Lifestyle Optimization Academy, LLC

  • Home
  • Lifestyle Optimization Academy, LLC

Lifestyle Optimization Academy, LLC Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Lifestyle Optimization Academy, LLC, Health & Wellness Website, 103 LP Auer Rd, .

“Which exercises will work best for building my (insert muscle group here)?”...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We all have different anatomical...
10/12/2019

“Which exercises will work best for building my (insert muscle group here)?”...
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We all have different anatomical structures, as briefly discussed in previous posts, that will determine which variation of an exercise will likely be most effective to implement to build muscle.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
An additional component that can be applied to further help you choose which exercises will provide you with the most return per rep is understanding the resistance profile of the exercise and your muscle’s ability to produce force.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In other words, you want the exercise to be most difficult where you’re the strongest and easiest where you’re the weakest, to provide an evenly distributed amount of resistance, allowing you to spend more effective time under tension (a primary driver of hypertrophy).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As shown above, in most cases, your muscle is weakest in its fully shortened and lengthened positions, leaving it to be its strongest in the midrange.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Understanding this, you can begin to determine which exercises provide the most resistance in the midrange and the least in the lengthened and shortened positions.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Using the above example, dumbbell lateral raise provides little to no resistance at the fully lengthened position of the delt (the bottom of the exercise), a little more at the midrange, and the most at the fully shortened position of the delt (the top of the exercise) - preventing you from being able to express as much force at the lengthened and midrange, as possible, due to over fatiguing the shortened position.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There are also times where you can pair up two exercises to ensure all ranges of the muscle are challenged adequately.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
For example, a reverse banded bench press can be great for evenly distributing resistance at the bottom and mid position of the pec, yet to still leave almost no resistance at the top, causing something like a cable fly or pec deck to work well to specifically target the fully shortened position of the pec afterward.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Train smart.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you’ve hit a plateau in your squat and aren’t training the function of your spinal erectors, this is for you.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀...
21/11/2019

If you’ve hit a plateau in your squat and aren’t training the function of your spinal erectors, this is for you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In many cases, the reason someone isn’t able to progress in their squat is because their erectors aren’t able to resist anymore load.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You know, when the chest dips forward and the hips shoot up? Yeah, that’s likely due to your inability to resist spinal flexion under the applied load on the bar.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
By implementing more spinal anti-flexion based exercises into your program, you’ll likely significantly reduce this occurrence from happening and overcome it if it already is.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Some of my favorite spinal anti-flexion exercises 👇🏻:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Front Squats
High Bar Squats
Good Mornings
Zercher Squats
Zercher Carries
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Exploit the bottleneck.

“What if I don’t want to count my calories/macros?”..⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I like to consider counting calories/macros as a tool to b...
11/11/2019

“What if I don’t want to count my calories/macros?”..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I like to consider counting calories/macros as a tool to build self-awareness around how nutrition is influencing the way you look, feel, and perform.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
That said, it’s by no means the only, or even the most effective tool for everyone.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And before we can consider which tool is likely to be most effective for you, we need to assess areas of your life such as:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🍽 Your dietary history - because if you’ve lost a large amount of weight in the past, then gained it back, you’re probably more likely to be resistant to fat loss the second, third, and fourth round due to your body’s ability to down-regulate its metabolism (this term being used for simplicity sake) - making it very important to take a strategic and sustainable approach.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🏋🏼‍♂️ Your activity level and type - because different activity levels require different amounts of food and different activity types require different types of food.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📈 Your Goals - because a mother who wants to lose a few pounds of body fat before her next pregnancy is by no means going to take the same nutritional approach as a father who is aiming to maximize muscle growth before he transitions into a strength focused training program.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🍾 Your lifestyle - because being able to enjoy your life during events, such as Thanksgiving, by knowing your choices are still leading you to your goals can help you live in the moment and create fulfillment in other important areas of your life, such as your social health.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
After assessing these areas, oftentimes on an on-going basis, because life isn’t still and neither are you, we can determine which tools may work best for you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A few common ones I see to work well in my nutrition coaching practice, outside of counting calories/macros, include:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⏰ Meal timing - creating a specific time during the day to eat each meal can help solidify your circadian rhythm which can influence the way you feel on a physiological level. Not only that, it can aid with building more intention behind your eating habits.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📓 Food journaling - writing down how you feel (energy, hunger, craving, mood, and focus) before and after eating a meal can help you learn how different foods influence the way you feel and what caused you to eat the foods you did.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🥗 Nutrient adjustments - adding specific nutrient guidelines (such as including a protein source with each meal) can help you avoid nutrient deficiencies, ultimately improving the way you feel, look, and perform.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Lastly, I’d like to end this by saying, counting your calories/macros without the intent of building self-awareness and instead only aiming to hit a number your calculator or “coach” gave you is no better than mindlessly following any other diet on the market.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You deserve better.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We’re here to work with YOU, not with your nutrition.

If you want to get bigger and stronger, JUST EAT MORE.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Yeah, if you don’t care about gaining a ton of body fat a...
07/10/2019

If you want to get bigger and stronger, JUST EAT MORE.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Yeah, if you don’t care about gaining a ton of body fat and feeling like 💩 during the process 🤦🏻‍♂️.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s almost 2020, yet this old school advice is still being presented without any context on gut health, hormonal function, training modality, nutrients, sleep, energy systems, and/or your lifestyle.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
While we do need simplification here, or better yet practical application, we DON’T want an oversimplification - which is what leads a kid like myself who had body image issues to slam multiple protein shakes down per day, while applying max effort in the gym each session, and loading up on dollar menu sandwiches and tacos, only to see the opposite of what I wanted 👉🏻 extreme digestive issues, poor sleep, low energy, and very little progress via size/strength.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Needless to say, I’ve been the guinea pig of bad information, which is why I’ve decided to share with you my 5 biggest nutritional tips for building size and strength on this page during these next few days.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You can expect each tip to be provided to you in a very practical manner with a few examples, to help you take action ASAP!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at how much protein you need to be eating to maximize muscle and strength gain - it may be less than what you’re expecting 🤭.

Which do you feel most comfortable doing👇🏻?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Conventional or Sumo Stance Deadlifts?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Personally, conventio...
05/10/2019

Which do you feel most comfortable doing👇🏻?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Conventional or Sumo Stance Deadlifts?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Personally, conventional stance generally requires more focus for me, as I have a natural tendency to anteriorly tilt my pelvis which shifts tension from my glutes to my low back.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But, I’ve been implementing other exercises such as Staggered Stance RDL’s and Hip Thrusts that help me emphasize creating a neutral pelvis, which has caused my conventional stance to feel much more comfortable.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Today I’ll be implementing a sumo stance for the first time in months, so wish me luck 😅.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Oh, and don’t forget, let us know which stance you feel most comfortable performing in the comments👇🏻!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

How many carbs and fats should you be eating each day?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀One of my clients and I had a conversation a few days ago...
30/09/2019

How many carbs and fats should you be eating each day?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
One of my clients and I had a conversation a few days ago about our next step toward up-regulating her metabolic rate (amount of calories she burns on a daily basis).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
At the end of the discussion, we came to a conclusion of increasing her fat intake for a week to see how her body responds.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This decision was made shortly after another discussion a different client and I had while aiming to achieve a very similar goal, except our conclusion was to increase her carb intake and not her fats.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But how do two individuals with very similar goals have two different approaches?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Well first off, they’re both currently hitting the minimum requirement of carbs and fats - which differs for everyone so we use markers such as hunger, cravings, digestion, energy, sleep, performance, and recovery to help dictate this, so there’s no mandatory need to increase either, rather a total caloric increase in order to achieve our primary goal of metabolic up-regulation, while minimizing body fat accumulation.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So, knowing the nutritional needs are met for living a high quality life (based off of the aforementioned markers), our next step is to look at adherence and enjoyment.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We do this by looking at which foods are eaten in a more natural setting. Meaning, if you tend to enjoy eating more carb based foods, we’ll increase your carb intake, adjust your training style to be more glycolytic driven, and develop a meal timing strategy if necessary.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And the same can be said for fats - a slightly different approach via training and meal timing, but the same overall strategy and principles.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I share this with you because there’s been a few different people asking me what makes my coaching company different than the many other’s.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And while there are many facets I could discuss for hours, one of the primary foundations we apply is individualization.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Meaning, each plan is tailor made to fit each client’s needs - just as you saw in the example above.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We create a path that optimizes your lifestyle, in a time where many aim to compromise it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you want to build muscle and look lean, DON’T OVERLOOK THIS👇🏻..⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“Thought I would share a win. One of my major...
27/09/2019

If you want to build muscle and look lean, DON’T OVERLOOK THIS👇🏻..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Thought I would share a win. One of my major objectives when I joined was to lose body fat and gain functional strength.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Besides being down the 60 lb and being able to move around and use my shoulder, all my my lifts have gone up significantly.”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a message from one of my badass one on one clients, John, a thriving business owner, father, husband, and very active in his community - so you can rightfully assume his schedule is very tight.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But that hasn’t prevented him from absolutely crushing the goals he came to me with.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’d even argue it has contributed to them, because he doesn’t look at his schedule as simple to-do’s, passing time, rather objectives that are stacking to fulfill his purpose in life.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
John came to me with a VISION, mapped out until his funeral. One that has been broken down into segments and specific objectives.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So, it probably wouldn’t surprise you if I said he’s also building his new office. And when I say building, I mean PHYSICALLY in the Texas heat with his team. Which was another specific objective inside his vision.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To say I’m a proud, inspired coach and friend of his would be a total understatement.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I share this with you because he doesn’t have anything you aren’t able to have for yourself.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The thing that sets him apart though is his vision. He has MASSIVE clarity around his decision making skills.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
He still drinks when he wants to, eats out with his friends and family, and doesn’t spend hours in the gym each day.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You can do this too. Send me a message if you need help deciding where to start.

𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 💪🏻.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But doesn’t that mean you won’t be able to lift ...
26/09/2019

𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 💪🏻.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But doesn’t that mean you won’t be able to lift as much? Well then, screw tempo and solely focus on how much weight you can add to the bar.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
These are two (of the very many) conflicting concepts I came across during my early years of lifting.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thing is, they’re both right and wrong, there just needs to be more context for why, when, and how to apply each of them.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In a situation where you need to improve your form, slowing down with a slightly lighter load may help with this - something like a 3010.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Whereas if your form is solid and you’re looking to increase strength, a faster CONTROLLED tempo may be better here as it’ll allow you to lift heavier loads - something like a 20X0.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And if size is the primary objective, something like the aforementioned 20X0 for compound lifts (as long as form is solid) and 3010 for accessory lifts, until your last 3-4 reps of each set, then transition to a 20X0 - is something you can mix in to reap the benefits from both ends of the spectrum.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There’s also specialty situations where emphasis can be placed on the bottom and/or top of the lift, usually when we’re working on power by removing momentum (example being pause-rep deadlifts) and/or neural adaptations by emphasizing muscle activation (example being a glute bridge lockout - emphasizing the glute squeeze and posterior pelvic tilt).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As you can see, this can go in multiple directions, but it always comes down to one thing 👉🏻 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Intentional systems, put into place to help you acquire a specific outcome.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Is your program designed with your specific outcome in mind? Or are you spinning your wheels, following the latest trend?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

You 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 to eat at least 6x/day if you want to build muscle 💪🏻...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And each meal must include an even spread of p...
24/09/2019

You 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 to eat at least 6x/day if you want to build muscle 💪🏻...
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And each meal must include an even spread of protein bro! This will maximize protein synthesis AKA your ability to build muscle 🧬..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Need help? Just buy this protein shake with 30 servings and supplement it into each meal, then buy more after 14 days when you’re out 🤦🏻‍♂️..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is the BS I was sold during the initial years of my lifting career. A time where I experienced 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 little progress.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Funny enough, once I stopped taking supplements and stressing out about my protein intake, I began making 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 progress than ever.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Crazy right? Well, when you understand how to prioritize what is required to build muscle for you as an individual, it becomes less crazy and much easier to achieve.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
For example, trying to eat 6x/day 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗘 making sure my protein was spread out evenly per meal, created a ton of daily stress for me - seeing how this was way before I became a coach, and worked a 8-6 job.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now knowing how prolonged stress can influence insulin, testosterone, and overall recovery, in addition to myself missing sleep to lift early before work, it makes 𝗧𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗟 sense that I was basically running in a hamster wheel.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When I finally stopped, I was able to spend the money that previously went toward supplements, on better quality food (goodbye protein shake gas 😅).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And instead of eating 6x/day, I ate larger meals 2-3x, plus a post-dinner snack in some cases 😉.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Not only that, I began learning more about proper exercise ex*****on and exercise program design - such as how to target specific muscle groups during a lift, which lift to perform at the beginning of the session, and how my sessions should fit inside a weekly layout (us nerds like to call this a microcycle 🤓).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My point of sharing this with you is 👇🏻.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐. 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To be more specific, that list will look something like (thank you Cody & Eric for teaching me this):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1. 𝗔𝗱𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 - A poor plan executed consistently has the potential to work better than a great plan executed inconsistently. Find what you can be consistent with before looking for the “perfect” plan!
2. 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻/𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - The exercises you perform must create the results you’re looking for and you must be able to perform them properly if you wish for them to work at all. Qualify before you quantify (wise words from my dude Ben).
3. 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲/𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 - The amount of reps and sets you perform must be at a high enough level of intensity that creates growth, but below the level that prevents you from recovering before your next session.
4. 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 - The more frequent you train, the more often you create a “growth signal” and solidify proper form. BUT, it mustn’t be so often that you’re unable to recover from each session, because that is where growth actually occurs.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Until you’re able to maximize this list while eating in a slight surplus, getting ~8 hours of sleep, and enjoying life - you likely have no business worrying about protein shakes and meal timing.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now let me ask you this - 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏? 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 👇🏻.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗔 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝟭𝟬𝗹𝗯𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝟴 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 💪🏻.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Being the kid ...
21/09/2019

𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗔 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝟭𝟬𝗹𝗯𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝟴 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 💪🏻.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Being the kid who could barely max out one rep at 95lbs on his bench in high school, let me say I completely understand the struggle of feeling weak!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Luckily, you can choose to not stay that way, and make improvements at a significant rate with the proper approach, which is what I hope the below suggestion will help you do 👇🏻.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟯𝘅/𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This doesn’t mean perform each set to failure, every session. Instead, staying
within 2-3 reps shy of failure will likely work best.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’d recommend applying this in a format where the first session is strength based (4-6 sets/1-5 reps/80-90%), since it’s more neurological driven and you’re likely to experience more fatigue at the end of the week, which can reduce your level of output.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The second session being power based (3-5 sets/2-4 reps/65-80%), since it’s slightly less neurologically driven than session 1.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The third session being hypertrophy based (3-4 sets/8-12 reps/65-75%), since it’s least neurologically driven, and more muscular system driven, allowing you to perform at a high level of intensity while being on the tail end of systemic fatigue from your week.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
By bench pressing 3x/week, in this format, you’re very likely to be accumulating an amount of volume that will provide an optimal rate of muscle growth, as it’ll allow you to balance recovery with the applied stress.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Not only that you’ll be spending a large amount of time under the bar, enabling you to develop the skill set of bench pressing (which is a 𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘 contributor to making strength progressions).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
P.S. This secret works best for people who are currently only bench pressing 1-2x/week and already understand the concepts of nutrition and recovery.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you’d like to understand how to integrate this into your specific lifting regimen - send me a message!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What’s 𝗢𝗡𝗘 thing you’ve done that has helped you make some impressive progress with your Bench Press? Let us know in the comments! 👇🏻..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

You 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 to cut out carbs to get lean 🍟🚫..⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Guess all the vegans are doomed then, right? 😅..⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀On a serious...
19/09/2019

You 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 to cut out carbs to get lean 🍟🚫..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Guess all the vegans are doomed then, right? 😅..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
On a serious note, I remember the first time Emily and I stumbled across Keto, when some of our favorite fitness “influencers” were advocates of it ~2 years ago (not going to mention any names 😉)..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We were 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡 on the butter coffee, bacon, MCT’s, and intermittent fasting lifestyle 🥓 ☕️ 🥥..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Coming directly out of a Jim Stoppani bulk, eating cottage cheese before bed and peanut butter for breakfast, I ended up losing ~20lbs in one month, 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗘 increasing my strength 💪🏻..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Life was wonderful and I was telling everyone about how I found the “magic diet” 🦄..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝗕𝗨𝗧 spending hours in the kitchen cooking “keto approved” meals and not being able to eat many foods at restaurants and family get-togethers became more of an inconvenience than a benefit.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Soooo we decided to start eating carbs again, and it felt 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 🤭..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Yup. I began recovering more quickly from my sessions, sleeping better at night, and enjoying date night a little more 🍦😛..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But we didn’t stop there. Keto showed us how powerful food can be, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This sparked a 🔥 of curiosity to learn how all of this was actually happening and led to Emily Black becoming a Precision Nutrition Certified L1 Nutrition Coach & myself becoming a Nutritional Coaching Institute Certified L1 Nutrition Coach, Hormonal Specialist, and Nutritional Mindset Specialist.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Today, our pursuit of education isn’t anywhere close to being over, but I can confidently tell you this 👇🏻..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You don’t 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 to cut out carbs to get lean.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You need to be 𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦, 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧, and 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡-𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 to learn what 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Also, having someone who is educated on how nutrition influences your physiology and psychology, and can translate it in an applicable manner for you can be 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗬 helpful too (shameless plug 🔌).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you’d like to connect the dots between your nutrition and ability to get, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗬, lean - send me a message!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 Training Split To Follow 🏋🏻‍♂️..⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Let me start by saying I’m currently   …so you can expect what I’m abo...
11/09/2019

The 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 Training Split To Follow 🏋🏻‍♂️..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Let me start by saying I’m currently …so you can expect what I’m about to share to be biased AF (said with an immense amount of sarcasm 🤪).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Seriously though, upper lower works best for me, BUT that doesn’t mean it does for you. Let’s look at a few reasons why that is, below 👇🏻..
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥 2-3𝙭 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝, 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙚.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To accomplish this with an upper/lower split there needs to be at least 4 training sessions scheduled in for you to perform each week (2 for upper & 2 for lower).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Whereas if you’re following a full body split, there only needs to be 2-3 sessions per week, as long as volume is appropriately accounted for in those sessions.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I currently enjoy this because I can hit the gym 6 days per week, for a shorter duration per session, solidifying it as an almost daily routine (which I’m a huge fan of).

In addition to that, if I miss a day or 2, I still have 4-5 days of training I can get in & simply increase the volume where it fits.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now, if you can’t get in the gym at least 4x per week, a full body is likely the most effective for you, as you’ll have the flexibility of only needing to go 2-3x per week. But, depending on how advanced you are, the duration of those sessions may be quite longer in comparison to the upper/lower split, due to your requirement of volume.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I could keep going, but I think you get the point… The 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 Training Split For You is one you can fit into your schedule and achieve your required amount of volume & intensity for progression, without feeling extremely beat up.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 - #𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙧 #𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙩 ? 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬! 👇🏻

Address

103 LP Auer Rd

37604

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lifestyle Optimization Academy, LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Lifestyle Optimization Academy, LLC:

  • Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic?

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram