Strength Changes Everything

Latest Episodes:

Why Does Muscle Really Matter for Weight Loss? Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Dr. James Fisher answers the question "Why does muscle really matter for weight loss?" Find out why muscle mass should be a vital component of your weight loss strategy and why dieting without strength training is a recipe for long term disaster for your body.

There is a direct connection between your body's muscle mass and its metabolic effectiveness, the ability to lose fat and keep it off, and your overall health.
Why does muscle matter for weight loss? Muscle is metabolic reactive and consumes calories just by existing. You will burn a larger number of calories on a daily basis by having more muscle mass than someone with less.
Instead of thinking about weight loss, we should think of it as fat loss because we don't want to lose just any kind of weight, we want to improve body composition.
Focusing on weight loss can be discouraging when people lose less weight than they hoped without taking into account gains in muscle mass.
Without strength training, any weight you lose with dieting or activity will not be as much fat as you could lose by incorporating strength training into your routine.
Anyone who goes on a calorie reduction plan to lose weight will end up with about 50% of the weight loss occurring within their muscle mass, which is an absolute tragedy. We want to hang on to as much muscle mass as we can as we age.
Diet and cardio without strength training exacerbate the loss of metabolically valuable muscle tissue.
Protein is a great calorie to consume as it's thermogenic and used to absorb some of the protein you take in. Government nutrition guidelines should be adjusted to account for this.
Maintaining your muscle mass has the additional benefit of preventing and reducing injuries so you can continue enjoying aerobic activities as you age.
Weight loss without strength training results in frailty. In the older population, people who are lean are generally weak and have poor mobility. The best thing to do is to focus on strength training to build muscle and improve quality of life along the way.
If you increase the amount of muscle mass you have, you will burn more calories by default. Muscle also stores glucose, which will help you with insulin-related conditions like Diabetes.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

The Dose-Response Relationship in Exercise Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Learn how a little-known principle in exercise determines whether you get the fitness results you are looking for, or you just spend some time moving weights up and down at the gym. Find out why the dose-response to exercise is what you should really be paying attention to, and how it can guide you to easier fitness gains in a shorter amount of time.

More exercise is not necessarily better. The dose-response relationship applies not only to medication and stressors but also to exercise.
It describes the magnitude of the response the body has in response to a stressor, in this case exercise and the response is the result that we are looking for.
Your body is what produces the results and adaptations that you want, not the exercise. If the stress is of sufficient intensity or quality, you will get the response that you want. Just going through the motions of exercise won't necessarily produce an adaptive response in the body.
You also need to give the body enough time and resources to produce the response you are looking for. Exercising too often is actually preventing your body from adapting and growing. This is how athletes experience overtraining.
The adaptations occur after the exercise session is complete, and only if the stimulus is of a high enough intensity and quality.
Exercise is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Just putting in time exercising isn't necessarily a good thing. A lot of what passes for exercise is just enjoyable activity, and it won't trigger adaptations or reverse the effects of aging.
Exercise impacts every system of the body. For every single exercise session, you should be able to measure the improvements in fitness level. This is a key component of the program at the Exercise Coach.
When you don't see improvements between sessions, it means one of two things. Either you need to increase the intensity of the exercise, or increase the amount of rest and recovery between sessions.
Your dose-response is very individualized. The amount of stimulus you need to generate an adaptation will vary. At the Exercise Coach, client's individual abilities are measured and programs are designed to be just the right fit for them.
At the end of the day, the right intensity for one is different from the right intensity for another.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

The Exercise Coach Came Out of 2020 Strong, Here's Why Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Amy and Jesse Hudson explore the reasons the Exercise Coach saw phenomenal growth over the past 18 months while other fitness brands struggled to stay open. Learn about the key differences in the business model that make the Exercise Coach a great franchise to open, and why the community of franchisees that support one another is the secret ingredient to franchise success.

Jesse is the National Franchise Director for the Exercise Coach. His job is to work with franchise candidates and educating them on what it means to open an Exercise Coach location and recruiting quality business owners to help continue the company's growth.
The last year was notoriously difficult for the fitness industry. Jesse had the opportunity to write an article last year detailing the growth of the Exercise Coach during the Covid pandemic in a national franchise journal. The number one factor that Jesse identified of the Exercise Coach brand was the one-to-one service delivery.
Coach-led exercise environments have shown that they deliver excellent results, and this operating model has proven to be very resilient over the last year and really set the Exercise Coach apart from the traditional gyms.
Even during restrictions, the Exercise Coach was able to train and cater to the same number of clients. The fact that it's a personal training brand that doesn't need as many clients in a single room has kept the Exercise Coach as a very desirable option for franchisee candidates.
One thing that franchise candidates notice when they go through the process is the strength of the culture of the company. Without a good relationship between the franchisee and the franchisor, the brand suffers but people saw that Exercise Coach was a brand that went above and beyond to support franchisees.
In franchise evaluation, there is a process called validation where you independently verify the information you're receiving. This was another major factor in the growth of the Exercise Coach as existing franchisees felt well taken care of.
The third component of the Exercise Coach's strong growth is the franchise owners themselves. For most franchise owners, it's their first time in business and 2020 was a time where many people questioned their decisions.
When you go through a crisis, you can't be certain what's going to happen but Exercise Coach franchisees really came together to help offer each other advice and support on how to deal with the challenges over the past year.
As unfortunate as it is to go through something like the pandemic, in some ways, it does reveal the strength or the weakness in a brand, and we can definitely say that the pandemic revealed a lot of strength within the Exercise Coach.
The Exercise Coach is positioned for even greater growth in 2021. There are currently over 120 locations operating right now, with an additional 100 territories coming in the US. The long-term development goal is to open 50-60 territories each year going forward.
There is a wave coming. People want to get in shape and spend money on themselves and their families again. The Exercise Coach continues to be one of the strongest fitness franchises in the industry and many investors are recognizing that.
The high-tech and completely personalized approach is the future of fitness, and more people and investors are realizing that and coming on board.
It's much easier to walk into a system already in place and run with it, opening a franchise is a great way to start. Jesse believes that the Exercise Coach is going to be the best in fitness over the next three to five years.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

Is It Safe to Wear a Mask While Exercising? Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not wearing a mask during exercise is a safe thing to do. Amy and Brian breakdown the studies and science behind wearing a mask and oxygen intake, and reveal why The Exercise Coach program makes wearing a mask a minor detail in the pursuit of fitness results.

Covid has made wearing a mask much more common but a lot of people are wondering if it's okay to wear a mask while exercising. At the beginning of the pandemic the Exercise Coach committed to following the various guidelines, and that includes requiring masks.
Generally speaking, wearing a mask is not going to hamper your workout. A good example would be how athletes have been using altitude training masks to increase physical performance for years.
They don't strictly simulate being at a higher elevation, but they do increase the effectiveness of your lungs and breathing capacity.
At ground level, we get all the oxygen we need to perform optimally. When we feel wiped out and exhausted from exercise, it's not due to a lack of oxygen. Even with a surgical mask, you have more than enough oxygen.
Studies have been completed that show there isn't an impact on physical performance when wearing a surgical mask. They looked at the effect on blood pressure, heart rate during exercise, oxygen saturation, and carbon dioxide levels.
If you have a chronic lung disease talk to your healthcare provider before performing exercise while wearing a mask. For healthy people, wearing a mask during exercise is not harmful.
The Exercise Coach has seen thousands of clients over the past year and they are still getting results despite the mask. Many of the clients are actually surprised at how little impact a mask actually has.
The fact that the program is brief and the studios are kept cool and well ventilated makes the workout experience quite enjoyable, even with a mask on.
The workouts are still intense and effective, and since they emphasize the lowering portion of the training they net better results than traditional strength training while reducing the requirement for your body's cardiorespiratory output to increase.
Eccentric training produces more force and gets you more benefits. An emphasis on the lowering portion is an advanced training technique, yet it's more comfortable.

Links:

exercisecoach.com

How Many Benefits To Strength Training Are There? Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

In the midst of preparing for the upcoming National Exercise Coach Conference, Brian and Amy play a game of trying to name as many benefits of strength as they possibly can without repeating themselves. As you would expect of something as important to your long-term health and performance as strength training, the ensuing list is ridiculously long and comprehensive.

With the National Exercise Coach Conference approaching rapidly, Amy came up with a game to play on the podcast while Brian is busy getting preparations underway. The rules are simple: Take turns naming a specific benefit of strength training until someone gets stumped.
The first batch of short and long-term benefits to strength training include:
- increased bone density,
- improved metabolism,
- decreased gastrointestinal transit time,
- decreased systemic inflammation,
- enhanced flexibility,
- improved cognition and brain function,
- increased level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor,
- lower blood pressure,
- increased longevity,
- and decreased disease risk.
Diseases that have a reduced risk are:
- Alzheimer's and dementia,
- stroke,
- type 2 diabetes,
- coronary artery disease,
- and autoimmune diseases.
Further benefits of strength training include:
- increased vertical jump,
- an easier time getting off the floor and going up the stairs,
- increased sarcomerogenesis,
- increased energy,
- mitochondrial biogenesis,
- decreased joint pain,
- improved body image and self-confidence,
- improved spinal ability,
- improved cardiovascular health and function,
- enhanced joint mobility,
- it helps facilitate and maintain fat loss,
- it reduces serum insulin levels and improves insulin sensitivity,
- improved postprandial blood sugar,
- anti-aging effects,
- improved circulation,
- improved muscle density,
- the release of healthy muscle derived hormones,
- destressing,
- a lower resting heart rate,
- greater endurance,
- improved mood,
- better sleep,
- increased HDL,
- reversing sarcopenia,
- overall improvements in general performance in all areas of life.
This gigantic list of health benefits is the reason there is the quote: "If there was a pill that contained all the benefits of exercise it would be the most widely prescribed pill in the world."

Link:

exercisecoach.com

The Secret to Strengthening Your Lower Back and Eliminating Lower Back Pain Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

In part two of the interview with Dr. James Fisher, we explore what it takes to actually strengthen the lower back and why exercises like the deadlift are not effective in targeting your lower back muscles. Find out how some people can experience significant lower back strength gain in as little as ten weeks with only 15 total minutes of muscle tension (60 to 90 seconds per week!) and why stretching without strength training can actually make your lower back pain worse.

The lower back is a notoriously difficult to train muscle group, which is why so many people are walking around with weak lower backs that are easy to injure and irritate.
Fisher did some research with professional athletes to measure the effectiveness of certain exercises in strengthening the lower back and found that exercises that didn't isolate the lower back didn't make a major impact. However, lower back isolating exercises had a greater impact over more general exercises like the deadlift.
The lower back needs an isolation exercise and preferably one that doesn't also load the gluteal muscles. These exercises are best done with lower back specific pieces of equipment.
In terms of overall strength, people who do lumbar exercises see significant increases in strength. Dr. Fisher has seen lumbar strength increases as high as 200% over the course of ten weeks, as well as improved lifestyle function, with a training frequency of once per week.
Lower back exercises are typically just one set and roughly 90 seconds of muscle tension.
The lumbar muscles are an example of how you can use your muscles and still lose them due to the deleterious effects of aging. You need to use specific muscle fibers in a specific manner in order to build the strength in your lower back.
Stretching can be taken too far if you are not also strengthening the muscles involved. Making your spine and back more mobile without making it stronger can make things worse for you in the long run. Things like yoga should be supplemental to a proper strength training regime.
Lower back pain often restricts range of motion, but there are still opportunities to train the muscle group without a full extension. You can start small and expand the range as you get stronger.
People with lower back pain also tend to be cautious about moving their lower back, especially during exercise. This is why lower back machines that control the range of motion are effective. They maintain safety and stability while loading the muscles properly.
In terms of age, lower back exercises are suited to pretty much everyone in society except for certain individuals; ex. If you're pregnant, a small child, or have an injured spine. Once you've ruled out those conditions, you can safely and confidently strengthen the lower back.
The more we know about our body, the more we know how to fix it. Helping identify the source of lower back pain, as well as what isn't the issue, is all part of the journey of alleviating pain and improving quality of life.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

The Causes of Lower Back Pain Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Brian Cygan and Dr. James Fisher discuss the origins of lower back pain and why the vast majority of Americans will experience some form of lower back pain in their lives. Learn about the root cause of lower back pain and why most treatments only deal with the symptoms and the pain instead of solving the problem, which often leads to even worse issues down the road.

Fisher is an academic and researcher in the UK. He's published research on muscular strengthening as well as lower back pain.
Lower back pain is a constant issue for a large swath of society. According to his study, somewhere between 70% and 90% of people will experience lower back pain in their lives.
Lower back pain can be extremely debilitating to a person's lifestyle and sleep patterns, and can have a major impact on their mental health as well. There is also an enormous cost to society in terms of productivity.
At the Strength Coach, we've found that strengthening is an important strategy to improving the quality of life of someone experiencing lower back pain.
Chronic lower back is when it occurs for longer than three months. At that point it's important to seek medical guidance from a physiotherapist or general practitioner.
About 10% to 15% of people experiencing chronic lower back pain have a specific reason for it like nerve issues or a slipped disc. The remaining 85% to 90% have what's referred to as non-specific back pain which reduces the ability to mitigate the pain.
For many of those people, the solution is often some form of painkiller or passive treatment like stretching and massage.
The theories about the existence of non-specific lower back pain have to do with our evolution from quadrupeds in the past. The muscles around the lower back don't tend to get much direct exercise and there seems to be a correlation between non-specific lower back pain and weak or atrophied lumbar muscles.
The muscles that are more intrinsic to the spine over time, as we live a normal life, can atrophy as a result of not using them in a specific and demanding enough way.
For most people, their gluteal muscles and hamstrings are very developed and do a lot of the work that the muscles in the lower back should do, and this can result in those lower back muscles becoming weaker, misfiring, and causing pain.
With non-specific back pain, strengthening the muscles in the lower back should be the foundational approach to prevent future episodes of lower back pain.
Specific lower back exercises are important for everyone in society to maintain their strength and muscle mass in that region and avoid the onset of lower back pain. Once something negative has happened, the road to recovery gets longer.
Your lower back is central to everything you do. Without good control of your central muscles, you cannot throw or catch or jump or move well. From there it's a downward spiral into the realm of disability.
An imbalance between ab strength and lower back muscle strength can be part of the problem. We want all of the muscles surrounding the core of the body to be trained effectively, and it's the lower back muscles that tend to be forgotten.
The weak link is usually the lumbar muscles, and this can lead to a negative feedback process, where someone avoids exercising those muscles even more to avoid the pain resulting in greater muscle atrophy.
We have other societal factors that are also contributing to the lower back pain that so many people experience as part of their lives.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

How Strength Training Prevents and Reverses Pre-Diabetes Dec 29, 2021

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Amy and Brian break down the science behind pre-diabetes and how strength training is the most efficient and effective way to escape the negative feedback loop of insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and weight gain. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, this information could change your life.

Approximately 1 in 3 Americans are pre-diabetic, which increases their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, and most people don't even realize they are at risk.
Pre-diabetes also increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, problems with vision, and amputation later on in life.
There are two leading factors to pre-diabetes: exercise and nutrition. As we lose muscle as we age, we develop insulin resistance which exacerbates the problem. High blood sugar levels over time lead to the wearing out of the body's ability to even produce insulin.
The good news is that pre-diabetes is a very modifiable condition that can be positively affected by exercise and proper nutrition.
When we condition our muscles, we improve insulin sensitivity. Fast twitch muscle fibers store sugar in the form of glycogen, which removes it from the bloodstream.
When muscles resist the effect of insulin, the insulin remains in the bloodstream at elevated levels and leads to systemic inflammation.
Systemic inflammation is the root cause of all the health issues mentioned. Unlike acute inflammation, you don't feel systemic inflammation except for the symptoms of the diseases and the effects of aging.
The most important lifestyle recommendations are to start eating a whole food diet, eliminate high carbohydrates and refined sugars, and then begin strength training.
A1C is the measurement of how saturated your red blood cells have become over a 90 day period. Whole food and whole effort strength training are how to keep that number in the safe range.
Only strength training can target the fast twitch muscle fibers which are directly related to A1C levels in your body. People can experience tremendous improvements in their A1C levels over a short period of time just by implementing a strength training program in their life.
If your doctor has diagnosed you as pre-diabetic, they are going to recommend exercise, and whole effort strength training is your best bet.
Research shows that losing the first 5% of your body weight confers the majority of the health benefits, which is good because that means it's easier to see results in a short period of time.
Diabetes predisposes you to weight gain, but the reverse is also true. Elevated insulin levels, weight gain, and insulin resistance act on each other, which leads to a dangerous feedback loop. The best way to break the cycle is smart and brief strength training sessions.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

Can I Get Strong Without Getting Bulky? Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

We are replaying one of our most popular episodes for you this week!

Brian Cygan and Amy Hudson break down the science of strength training and discuss why you don't have to worry about getting bulky from exercise, and why strength training is the most effective way to get that toned, lean body you always wanted.

Will two 20-minute workouts a week help someone get toned? According to the scientific definition, toneness refers to the level of tension in a muscle at rest, but most people refer to being toned as being lean. In that regard, strength training will absolutely help you get leaner and build firm muscles.
One misconception about toning is around spot reduction. Often, when people talk about toning their body they are talking about making a particular area of their body leaner by targeting it with exercise, but that isn't how the process works. Effective strength training is about getting whole body results that impact your metabolism and decrease body fat throughout the whole body.
Toning is the result of lean muscle tissue being added in the body with a decrease in the amount of body fat that may be hiding. To get the toning results you want, the best way is to combine good whole food nutrition and whole effort exercise.
Will strength training at the Exercise Coach result in big, bulky muscles? People want better muscles, not necessarily bigger muscles and lucky for them, the majority of people won't build large muscles even if they try. Genes and the expression of myostatin limits the amount of muscle mass that will grow.
The longer a muscle is, the bigger and thicker that it will grow. Most bodybuilders that you see have muscles that are naturally predisposed to growing larger. This means that most people, especially women, don't have to worry about getting too bulky.
Strength training is the most important thing you can do for health, longevity, quality of life, and reducing body fat. Whole effort strength training is the best way to achieve the best body leanness, definition, or tone that you can.
"Biologically speaking, to be able to survive an encounter with a lion that wants to eat you, you need a body that is lean enough to be fast and strong enough that it has the endurance to run away. This describes the state that our bodies want to be in.
There isn't any evolutionary benefit to growing large muscles because it takes a lot of energy and resources to maintain them. Our bodies are better off with building stronger and better muscles, while not necessarily getting bigger in the process.
Amy reads a testimonial from a 73 year old woman sharing how she has seen improved muscle definition and tone from her time and sessions at the Exercise Coach.
Today, more than ever, we need to maintain our physical and mental health for our overall well-being. The workouts at the Exercise Coach change everything for the clients that enjoy them.

Link:

exercisecoach.com

How Fitness Might Help You Live Longer Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

Brian and Amy explore a couple of articles talking about the impacts of weight loss vs. exercise on longevity, and discuss the myths surrounding losing weight and achieving optimal physical health. Learn why focusing on losing weight is the wrong goal, and why a proper strength training program is the best way to maintain fitness as we age.

There is a ton of information regarding health and fitness out there, and sometimes the info conflicts, so discerning the truth can be challenging.
A recent article published in the New York Times essentially claimed that exercise is more important than weight loss for longevity. The behavior of exercising matters more statistically than losing weight, but that could be narrowed down to having a higher fitness level is more important than weight loss.
Activity has its limitations related to weight loss and increasing longevity. Intentional exercise is a means to an end. The goal of which is to change the systems of the body for the better.
Muscle quality is one of the #1 predictors of mortality. The exercise and muscle mass itself doesn't increase your longevity, but they are correlated to the physiological effects that are.
Weight loss is hard. It has to be combined with nutritional changes, and if your goal is to be thinner, the optimal path is to combine exercise that maximizes muscle health and proper whole foods nutrition. However, when it comes to overall health, there are positive changes outside of weight loss.
The research looked at overweight and obese individuals with health problems, and they found that poeple that exercised effectively saw great results, whether or not they lost any weight.
Exercising and improving the related biomarkers leads to better longevity, even more than people that simply lose weight by dieting.
Blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin resistance are the measures that truly indicate someone's health and overall longevity, far more than their weight.
There are a number of ways to lose weight that are extremely unhealthy. Cutting calories without strength training is one of the worst ways you can lose weight.
Another study involved 81 sedentary overweight women and putting them into a walking program. At the end of 12 weeks, a few women had lost some body fat, but 55 of them had actually gained weight. Just moving your body will not cause weight loss, nor will it improve the systems of the body.
In terms of exercise for anyone over the age of 30, we need to target the optimization of muscle mass and strength through exercise. Sarcopenia is the root cause of the deterioration of fitness as we age.
Compared against each other, exercise is considerably more beneficial than simple weight loss. In some studies, weight loss had no improvement on mortality risk at all.
Activity and weight loss are not enough. Even if you've had trouble losing weight in the past, you can make a huge difference in your health by starting an effective strength training program.