“It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” – Indiana Jones

Like Indy, you’ve lived a little. 

But, getting older doesn’t mean it’s time to sit on the sidelines. You don’t have to grow weaker and give up what you love. No matter how many miles are on the odometer, you can get older and stronger. 

And this strength can impact your healthy lifespan in powerful ways. As we’ll show you below, getting stronger is associated with better aging and mortality, stronger bones and heart, and improved quality of life. 

The best news? It’s never too late to add strength and experience the benefits of exercise. But if you want to stay fit (get in even better shape) as you age, you need to start thinking about your training differently. 

Aging and Body Changes: What To Expect

The reality is that growing older brings the possibility of age-related changes. Left unchecked, they can alter your quality of life and even contribute to a shortened lifespan.

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. And according to the National Institute on Aging, older adults (people 65+) are at higher risk. 

Why does this happen? As we age, fatty deposits can build up in the walls of our arteries. Over time, these deposits (called plaque) can harden and slowly narrow the arteries. This process, called arteriosclerosis, reduces blood flow and oxygen to the heart, leading to an increased chance of a heart attack. 

Age-related changes happen in your skeletal system as well. Bone is a living tissue. Although changes might not occur as rapidly as they do elsewhere in the body, bone tissue is broken down by the body and replaced. 

At around age 50, our body starts breaking down more bone tissue than it replaces. This process, called osteoporosis, weakens your bones and can lead to increased chances of fractures or falls. 

Do you know what doesn’t change all that much as you age? Your metabolism. New research published in Science showed that when you account for differences in body size, your metabolism does not change between the ages of 20 and 60.

(Let that sink in.)

For years (maybe forever?), the assumption was that our metabolism slows down as we age. But, the ground-breaking study, which combined the work of more than 80 scientists, 6,500 participants (aged 8 days to 95 years old), and the gold standard methods of testing metabolism, shook the foundations of weight loss science.

Some rules still hold. Despite the common belief that lean people have faster metabolisms, the heavier you are, the more calories you burn. But, once you account for the differences in size, metabolism doesn’t change as much as we thought, and that applies to men and women.

After age 60, metabolism does start to decrease about 1 percent per year. Maybe not surprisingly, this appears to be correlated with a reduction in activity. So, the more active you stay as you age, the better. 

Maintaining Mobility: The Best Way To Stay Injury Free

If you can’t move your joints freely through their range of motion (and control it), your chance of injury or dangerous falls increases. 

If you’re injured, it’s hard to do regular exercise. And if you can’t exercise, that’s when muscle loss begins. Why does this matter? Muscle loss is strongly correlated with a lower (or shorter) lifespan.

Avoiding injury also plays an indirect role in weight loss. Regular physical activity outside the gym (called NEAT) can help maintain your body weight in a healthy range. Move less during the day, and the pounds could sneak up on you like the decades. 

So, mobility is essential to a higher quality of life and a longer life. 

Unlike strength training (which we’ll explore more below), there’s an inverse relationship between mobility and aging. You likely need to invest more weekly time to maintain mobility as you age. 

How much? Strength Coach Mike Boyle once suggested that you should base your mobility sessions per week on every decade you’ve lived. If you just turned 50, that would mean mobility work five times a week. 

That doesn’t mean you need to spend an hour a day stretching. After all, getting older doesn’t mean you have fewer time constraints on your day. For most people, 10-15 minutes a day is enough. 

Not sure where to start? Try extending your warm-up before strength training sessions. By piggybacking on an existing habit (your workout), you’re more likely to make mobility a habit. 

For most of our clients, I suggest a 4:1 work-to-mobility ratio. So, if your workout takes 40 minutes, you should start with 10 minutes of mobility and flexibility work. 

You could also pair mobility with cardio on rest days. Before you head out on a walk (you are walking every day, right?), do 6 reps on each side of a move like the Squat Strider Kick-Through Flow. You’ll loosen up your entire body and elevate your heart rate. 

Strength Training: What Should Change And What Should Stay The Same With Age

Your workout needs to shift as you age. It was fun while it lasted, but the days of maxing your bench press or squat and training heavy every day are likely gone. Your goal now is training for longevity. 

What do I mean by longevity? You lose a few things as you age – and I’m not talking about your memory. 

Muscle loss can begin as early as your 30s if you’re sedentary and will continue yearly at a rate of 1-2% per year. As life expectancy increases, this can lead to a severe amount of muscle lost in your 60s and beyond.  

Over the decades, you’ll also lose what we call power, or the ability to move quickly. Think of things like jumping or throwing a medicine ball. 

The best way to fight this loss of muscle and power? Lifting weights and safe plyometric training. When combined with regular physical activity, there’s no better way to keep you moving well throughout your entire life. 

So, how should your program change? If you’re 55+, it’s time to embrace bodybuilding. In other words, your goal is now to build lean muscle mass with your workouts. We call this “hypertrophy” training. And yes, you can add muscle at any age. 

It’s not that strength isn’t essential, and getting older doesn’t mean you have to get weaker. A new study out of Norway suggests you can continue getting stronger well into your 70s by lifting weights. And those results applied to both men and women. 

But low reps and heavy weight beats you up, and it also increases your chance of injury. As I often tell my clients, the risk-reward ratio is no longer in your favor. 

The solution? Shift your definition of strength.  

Research suggests higher volumes (sets x reps) are better for hypertrophy in aging adults. When training for hypertrophy, the goal is to add more sets and reps to your workout. 

Here’s what most people miss – if you’re able to add weight each week and do the same amount of reps, you’re building muscle and getting stronger as you age. 

Your Age-Proof Training Plan

You’ll likely feel best – and make the most progress – by training hard 3 times per week. As we age, our ability to work hard in the gym doesn’t diminish nearly as much as our ability to recover from those sessions. 

So, for most people, 3 full-body workouts each week. Keep these workouts simple. Choose an upper-body pull, upper-body push, squat (or single-leg movement), hinge, and carry. Do 2-3 challenging sets of 8-12 reps. 

Finish each workout with 1 or 2 of your favorite isolation movements. If you’re 55+, I’d argue you need to do more isolation work. Remember, we’re fighting to hold onto as much lean muscle mass as possible, and isolation moves can help you do that. Plus, they’re easier on your joints. 

That’s right. I’ve given you the green light to do more curls, lateral raises, and tricep press downs. You’re welcome. 

We hammered this point home earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again: Start each workout with quick mobility work. Mobility isn’t a one-off thing; it’s an ongoing process, a daily habit.

Remember that loss of power we discussed earlier? After you warm up, do 1-2 power movements to keep this at bay. Things like low box jumps, med ball throw variations, or even landmine clean to presses work well. 

Finally, Add LISS (low-intensity steady state) cardio 1-2x a week for 20-40 minutes, plus stay as active as possible during the day. The best choice? Long walks. 

What To Be Cautious Of

Do you remember LifeAlert commercials? If you’ve seen them, you’ll know they’re famous for one line (and quality acting): “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.”

While you might laugh at the overacting in the commercials, the risk of falls as you age is no joke. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury and death in people aged 65+. Not heart disease or cancer. Falling. 

The best way to avoid falling? We discussed the basics: strength training (don’t ignore single-leg movements), power development, and a daily mobility habit. It’s also essential to learn how to fall safely. 

Joint pain can be another reality of getting older. While your training can cause this, it’s often due to a lack of movement. Getting stronger with smart training as you age will help you avoid age-related joint pain. 

That said, this isn’t the Marines. Pain isn’t weakness leaving the body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t push through it. Try modifying the movements or get coaching to refine your technique. 

Finally, you’ll also want to consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program. If you experience shortness of breath or chest pain, stop exercising immediately and seek medical attention. 

A Workout For All Ages

The goal here is simple: build muscle in a joint-friendly way. We’ll do that by training your entire body three times a week. 

Outside of the final group of exercises each day (where we do some “pump” type training), the goal is general fatigue instead of local fatigue. In other words, unless you’re doing curls, no single body part will ever feel like it’s “done.” This helps keep the technique sharp and reduces the chance of injury. 

Use this template as inspiration. While you can follow the workouts as written, feel free to plug in movements you’re more comfortable with. As long as you’ve got the foundation of the recipe, you can play around with ingredients. 

Warm Up: 

Cat Camel 8

Leg Lowering 8ea side

Split Quadruped Adductor Mob 8ea side

Walkout Strider + Reach 3ea side

Walking Knee to Chest 10 yards

Day 1

A1. Box Jump (low box) 2 x 5 reps

A2. Med Ball Chest Pass 2 x 10 reps 

B1. Goblet Squat 3 x 8-10 reps 

B2. Tall Kneeling Chop 3 x 8-10 reps

C1. Prone Leg Curl Machine 3 x 10-12 

C2. Resistance Band Anti-Rotation Press 3 x 10 ea

C3. Lat Pulldown 3 x 6-8 reps

D1. Single Arm Dumbbell Row R Arm  3×6-8 reps

D2. Pushup 3×8-12 reps 

D3. Single Arm Dumbbell Row L Arm 3×6-8 reps 

D4: Rack Pec Stretch 3×3:5 holds ea arm 

Day 2

A1. Hinge Cable Pulldown 2 x 10 reps 

A2. Glute Bridge 2 x 15 reps 

B1. Deadlift 3 x 6 @ 75% effort

B2. Bear Crawl 3 x 5 yards

C1. Reverse Lunge 3 x 8-10 reps 

C2. Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 8-10 reps

C3. Plank Hold

Set a timer for 8 minutes. For both of the exercises below, select a weight you can do for 8 reps. Now, here’s the key – you’re only going to do 5 controlled reps each set. Complete each exercise back and forth (only taking rest when you need to) for the full 8 minutes.

D1. Biceps Curls

D2. Triceps Extension

Day 3

A1. Resistance Band Monster Walk 2 x 10ea

A2. Shoulder Tap 2 x 8ea

B1. Low Cable Split Squat 3 x 8-10 ea 

B2. Bench Press 3 x 6 @ 75% effort

C1. Sumo Lateral Squat 3 x 8ea

C2. Straight Leg Situp 3 x 8 reps

C3. Offset Pushups 3 x 5ea

Perform the following 3 exercises as a circuit, which means completing one exercise after another. Try to keep moving the entire 40 seconds. Then, rest for 20 seconds as you move on to the next exercise. After you complete all 3 exercises, rest 1 minute and then repeat for a second round.

D1. TRX Face Pull 40 seconds (20 seconds rest)

D2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise 40 seconds (20 seconds rest) 

D3. TRX Hip Thrust 40 seconds (20 seconds rest)

The post How To Get Stronger As You Age appeared first on Born Fitness.

With his wedding just 6 months away, Born Fitness client Chris (aka Sparta) decided to get serious about fat loss. 

There’s nothing quite like a deadline to get your butt in gear. Sparta was highly motivated, crushing gym workouts and diving into tracking his food (something that works well for him). 

But, after losing weight initially, Sparta’s progress stalled…and stalled. The scale didn’t budge for almost 6 weeks. 

The funny thing? This isn’t abnormal. 

Most people freak out when the scale gets stuck and assume something is broken. Yet, plateaus are part of the process of long-term, sustainable weight loss. 

Sometimes the scale isn’t moving simply because your body is adjusting to change. Your body needs time to recalibrate to your new lower weight. This is a process known as set point theory. 

But, when the scale is stuck, it can still be frustrating. So Sparta’s story is one of patience and reward. When things don’t keep going your way, don’t quit. As you can see, Sparta reaped the rewards. 

What led to Sparta’s plateau-busting success? Patience, a great plan by Coach Natalie, and a few minor adjustments led to major results.

Don’t Trust Activity Trackers. 

First, he learned not to rely on activity trackers. Many people (like Sparta) use these tools to gauge how much they can eat and still be in a deficit. 

Activity trackers are notoriously inaccurate, so if you use them to adjust how many calories you can eat per day, you’re likely to overeat and gain weight. 

A study published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine found that the numbers given for energy expenditure (calories burned) by a variety of wrist-worn devices were off by 27.4% to 93%.

In the study, the Fitbit Surge provided the most “accurate” reports on calories burned, but it still overestimated how many calories you burned by an average of 27.4%. Yikes. (For context, The Apple Watch was overestimated by 40%.) 

Here’s why this is a big deal. Fat loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn (no matter what diet or workout program you follow). This is hard for many people, but it’s much harder if you’re overeating the calories you think you’re burning during your workouts. 

Let’s say your FitBit reports that you burned ~650 calories during your workout (you got after it) and you decided to reward yourself with a 600-calorie meal. After all, you earned it. On the surface, this is fine.

But, according to the research above, you likely only burned around 435 calories during the workout, meaning you just overate by 150 calories. And that’s using the most accurate tracker in the study. 

Additionally, if you’re also tracking your macros, most fat-loss calorie equations already include your activity in their formula. They’ve factored in your workouts (and daily movement) so you don’t have to. So, if you’re adding calories from your workout, it means that you’re even more likely to overeat. 

This isn’t to say that activity trackers aren’t valuable. Your workout data can serve as a benchmark instead of a calorie measurement. This will give you a good idea of if you did more or less activity than yesterday (or last week). 

But, don’t let this data factor too heavily into the number of calories you eat. Keep your diet plan consistent.

Coach Natalie asked Sparta only to use the activity tracker as a “movement metric.” By comparing how much he moved from day to day and week to week, he could ensure he was staying active outside the gym. These non-workout “workouts” are a fat loss “hack” that works wonders. 

Time to get real (with yourself). 

More importantly, Sparta made a mental shift. 

With Coach Natalie’s help, he took a step back and leaned into identifying what habits were keeping him stuck. He quickly realized he wasn’t being honest with himself. 

“I was making excuses about my diet. I always seemed to justify eating like a garbage barge because it was “infrequent” (Narrator: It wasn’t), or a “special occasion,” or…or…or. What I realized was I eat when I get bored, and I’m inherently lazy, so I would always opt for what was easiest.”

Together, Sparta and his fiance worked to hold each other accountable. He also limited eating out to once per week and recreated routines from pre-COVID (when he would prepare meals to take to work) that worked in his new work-from-home reality. 

The results? 

“Honestly, it feels good to get my sexy back. I now have more energy, more strength, and I’m quite a bit leaner. In general, my attire is more fitted, which is also more confidence-boosting. And when I walk past a window, I now see someone who looks healthier. And my ass looks better too.” 

Interested in learning more about coaching? You can explore our personalized coaching program here.

The post How to Turn Plateau Into Progress appeared first on Born Fitness.

Most of the time, we recommend practicing safe sets. Slow the exercise down and control the reps. Leave your ego at the door if you want to train pain-free for years.

But, let’s be honest. It feels good to be aggressive in the weight room from time to time, and moving weight fast can be therapy.

This type of training is good for your health too. It can help you build more muscle by targeting your fast-twitch fibers. And training with speed builds power, something that becomes more important as we age.

The problem is that traditional full-body power moves like barbell cleans carry an increased chance of injury. Most people don’t have the requisite mobility in the upper body or hours of in-person coaching with a personal trainer to learn the finer points of this technique-centric lift.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include “power” movements in your workout.

Power training just requires that you move (your bodyweight or a weight) explosively. And you don’t need a barbell to do that.

Enter the Kettlebell Goblet Clean

Unlike barbell cleans (or even the kettlebell clean), a kettlebell goblet clean helps you train explosive leg drive with minimal upper body movement.

With most clean exercises, you have to catch the bell or bar in what’s called the rack position (resting on your arm and upper chest). This is the same position as barbell front squats – only you need to catch there during the lift.

The kettlebell goblet clean doesn’t require finishing in the rack. Whenever you hear the term “goblet,” it means you’ll hold the KB with both hands in front of your chest.

Here’s what makes this move so good – taking the kettlebell from the floor to the goblet position only requires relaxing your grip. That’s it. You won’t need to bang up your wrists and forearms for weeks while you learn it.

This makes it an ideal move for beginners. You’ll be on your way to mastering the lift your first day. And you’ll learn how to safely get a heavy bell into the starting position for goblet squats without tweaking your lower back. Win-win.

Here’s How To Do It

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width. The kettlebell should be centered between your legs.
2. Unlock your knees and push your hips back until you can grip the kettlebell handle.
3. Driving through your legs and butt, stand up quickly. Keep your arms close to the body. The kettlebell will travel straight up like it’s on an elevator.
4. If you provide the pop with your legs, the bell should be “floating” now and feel weightless. As it reaches your chest, relax your grip and rotate your elbows around the kettlebell. Your hands will slide slightly down the handle.
5. Relax your grip again to return to the start position by reversing the steps.

Most of the time we want to train power at the beginning of the workout. We’re fresh and technique is likely to be sharper. That’s why 50 reps of box jumps (a power exercise) likely isn’t a good idea at the end of your workout.

And that’s often where I’ll put kettlebell goblet cleans in client’s workouts. But, once they’ve mastered the lift, this move shines as part of a complex or circuit.

Try this workout

Do 5 reps of kettlebell goblet cleans, 5 goblet squats, and then 5 kettlebell swings without setting the bell down.

Rest 1 minute.

Complete 5-10 rounds for a quick, do-anywhere lower body blast.

READ MORE

1. 5-Minute Finishers: How To Speed Progress
2. Tension Lifting Technique (Make Every Exercise More Effective)
3. A Better Way To Perform Circuit Training

The post Exercise We Love: The Kettlebell Goblet Clean appeared first on Born Fitness.

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. Stevia or raw unfiltered honey
• ½ scoop protein powder**
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup egg whites
• 2 whole eggs, pasture-raised
• ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup, grade B
• 4 slices turkey bacon, uncured & nitrate-free  
• 5 pitted dates, chopped  
• 1 tbsp. grass-fed butter

**We used Athletic Greens grass-fed whey isolate, vanilla

Directions

1. In a small saute pan on medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Removed bacon from pan, crumble into small bits and set aside.
2. Add the dry ingredients—oats, chia, baking powder, Stevia, protein powder and cinnamon—in a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth. Set aside
3. Whisk the eggs, egg whites & milk in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
4. Take a paper towel to wipe the pan clean, then add 1 tsp. butter to grease. On medium-heat heat, add ¼ pancake batter. Add ¼ chopped dates and crumbled bacon on top. When batter begins to bubble, it’s ready to flip.
5. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup and grass-fed butter. To cut down on the sugar, mix the maple syrup with equal parts water and 1 tbsp. butter. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds, stir and pour over pancakes. Enjoy immediately.

Nutritional Information & Macros

Dietary Information: Gluten Free

Macronutrients

• 387 calories
• 8.75g fat
• 40g carbs
• 37.2g protein

READ MORE: 

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder Pancakes

What is the Best Protein Powder? 

Good Protein Bars, Decoded

The post The Best Protein Pancake Recipe EVER: Bacon & Date Protein Pancakes appeared first on Born Fitness.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup low-sugar granola*
• 2 tbsp. crushed walnuts
• ⅔ cup plain or vanilla Greek or Skyr yogurt**
• ½ cup mixed berries
• 1 tsp. raw, unfiltered honey

*We used Purely Elizabeth’s Original Grain Gluten-Free Granola

**We used Siggi’s plain 4% yogurt.

Directions

• In a mason jar or serving bowl, add 1 tbsp. of granola & ½ tsp. of honey.
• Top with ⅓ cup yogurt.
• Then sprinkle 1 tbsp. of walnuts, ¼ cup berries and 1 tbsp. Granola.
• Layer once more with yogurt, walnuts, berries and granola, then drizzle with a little honey.

Nutritional Information & Macros

Dietary Information: Vegetarian, Gluten free (if gluten-free granola is used), Contains dairy & nuts

Macros per serving

• 620 calories
• 42g fat
• 43g carbs
• 27g protein

READ MORE: 

Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait with Protein Granola

High Protein Lemon Berry Chia Yogurt 

Yogurt and Your Microbiome: The Surprising Ways Gut Health Affects Your Life

The post The Berry Nutty Yogurt Parfait appeared first on Born Fitness.

Some things you can’t debate, such as whether it’s a crime to hide a raisin cookie in a batch of chocolate chips. Other acts are a little less certain. And, when it comes to exercise movement, there’s no shortage of disagreement about what movements are safe and which should be limited. 

Squats are one of the most controversial exercises. Some people suggest they are the best movement (period), whereas others – most notably, respected coach Mike Boyle – suggest they are oftentimes abused and unnecessary. 

At Born Fitness, we work with our online coaching clients to determine what movement is best for them. We love squats, but not everyone needs to do them. Blanket recommendations are dangerous. One person’s path to better performance can be another person’s path to injury.

And, if you do, it certainly doesn’t have to be on two legs (you can do 1-leg variations) or with a barbell on your back. 

Let’s assume you want to squat (remember, it’s still a primary movement). All you need to do is figure out how deep you should go, and what is dangerous for your body. 

Many people will suggest any type of “butt wink” – a rounding of your lower back – is dangerous. 

It’s not quite that simple, but we can offer an easy way to help you figure out what’s best for your body. 

Is The Butt Wink Bad?

Some coaches want you to squat ass to grass (ATG). While others, notably Dr. Joel Seedman (screenshot from https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/squats-truths below), claim that you should stop your squat around 90 degrees. 

The two camps primarily disagree about what is dangerous for your spine. And, the movement most often in question is the “butt wink.”

As you lower into a squat, there’s a moment when you get so deep that your lower back (lumber spine) starts to round. 

If you want to see what this looks like on your own body, find a mirror and it’s easy to assess. Turn sideways to the mirror and then slowly lower into a bodyweight squat. As you reach the bottom of the squat, watch your lower back. If you’re like most people, you’ll see this area slowly “wink” as you go deeper.  

This rounding of the spine, called spinal flexion, isn’t inherently dangerous. Our spines are made to flex, extend, and rotate as human beings. That’s why you likely don’t need to worry about this rounding during movements like that bodyweight squat.  

So, what’s the big deal? Rounding with no weight on your back is not much of a problem. But, once you start adding flexion with weight on your back – and doing it for many reps – such as during a heavy back squat, that’s when the story changes.

Most spine experts consider rounding your low back with load (such as a barbell) to be a risk for your lumbar spine, which means you’re at higher risk of disk injury and back pain. 

Here’s why: Between each bone segment (the vertebrae) of your spine is a gel-filled disk that helps absorb shock. This means when there’s weight on your back, you can transfer it safely throughout your spine. 

When you load your spine, you create a compression force that pushes the vertebrae together and squeezes the intervertebral disks. This isn’t dangerous if you have a healthy spine. (Fun fact: your spine is quite resilient to compression.) 

The issue is when you compress and flex your spine at the same time. This combination of load and flexion increases another force (shear) on your spine. And shear plus compression could increase your chance of injury. 

We all have different anatomy, so for you, that injury might not happen for years. But, flex your spine under load for rep after rep, and eventually, you might have a problem on your hands. 

That’s why a butt wink while squatting under load isn’t a good idea for the vast majority of us. 

What causes butt wink? 

People love to blame “tight hamstrings” for difficulty squatting. It’s likely not the cause of the butt wink, so stretching them out before your lifts isn’t going to help you avoid it. 

As Dr. Aaron Horshig breaks down in this video, your hamstrings attach to both your pelvis and your knee, which means they don’t actually lengthen much during your squat. 

Try this: Lay on your back with your legs straight. Now, lock your knees out and slowly lift one leg up. 

I’m guessing you didn’t get very high? That’s because with your leg straight, you are lengthening your hamstring, and eventually, you hit your end range. 

Do it again, but allow your knee to bend 90 degrees as you lift your leg up. 

Feel the difference? You have more range of motion because as you flex your hip (lengthening the hamstring), you also bend the knee (shortening the hamstring). Your entire muscle stays relatively the same length, just like during a squat. 

Instead, the butt wink often comes down to your squat stance and ankle mobility. And to know about both, it’s time to analyze how you move.

Shakira would be proud, but your hips don’t lie. 

Each of us has a unique angle that our femur (the big bone in your thigh) fits into our hip socket. And this angle determines your squat stance. 

Suppose your stance is too narrow or wide (based on your individual hip genetics). In that case, you’ll run out of room in your hip socket when you drive your legs into hip flexion (lowering into the squat). 

When you try to force range of motion, your body compensates. As you run out of room in your hips at the bottom of the squat, your pelvis tilts backward (called posterior pelvic tilt), and your lower back rounds. Hey, butt wink. 

You got to the bottom, but was it really worth it? (more on this in a moment).

Butt wink can also be caused by ankle mobility issues. If you lack the range of motion at your ankle, your body can’t drive your knees forwards as you sit into the squat. Just like when you run out of room in your hips, your body has to find the range of motion somewhere else and prefers your lower back. 

How To Fix Butt Wink

Before we show you how to fix butt wink, we need to talk about the neutral spine. Since that sounds painfully boring, just think of this as your “safe to squat” zone. (Or STS Zone)

When we refer to your STS (aka neutral spine), we’re referring to the position of your lower back during movement. For most, this means a slight curve in your lower back.

Most coaches and physical therapists encourage finding your STS because it offers the most protection to your spine during loaded movement. But, and this is important, it does not entirely reduce the risk of injury. You’ll still need to leave your ego at the door and be smart with progressively overloading your movements. 

Your spine moves a small degree during exercises, even if you’re in your STS zone. Things become dangerous when you stray too far out of this zone. In other words, that’s when the butt wink becomes more aggressive.

Our goal is to squat as deep as possible without your lower back rounding too much. You’ll need to find the right squat stance for you to do this.  

Here’s how to do this: 

• Sit into a bodyweight squat. Don’t worry about your back rounding; just drop to the bottom. 
• Play around with your squat width and the angle of your feet until you find what feels most comfortable. 
• Keep this stance and do a couple of squats to see how the full range of motion feels. 

Sitting into the bottom of the squat like this won’t be comfortable for some. Feel free to grab on to a support. Want to see this process in action? Check out our Instagram post here. 

You’ll also want to experiment with different squat variations. Unless you’re a powerlifter, there’s no rule that you have to back squat. 

If you love the back squats, try to slide small plates (like 2.5 or 5 pounds) underneath your heels, or stand on a wedge. This changes the angle of your hips and allows you to get deeper into a squat without worrying about the wink. 

If you’re looking for squat alternatives, the goblet squat is a better fit for most. This is a variation of the front squat, which helps activate your core and maintain that neutral spine. Once you’re comfortable with the goblet squat, you can also do the more traditional version of the front squat.

You can also try any endless variations of single-leg movements, such as split-squats or Bulgarian split squats, which help reduce the likelihood of the butt wink. 

No matter what, your best guide is usually comfort and pain. If something feels off, don’t force the movement. Find a way to move pain-free, and then add load to make it harder. 

READ MORE

1. Why Do Squats Hurt? (And How To Fix The Problems)
2. Valsalva Maneuver: A Technique That Can Save You From Back Pain
3. The Mystery of Squat Form: How Low Should You Go, Really?  

The post The Right Way to Squat (And Solve The “Butt Wink” Issue) appeared first on Born Fitness.

If you ever really need proof about how the human body works, find your way into a metabolic chamber. There are about 30 of them in the world and they cost millions of dollars. They use the best technology to  measure every single ounce of energy that is either consumed or burned. 

These chambers allow scientists to better understand diseases that affect the human body, including things like obesity and metabolic disorders. They also definitively answer the question that’s been debated for decades: calories do matter. And, they are the primary factor that influence whether you gain or lose weight. The question is whether a “calorie is a calorie” and more about understanding why all calories are not equal.

No scheduled trips to your nearest metabolic chamber? Don’t worry. We’ll help you make sense of what foods influence your metabolism and hunger, and how you can make food work for you. 

What Is A Calorie?

We often think of calories as something we eat, but, the truth is, a calorie is simply a unit of energy. More specifically, a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree celsius. 

What does the temperature of water have to do with calories in your food? Well, scientists determine the amount of calories in a food using a technique we’re all guilty of in the kitchen: they burn it

This process is called bomb calorimetry. First, you place an ingredient in a sealed stainless steel container surrounded by water. Then, heat is applied to the food until it burns. This chemical reaction generates a ton of heat and slowly heats the surrounding water. Scientists then measure how high the temperature of the water rises to calculate the number of calories in the food. 

Although accurate, this process is slowly losing favor. Today, most calories listed by the USDA and FDA are calculated in a different way. Instead of burning the food, the total amount of calories are determined by adding up the calories provided by the individual components of the food. This means determining the amount of energy from the protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol. 

This method works because the calories in a gram of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol remain constant. Each macronutrient has the following caloric values:

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories 
• 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories 
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories 
• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories 

That’s how you add up the calories in your food. But, that’s not the entire story. As you’re about to find out, macronutrients are metabolized differently, which is why all calories are not equal. Some foods (like protein) burn more calories during digestion, and other foods (like the fiber in your carbs), affect hunger and appetite. 

Understanding how to balance your diet to give you the right amount of sanity – while not letting your hunger go wild – is the key to feeling in control of your diet. 

Why Calories Are Not Equal (And What It Means For Your Meals)

The confusion about calories is less about how many grams are in a particular food after it’s cooked or when it’s in a package, and more about how your body makes use of those calories once you eat and digest food. 

The human body is the greatest machine ever built. You need a certain number of calories to carry out every day functions like breathing, walking, and thinking. And because your very survival depends on calories, your body processes foods differently to help fuel all of your needs. 

To understand how you gain and lose weight, you need to think about energy balance, which is the old calories in vs. calories out debate. Although many things can impact energy balance, the type of calories you consume plays a large role. That’s why all calories aren’t equal.

Your daily metabolic rate is influenced by many things. The three main components are:

• Basal metabolic rate (BMR): This is the amount of energy your body needs to work. 
• Thermic effect of food (TEF): This is the amount of energy you burn when you eat.
• Exercise and activity: This is the calories you burn from movement and exercise. You can split this into different categories, such as NEAT (thins like moving around and fidgeting) and your traditional workouts. 

What most people don’t realize is that 65 to 80 percent of the calories you burn every day is from your basal metabolic rate. Physical activity and the foods you eat make up the remainder of your metabolism, but that doesn’t mean they’re insignificant.  

Protein, carbs, and fat are all metabolized differently. Eating 100 calories of protein is different than eating 100 calories of carbs because protein has a higher thermic effect of food (TEF).

When you eat protein, up to 30 percent of the calories can be burned. In the example above, if you ate 100 calories of protein, roughly 70 calories would hit your body because 30 calories would be burned as a result of the protein’s high TEF.

In other words, the greater the TEF, the more this will influence the “calories out” portion of the calories in minus calories out equation (because not all of those calories will end up in your body and stored). Comparatively, carbs have a TEF of just 5 to 10  percent, and fat is usually around 3 to 5 percent.

This is one reason why higher protein diets tend to be associated with weight loss and maintenance. But, it’s only part of the story. 

The Domino Effect of Eating More Protein

Protein also has a domino effect on hunger that makes it a great foundation for muscle gain and weight loss. 

When you eat protein you increase what’s called satiety. This means a protein-rich meal leaves you feeling fuller and desiring less food (i.e. eating fewer calories). 

It’s why high-calorie (some might consider them empty calories) options like fast food or ice cream can leave you feeling hungry just a few short hours later. It’s not just the calorie count of these foods. It’s that they don’t meet your body’s needs for hunger control, so you desire more food even when your calorie intake is high. These foods are fine to have once in a while, but they make it harder to stay full.  

A high-protein meal can boost the release of a hormone (ghrelin), which helps quiet your hunger and plays a role in determining how quickly your hunger returns after a meal. 

When you combine all of the benefits, it’s easy to see why eating more calories from dietary protein helps create a caloric deficit. Protein burns more calories (the higher TEF) and reduces the “calorie in” portion of the equation by affecting how much you’ll eat later in the day. 

Plus, giving your body the protein it needs to recover from strength training can help you build more muscle mass. 

Protein isn’t the only macronutrient that helps control your hunger. Fiber, which is found in carbohydrates, is also incredibly effective at increasing fullness without adding too many calories. Most fibrous foods have low energy density, which means you can eat a lot without taking in too many calories. 

Learning how to eat the foods that keep you full is a simple way to give you more flexibility. The goal with any diet isn’t too restrict – it’s to provide more freedom. 

If you focus on making at least half of your plate from proteins and fiber, you’re more likely to stay full and not overeat. 

That way, you still have the ability to eat other foods that aren’t as nutritious. For example, although 100 calories from chicken is different from 100 calories from a candy bar — we’re still talking about 100 calories. If the candy bar doesn’t lead to you eating 10 more candy bars, then worrying about those 100 calories is time and stress your mind and body doesn’t need.

It’s why effective diets, in general, can consist of 80 to 90 percent more nutritious foods (think vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, higher fiber carbs, and protein) and 10 to 20 percent of foods with fewer direct health benefits. That’s the type of balance that will deliver results and prevent burnout.

Read More

1. The Art And Science of Food That Fills You Up
2. How Food Becomes Belly Fat
3. Does Having More Muscle Really Increase Your Metabolism?

The post Is A Calorie Really A Calorie? appeared first on Born Fitness.

Have Good Gym Etiquette

In general, our approach towards sickness has always been simple: if going to the gym can get others sick, then stay away. That counts for coughs, sniffles, sore throats, fevers, and anything that isn’t general fatigue. Remember, one day is just one day.

That doesn’t mean you can’t workout at home when you’re sick (more on that below), but try to think of others when you’ve got symptoms.  

What About Home Workouts?

Thanks to COVID, most of us have had to train at home at some point in the last few years. The risk of infecting others is low (unlike your toddler’s daycare) and that means the temptation to workout when you’re sick is higher.

Here’s the problem: Your normal workout routine – the one where you’re breathing hard and pushing your body – triggers a stress response in the body. When you’re healthy, your body responds and adapts to this stress to get stronger. 

But when you’re sick, your immune system is already stressed. Adding more stress with a hard workout (or long, challenging run) might overload the system. That means you could get sicker. 

My rule of thumb? If you feel that your sickness will lead to a less intense workout, then avoid your normal workout routine. At Born Fitness, our training philosophy emphasizes intensity. I’d rather have you be healthy and push the limits during a short period of time, than feel like shit your entire workout. 

This doesn’t mean you have to become one with the couch when you’re sick. As long as you’re doing the right type of movement you can continue regular exercise while recovering. 

How To Workout When You’re Sick

First off, be sure to listen to your doctor’s advice when you’re sick. If they recommend avoiding any exercise, they’re likely doing that for a reason. However, if you’re cleared for exercise, low-intensity movement can help you feel better faster and recover sooner. 

What counts as low-intensity exercise? Think of things like walking or an easy pace on your favorite cardio machine if you have one at home. Or, you might do a mobility circuit. My go-to is long walks outside. 

The key is to keep your heart rate lower during the session. You shouldn’t be gasping for breath at any point or even struggling. And remember, low-intensity can look different for each person. Listen to your body and choose an exercise that you can keep an easy pace with. 

Think of these workouts like a day at the spa. You should leave feeling restored and energized, not beat down. 

The Bottom Line

We believe in training with intensity when you workout, but that doesn’t mean you need to PR every workout when you’re healthy. Many of your workouts are going to be “hard hat” days. You just put on your hard hat, even if you’re sore, tired, or not in the mood, and you make it happen. Those days are victories. 

On the other hand, days when you force yourself to train when you’re sick because of an irrational fear of needing to train, are a loss. Learn to pick and choose your battles and hold yourself to a high standard. And, more often than not, it’ll lead to good health.

The post Should you train when you’re sick?  appeared first on Born Fitness.

You might think your inability to stick with a plan comes down to a lack of motivation, or maybe even a fundamental lack of willpower. 

But, willpower isn’t what is holding you back. After years of coaching people as a personal trainer, I’ve discovered that most people struggle to maintain their momentum because they ignore one simple rule.

It’s called The Goldilocks Rule.

It’s a riff off the old tale of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. And, while it might seem ridiculous, finding what’s just right for you is the secret to better health.

The Goldilocks Rule states that we experience peak motivation when working on tasks that provide the right level of resistance, challenge, and complication.

In other words: if you take on new tasks that are too easy or too hard, that’s when motivation, focus, and consistency fall apart.

Let’s say you haven’t exercised in years and want to get back into the gym this year. You’re motivated and excited. Nothing can stop you. So, you decide to try a 5-day, bodybuilder-style workout program designed for 12 weeks. On paper, it looks amazing. The weekly volume and total volume is enough to transform anyone. It has all the best exercises and it’s backed by all the latest exercise science research.

Here’s the issue: If you’re going from zero workouts to 5 days per week, the likelihood of success is low. It’s too big of a jump on every level. From the discipline to go 5 days a week, to the total amount of work (and stress) you’ll put on your body, it’s not practical or realistic.

Remember, with Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the focus was on finding a good fit. Picking the right program is the same. When you take on too much too soon, it’s easy to predict when you’ll miss a day or two. The missed days could frustrate you to quit the plan prematurely. Or, the dramatic jump from no workouts to lots of weekly volume increases the likelihood of injury, which can lessen your confidence.

And, that’s before we consider the squeeze this puts on your calendar. Let’s assume each workout is 60 minutes long. The move from 0 minutes of exercise to 300 minutes of exercise per week is ambitious and monumental.

You’re told you need to train a certain way to see changes. In reality, small jumps will still deliver changes, and — as you improve — you increase what you do. It’s cliche to tell people to enjoy the journey, but there’s a very real lesson in that wisdom. If you expect too much too soon, then you’ll rarely see the results you want.

How to Pick A Better Path

When motivation is high, you want to believe you can do anything (and you can). However, achieving your goals means creating a path that makes it more likely for you to succeed, not just diving head-first into a plan without considering your starting point.

When you don’t consider the path, the results usually don’t follow.

Here’s what typically happens: You might hit all of your sessions during the first week (or two) while motivation is high (assuming the soreness doesn’t crush you), but once reality catches up with you, that’s when consistency and willpower begin to fade and you lose momentum and drive.

You know what’s too common with “great” fitness programs? Overuse injury.

You know what’s frustrating with many workouts? Unrealistic timelines and expectations. 

You know what’s not needed to see results? Living in the gym or slaving over every meal. 

Time and time again, the best results come from small changes that you can repeat over-and-over again with as little stress as possible. 

If you’re trying to get back into the game  — and win — consistency is your competitive advantage. Even if your start might seem slow, it’s not.

To chart a better path, create a baseline of where you’re starting and where you want to finish. The baseline can include things like your fitness level, how many times you workout per week, and which meals are easy (and hard).

You don’t need a personal trainer to tell you what will work within your schedule. You know what’s doable to start. You need to create some friction and change, but it can’t be disruptive. In fact, the best personal trainers know that helping you change is less about exercise science and more about creating a plan that works for your life.

Here’s a pro tip that’s worth remembering any time you’re struggling: It’s important to differentiate and figure out what’s “just enough” rather than what’s ideal. “Just enough” meets you where you’re at and is doable. And when something is doable, you do it repeatedly, confidence grows, habits form, behaviors change, and you get better.

To make sure this year is different, let your action develop into results. Find a plan that sounds challenging but also that you’re 95% confident you can do without a doubt for the next 4 to 6 months.

Illustration: The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

Better to achieve mastery and progress than to struggle, fail, and have to pick yourself up from ground zero. And if you’re crushing the plan, you can always increase the difficulty later.

This approach will help you accomplish small wins early and often, so you can keep pushing forward with confidence for the upcoming year.

The post Goldilocks Training: How to Maintain Momentum appeared first on Born Fitness.

Potatoes make a great snack or side dish to any main meal. They are a great source of carbs and that translates to energy for the body and brain.

Sweet potatoes are often inaccurately touted as superior to white potatoes. The truth is, you can confidently use either white potatoes or sweet potatoes—both are highly nutritious.

How to make a simple baked potato:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, poke the potato all over with a fork then microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until soft enough to poke with skewer lengthwise.
3. With a sharp knife start at an angle and cut down to the skewer, continuing to cut while rotating the potato away from you to make spiraled rows 1/2 apart.
4. Fan out the potato and place it in a small baking dish.
5. Brush melted butter and garlic on each potato.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

The post Spiraled Baked Potato with Garlic and Butter appeared first on Born Fitness.