4×10
DB row	100	4×10
Dips	45	3×12
Chain fly	max	12 at 5 chains/side
Lat pull downs		4×10
Curls w/ ext	30	4×12-15 each

Day 3

Bulgarian split squats	55	2×6
Farmers walk	250	each hand, 4 trips
Barbell Rows	315	4×5
Slow ecc. RDLS	365	2×5
Plank	45	4×20 sec

Day 4

Front raise/Lateral raise/bent over fly		2×12 each
Cobra lat pull downs		3×12
Football bar bench	350	2×5
Single arm rear delt		3×12