STRONG friend, Happy Friday!

There's a lot of misinformation out there about lifting weights, how to eat, what to eat, etc.

So, let's cut through all the murk, and If I knew what I know, here’s what I would tell myself when I started my STRONG journey.
 

If I had known better when I started my journey and knowing what I know now

1) Overdoing cardio and eating too little!

There's nothing wrong with doing it, and we should do some! It's the level of how much you're doing, especially if the goal is to build muscle and if you're not eating enough. The combo is not optimal for muscle or strength building.

That's when cardio robs you of your gainz! So, be mindful of how much you're doing, fueling adequately, managing fatigue, and planning your cardio appropriately.

2) Not dieting all the time if I wanted to build muscle!

In my hay day, I was always chasing fat loss, as most women do. I thought if I just got leaner, I would, one, love my body, two; I would look fitter, and so on and so forth.

Ha, boy, was I wrong!

It was more muscle that I needed along with a better relationship with food.

So, I spent a very long time not being in a fat loss phase - not months, years. I healed my relationship with food and my body, which included NOT dieting to get leaner. Did I gain weight? Yes, I sure did. Was it an adjustment? Yes, it sure was, but it had to happen.

Then, when it was time, and I was healed, I decided to do a fat loss phase.  It was strategic - in and out for no more than 16 weeks at a time and then back to maintenance calories.  I even threw in some build phases over the years!

If muscle building is your goal, to see visible muscle, you will have to eat more to build.

3) Carbs would enhance my lifting performance!

There was one point in time when I would only train fasted, or with a 1/2 a grapefruit. How on earth did I do that? Lol, I have no idea. 10/10 I do not recommend! Maybe it was my youth and the info I was taught about nutrition, which turned out to be WRONG.

Carbs enhance performance. Carbs are muscle-sparing. They help with gaining muscle, maintaining it, and building it. Carbs also enhance recovery from your training!

4) Team no days off!

Ha, what's a rest day?! I learned the hard way. I was burnt out so much that I didn't even want to go to the gym. If you know me, you know lifting the things is my lifeline, lol.

I learned quickly that rest days were imperative! I started to honor rest days, deload weeks, get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, and fuel right - I used to eat like a bird too. Well, that had to stop if I wanted to see my body change from the work that I was putting in!

So, train smart, train hard, but recover harder!

5) Doing too many exercises!

Read the last line above - train smart. I would have 10-15 exercises in my workouts. I kid you not. WHY?! Lol, for the gainz, of course! I was burnt out. I was tired and fatigued. I wasn't actually improving; I was always hungry, exhausted, and not recovering.

With that many exercises, you can't bring the heat to the weights, and you certainly aren't training like you mean it!

STRONG friend, that ain't the way! It's not optimal. Soreness, sweat, and exhaustion don't build muscle or make you better.

Training smartly, training with just enough volume, and being able to recover from your training is the optimal way!

Do any of these sound familiar? Did you do these things and then learn from them? Are you still doing them, wondering why you aren’t making progress? What would tell yourself if you could go back and teach yourself a lesson? I would love to hear, hit reply and share away!

Lastly, doors are closing for enrollment for the STRONGER Way Subscription today! Enrollment won't be open again until next Quarter.

STRONGER Way Strength Training Program includes:

• Two program versions, Full Gym and Minimal Equipment, and 2 Subscription options. 
• Monthly rotating Training Focus - (April - Single Leg + Core, May - Squats + Chin-ups, June - Juicy Booty June - Glute Building Month) 
• Structured, effective, and efficient programming, video demos, form checks & feedback on your lifts, monthly coaching call, support, and on-coaching me throughout the week.
• Training sessions are 45 - 80 minutes.
• 3x a week training program.
• Full Body workouts - hitting the muscle groups 3 times a week! The gainz will be gaining!
• Dynamic Warm-up
• Cardio Option

Sign-up here!

Thanks for reading STRONG friend! Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

In Strength & to Your success,
Xo
Candace