Holly T. Baxter

Holly T. Baxter As a Accredited Practing Dietitian, my goal is to provide you with the knowledge & tools to create a healthy lifestyle through science based nutrition. Holly T.

Baxter is an APD Dietitian (Accredited Practicing Dietitian), IFBB Bikini Pro, and fitness and nutrition coach with 13 years of experience in health and fitness. Originally from Australia and now based in Tampa, Florida, she holds a Master’s in Dietetics, authored Muscle Hypertrophy: The Complete Exercise Guide and several macro-friendly cookbooks, and co-founded the Carbon Diet Coach app. Holly is the founder of BiaBody, where she recently launched BiaFit—a comprehensive fitness, recipe, and strength-training app—and co-authors BiaBrain, a monthly research review publication. Specializing in women’s health, she empowers her clients through evidence-based coaching that addresses both physical and emotional well-being, drawing on her personal experience overcoming body dysmorphia. With scientific expertise and firsthand insight, Holly is a dynamic guest for any health, fitness, or entrepreneurship-focused podcast.

12/16/2025

🧠 Mind-Muscle Connection: Does this Focus Affect Hypertrophy?🌟

Today, we’re diving into a fascinating study that explores the impact of “attentional focus” during resistance training.

👉🏼Are you more likely to grow your muscles by concentrating on the mind-muscle connection, or is just moving the weight enough? Let’s break it down!

🔬 Methods:
30 untrained men participated in an 8-week resistance training program focusing on biceps curls & leg extensions.

They were divided into two groups: one using an internal focus (squeezing the muscle) & the other an external focus (moving the weight).

Muscle thickness & strength were measured pre- & post-study.

📈 Results:
Both groups increased muscle size, but the internal focus group saw significantly greater gains in biceps hypertrophy (12.4% vs. 6.9%). However, no significant differences were observed in quadriceps growth or overall strength.

🤔 Discussion:
Internal focus seems to enhance hypertrophy in the biceps, likely due to better muscle activation. But it didn’t apply the same way to the quadriceps, suggesting that the effectiveness of attentional focus may depend on the muscle group.

⚠️Limitations:
🔹This study’s findings are limited to untrained individuals & single-joint movements, so results might differ for experienced lifters or compound exercises.
🔹The bicep muscle growth is quite robust, almost half a centimeter in 8 weeks. The lack of a control group complicates this result interpretation, leaving open the possibility that the observed differences could stem from measurement error rather than the intervention itself.
🔹Self-reported dietary data also creates potential inconsistencies.

💡Key Takeaways:
1. Internal focus enhances biceps growth— think “squeeze your biceps”!
2. Quadriceps may not respond the same way— focusing on just moving weight could suffice.
3. Training status matters— results may differ for seasoned lifters.

⚠️What do you think? Do you use internal focus cues in your workouts? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 💪👇

12/15/2025

📚 New Study Breakdown: Does Nutrition Counseling Actually Help Athletes Gain Muscle?

🎥 Want the full deep dive, limitations, and coaching implications? Head to my YouTube channel for the complete study breakdown and analysis. 🔗Link in Bio

👉🏼We often tell athletes to “just eat more” when the goal is to gain lean mass. But does that actually work — or does structured nutrition counseling make a real difference? A new study put this question to the test in elite athletes over ~10 weeks.

⚠️METHODS
Elite athletes were assigned to one of two groups:
• Nutrition Counseling (NC): individualized, dietitian-led coaching
• Ad Libitum (AL): told to increase intake on their own

Both groups aimed to gain ~0.7% bodyweight per week while continuing sport training + 4 resistance sessions/week. Body composition was measured via DXA, and performance included strength, sprinting, and jumping.

📊RESULTS
• The NC group successfully increased calories; the AL group largely did not
• Bodyweight and fat mass increased more in the NC group
• Lean mass increased in both groups (~2.8% NC vs ~1.9% AL), but total LBM gains were not significantly different
• Leg lean mass increased more in the NC group
• Strength improved similarly in both groups
• Jump performance didn’t change; sprint performance slightly declined in NC

🧐DISCUSSION
Structured nutrition counseling clearly improved energy intake — something many elite athletes struggle with. However, over a short timeframe, greater calorie intake did not translate to dramatically superior lean mass or performance gains. This may reflect the limits of DXA, the short duration, and how slowly muscle actually grows.

TAKEAWAY
👉 Nutrition counseling reliably improves fueling behavior.
👉 Muscle and performance changes may require longer timelines, tighter adherence, or more sensitive measurement tools.
👉 Even elite athletes don’t automatically “eat enough” without guidance.

12/13/2025

Well… that flu latest all of 1 day! Thank goodness for for that! We back in the gym last night!💕

🎄My Christmas Holidays sales are back folks! 🧑‍🎄Head over to 🔗www.bia-body.com to grab your Christmas Stocking Fillers!
12/12/2025

🎄My Christmas Holidays sales are back folks!

🧑‍🎄Head over to 🔗www.bia-body.com to grab your Christmas Stocking Fillers!

12/11/2025

🧐Today I’m digging into a brand new 2025 study published by friends & colleagues , , and adamjonescpt which looked at a hot topic in hypertrophy research👇🏽

🧐Is training harder in the stretched position actually better for muscle growth & strength than making the rep more challenging in the shortened or “squeeze” position?
( 🎥 Full Video breakdown in YT channel )

👉🏼You’ve probably heard claims from various phd influencers like “lengthened training is superior” or “stretch bias equals more growth.”

📊A lot of earlier research seemed to support this notion — but those studies also manipulated more than one variable such as the exercise selection, ROM, joint angles, and resistance curves, making it hard to know what actually caused the difference in muscle growth.

🔬This new study controlled all of that. Participants trained both limbs with the same exercises, same ROM, same volume, same effort, and same tempo.

The only difference? One side had peak torque in the lengthened position, and the other side had peak torque in the shortened position.

Participants trained 4 exercises — reverse flyes, chest flyes, lateral raises, and hip extensions — twice per week for 10 weeks, taking every set to failure. Muscle growth was measured using MRI, which is the gold standard for assessing hypertrophy.

📈 So what did they find?
Both conditions grew equally across every muscle group! And the strength gains? Also identical. There was no advantage to biasing peak torque toward the stretched or shortened positions — at least in this group of untrained lifters when everything else was matched.

🔑 So what does this mean for you?
When the exercise, ROM, effort, and volume are held constant, simply shifting where the peak tension occurs doesn’t seem to change hypertrophy much.

So this leaves the question - What does matter?
Training hard, using enough volume, and moving through a full range of motion. And for most people, choosing exercises that feel stable and comfortable is likely far more important than chasing a specific torque curve.

12/11/2025

Welp… that’s the last time I’ll be working out for a few days 🥹 Apparently today was my turn getting the flu … darn it 🤧

Arguably, I suppose it is still better than being sick on Christmas Day🎄I see this starting to become a trend… I managed to get covid on Christmas Day back in 2021 and my only sickness last year was new years 😮‍💨

Anyone else sick at the moment?
Now for those unlike myself, who are sporting a clean bill of health 🍎🙌🏼 Check out my program library with hundreds of options for all experience levels and training goals. 🎥These are equipped with video demonstrations and volume tracking to help you make progress 📈

I can’t tell you how many programs I’ve reviewed for clients over the years—whether they’re writing their own or following a trainer’s plan—that simply weren’t designed to help them achieve their goals.

You’re already putting in so much time and effort at the gym, so let me help you succeed with a properly dosed program that truly aligns with your training objectives!

🌐 Visit www.bia-body.com you can download my workouts for only $12.99.

🧐Today I’m digging into a brand new 2025 study published by friends & colleagues and which looked at a hot topic in hy...
12/09/2025

🧐Today I’m digging into a brand new 2025 study published by friends & colleagues and which looked at a hot topic in hypertrophy research👇🏽

🧐Is training harder in the stretched position actually better for muscle growth & strength than making the rep more challenging in the shortened or “squeeze” position?
( 🎥 Full Video breakdown in YT channel )

👉🏼You’ve probably heard claims from various phd influencers like “lengthened training is superior” or “stretch bias equals more growth.”

📊A lot of earlier research seemed to support this notion — but those studies also manipulated more than one variable such as the exercise selection, ROM, joint angles, and resistance curves, making it hard to know what actually caused the difference in muscle growth.

🔬This new study controlled all of that. Participants trained both limbs with the same exercises, same ROM, same volume, same effort, and same tempo.

The only difference? One side had peak torque in the lengthened position, and the other side had peak torque in the shortened position.

Participants trained 4 exercises — reverse flyes, chest flyes, lateral raises, and hip extensions — twice per week for 10 weeks, taking every set to failure. Muscle growth was measured using MRI, which is the gold standard for assessing hypertrophy.

📈 So what did they find?
Both conditions grew equally across every muscle group! And the strength gains? Also identical. There was no advantage to biasing peak torque toward the stretched or shortened positions — at least in this group of untrained lifters when everything else was matched.

🔑 So what does this mean for you?
When the exercise, ROM, effort, and volume are held constant, simply shifting where the peak tension occurs doesn’t seem to change hypertrophy much.

So this leaves the question - What does matter?
Training hard, using enough volume, and moving through a full range of motion. And for most people, choosing exercises that feel stable and comfortable is likely far more important than chasing a specific torque curve.

12/08/2025

Following along on my new program
Day 3 - Hyper Focused Glutes Part 2 available for download only $12.99

Visit www.Bia-body.com

🧐Can BFR training “save” a heavy-load low rep workout that’s way too easy to grow muscle?This new study by and colleagu...
12/07/2025

🧐Can BFR training “save” a heavy-load low rep workout that’s way too easy to grow muscle?

This new study by and colleagues put this theory to the test…and the results might surprise you.🤨

Short answer: BFR works exceptionally with light loads, but it doesn’t not with under-dosed heavy training.

🎥 To listen to the Full Study Breakdiwn with a more comprehensive explanation— head over to my YouTube channel 👉🏼Holly T Baxter
🔗 The link is in my bio!

Where Do You Actually Build Muscle? 🤔💪A Whole-Body MRI Study Just Gave Us AnswersBACKGROUND 🧐 Most studies only measure ...
12/05/2025

Where Do You Actually Build Muscle? 🤔💪
A Whole-Body MRI Study Just Gave Us Answers

BACKGROUND 🧐
Most studies only measure muscle growth in one area — like the mid-thigh or biceps — and assume it represents the whole body.
But… does it?
This pilot study used full, slice-by-slice whole-body MRI to see exactly where muscle grows during training!

METHODS 📈
Three healthy but untrained men completed a 16-week full-body program (squats, leg extensions/curls, bench press, lat pulldowns).
• 3 days/week
• Sets taken to failure
• 8–12 reps with progressive loading

🔬Researchers measured:
• Whole-body muscle mass
• Muscle growth at every 1 cm slice
• Fat-free mass
• Strength changes

RESULTS 📊
• Strength ↑ 16% (lower body) and 30% (upper body)
• Fat-free mass ↑ 2.6 kg
• But muscle mass ↑ 4.2 kg — even more than total lean mass
• Growth was NOT evenly distributed:
– Biggest gains (25–40% ↑): shoulders, chest, upper arms
– Moderate gains (10–20% ↑): thighs, hips, waist
– Smallest gains: lower legs
Even within the same muscle group, growth varied along its length.

DISCUSSION 📝
This study shows that muscle doesn’t grow evenly — even during a balanced program.
And it highlights a big research problem:
👉 A single measurement (like mid-thigh) doesn’t tell the full story of whole-body hypertrophy.
👉 DEXA or scale-based “lean mass” misses real muscle changes.
👉 Some body regions grow much faster than others, even with similar training volume.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE 🔑
• Muscle gain is regional, not uniform.
• Upper-body muscles may grow faster, even in full-body programs.
• Don’t judge progress only by one measurement site or DEXA.
• Exercise selection, mechanics, and loading positions heavily influence where you grow.
• If some muscles lag — it’s normal. Target them with more specific movements.

If you want evidence-based training programs that actually match how muscle grows, visit Bia-Body.com or download the GetBiaFit app 💛💪

🧐 What’s the optimal rest time for muscle growth? We all know that one friend who takes five minutes between sets, turni...
12/04/2025

🧐 What’s the optimal rest time for muscle growth?

We all know that one friend who takes five minutes between sets, turning a quick workout into an all-day event? 😂

It takes ALOT to ruffle my feathers, but there is nothing that infuriates me more than someone resting on a piece of equipment enjoying their unnecessarily LONG rest periods lol 😆

So, what’s your go-to rest time and why? Drop your thoughts below and let’s settle this debate once and for all!

🍿🎥 For the complete study breakdown, swing by my YT channel 👉🏼 Holly T Baxter

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