Ep 71 | Feeling Stressed About Taking a Break? Here’s Why You Won’t Lose Your Gains

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Life happens. Whether you're a fitness beginner or a seasoned athlete, there will be times when your workout routine gets completely derailed. Maybe you get sick and fall out of your rhythm, or perhaps a major life change—a new job, family illness, or personal crisis—throws your carefully planned schedule into chaos.

When this happens, it's natural to panic. The worry sets in: Have I lost all my progress? Am I back to square one?

Here's the truth that will put your mind at ease: You haven't lost all your gains.

As a certified personal trainer with 10 years of experience, I've worked with clients who've taken breaks ranging from a week to several years. What I've learned might surprise you about how your body responds to time away from the gym.

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):
  

  No matter who you are, and no matter what your fitness level is, you're going to have times where workouts are just not going to happen. Training is just not going to happen. It's just not happening for whatever reason, and that's normal. That's okay. It's fine. A lot of people though freak out and then they start beating themselves up and they start to worry, I'm going to lose all my gains, but that's not true. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, a certified personal trainer, and I help people to get strong, get lean and toned without shame and without burnout. In today's episode of the podcast, I'm going to be sharing a conversation that I had with my Twitch chat while I was live on my Twitch channel. We were talking about how to handle setbacks. When you go through periods of time where you're not able to make it to the gym, it can be tempting to think that you've lost all of your gains, and this is a worry that happens to people at all levels of their fitness.

  (01:03)
  So in today's episode, I'm going to share some of my thoughts as a personal trainer for how to handle those kinds of setbacks and reassure you that you haven't lost all of your gains after taking some time away from the gym. So if you haven't been able to make it to your workouts or do all of your fitness plan 100%, and it's been worrying you a little bit, this episode is a good one to listen to. And before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you're watching on YouTube and subscribe to my channel so you never miss new videos. If you're listening to the podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the channel so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And also don't forget that I'm taking on new clients for my fat loss transformation program. So if you are interested in getting in shape and you want a little bit of guidance, check out the link and apply to work with me in the video description on YouTube or in the show notes in my fat loss transformation program. I create a custom training program for you as well as a custom meal plan and weekly coaching and lessons to help you burn fat and keep it off for good. So check out the link for more information. And without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:16)
  No matter who you are, and no matter what your fitness level is, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, advanced, no matter what style of exercise you do or fitness or athleticism, you're going to have times where workouts are just not going to happen. Training is just not going to happen. It's just not happening for whatever reason. You get sick and then you just get out of the routine or your routine changes, you get a new job, you lose your job, somebody in your family gets sick or a death in the family occurs. There's going to be interruptions and that's normal. That's okay. It's fine. A lot of people though, freak out when they have these interruptions. They get off their routine and then they start beating themselves up and they start to worry, I'm going to lose all my gains. I'm going to lose some of all my progress that I've made so far.

  (03:01)
  But that's not true. And I've been doing this for 10 years. So I've trained clients who've taken breaks of just like a week or two. I've trained clients who've come back to me after years away. And here's the thing, it's really slow to lose your muscle gains, your strength, your muscle gains. They are very slow to decline. It takes a long time for you to not exercise to lose a significant amount of strength. The other thing is that the technique and the mind muscle connection that you have deteriorates incredibly slowly. Once you learn how to squat, you will always know how to squat. Now, you might lose some of your flexibility. You might get stiff, especially if you have been spending a lot of time sedentary where you haven't been moving very much. But I mean, the mechanics almost always are going to be there whenever you get back.

  (03:53)
  The thing that deteriorates the quickest though is your conditioning. So if you do a sport where you got to be moving a lot for an extended period of time, you're going to notice that after a week or two off of your workout program cardio wise is going to be hard to get back into it. The first workout back the first week back is going to feel like, man, I am out of shape. I'm having to breathe so much harder. I'm just like, my heart rate is up much more than it normally is. And that's because the cardio conditioning it is really, it's very sensitive. So if you spend all day for a couple of days sedentary, when you come back, you're going to feel like you have lost your gains. You're going to feel like, man, I'm having trouble keeping up. However, that system is also very quick to respond to getting back into training.

  (04:48)
  It's not going to take you months to recondition your cardiovascular system and your ability to keep up with higher loads of training. It's not going to take as long as it did for you to build up to that point in the first place. So it's fast to go away, but it's also fast to come back. You just kind of have to push through that first week, first two weeks back, and that's where you'll feel it the most. But it takes a long time for you to lose muscle, especially if you're continuing to eat like normal. If you, however, are in a steep calorie deficit, if you haven't been eating a whole lot, maybe you've been sick or maybe you're coming back from surgery and you're just not eating as much protein and as many calories as you need for your body to heal, then your body will tap into your muscle and it will break down your muscle.

  (05:34)
  If you're not getting the number of calories and the amount of protein that you need to just maintain your body while you're away and you're not working out, you will lose muscle faster. So as long as you're eating enough protein and you're eating enough calories and you're not in a super steep calorie deficit, you're likely not going to lose muscle or not going to lose that much muscle, and it will come back a lot faster. You'll be able to get back to where you were so much faster than it took you the first time to build up to that. So don't beat yourself up feeling like you've lost all of your progress, and you're going to have to go through the whole thing again of building back up to where you were, and it's going to take a year or two to get back to where you were before you took a break.

  (06:20)
  It's just not the case. Your body's completely different. You're in a completely different place coming back to your fitness versus where you were when you started from scratch. So if you have been feeling some type of way about taking some time off and getting back into it, just know you have not lost all of your gains. You're never going to be starting from scratch ever again, especially if you haven't starved, basically, you're not going to lose as much as you thought you would. Just make sure that when you go back into it, that you're easing yourself into your training. Don't try to jump back into the same intensity level that you were at when you stopped because you're just not ready for it. You have make your body, you have to prep your body for that level of intensity. So I would recommend doing a reload phase where you spend the first week kind of just doing some stretching, doing the movements with very lightweight, don't do anything too crazy, and then just gradually start to increase to get back to where you were on a week by week basis.

  (07:28)
  Just adjusting the intensity until you get to the point where you were before you stopped. Because if you try to jump in right where you left off, you are going to be hurting, you're going to be hurting, and you have an increased risk of injury because your body's just not used to that level of pushing, right? So that's my advice for people who maybe have taken some time off and thinking about getting back into it, and maybe you're feeling like, Ugh, I'm so far away from where I was. I've lost my gains. And then you feel like, what's the point? And maybe it's like keeping you from being able to restart again. You have not lost all your gains, just get back on that horse. But don't tell the horse to sprint, right? Start with a walk and then a trot, and then maybe sprint. You know what I mean? So be nice to yourself.

  (08:22)
  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. Give me a follow on my socials. I'm Jaydigains everywhere. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N-S. Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Red Note. You can also check out my website to read the Coaching Corner podcast blog and see more information on my programs and services. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure to eat your veggies, eat your protein, drink some water, and take care of yourself. I'll see you soon.

What You Actually Lose (And What You Don't)

Strength and Muscle: Slower Than You Think

Your muscle gains and strength are remarkably resilient. It takes a significant amount of time away from exercise to lose substantial strength or muscle mass. Think months, not weeks.

Even more encouraging? The technique and mind-muscle connection you've developed deteriorates incredibly slowly. Once you learn how to squat properly, that knowledge doesn't just disappear. Your body remembers these movement patterns, even after extended breaks.

Flexibility: Use It or Lose It (Temporarily)

You might notice some stiffness, especially if you've been largely sedentary during your break. However, flexibility returns relatively quickly once you start moving again with some dedicated stretching.

Cardiovascular Conditioning: The Quick Changer

Here's what you will notice first: your cardio fitness. This system is both the most sensitive to inactivity and the quickest to respond when you return.

After just a week or two away from regular exercise, that first workout back will feel tough. You'll find yourself breathing harder, your heart rate climbing faster than usual. It's easy to mistake this for having "lost everything," but remember—cardiovascular conditioning is also the fastest to return.

The Nutrition Factor

There's one important caveat to the muscle preservation story: nutrition matters significantly during your time away.

If you're maintaining adequate protein intake and eating enough calories overall, your muscle mass will remain largely intact. However, if you're in a steep calorie deficit—perhaps due to illness, stress, or intentional restriction—your body may tap into muscle tissue for energy.

The key is eating enough protein and calories to maintain your body's needs, even when you're not actively training.

Your Comeback Strategy: The Reload Phase

When you're ready to return to fitness, resist the urge to jump back in exactly where you left off. Your body needs time to readjust to the demands of exercise.

Here's how to approach your return:

Week 1: Gentle Reintroduction

• Focus on stretching and mobility work

• Perform familiar movements with very light weights

• Prioritize form over intensity

Weeks 2-4: Gradual Progression

• Slowly increase intensity week by week

• Listen to your body's responses

• Build back to your previous levels systematically

Think of it like getting back on a horse—you don't immediately ask it to sprint. Start with a walk, progress to a trot, and eventually work up to that sprint.

The Bigger Picture: You're Not Starting Over

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that you're coming back from a completely different place than when you first started your fitness journey. Your body has muscle memory, established movement patterns, and a foundation of strength that doesn't simply vanish.

You will get back to your previous level much faster than it took to build it initially. This isn't starting from scratch—it's returning to form.

Moving Forward Without the Guilt

Setbacks are a normal part of any fitness journey. Instead of beating yourself up about missed workouts or extended breaks, focus on what you can control moving forward.

Be patient with yourself during the return process. Accept that the first week or two might feel challenging, especially from a cardiovascular standpoint. Remember that this temporary discomfort doesn't reflect permanent loss—it's just your body readjusting.

Most importantly, don't let the fear of having "lost your gains" prevent you from getting started again. That fear is often worse than the reality, and the longer you wait, the more that fear can build.

Your fitness journey isn't a straight line, and it doesn't need to be. Embrace the setbacks as part of the process, trust in your body's resilience, and get back to taking care of yourself when you're ready.

Remember: eat your veggies, eat your protein, drink your water, and take care of yourself. Your future self will thank you for getting back on track.

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Ep 70 | 10 Best Exercises for Building Strong Legs: A Complete Guide from Beginner to Advanced

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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Hey there! 👋 I'm Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains), personal trainer and host of the Coaching Corner podcast. In this episode, I'm sharing my 10 favorite exercises for building strong, powerful legs that will transform how you move in everyday life.

Your legs are literally the foundation of your body - they carry you everywhere you go. Whether you're climbing stairs, chasing after kids or pets, or carrying groceries, having strong legs makes all of these activities so much easier and helps prevent injury as you age.

I'll walk you through exercises ranging from beginner-friendly options like walking and machine-based movements, all the way up to advanced free weight exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges. You'll learn not just what exercises to do, but how to progress safely from one level to the next, and why each movement is so effective for building functional strength.

If you're ready to move better, feel stronger, and build a solid foundation for all your daily activities, this episode is packed with practical advice you can start using today. Let's dive in!

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  If you want to be able to move better in your everyday life, you got to train your legs and if you enjoy doing sports or athletic activities, training your leg strength will also help you to move better, more powerfully, more quickly, and with more strength.

  (00:24)

  Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for over 10 years and I've created this podcast to help you to get strong and get lean without shame and without burnout. In today's episode, I'm going to share with you 10 of my favorite exercises for building strong legs. Now, when you think about fitness goals, you may picture in your mind washboard abs or super lean physique or super low body fat percentage, but building strong legs is a really important aspect of improving and maintaining your fitness and health. Legs are the foundation of your body.

  (01:03)

  They carry you everywhere you go. And learning how to perform different leg based exercises can help you to move better and your everyday life and avoid injury activities like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or running after your kids or pets are all so much easier when your legs are strong. So I'm going to share with you 10 of my favorite exercises to give my clients to strengthen their legs, starting from the easiest, beginner friendly exercises to the more advanced and technically difficult. Before we get into this episode, make sure that you like the video and subscribe to my channel if you're watching on YouTube. That way you always get the latest videos and episodes of the podcast. If you're listening to the podcast, make sure to follow the channel so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And also keep in mind that I have just opened up my 90 day fat loss transformation coaching program and I'm taking on a select number of clients now. So if you are ready to burn fat, get strong and achieve your fitness goals, apply to work with me in the link that is below this video or in the show notes. I would love to help you reach your goals by giving you a custom training program, meal plan and coaching for every step of the way. So if that sounds like something you'd like to do, check out the link. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:36)

  If you want to improve your everyday movement or your athletic performance, it's so important to train your legs and get them strong. Your legs are what carry you around on a day-to-day basis, and the muscles in your legs are important for everyday activities like walking around, sitting down, standing up or running after your pets or your kids. Now as we get older and if we spend a lot of time sitting still, the muscles in our legs naturally get weak over time. We also tend to get really tight, but regularly exercising your legs and making them stronger can not only help to loosen up your back and your hips, but can also help you to reduce the risk of injury while doing everyday things like carrying in the groceries, picking things up from the floor, sitting down and standing up from the toilet. If you want to be able to move better in your everyday life, you got to train your legs.

  (03:34)

  And if you enjoy doing sports or athletic activities, training your leg strength will also help you to move better, more powerfully, more quickly and with more strength. So make sure that you're incorporating exercises that specifically target the legs. So let's take a look at some of the best exercises for strengthening all of these muscles. First off, we have walking and hiking. If you don't move a whole lot in your everyday life, you can actually build a lot of strength in your legs just by going on daily walks of between 10 and 45 minutes. One thing I need you to keep in mind is that when it comes to strengthening your muscles, the number one rule is to challenge your muscles to do more than what they're used to doing. So if you're not used to using these muscles very much at all, a simple activity like going on a walk and using your muscles to move your body forward without any other weight can be challenge enough to make the muscles stronger.

  (04:35)

  Now, walking on a flat surface like a track or on a treadmill is a great way to get started, but as your legs get stronger, if you want to challenge yourself a little bit more, you can begin to add in an incline. If you're on a treadmill, you can increase the incline of the treadmill, which will make your muscles have to work harder because you're pushing your body weight up against a slant. Similarly, if you go on a hike or you walk in a public park that has uneven terrain, your muscles are going to have to work harder to keep you walking forward. So if you're a beginner, that's where I would start. And then as you get stronger, consider adding in some incline by increasing the incline on your treadmill or going for hikes, but also you can begin to add in other types of cardio to challenge your legs once they're strong enough to be able to do walking on a flat terrain, which is using other cardio equipment like an elliptical or stair climber.

  (05:32)

  Rowing machines are also good for this as well when it comes to using a cardio machine like ellipticals or stair climbers. This has a similar effect to when you're going on an incline for your walks, it's going to make your muscles have to work harder because you're going to be pushing your body up against gravity. And when you first start incorporating these other pieces of cardio equipment into strengthening your legs, remember that a little bit goes a long way. You don't need to push yourself to the point where you feel like you're going to die or that you're going to throw up. Okay? Remember, when it comes to strengthening your muscles, you just have to give them a little bit more than what they're used to doing. So you can begin with something as simple as just five to 10 minutes on the elliptical, or you could start with the treadmill.

  (06:16)

  Do that for 10 to 15 minutes and then use the elliptical or the stair climber or the rowing machine as a finisher to really challenge your muscles in the last five minutes of your training session. Usually these machines allow you to adjust the level of resistance that you get while doing the exercise. So as you get stronger, you can also increase the resistance to make your muscles have to work a little bit harder. Over time, you can extend that period that you're on the more difficult cardio machine for a little bit longer to give yourself more challenge, but just make sure that you're keeping it gradual and not overdoing it. Now of course, some of the best exercises for helping to strengthen your legs are actual resistance training exercises, which are the type of exercises that make up the rest of the list. Now, if you're a complete beginner, I would recommend starting with machines.

  (07:06)

  Machines are a great way to challenge your muscles with a little bit less risk of injury versus using free weights to perform exercises like squats and deadlifts and lunges. Machines keep your body in a fixed position while you train the target muscle group, which means that if you don't have a lot of coordination yet because you're just starting out on your fitness journey, then you're less likely to hurt yourself while training. But I do recommend that you work yourself up to the point of being able to do free weight exercises because you should be able to hold your body in good position while doing different movements. But you can work up to that by starting with machines. So the first machine that I recommend using to strengthen your legs is the leg press. The leg press is a machine that has you in a seated position with your feet on a platform.

  (07:55)

  You begin in a knee bent position, you push the platform away by extending your legs and then bending your knees to bring the platform back to the starting position. There are a lot of different types of leg press machines. One of my favorite local gyms has five different types of leg press machines, and I do like to use all of them. They work the muscles in slightly different ways and your body from a slightly different angle, but all of them entail some kind of extension of the legs using a platform from a seated position. Depending on the machine, it can also be a pretty beginner friendly place to start. But keep in mind that some leg press machines, even without any added weight, are pretty heavy, specifically the ones that you tend to load up with barbell plates, they tend to have pretty heavy platforms.

  (08:45)

  So if you're a beginner or you don't have a whole lot of strength, I would look for a cable-based leg press machine. This is usually going to allow you to work at a much lighter weight and then the angled leg press machines or the ones where you load them up with barbell plates for when you're much stronger. Number four, another machine that I really like for strengthening the legs is the leg extension machine. Now, this is a machine that works you from a seated position where you practice extending your leg from the knee against resistance. This exercise challenges the quadriceps in isolation, and you can usually start with pretty lightweight here. Most gyms have pretty lightweights to start with their leg extension machines. You can do both legs going at the same time. Or if you find that you have one leg that is weaker than the other, you can try single leg extensions, starting with your weaker leg and performing the exercise towards muscle failure and then doing the same number of repetitions with the same weight on the other leg.

  (09:44)

  This can help catch up the weaker leg to the stronger leg. And number five, another machine that I really like for strengthening the legs is the leg curl machine. The leg curl machine targets the hamstrings in the back of your thighs, and the main challenge of this machine is for you to bend your knee against resistance. Sometimes these machines will have you do the exercise from a seated position and other machines have you perform this exercise from a laying face down position. Doing leg extensions and leg curls is a great way to strengthen your knees. Now, as a beginner, you really don't need much more than these first five exercises, and you can build a lot of strength using them. Now while you're doing these first five exercises, but walking, using cardio machines and then the resistance training machines, what you want to do is really pay attention to your muscles while you're performing the exercise and practice naming the muscles as well.

  (10:38)

  So while you're performing a set of an exercise, I usually recommend starting for 10 to 15 reps. As you're approaching the end of your set, I want you to really focus on feeling the muscle that you're targeting working. And sometimes people will say it feels like it's burning as it gets tired because this is going to one help to strengthen them. We're causing a little bit of damage to the muscle in a controlled way so that later on once you finish the workout, you eat a good meal and then you go to sleep, your body is going to repair that damaged tissue and make the muscle stronger. So we want to cause the muscle to get really tired here. So you want to use a level of resistance or a weight that gets your muscles burning between 10 and 15 reps. Now, when it comes to doing free weight exercises, like the exercises and the rest of the list, it's important for you to be able to connect your brain to those muscles to make sure that you're doing the free weight exercises correctly.

  (11:34)

  When we're doing exercises like squats, deadlifts, step ups, split squats and lunges, you want to be able to be aware of your muscles as they're engaging, which will help you to perform the exercises with good technique and in a safe way that minimizes your risk of injury. So let's take a look at some of the freeway exercises that you can perform to strengthen your legs. Number six is squats. Squats are the basic movement pattern of sitting down and standing up. It involves movement in your hips, knees and ankles, bending at the same time to lower your body down towards the floor and then standing up. And what makes the squats such a great exercise for challenging the legs is that it challenges all of the muscles in your legs. As you lower down into the squat, your quadriceps and your glutes extend while your hamstrings engage to bend your knees, the muscles along the front of your shins, the tibia anterior tib ant have to contract to stabilize your ankles.

  (12:35)

  And then when you stand up from the squat, your glutes engage, your quadriceps engage, and the calves also have to engage to help keep you balanced. Now while you're performing the squat, it's really important that you keep your back in alignment. We don't want any movement in the torso as you're performing your basic squat. This helps to protect your back by keeping it solid. So before performing squats, you do want to make sure that you have a solid foundation level of core strength. So make sure that you take some time to strengthen your core before trying any kind of free weight exercises like squats. Now, when you're a beginner, performing squats with no additional resistance is usually going to be enough to trigger muscle building in your legs. But as you get stronger over time, you'll need to add more resistance to challenge the muscles as you perform the squats.

  (13:28)

  So for this, I usually recommend beginning with holding a single dumbbell or a kettlebell at your chest for a goblet squat, and then continuing to increase that weight over time to the point where your arms have trouble holding that weight up. And from that point, I usually recommend people switch to a sumo squat where you're holding the weight down low. Once you get to the point where you can squat with 45 to 50 pounds or more, then you can try the barbell back squat or barbell front squat, a standard Olympic bar is 45 pounds. So with these, you're going to be holding that 45 pound bar on your back or on your shoulders. There are other ways to add resistance to your squats, but these are the most basic foundational ways that most people practice squats to strengthen the muscles in their legs. Now, number seven, another freeway exercise that's really great for strengthening the legs are deadlifts.

  (14:19)

  Now, there are lots of different styles of deadlifts depending on how wide your feet are from each other, whether your toes are turned out in the placement of your hands and where you're holding the weight. But the very basic deadlift that I usually teach my clients is the Romanian deadlift or RDL. This is a hip hinge based movement that focuses on pushing your hips back from a standing position to the point where your hamstrings are stretched out and your glutes are stretched out, and then using your gluteus maximus and engaging your hamstrings to return your hips back to the starting position. Just like with the squats, it's really important to keep your spine in alignment and prevent any movement in the torso while you're performing this movement. So again, you want to make sure that you have a good foundational level of core strength before practicing any kind of deadlift.

  (15:12)

  Now, I usually start my clients practicing this movement as a good morning with a band around their shoulders. This helps them to engage the muscles in their back, which helps to keep their spine in alignment while they perform the hip hinge. But as you get stronger with this movement, you can begin to add more resistance by holding weights in your hands. If you're doing this exercise right, you should feel a big stretch in your hamstrings at the back of the movement as you push your hips back. This move is particularly going to target your hamstrings and your glutes. A great exercise to follow up your Romanian deadlifts is number eight step-ups. Step-ups involve stepping up onto a sturdy, elevated surface, like a box or an actual step. This movement involves all of the major muscles in the legs, the glutes, the hamstrings, the quads, and the calves.

  (16:03)

  One of the benefits of performing step-ups with resistance is that it helps to strengthen your legs for everyday activities like going upstairs. It also can help improve your balance because it is a single leg or unilateral movement. Single leg or unilateral exercises are also a great way to activate your adductors and your inner thighs, as well as your abductors or gluteus medias muscles in the outside of your hips. These are stabilizers that help you to stay balanced. And number nine, another great exercise for strengthening your legs are split squats. These are also sometimes called stationary lunches. Now, split squats can be performed either flat on the ground like a stationary lunche, or you can practice elevating either your front foot or your back foot. Just like with step-ups, you'll practice with one leg forward on one side, and then do another set with the other leg forward on the other side.

  (16:53)

  So it's a unilateral exercise that you do have to do two sets for each full set as a unilateral exercise. It's also really good for challenging your balance and your core strength, and it will also hit those stabilizing muscles like your adductors and your gluteus medias. Split squats are a pretty advanced exercise, so make sure that you have really good technique on your regular squats before trying these. And last you have lunges. Lunges are very similar to split squats. They just involve actually moving from a standing position into your split squat position. So whereas with split squats, you generally are going to keep your feet planted in whatever the starting position is. With lunges, you'll usually start standing with your feet together, and then you'll step into the split squat by either stepping back for a reverse lunge or stepping forward for a forward lunge.

  (17:48)

  Some people even walking lunges where you alternate between stepping forward and then stepping your opposite leg back to move your body forward in space. These are very challenging and they're a great way to work on your balance and dynamically challenge your leg strength. So there you have it, 10 different exercises that you can incorporate into your workout routine to strengthen your legs. And when you first start practicing these exercises, remember a little bit goes a long way so you don't have to do all of them at once. Just start by incorporating one or two of the exercises from this list into your routine. Over time, you can add in another set or add in another exercise, but just make sure that you're listening to your body and gradually increasing the challenge. If you are interested in learning more about how to exercise and how to get in shape, I am currently taking on clients for my Fat Loss Transformation coaching program.

  (18:47)

  In this program, I will teach you how to exercise and give you a customized workout program for you to follow Along with this includes exercise tutorial videos where I break down how to do different exercises, and then I will personally guide you to progressing through the exercises as you get stronger. At the same time, we'll talk about how to effectively get your body burning fat by managing what you eat with a customized meal plan and nutrition tips. You'll find information on my coaching program in the link below this video if you're watching on YouTube or in the show notes.

  (19:30)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of the Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison. I hope that you found this episode helpful. Please leave a comment or any questions you might have in the comments below this video on YouTube. If you're listening to the episode, you can go to the show notes for the link to the video for the episode. I will see you next time. In the meantime, make sure that you drink some water, eat your veggies, eat some protein, and take care of yourself, and I will see you soon.

When most people think about fitness goals, they picture washboard abs or a lean physique. But here's the truth: building strong legs is one of the most important aspects of improving and maintaining your overall fitness and health.

Your legs are literally the foundation of your body. They carry you everywhere you go, and learning how to strengthen them properly can transform how you move in everyday life while significantly reducing your risk of injury.

Why Leg Strength Matters More Than You Think

Think about your daily activities: climbing stairs, carrying groceries, sitting down and standing up, running after your kids or pets. All of these become so much easier when your legs are strong.

As we age and spend more time sitting, the muscles in our legs naturally weaken over time. We also tend to get tight in our hips and back. But here's the good news: regularly exercising your legs and making them stronger can help loosen up your back and hips while reducing your risk of injury during everyday activities.

If you enjoy sports or athletic activities, leg strength training will help you move more powerfully, quickly, and with greater overall strength. The benefits extend far beyond the gym.

The Progressive Approach to Leg Training

The key to building stronger legs is progressive overload - challenging your muscles to do more than what they're currently used to doing. If you're not very active, even simple activities like walking can be enough stimulus to build strength initially.

I've organized these 10 exercises from easiest and most beginner-friendly to more advanced and technically demanding. This allows you to start where you are and progress safely over time.

The 10 Best Leg Strengthening Exercises

1. Walking and Hiking

If you don't move much in your everyday life, you can build significant leg strength just by going on daily walks of 10-45 minutes. Walking on flat surfaces like tracks or treadmills is perfect for beginners.

Progression tip: As you get stronger, add incline by increasing treadmill incline or choosing hilly hiking trails. The uneven terrain and elevation changes force your muscles to work harder against gravity.

2. Cardio Machines (Elliptical, Stair Climber, Rowing Machine)

Once you've mastered flat walking, cardio machines provide the next level of challenge. These machines make your muscles work harder because you're pushing your body up against gravity.

How to start: Begin with just 5-10 minutes on these machines. You can use them as "finishers" after 10-15 minutes on the treadmill. Most machines allow you to adjust resistance levels, so you can increase difficulty as you get stronger.

Remember: You don't need to push to the point of exhaustion. A little more challenge than you're used to is all you need to trigger strength gains.

3. Leg Press Machine

The leg press is an excellent machine-based exercise that challenges your legs from a seated position. You place your feet on a platform, start with knees bent, push the platform away by extending your legs, then return to the starting position.

Beginner tip: Look for cable-based leg press machines rather than the heavy plate-loaded versions. Cable machines allow you to work with much lighter weights initially.

4. Leg Extension Machine

This seated machine isolates your quadriceps (front thigh muscles) by having you extend your leg from the knee against resistance. Most gyms have light starting weights on these machines, making them very beginner-friendly.

Unilateral training: If one leg is weaker than the other, try single-leg extensions. Start with your weaker leg, perform to muscle failure, then match that number of reps with your stronger leg.

5. Leg Curl Machine

The leg curl targets your hamstrings (back of thighs) by having you bend your knee against resistance. Some machines position you seated, others have you lying face down.

Why it matters: Combining leg extensions and leg curls is fantastic for strengthening your knees and creating balanced leg strength.

Machine Exercise Key Points

As a beginner, these first five exercises provide an excellent foundation. While performing these exercises, focus on:

• Really feeling the target muscles working

• Using 10-15 repetitions per set

• Choosing a weight that creates a "burning" sensation in the target muscle by the end of your set

• Learning to name and connect with the muscles you're working

This mind-muscle connection is crucial for when you progress to free weight exercises.

6. Squats

Squats are the fundamental movement pattern of sitting down and standing up. They involve simultaneous movement at your hips, knees, and ankles, challenging all the major muscles in your legs.

What makes squats special: As you lower down, your quadriceps and glutes lengthen while your hamstrings engage to bend your knees. Your shins (tibialis anterior) contract to stabilize your ankles. When you stand up, your glutes, quadriceps, and calves all work together.

Progression path:

• Start with bodyweight squats

• Progress to goblet squats (holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest)

• Advance to sumo squats (holding weight down low)

• Eventually progress to barbell back squats or front squats (45+ pounds)

Critical note: Maintain perfect spinal alignment throughout the movement. Build solid core strength before attempting any squat variations.

7. Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)

The Romanian deadlift is a hip-hinge movement that focuses on pushing your hips back from standing until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes, then using those muscles to return to the starting position.

What you'll feel: When performed correctly, you should feel a significant stretch in your hamstrings at the bottom of the movement. This exercise particularly targets your hamstrings and glutes.

Learning progression: Start with "good mornings" using a resistance band around your shoulders. This teaches the hip-hinge pattern while helping you engage your back muscles to maintain spinal alignment.

Important: Just like squats, maintain spine alignment and ensure you have good core strength before adding significant weight.

8. Step-Ups

Step-ups involve stepping up onto a sturdy elevated surface like a box or step. This movement engages all major leg muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves.

Real-world benefits: Step-ups directly translate to activities like climbing stairs, making your daily life easier.

Balance and stability: As a unilateral (single-leg) exercise, step-ups improve balance and activate stabilizing muscles like your adductors (inner thighs) and gluteus medius (outer hips).

9. Split Squats (Stationary Lunges)

Split squats can be performed flat on the ground or with either your front or back foot elevated. Like step-ups, you'll work one leg at a time, requiring two sets to complete the exercise.

Advanced challenge: Split squats are quite technical and demanding. Master regular squats with perfect form before attempting these.

Stability benefits: As another unilateral exercise, split squats challenge your balance, core strength, and those important stabilizing muscles.

10. Lunges

Lunges are similar to split squats but involve dynamic movement. You start standing with feet together, then step into the split squat position - either stepping back (reverse lunge) or forward (forward lunge).

Dynamic challenge: Some people even do walking lunges, alternating legs while moving forward through space. These are extremely challenging and excellent for dynamic balance and leg strength.

Progression note: Lunges are the most advanced exercise on this list due to their dynamic nature and high balance demands.

How to Implement These Exercises

Start small: Don't try to do all 10 exercises at once. Begin by incorporating 1-2 exercises from this list into your routine.

Listen to your body: Gradually increase the challenge over time. Add another set, another exercise, or more resistance, but do so progressively.

Focus on form: Quality always trumps quantity. Perfect your technique before adding weight or complexity.

Build your foundation: Develop good core strength before attempting free weight exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Mind-muscle connection: As you perform each exercise, really focus on feeling the target muscles working. This awareness will help you perform exercises safely and effectively.

The Bottom Line

Strong legs aren't just about looking good - they're about moving better, feeling stronger, and maintaining independence as you age. These 10 exercises provide a complete progression from absolute beginner to advanced athlete.

Remember, the goal isn't to rush through these progressions. Take your time, master each level, and enjoy the process of getting stronger. Your future self will thank you for the investment you make in your leg strength today.

Whether you're just starting your fitness journey or looking to add some new challenges to your routine, these exercises will help you build the strong, functional legs that serve as the foundation for everything else you do.

Want personalized guidance on your fitness journey? Learn more about custom training programs and one-on-one coaching that can help you safely progress through these exercises while reaching your specific goals.

Links:

• Coaching: Apply to work with me!

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

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Ep 69 | Did the Scale Go Up? Don’t Panic!

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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One of the biggest challenges people face in their fitness journey isn’t physical—it’s mental. And one of the most common triggers for frustration, shame, or even setbacks is the number on the scale.

Here’s the truth: the scale is not as important as people make it out to be.

The number is neutral. It doesn’t hold moral value. It doesn’t define your worth. It’s how you interpret that number that can either support your goals or sabotage your progress.

Why the Scale Feels So Heavy (Even Though It’s Just a Number)

We live in a society that is deeply fat-phobic. For many people, the idea of the scale going up feels like the worst possible outcome. If you’ve spent years trying to lose weight, seeing the number rise can trigger panic—even if it’s part of a healthy and intentional fitness plan, like building muscle or transitioning to maintenance.

I recently had a conversation with someone who was moving into a higher weight class. Their strength was up, their body composition was improving, but they still struggled with self-image because they were no longer in the “180s”—a number they had tied to their identity.

This is so common. We attach self-worth to numbers: body weight, clothing size, body fat percentage. But these numbers are neutral. They only carry the meaning we assign to them.

Redefining What Progress Really Means

Here’s a perspective shift I often give my coaching clients:

• If your weight has gone up, ask yourself why.

• Are you performing better in the gym?

• Are you lifting more weight?

• Are you building muscle mass?

If the answer is yes, then that’s what the number means: you’re stronger.

The scale doesn’t just measure fat—it reflects everything your body is made of: water, glycogen, muscle, organs, and yes, body fat. When you’re building strength, it’s normal (and often necessary) for that number to rise.

Breaking Free from Scale-Obsessed Thinking

This is where mindfulness and a little bit of psychology can help. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches us to separate what happens from the meaning we assign to it.

The scale going up is a fact. Feeling insecure about it is a reaction. But deciding that “this means I’m failing” is an interpretation—and one you can choose to change.

Instead, you can write a new script:

• “This number means I’m getting stronger.”

• “This is part of my body’s natural fluctuation.”

• “This is temporary data, not a measure of my worth.”

Learning to observe your thoughts without spiraling into shame takes practice. Mindfulness helps you notice your reactions without judgment, so you can step back, breathe, and choose a healthier perspective.

Practical Takeaways

If you’re struggling with the mental side of weight gain or transitioning out of a fat loss phase, here are a few steps to try:

1. Practice mindfulness. Notice your thoughts about the scale without judgment.

2. Separate fact from meaning. The number is just the number. Decide what meaning you want to assign.

3. Focus on performance. Ask yourself: Am I stronger? Do I feel healthier? Am I performing better?

4. Reframe your self-talk. Replace “I’m failing” with “I’m building.”

Final Thoughts

Your body will fluctuate. Your weight will shift. That’s just part of being human. The key is to remind yourself that strong and healthy matter far more than lean or light.

If you’re ready to take control of your fitness journey without shame and burnout, I’d love to support you. I work one-on-one with clients through my online coaching programs, including my 90-Day Fat Loss Transformation Course. Together, we’ll navigate not just the workouts and nutrition, but also the mindset hurdles that come with real, lasting transformation.

👉 You can learn more and apply here.

And remember: the scale is neutral. Your interpretation is what gives it power. Choose wisely.

Links:

• 90-Day Fat Loss Transformation Coaching Program

• Book Recommendation: Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven C. Hayes

• Watch This Episode on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  The scale is not as important as a lot of people make it out to be. It's just not. The number on the scale is morally neutral. You interpreting what that means is where you're causing yourself to get fucked up. The number is the number. The weight is the weight. It's how you choose to interpret that number and that weight.

  (00:28)

  Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I have been a personal trainer for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to help you to get leaner and get stronger without shame and burnout. In this mini episode, I'm going to share a conversation that I had with one of my Twitch chatters while I was live on my Twitch channel. This episode is about how to deal with the mental health aspect around gaining weight. Even if gaining weight is part of your fitness plan, because you are trying to build muscle and get stronger, it can bring up a lot of insecurities, especially if you have a history of a troubled relationship with your body or a troubled relationship with food.

  (01:09)

  So I give this chatter a couple of pieces of advice for navigating the feelings and insecurities that might come up as part of increasing your body weight. So this conversation could be helpful for you if you are transitioning out of a fat loss phase and heading into a maintenance phase or a bulk where the goal is to increase your body weight by increasing your muscle mass. Now, this is something that I guide my personal training and online coaching clients through all the time. And if it's something that you struggle with and you want some support with, check out my new online coaching programs by going to my website, jd gaines.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N-S.com. I've just recently launched my 90 day fat loss transformation course where you can work with me one-on-one toward achieving your fat loss and physique goals. Now, as part of this program, I guide my clients through the process of transitioning into a maintenance phase and dealing with the feelings that come up when you're no longer relying on the scale as the main marker of your progress.

  (02:17)

  So I hope that you enjoy this episode, and if you would like some more support, please reach out and apply to work one-on-one with me. The link for that will be below this video if you're watching on YouTube or in the show notes if you're listening to the podcast. And as always, if you're watching on YouTube, make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel so you always get updated on the newest videos. If you're listening to the podcast, make sure to follow the channel so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:52)

  You had a coach question for me. You're in the 1 91 91 weight class leaner than you've been. Strength is good, but not sure how you feel not being in the one eighties, which has been my identity for a while, and I don't know, but my self image is kind of, bro, I don't know what to tell you because it just is hard when you go up in weight class. It is hard because we live in the society that's so fat phobic, and it's just the worst thing is to get heavier. You know what I mean? Give yourself some compassion and some time and some patience and remind yourself that healthy and strong is the goal. Lean isn't necessarily healthy, and lean isn't necessarily strong. So you have to remind yourself of what's the most important thing, what's the most important thing that you want? You want to be able to perform and you want to be healthy.

  (03:42)

  And everybody's weight fluctuates. Everybody's body fat percentage fluctuates. It is just the nature of having a body, and it's something that I struggle that my clients, my fat loss clients struggle with. I just finished filming the lessons for the end of my 90 day fat loss training program and started filming the lessons for the second half of the program for the six month program. And it is just, that's the hardest hurdle, right? Is like once you have been in a fat loss space for so long, or if you've had a really big fat loss goal and you've been really focused on that for a while, or if you have had your body weight at a certain weight and your weight goes up, it's really hard to change how you think of yourself because we have so much of our self-worth tied into the weight on the scale, and the scale is not as important as a lot of people make it out to be.

  (04:35)

  It's just not. The number on the scale is morally neutral. You interpreting what that means is where you're causing yourself to get fucked up. It is like the number is the number, the weight is the weight. It's how you choose to interpret that number and that weight. Now, from the outside looking in as from my coach eyeballs, I would say that number tells me that you have gotten stronger and that you got more muscle mass, so you should be able to push more weight or do more reps. And then, so my next question to you would be, is that true? Are you performing better? And if the answer is yes, then that's what that number means. That number means that you're stronger. Yes, you have been. Then that's what that number means. We get so brainwashed into thinking that our weight means fat and that fat is bad, right?

  (05:33)

  But you have to get really conscious of the meaning that you assign to things like the scale and your size, your clothing sizes, because the size, the scale, these things, they're meaningless. They're neutral. They don't have meaning except for what meaning we assign to them, and we get to be in control of what meaning we assign to them, and we get to decide that we're no longer going to assign the meanings that we used to. You know what I mean? That's a little bit of a CT acceptance and commitment therapy for you. Acceptance and commitment therapy is all about separating things that happen from the meaning that we assign to those things. Separating facts of existence, things that exist, separate them out from how we interpret or what we interpret that existence to mean, because that's where the suffering happens for most of us. That's where most of the suffering happens.

  (06:34)

  It's not necessarily that the thing happened or that the scale is whatever the weight is. It's what you interpret that as and the worth that you assign to yourself as a result of seeing that number. And that's where you have to interrupt that process and give yourself a new script. Give yourself a new meaning that you assign. I super recommend listening to or reading this book that's called Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life. I think that's what it's called. I'll put a little link. This is an affiliate link. I recommend listening to or reading that book because it has a lot more information on how to do that, how to begin to separate the things that happen from how you feel about them. I mean, I really do think that you should practice mindfulness and mindfulness in terms of observing your thoughts.

  (07:29)

  There's different types of thoughts that we have. There's thoughts that we have that just kind of go through our mind. We have no control over them, they just happen. They're just thoughts that we hear. Same thing with our emotions. We don't really have control over our emotions all the time. Sometimes we just feel a way, and then where we can cause ourself even more suffering is our reaction to how we feel. Whereas a lot of times, sometimes we can just observe that we feel a certain way and then just be like, well, that's just how I feel right now, and that's okay, and then that's all that needs to be done. Whereas sometimes we take that like, oh, I feel some type of way. Oh, I must be a failure. Oh, I must be. You know what I mean? And then you get on that shame spiral.

  (08:10)

  Being able to observe your thoughts without entangling yourself with them, or just becoming conscious of what meaning you assign to them can help. So yeah, that's what I would recommend. One, I always recommend practicing some mindfulness and get into the habit of being able to observe without reaction, the thoughts, the experiences, the feelings that you're having and observing what you see in the world. And then taking it a step further is practicing acceptance. Again, not trying to interfere, get tinkled up with or wrestle with or assign meaning to the things that you observe. And then another step further is deciding mindfully what meaning you assign to the things that you experience.

  (09:03)

  Thanks so much for listening to or watching this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. If you would like some more support and help along your own personal fitness journey, please feel free to reach out and apply for one-on-one coaching with me using the link that's below this video or in the show notes. Right now, I am currently enrolling new clients in my fat loss transformation course, so that's something you're interested in. Sign up today. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, drink your water, prioritize your self-care, and I will see you soon.

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Ep 68 | Trouble Saying No? How Learning the Power of a Positive No Can Help You Burn Fat

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One of the biggest obstacles I see in my clients’ fitness journeys isn’t lack of motivation, discipline, or even knowledge. It’s the inability to say no effectively.

When you can’t say no—to other people, to old habits, or even to yourself—you’ll find it nearly impossible to stay on track with your fat loss or fitness goals. In fact, learning to set boundaries is one of the most powerful skills you can develop if you’re serious about transforming your body and your health.

This is the theme for this episode of The Coaching Corner Podcast, where I share both a personal update and a practical framework you can use to protect your goals.

Why I Took a Step Back

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I took some time away from the podcast. Between reorganizing my business with the help of a coach and navigating the heavy realities of what’s been happening here in the U.S., I needed a moment to recharge.

I call it “cocoon time”—that period where you step back, rest, and refill your energy so you can show up stronger. Now, I’m back with fresh energy, new programs, and a clear vision of how to help you succeed in your fitness journey.

One of those programs is my 90-Day Fat Loss Transformation, which is open for enrollment right now. Some of my early clients are already seeing amazing results—one even hit her initial weight loss goal and is now shifting into muscle-building mode.

But beyond workouts and meal plans, there’s a deeper skill we need to master: boundaries.

Why Saying No Is So Hard

Many of us grew up in environments where saying no wasn’t an option. Maybe you were told, “Don’t talk back,” or, “Don’t say no to me.” That kind of conditioning follows us into adulthood, making it difficult to push back when people or habits pull us away from what we want.

This shows up in so many areas of life—work, relationships, and especially health.

• Your partner suggests going out for ice cream even though you’re focused on your nutrition plan.

• A friend pressures you into happy hour when you’ve already scheduled a workout.

• You catch yourself reaching for cookies when what you actually need is water, rest, or real food.

Without strong boundaries, these little yeses to the wrong things add up—and your goals get sidelined.

The Power of a Positive No

This is where William Ury’s book The Power of a Positive No* comes in. The core idea is simple but transformative: every no is actually a yes–no–yes sandwich.

• Yes #1: Start with your bigger “yes”—your goals, values, or the life you’re building.

• No: Say no to whatever conflicts with that.

• Yes #2: Offer an alternative or reaffirm the relationship.

Here are some practical examples:

• Scenario: A friend invites you for late-night pizza.

  • Yes: “I’m committed to my fat loss goals.”

  • No: “I’m not going to eat pizza tonight.”

  • Yes: “But I’d love to meet up for coffee this weekend instead.”

• Scenario: You crave cookies late at night.

  • Yes: “I want to fuel my body for progress.”

  • No: “Cookies won’t get me there.”

  • Yes: “I’ll have some Greek yogurt with fruit—it satisfies the craving and supports my goals.”

Notice how this method isn’t about harsh rejection. It’s about anchoring yourself in what truly matters and communicating it in a way that preserves your relationships—and your momentum.

How to Strengthen Your Boundaries

1. Get specific about your goals. Vague intentions won’t hold up under pressure. Write down exactly what you want (e.g., “I want to lose 20 pounds,” or “I want to build 10 pounds of muscle”).

2. Ask why—over and over. Don’t stop at surface-level reasons. Dig deep until you uncover the core human needs driving your goal (safety, self-esteem, belonging, vitality). That’s the fuel behind your “yes.”

3. Anticipate challenges. Think ahead about situations where you’ll be tempted to say yes when you mean no. Decide now how you’ll respond with a positive no.

4. Practice. Saying no gets easier the more you do it. Each time you protect your goal, you strengthen the muscle of self-respect.

Final Thoughts

Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out or living in restriction. They’re about choosing the life you want and refusing to settle for what pulls you off course.

Every time you say no to something misaligned, you’re really saying yes to your stronger, healthier, more empowered self.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your fat loss journey, check out my 90-Day Fat Loss Transformation Program here. And if you want to dive deeper into this concept, I highly recommend The Power of a Positive No by William Ury.

You deserve to say yes to your goals—and sometimes that starts with a positive no.

*This is an affiliate link.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• The Power of a Positive No by William Ury

• Coaching: Apply to work with me!

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  What I've noticed with a lot of my fat loss clients is their inability to say no effectively is one of the chief obstacles to them having success in achieving their fat loss goals. And I think that's true for anybody trying to pursue any kind of a big goal. Not being able to say no to things will take you off track faster than you think it will. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, a personal trainer and online health coach, and I've created this podcast to share with you some actionable tips that you can use to help push yourself forward and your fat loss and in your fitness. In today's episode, we are relaunching the podcast with all new episodes after I've taken some time away to work on my business, I have so many coaching programs that are on their way and I can't wait to share them with you.

  (01:06)

  You can join the wait list for my next level strength or body sculpt coaching programs, or you can sign up for my fat loss transformation program, which is open for registration now. Just go to my website, jaydigains.com, that's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N-S.com to get more info and sign up. Now, if you are watching this on YouTube, make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel so that you always get the latest videos that I drop. If you are listening to this episode, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so that you never miss an episode. You can also follow me on my socials, click on the link that is in the show notes or below the description to follow me on Instagram, TikTok and my other socials. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (01:59)

  I'm sorry, I have not been around lately. There have been a lot of things going on. One of them is that I've been pretty overwhelmed. I started working with a business coach at this point, maybe two months ago, and while working with this business coach, I have decided to do kind of a complete overhaul of my business to make room for growth because the way that I had it structured before was not scalable and at this point I need to make more room and organize some things. So I was just getting overwhelmed and I needed to take a step back. Also, for those of you who aren't in the United States and not aware of what's going on, we have some really scary stuff happening. And so I've also needed a little bit more time to recharge my mental health considering everything going on and the state that I live in.

  (03:01)

  So it's been a lot and I've needed to just have that cocoon time. Sometimes you need to do a long rest and recharge your spell slots, and that's what I have been needing to do. But in recent weeks, I have been just slowly ramping up my presence and my activity on my socials, starting with TikTok and Instagram. And now today is sort of my reentry back into YouTube. So I will be back on posting regularly to the podcast, if not twice a week, at least once a week, and you'll be seeing a lot more of me. But some of the things that I have been working on with my business coach is creating new programs for people to be able to opt in for that are going to be just so much more streamlined and easy to follow, easy to keep up with on user end and on my end as well as the coach.

  (03:58)

  So I have gone ahead and opened up my 90 day fat loss transformation program for early access to a select few number of people who are in the program now and using it and are so far making amazing progress. It's really cool to see considering how much work it was to put this program together and still is, it's still a lot of work. It's still ongoing, but it's very nice to see the progress that people are making. One of my students started the program with a goal of just losing five pounds, and she's already lost that. And so now we're like, okay, well what's next? Let's just keep building muscle, just keep getting hotter and hotter I guess. So that's been really cool. But yeah, that is open for enrollment now. So if you want to get in to my 90 day fat loss transformation, I will post a link below this video where you can check out more information on that program and you can sign up if you like.

  (05:00)

  Very excited to see the progress coming out of that. And so yeah, that's been what's going on with me, and I figured that today with this reentry into the podcast, it would be a good time to talk about setting boundaries because if you are in a fitness journey or if you're trying to do anything really that is different, changing your lifestyle or trying to pursue a big goal in business or personally, you probably know that there's going to be times in your journey where you have to say no to things. And what I've noticed with a lot of my fat loss clients is their inability to say no effectively is one of the chief obstacles to them having success in achieving their fat loss goals. And I think that's true for anybody trying to pursue any kind of a big goal. Not being able to say no to things will take you off track faster than you think it will.

  (06:07)

  And sometimes we have to say no to other people who maybe don't understand what we're trying to do or maybe aren't as supportive as we need them to be, and maybe they want us to do things that aren't part of the plan or maybe we'll sabotage our progress and we need to say no. Sometimes we need to say no to ourselves and to old habits that don't actually help us get to where we're trying to go. And for people who struggle in saying no and in setting boundaries, I just want to take a second to say it's likely not your fault that you struggle to say no and set boundaries because it really is on our families of origin to teach us how to say no. And if you were raised in a family that didn't allow you as a child to say no because your parents or your caretakers were really authoritarian was like, don't you say no to me.

  (07:04)

  I'm the adult. I'm in charge. That kind of thing where you weren't allowed to push back or set boundaries or express your needs, and you probably struggle to say no as an adult, and that will bleed into almost every aspect of your life into your relationships, into your work life balance and your health and fitness. But when you learn how to say no and set boundaries, it will change your life because the things that you want to do, you'll be better able to stay on track and actually achieve your goals because you'll be avoiding the things that pull you off track. So what I have found for myself personally and for my clients has been one of the greatest resources for learning how to say no. Is William Yuri's book the Power of a positive? No. I think that this is a very foundational piece of your mental health and your social health, your relationship health and your physical health, being able to say no to things effectively and in a way that doesn't feel like rejection.

  (08:14)

  Because one of the reasons why we struggle to say no to other people is we are afraid of rejection. We're afraid of abandonment, or we're afraid of punishment depending on how you were conditioned based on how your family of origin or maybe influential groups or influential people in your life have responded when you've tried to say no and push back, you might have been conditioned to refrain from it because you're afraid. And this book gives a lot of pointers on how to overcome those obstacles, whether it's fear of being rejected or being abandoned or if it's you don't want to lose the relationship, you don't want to lose the deal, and I just think it's so important. So in today's episode, I want to go over how you can use the concepts in this book to set effective boundaries in your life and in your relationships to protect your fitness journey and to protect your fat loss journey.

  (09:16)

  So essentially, when it comes to the power of a positive no, a positive no is basically yes, no yes sandwich, right? Every effective no that you have to give either to yourself or to other people has to start with a yes. And that yes is your ultimate goals or your interests what it is that you're trying to build towards. So if you don't have a really solid idea in mind of what you are trying to achieve and an image of where you're trying to go, it is going to be very hard for you to say no to people along your fitness journey. Whereas if you have an idea in mind of an end goal that's very specific and you have the image in your mind that you can think of, it is a lot easier to say no because when you have that image in mind, what you tell yourself is in order to say yes to that, in order to say yes to my dream or my goal, I have to say no to this.

  (10:19)

  It's a lot like this post that I read on Instagram years ago, which said, my life changed when I decided what I wanted my life to look like. And then I started saying no to everything that wasn't that and to everything that doesn't lead to that. And that's the mentality that you have to adopt here. So when it comes to empowering your ability to say no to things, to other people and to yourself, it all starts with having a very clear understanding of what you're trying to do. So if you have been trying to lose weight or if you've been trying to get in shape, but you don't really have an idea in mind of an end goal of what you're specifically trying to do, you're going to struggle and you're going to have a hard time saying no, and you're going to have a hard time staying consistent as well when your motivation starts to wane.

  (11:14)

  So the first thing that you want to do in order to be able to say no and set boundaries effectively is to sit down with yourself with a journal and decide what it is you are trying to do and get very, very specific. What is it that you're trying to achieve, whether it's I need to lose 30 pounds, or I want to gain 10 pounds of muscle, or whatever your fitness goal is, make it specific, measurable, actionable. But then you need to go beyond setting a smart goal and getting specific about what you want and ask yourself why you want that thing, right? This is the thing that makes that yes, more powerful. Why is it that you want to lose 30 pounds? Why is it that you want to gain 10 pounds of muscle or whatever the specific goal is? You need to ask yourself why it's important to you to do that and really think about how it is you are envisioning your life is going to change as a result of achieving that goal.

  (12:13)

  So you essentially want to ask yourself, why do I want this? And then when you get the answer to that, ask yourself why again. Well, why do I want that? Figure out what the answer is and then ask yourself why again? And keep asking yourself why until you can't ask why anymore. And when you reach the point where you can't ask why anymore, you likely will have reached the point where you've kind of arrived at a core human need. So we have just several core human needs, we need safety, we need acceptance, we need self-esteem, or we need to be responsible for other people, right? Figure out what the core need or core needs are that achieving your goal is going to meet for you. That is why it's important. And then once you've found that and you've sketched it out, you've written it all out in a journal, that is your why.

  (13:06)

  So once you have that solid, then it's going to be so much easier for you to say no to things that are not in alignment with that goal. Of course, the next step is to learn what things help you to get from point A to point B, but having a clear idea of what point B looks like and why it's important for you to get there is step one, and then you got to figure out how to get there. You can work with a coach, you could work with me, do one of my programs, 90 day fat loss transformation. It's open for enrollment. Now, link will be below or in the podcast notes if you're listening, but figure out your how to get to that point. Now while you are working towards that point, following the plan that your coach has laid out or following the plan that you have laid out, you're going to be faced with situations where people are going to ask you to do things or demand of you to do things that are counterproductive to your goals or that are going to sabotage your goal.

  (14:06)

  It's not uncommon for this to happen. For many people, the biggest saboteur of their progress is the person that they sleep next to every night. It's really not uncommon for people to find that once they start their fat loss journey or once they start their wellness and fitness journey, their spouse or their significant other will often make snide remarks or say things like basically says, you're making different choices and I don't like it. I don't like the way that that makes me feel, and that's their insecurity. It's not your responsibility to manage your partners or significant others' feelings and emotional state, especially when it comes to them feeling insecure because of something that someone is doing for their health. That's something that they're responsible for figuring out those feelings and working on those feelings. I hate to sound harsh, but everyone is responsible for their own gains and people who see you trying to improve your health and try to say things to knock you down or crabs in a bucket, try to pull you back down to their level.

  (15:14)

  Those are places where you need to learn how to set boundaries and keeping the power of a positive no in mind, you'll be much more able to do that without necessarily sacrificing the relationship and without being necessarily harsh or being unnecessarily harsh with the other people. But then sometimes you're going to have to say no to yourself and to old habits and framing your nos in a positive way where it starts with what is my yes? That's the first question is what is my yes, what is my why? Remembering that will empower your no. So first is the yes or your why. Thinking about that, the thing that I want to say yes to my goal and then saying no, and there's many, many different ways to say no. Sometimes you can just say no and leave it at that straightforward, no ambiguity, right? But sometimes maybe it takes a little bit of nuance and you have to be like, no, but I'll offer this alternative solution, which would be the third part or the second.

  (16:22)

  Yes. So a positive no is like a yes no. Yes. When you say no, especially to people who are pushy or if you want to soften the no a little bit is you offer some kind of alternative. No, I'm not going to be having ice cream, but I will have some yogurt. Well, you eat ice cream and we can watch a movie, right? You're offering an alternative, which is sort of like a yes to my goals. I'm going to have some Greek yogurt because I don't want to have as many calories and I want to make sure that I'm getting my protein, so I'm going to have some yogurt instead or some Greek yogurt instead. But you can eat ice cream. That's fine. You do, you boo, right? So you're still saying yes to them, spending time with them doing something, eating something with them, but you're saying no to the extra calories and the refined sugars that maybe you haven't budgeted for in your daily calorie goal, right?

  (17:23)

  Sometimes your no needs to be a not right now or a later, which means I can't do that right now, but ask me later, right? I can't go for ice cream right now because I'm actively working towards something, or I haven't budgeted for the ice cream today in my calories, but how about on Saturday, right? I'll plan for it on Saturday. I have a treat meal scheduled on Saturday or no to going out for drinks for happy hour right now. But let's celebrate once I'm done with my 90 day challenge. So it's not right now, which doesn't feel as much like a rejection. Sometimes you might have to say, ask me later, or I will decide later. Sometimes I will decide later. I'm not going to decide right now. Pushing the decision down the road can also be really helpful, especially in the moment when you are faced with something really tempting and you're like, I don't want to say no to myself or to the other person.

  (18:31)

  Let me just put a little time barrier down here and say, it's really tempting right now, but I'm going to go do this other thing first or give me a couple days to think about it. Give me a couple hours to think about it and then I'll decide, right? Buying yourself some time to really think about whether you want to or whether the thing is in alignment with your goals or not. That's a really great way to say no. So in these situations, basically you're saying yes to yourself, no to the thing that you need to say no to, but then you're offering an alternative or you're saying yes to the relationship. You're saying yes to their interests, which may not necessarily be like they want you to eat ice cream. It's more that they want to do something with you, right? Figuring out what the underlying needs are of the other person can help you to say no more effectively as well and still safeguard your interests.

  (19:27)

  And the same thing can be true when it comes to saying no to yourself. If you have this consistent pattern or these cravings or these urges. If you kind of take a step back and you try to identify what's the underlying need behind, I sense that my body is saying, I really want cookies right now, or I really want something sweet, but I haven't budgeted for it. I'm really jonesing for it. Taking a step back and really thinking about what is the actual underlying needs? I don't actually need cookies. I don't need ice cream. What's the underlying need here? Am I actually hungry? Should I go ahead and eat what I've planned for my meal prep? Am I hungry? Sometimes the underlying need is I'm actually thirsty. I'm not hungry at all. I'm thirsty. We so often times mistake or thirst signals for hunger cues and the types of hunger cues that we get, or cravings that we get from being thirsty are sweets, sweets and salty like snacks, like chips and crackers and stuff.

  (20:31)

  So try to figure out what the underlying need is that you can say yes to without sacrificing your progress or your goals. So this is the framework that I teach my clients in teaching them how to set boundaries in their life with other people and with themselves so that they could reach their goals. And I go into more details and I give more tips in my 90 day fat loss transformation journey and in the six month journey as well. And you can learn more about that by clicking the link below or in the show notes if you are listening. But I highly recommend going and reading William U's the Power of a Positive Note, which I will also link in the show notes to learn more about setting boundaries because it's a skill that we all need and it's a skill that will help you and you'll never be done learning, right?

  (21:16)

  I've read this book maybe five times now, and every time I read it or listen to it, other things pop out at me and I'm learning better and better ways to communicate and advocate for myself. So that's my recommendations for today, the first podcast episode back in gear. Thank you guys for being so patient and waiting for me to come back to the podcast. I'm excited to be back. I will have more good things to come. In the meantime, if you are watching this on YouTube, please make sure to the video and subscribe to the channel so that you never miss new episodes and new videos. And if you are listening to this, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the channel, and I will see you guys next time.

  (22:08)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. I hope that you enjoyed it and that you found it helpful. And don't forget to like this video if you're watching on YouTube and subscribe to the channel so that you never miss a new episode. And if you are listening to this episode, make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episode delivered right to your device. I can't wait to share more tips with you in the coming weeks. Make sure to stay tuned for the next episode, and in the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, and listen to your body. I will see you soon.

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Ep 67: The 5 Things You Need to Burn Fat Sustainably

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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If you’ve ever struggled to stay consistent with your workouts, nutrition, or overall fitness routine—you are so not alone. In this episode of The Coaching Corner, I’m sharing the five key habits that make the biggest difference when it comes to achieving real, lasting results.

After over a decade in the fitness industry, I’ve noticed that the people who succeed long-term don’t rely on motivation—they build systems that support them even on the hard days. In this episode, I cover:

• Why discipline matters more than motivation

• How mentorship and coaching can fast-track your progress

• The role community plays in your fitness journey

• What it means to take full responsibility for your growth

• How to embrace the struggle and use it to your advantage

Whether you're trying to lose fat, build strength, or just stay on track with your routine, these five principles will help you shift your mindset and stay committed.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to stay consistent—even when life gets chaotic.

👉 Interested in working with me? My online coaching program is designed to give you structure, support, and accountability.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Coaching: Apply to work with me!

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  As a personal trainer, one thing that I notice a lot of people really struggle with staying consistent in their fat loss journeys and in their fitness journeys in general. So this episode is for people who aren't necessarily stuck on getting started. You've gotten started, but you're like, how do I stay consistent? Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years and I've created this podcast to share with you some of the tips and tricks that I teach my clients to help them to stay consistent on their fat loss and on their fitness journey as a whole. In today's episode, I'm going to share with you the five things that I've noticed that people who are able to stay consistent on their fat loss and on their fitness have working on getting these five things into your life and into your mindset will help you to reach your fat loss goals and keep them for good. Now, real quick before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you're watching on YouTube and follow the channel if you are listening to this podcast so that you never miss a new episode. And if you are looking for an online personal trainer to keep you accountable on your fat loss journey, check out my coaching program I am currently taking on clients. So you can apply in the link that is below this video or that's in the show notes. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (01:36)

  So what I've noticed over the years as a personal trainer, there are five main things that really mark the people who stay consistent on their fat loss and on their fitness versus people who have this on again, off again relationship with their fitness and with fat loss and having these five things in place. If you get them in place early on in your journey, you will have so much greater success and staying consistent and ultimately reaching your goals and keeping your goals right, because it doesn't matter if you lose a bunch of fat, if you lose a bunch of weight, but you can't keep it off for good, right? Or if you end up only being able to lose a little bit and then you plateau and you just can't seem to get that last 20 to 30 pounds or maybe 15 pounds, whatever it is, off to stay off for good.

  (02:32)

  The five things that people who stay consistent and reach their goals ultimately have are number one, discipline. Number two, they have a mentor or multiple mentors, but that usually is me. Number three, they have a community that's more than just their mentor or me as their coach. Number four, they are responsible for their own gains. And number five, they are the type of people who embrace the struggle and they have a really good relationship with failure and trial and error. They have a good mindset around that. So I wanted to go a little bit more into detail about these five things and how you can implement them into your own life and in the way that you approach your fitness and in the way that you approach your fat loss so that you can reach your goals and stay consistent. Because as you know, for most people, fat loss, fitness building muscle is a long journey.

  (03:34)

  It's not a sprint, it's a marathon, right? It's a journey that takes often years and we are going to live in our bodies for our whole lives. We're going to have to maintain our bodies for our whole lives. So getting good habits around how you think about taking care of your body and around your actual practices that you have for taking care of your body is so, so important. So number one, let's talk about discipline. What we mean by discipline, because discipline is kind of a fuzzy term, right? By discipline, what I mean is the type of people that stay consistent on their fat loss and make progress on their fat loss. These are the people who aren't overly relying on the feelings of motivation to show up and get their workouts in or to show up and actually eat the way that they're supposed to eat.

  (04:26)

  These people know that their feelings are going to come and go, and their feelings are like weather that can change very quickly and you just can't rely on that motivation to keep you going. And they also know a step further that you can't just rely on this inner force of willpower to keep showing up as well. The people who have the best discipline combine two things. Yes, they have the willpower to be able to push themselves to show up even when they don't feel like it. But number two, which I think is even more powerful, is they build structures into their lives to support their goals. So what that means is they're often the type of people who are on a schedule for their workouts. They don't wait until whenever they feel like going to the gym to go to the gym. They have set times and set days that are dedicated for them to do their workouts, whether they're working out at home or at the gym.

  (05:29)

  They also have set days and times where they go to the grocery store, buy groceries, and then meal prep. Okay? So they have really good routines around their self-care that support their fat loss and their fitness. So they also tend to have little checklists or some kind of journal that they use to track their progress, which helps them to stay disciplined, helps them to stay on track. So it's not just about have the willpower, right? They actually have structures that I've helped them build in their life based on what structures have helped me and the structures that I know have helped other people, and they have created a routines in their life that support the body that they want to achieve. So number one, discipline is the number one thing to cultivate and to begin cultivating. And if you want to begin cultivating discipline, what I would recommend is sitting down with your Google calendar or whatever journal or get a journal where you have your schedule and take a look at where you're spending your time on a day-to-day and on a week to week basis.

  (06:41)

  Time blocking is a really great way to see where your time and your energy is going. And then you can block out 30 to 60 minutes for your workouts a couple times a week or for some kind of activity that gets you up and moving. You don't necessarily have to go to the gym and do a workout. You could go for walks, you could go swimming. You could do something active outside like bike riding or even kayaking, something that's going to get your body moving. Try to dedicate a couple times a week and put them on the schedule three to five days a week, 30 to 60 minutes on your schedule, and then keep them the same every week and try as much as possible to stick to your schedule and treat those times as very important appointments that you cannot cancel or reschedule and only every once in a while cancel or reschedule because you want to get yourself to the point where that schedule is inherent within you, right?

  (07:40)

  You just go to the gym because it's part of your routine. That's just what you do on Monday afternoons instead of like, oh, I got to go. Let me go wait until I feel like it, right? You just show up and you do something and you're not always going to have to do a really hard workout. Sometimes just showing up and stretching or walking on the treadmill is enough or going outside. Just do something for 30 to 60 minutes. Keep that on the same time, same days. So build discipline into your life. Use journals. Use whatever types of organizational strategies that you need to help yourself build that routine. Number two, have a mentor. The people who stay consistent, the people who best stay consistent. What I've seen is they have mentors. They have people who are further along in their fitness journey or who are further along in their fat loss journey and they're looking up to those people.

  (08:32)

  When I was in mixed martial arts and I used to practice, there's a Brazilian jiu-jitsu, one of my coaches told me, in order to be really good at this sport, it's really important that you have three different people that you practice with on a weekly basis, that you have someone who is on your level who's at the same skill level as you because you can learn together. It's also important that you have people who are below you who have less skills than you because you can teach them. And when you teach things, you learn them at a deeper level. But then it's also incredibly important to work with roll with spar people who are above your level because they give you something to look up to, that give you something to look forward to, and they can teach you and help guide you when you have questions.

  (09:18)

  So having a mentor is incredibly important because this is a person that you can go to when you have questions. This is a person who can notice things that you don't know you may be doing wrong, or maybe you're doing them in a not so efficient way. So hiring a personal trainer is a great way to get yourself a mentor, but you also can have gym bros that you look up to. If you go to a gym, a community gym that has a really good community, and there are people who've been doing it longer than you, and you can maybe get in a workout with them every once in a while or ask them questions, just be careful. People who don't have certifications or education might not be the best source of information. So it is ideal to work with somebody who has some kind of certification or education in exercise science or how to train or nutrition.

  (10:10)

  So just keep that in mind when you're looking for a mentor. You want somebody who actually knows and has the know-how and the certifications. And so the people who actually work with me one-on-one, have more success and staying consistent on their fat loss because they have me checking in with them on a regular basis and checking over their workouts, maybe designing their workouts, helping them create a meal plan. And that extra accountability, someone that you can go to ask questions and be held accountable to is so important. And by the way, side note, I am taking on clients right now. You can apply to work with me one-on-one from my website. If you are watching this on YouTube, you can click the link that is in the description below this video if you are on social media. The link for that is in my bio.

  (10:58)

  And if you are on Twitch right now as I'm live, the link for applying to work with me one-on-one is in my profile. Page. Number three, the people who are able to stay consistent are the people who have a community, which is more than just having a mentor, having someone beside you. Like I was saying before, it's important that you have in mixed martial arts, it's important that you roll with somebody who is above you. That would be the mentor. It's also important that you roll with people who are on your same skill level or thereabouts people that you can learn together with. This is another group of people that can help you to stay accountable, but it also can be extremely helpful to see other people who are dealing with the same kinds of struggles that you're dealing with. Because one of the things that hurts people a lot in their fat loss journey is comparison to other people.

  (11:51)

  And they feel like, oh, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm doing it wrong. I'm wrong. Or I'm messing things up. And seeing other people dealing with the similar struggles to yours can be so helpful in putting your mind at ease and keeping you on track. Because the last thing that we want to do is have you go off on a shame spiral where you just feel like you are so wrong and you are just not good at this, and maybe you should just give up, right? When you have a community of peers who are dealing with the same kinds of struggles, you can go to those peers for validation. It can be very helpful to validate each other's struggles. And if that community also includes or refers to a mentor or a coach, then you also have a person or people that you can ask questions.

  (12:43)

  And sharing your gains with other people, growing together with other people is a great way to stay motivated. You'll more often feel have the feelings of motivation if you're sharing the experience with other people who are going through similar things. So I have a client who has struggled for years. I've worked with him for almost 10 years now, and when we first started working together, he made a lot of gains really fast, those newbie gains. But then after a certain point, I really struggled to get him to eat the way that he needed to eat in order to reach his ultimate physique goals. And a large part of this was that his wife was also on a fitness journey, but had a lot of issues, a lot of mental hurdles when it comes to eating plenty of protein, eating lots of veggies. She liked to treat herself a lot, and she was also the type of person that if she was doing it, she wanted him doing it as well.

  (13:45)

  And it was just really hard on their relationship for him to set those boundaries. And recently, I got to say, maybe a couple months ago, she finally hit that point where she was ready to make the changes in her diet and she wanted him to do that with her. And he was like, great, I'm ready to go. So they have been consistently for a few months now, eating lots of protein, eating regularly. He wasn't eating enough and he wasn't eating often enough before, and then they're not like eating a ton of junk food like they were before. And for the first time in a couple of years, he's actually making consistent progress on his fat loss. His belly is going down. I mean, he was continuing to build strength because we were working out. He was building muscle and he was getting fitter, but he had this stubborn belly that just honestly wasn't going to go away until he cleaned up his diet and stayed consistent on it.

  (14:45)

  But now that he and his wife are working together as a team, it is just boom, they're both taking off and they're making amazing progress. So you see, this is one of the ways that having a community can be so helpful because you have another person who's going through it with you and another person who's learning with you. But that also brings me to number four. There are as great as that has been, that story of my client and his wife getting their stuff together and working together as a team. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to have your romantic partner or the other people in your house alongside you on your journey to make progress. I have plenty of clients who have significant others who don't exercise, who don't work out, who don't eat healthy, and they're able to make progress, and they're able to make consistent progress in their gains.

  (15:41)

  And the reason for that is because number four, that number four, they are responsible for their own gains, and they have internalized that they own their journey, and they have created a very strong sense within themselves that they, and they alone are the best people to take care of themselves. So as great as it is to have a community and a team, it's even better or just as good, and it works really well. Those two things in place. Having a team and also having a sense of ownership over your journey can really accelerate your fat loss and really accelerate your progress towards your muscle building goals. So what does it mean to be responsible for your own gains? That means that you have a sense of responsibility. Nobody is going to do it for you. Nobody is going to force feed you to eat healthy.

  (16:36)

  Nobody is going to make you show up and do your workouts. That's on you, and it's on you to stay accountable to your community, to your mentor, and to get on that schedule in the first place. If you wait for someone else to just pick you up and put you in places that you need to be, pick you up and put you in the gym, pick you up and put you in the kitchen, that's just not going to happen. You're not a child. We're not children, and we need to take ownership and also set boundaries in our lives. That's also part of being responsible for your own gains. And by boundaries, I mean saying no to things. You are the one you and you alone are the one who's able to say no to the things that threaten your progress. So own that. Set boundaries in your life.

  (17:28)

  And what I would've loved to see from this client with his wife, I would've loved to see him set more boundaries and be more responsible for his own gains to make progress on his own without her. But at the same time, I'm happy that they're working as a team now, but he would've made progress if he had been more responsible for his own gains and decided, you know what? I'm not judging you. Do what you want to do. This is what, these are my goals and this is what I'm trying to do. Not judging, not saying that you should do things the way that I'm doing, but just this is what I'm doing and I need you to be okay with that. So having those kinds of conversations with the people in our lives when we have that friction in our relationships, when people don't necessarily support us or they're not going along with us on the journey.

  (18:22)

  Also, setting boundaries on yourself, that's goes back to the discipline, creating structures and habits in your life that support the habits that are going to yield that fat loss. So getting more active, building more activity into your life, taking the stairs instead of the elevator parking further away so that you have to walk more to the store and back. And just like going for walks more, getting up and moving instead of staying sedentary all the time. These are all ways that you can build habits into your life to be responsible for your own gains. Build those structures, the best person to do them. You know how you feel, right? You are the one who has to go throughout your whole day. So having that responsibility for your own gains is incredibly important. And then finally, number five, the thing that the people who are able to stay consistent on their fat loss do is they embrace the struggle.

  (19:16)

  They have a really good relationship with failure. They are able to respond with grit and perseverance, and they have a growth mindset around failure. So when they aren't able to do something consistently, the people who embrace the struggle, they know that if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. So they are down for the struggle. They are down to fight those mental battles to change how they see food, to change, how they see themselves, to change their relationship with movement. And they know that doing hard things is what will yield the results that they need. They know that it's not going to be a walk in the park, and there are things that we can do to make it easier, and I definitely help my clients to make their fat loss journey easier for them. But at the same time, change is just hard.

  (20:13)

  Our bodies, our brains do not like to make changes even when those changes are good for us. And I know that better than anybody, right? As a business owner, I've had to make changes to how I do things and how I see things so often, and every time I have to make a change, even when I know that it's a good one and it's going to push me further along in my career or in my athleticism, I go into it and my brain freaks out. But I know that if I stick with it, if I get myself into that space and the struggle, I'm going to learn from it, learn. I'm going to take skills from that struggle, and I'm going to be able to apply them to my business and apply them to my fitness. And that's going to make me better, even if I get my ass kicked right?

  (21:01)

  Even if I get my butt kicked by whatever the struggle is, I know that I'm going to yield gains from that. And it's just like if you spend time in the gym trying to build muscle, you know that if you don't challenge your muscles and make them approach failure, you're not going to grow. You're not going to get stronger. You're not going to build muscle. It's the same thing with your overall journey. It's instead of avoiding and running from struggle, if you embrace it as part of the process, you are going to be able to stay consistent and you're going to make so much better progress in your fat loss. And my business coach uses an example from anime that I think is really universal, because if you play video games, it's the same kind of process. The way that you move forward in a game or the way that in Dragon Ball's Goku gets stronger and becomes more powerful is there's a boss fight.

  (21:57)

  And in your fat loss and in your fitness, you're going to have multiple boss fights, which are things that are going to challenge you. Mindset shifts that you're going to have to make to change your relationship with your body, to change your relationship with food. And those struggles, they're going to suck. It hurts mentally, psychologically. You are going to take some psychic damage when it comes to sitting down and confronting the fact that, oh, man, I kind of have a shame complex around food. Or, oh man, I really have been really mean to myself when I look in the mirror. Those are all things that are going to have to grow and change if you want to reach your goals. And so embrace the struggle and know that when you get to the other side of that struggle, you're going to have gains from that.

  (22:48)

  Every battle that you have to fight and overcome, you're going to get skills from that, and those skills will transfer to you being better able to tackle what you need to do to burn fat and ultimately reach your goals. So those are my five things that I've noticed really make the difference for people who reach their fat loss goals, reach their physique goals, those five things are what I recommend you work on kind of cultivating in your own mind and in your own life. If you have a big dream of a certain fat loss goal or a physique goal or a strength goal, having these five things is going to help you to make more progress towards that and be more consistent in the long run, and also keep your results sustainably.

  (23:44)

  That is the podcast for today. Thank you for joining me. My name is Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I'm a personal trainer. I've been working in the field for 10 years. I grew up in the fitness industry. I love this, and I'm so happy to share with you guys the tips and tricks that help my clients and the things that I've noticed as a personal trainer. If you're interested in working with me on your fat loss, let's get started. Click on the link that is in my bio. Or if you're on Twitch, click on the link that is in my profile page. And if you're watching on YouTube, click on the link that is in the description below, and I look forward to hearing from you, and I will see you in the next episode.

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Ep 66: Is Metabolism Real? What It Actually Means to Have a 'Fast' or 'Slow' Metabolism

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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If you’ve ever said, “I just have a slow metabolism,” or heard someone say, “They can eat anything—they must have a fast metabolism,” you’re not alone. But what does that actually mean?

While I was live on Twitch the other day, someone in chat asked me, “Is metabolism even real? Someone told me it’s a medical condition.” That question stuck with me—because there’s so much confusion around the topic. So let’s clear things up.

🔥 What Is Metabolism, Really?

Metabolism isn’t just one thing—it’s the sum of all the processes your body uses to convert food into energy. When people talk about having a “fast” or “slow” metabolism, they’re usually talking about how many calories their body burns each day.

This is made up of a few key components:

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The calories your body burns at rest just to keep you alive—breathing, circulating blood, digesting, etc.

• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy your body uses to digest and process food (protein takes more energy to break down than carbs or fat).

• Activity Level: This includes intentional exercise and non-exercise activity like walking, fidgeting, and cleaning.

All of these come together to form your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)—which is the number of calories your body burns in a day.

⚙️ What Affects Your Metabolism?

Your metabolic rate isn’t fixed—it can be influenced by:

• Muscle Mass: Muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest. The more lean mass you have, the more calories your body uses.

• Age: Metabolism tends to slow slightly with age, mostly due to muscle loss and changes in hormone levels.

• Genetics: Some people are naturally more efficient at burning calories.

• Hormones & Health Conditions: Thyroid function, stress levels (cortisol), and other health factors can play a role.

• Sleep & Stress: Poor sleep and chronic stress can negatively impact your metabolism over time.

• Dieting History: Long-term undereating or crash diets can downregulate your metabolism as your body tries to conserve energy.

💪 Can You Speed Up Your Metabolism?

Here’s the good news: yes, you can support a higher metabolic rate. Here are some of my go-to tips:

1. Build Muscle: Strength training is one of the most effective ways to increase your resting metabolic rate.

2. Stay Active Throughout the Day: Walk, fidget, move around—non-exercise activity adds up.

3. Eat Enough Protein: It has a high thermic effect and supports muscle maintenance.

4. Don’t Chronically Undereat: Eating too little for too long can cause your metabolism to adapt and slow down.

5. Get Enough Sleep: Your metabolism works best when your body is well-rested.

6. Manage Stress: Chronic stress can lead to hormonal imbalances that affect metabolic health.

🚫 Metabolism Myths to Ignore

Let’s bust a few:

• ❌ “Eating late at night ruins your metabolism.” Not true—total daily intake matters more.

• ❌ “Fat burners and metabolism boosters are magic pills.” Most don’t work, and any small bump in calorie burn isn’t worth the side effects.

• ❌ “Some people just can’t lose weight because of a slow metabolism.” While it may be harder for some, lifestyle factors usually play a bigger role than metabolism alone.

🧠 Final Thoughts

Metabolism isn’t a fixed trait or a mysterious medical condition—it’s your body’s engine, and you can influence how efficiently it runs. You’re not broken if your weight loss is slow or if you don’t burn calories the same way someone else does.

The real secret to “speeding up” your metabolism? Build strength. Move often. Eat enough to fuel your body. And take care of your stress and sleep.

If you found this helpful, you might want to check out my fitness app where I provide structured training plans that help you build muscle and support a stronger, more efficient metabolism.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Get my Training App!

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  Is having a fast metabolism a real thing? Someone just told me it's a health condition. Okay, so it is and it isn't. Okay. Often within the health space, within the fitness and wellness space, when we talk about metabolism, what we're talking about is it is a catchphrase for all of the little systems that your body has for turning the food that you eat into energy or into muscle metabolism is just kind of, it's a catchall phrase, right? But when we talk about it in fitness and health, what we're usually talking about is how much energy is your body burning? How efficiently is your body breaking down the food that you eat and turning it into gains? And having a fast metabolism is something that we usually say when we mean that your body burns a lot of calories, you burn a lot of calories doing day-to-day things, and you burn a lot of calories in your workouts, and that's a good thing if you're trying to burn fat, right?

  (01:09)

  Hey there. Welcome to Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share with you some of the tips that I share with my personal training clients to help them to burn fat, get strong and eat better. In today's episode, I'm going to share with you a conversation that I had with my Twitch chat when I went live on my Twitch channel recently, that's Twitch.tv/Jaydigains. While I was doing one of my workout streams, one of my chatters asked me whether metabolism was a real thing or not. And so in today's episode, I'm going to talk all about what we mean when we talk about having a fast or slow metabolism, and I'm going to give you some tips and tricks for how to speed up your metabolism, AKA, get your body burning more calories.

  (02:00)

  So if you're interested in burning fat, this is a really great episode to listen to. It will help you to make sense of and sift through the types of information that you probably will see on social media regarding metabolism. Now, real quick, before we head into the episode, make sure that you check out my training app, which I recently launched to share some of the training programs that I read my clients through. You can find the link for that in the show notes or in the description below this video. Right now, I have a variety of programs up on the app that you can choose from, whether you're trying to work out at home or go to the gym, lift weights, burn fats, or increase your cardiovascular lower wellness, check that out. Go to my website, gd gaines.com or Jaydharrisonfitness.com. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:50)

  In general, the more calories that your body burns, the faster your metabolism is and the fewer calories that your body burns the slower your metabolism is. But it's not really a scientific term, it's just kind of a way that we talk about your body's calorie burning. Now, there are things that can impact your body's calorie burning. For instance, if you have a thyroid issue, if you have a thyroid disease, that means that your body doesn't as effectively release the hormones that tell your body to do functions that burn a lot of calories. Your body's less efficient at running the systems that would use a lot of energy. Or on the other hand, sometimes if you have a different type of thyroid issue is that you have too much of different hormones where your body is burning way too many calories on things that it shouldn't be using as much energy for.

  (03:50)

  So in that way, that is a health condition that can impact your metabolism, that having thyroid issues can impact how effectively your body is using energy and running systems. There are things that you can do if you suspect that your body is not able to burn as many calories as you want it to if you're specifically trying to burn fat. First of all, the best way to speed up your metabolism, IE get your body burning more calories, get your body doing more stuff that needs to burn. Energy is to get moving. The more that you move, the more calories you burn. Every system that your body runs requires energy to spend and it's calories are like your fuel. You need fuel in your car for your car to run. Your body burns fuel, the food that you eat or the fat stores that you have as battery packs.

  (04:44)

  When you get up and you move around, the more active your lifestyle is in general, the faster your metabolism is, meaning you burn more calories, you use more energy. So building a habit of getting moving on most days for 10 to 30 minutes every single day is a great way to speed up your metabolism. IE burn more calories. And then another really important way to burn more calories and speed up your metabolism is to build muscle. Do workouts that are focused on challenging your muscles and getting you stronger because one building muscle is kind of a calorie expensive system like that system that your body runs, muscle protein, synthesis, healing, damaged tissue. These are really calorie expensive energy systems. So when you build muscle, you burn a lot of calories. Also, the more muscle you have, the more energy your body burns on a day-to-day basis just to power that those muscles to get energy to them so that they can push, pull, run, jump, climb, all those things that you want to do in your activity.

  (05:55)

  So building muscle is another great way for you to speed up your metabolism. IE get your body burning more calories. Another thing that you can do is sleep. A lot of people don't realize how much of an impact not sleeping well has on your body's efficiency and ability to manage its energy. If you haven't slept well, you're going to have a harder time getting up and moving because you're going to feel tired, right? So you're not going to burn as much energy and if you don't sleep well, that's your rest and digest. When you're sleeping, that's when your body runs repairs on your damaged tissues. So if you don't sleep a whole lot, then your body isn't able to effectively heal you from your workouts. So you risk getting sick. The more that your immune system gets suppressed, you're not going to be able to burn as many calories.

  (06:45)

  So sleeping as much as your body needs and how much you need to sleep is individual to you. A good general recommendation that a lot of people give is eight to 10 hours per night, but you may need more, you may need less. Women tend to need more sleep than men do, and we tend to need more sleep at different points of our 28 day hormonal cycle. So when you are in that period between ovulation and starting your period when you're PMSing, you might need more sleep and you might need more sleep when you are actually on your period than off. So listen to your body, give your body as much rest as it needs. Your body will tell you if you're not getting enough sleep, generally speaking, we all kind of know when we're not getting enough sleep, but signs that you can look for are you're feeling fatigued and tired all the time.

  (07:28)

  You're experiencing some mental health issues. You're feeling irritable, you have very little energy, you have trouble focusing at work, and you might catch yourself just wanting to nap all the time. These are good signs that you're probably not getting enough sleep or enough good sleep. Now some people can't help it that they're not good sleepers. Some people have sleep apnea, which is when your body just stops breathing while you're sleeping. Very, very common. And it's not just old people. It happens to a lot of people. I think I know somebody who's really baby 24, 23 who sleeps with a CP pap machine because he has sleep apnea. That might be something you need to look into if you have trouble sleeping. There's a lot of studies right now that are being done on how to help people improve sleep. You can participate in a sleep study, you can and also go to the doctor.

  (08:21)

  There's things that you can do. If you are woman and you're going through perimenopause, it's likely that you have trouble sleeping because that's just what our bodies do. We have a hard time sleeping when we're going through perimenopause, and so I encourage you to talk to your doctor if you have trouble sleeping because to bring it back to the topic at hand when you're not sleeping well, then that is going to slow down your metabolism, meaning you're just not going to be able to spend as much energy of your body because you're not recovering. And then the types of foods that you can eat to get your body to burn more calories are the types of foods that make your digestive system have to work harder. You have to run more systems to digest this food that's going to boost your metabolism by getting your body to burn more calories.

  (09:07)

  That's called the thermic effect of food. Yeah, so the thermic effect of food is that when every system that your body runs requires energy to run, and when you are digesting food that takes more steps for you to digest it, then your body burns more calories digesting it. So I suggest eating foods that are higher in protein, right? A high protein diet is generally recommended for fitness and fat loss, eating food that has lots of fiber in it. Soluble fiber is really great for helping to reduce belly fat, but it's also good for your tummy to feel good and digest them. But just make sure that you increase your fiber intake gradually so that you can avoid tummy trouble. So lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables follow the healthy plate model. That's why it's here. This is a good solid visual reminder of how you should eat.

  (09:54)

  And if you eat this way most of your meals, then you will be giving your body sufficient metabolism boosting to get that thermic effect of food because your body's going to be having to break down complex carbohydrates. It takes more steps to break down protein, healthy fats as well. So if you're doing all of those things, exercising, eating according to the healthy plate model, sleeping enough and you're still having trouble burning calories, you need to figure out exactly how many calories you're eating every day. If you make all those changes and nothing's moving, then that's where you need to start getting a little bit more specific and specialized in your approach, right? So I don't actually recommend tracking for everybody. Tracking your food is really tedious, and especially for neurodivergent folks, it can be really overwhelming. But if you've done all of those other simple things and you have those checked off, then you're probably going to have to really get scientific about it.

  (10:50)

  So prepare yourself mentally to track what you eat and see exactly how your body responds on X amount of calories and be scientific about it. Aim for eating a specific amount of calories every day. See how your body weight responds. Check your belly circumference gradually reduce your calories within reason a hundred to hundred 50 calories at a time for a week. At least See how your body responds. And if you are starting to lose weight and you're starting to see inches go down after you've reduced your calories a hundred to 250 calories below what you were eating before, then your metabolism is fine. You don't have a slow metabolism, you just were eating too many calories right now. If you find that you're eating a super low number of calories and you're still not, your weight's not going anywhere, then that is a sign that you have a slow metabolism, meaning your body is just not burning the energy that it should be burning.

  (11:46)

  And in that case, you do want to make sure that you go to the doctor to check your thyroid and check if there's any other kind of health issues because there are some health issues that can cause your body to burn fewer calories and which makes it harder to lose weight or burn fat. But you can also ask yourself some questions because there are some things that will cause your body to slow down. IE burn fewer calories. One is being in a super low calorie intake for an extended period of time. If you've been eating a really low number of calories, your body will adapt to that because your body is built for the wild and in the wild. If you go through a really big stretch of time where you're not able to find the amount of food that your body ideally needs, your body will make its energy expense more efficient and slow down systems meaning spending less energy on things so that you don't starve, right?

  (12:50)

  That's why that system exists. And so if you have been eating a super low amount of calories for a really long time and you haven't seen any movement, well then that might be a sign that you don't actually need to go into a calorie deficit. Do you need to do a reverse diet? You need to get your calorie intake up before you start worrying about burning fat. You need to get those calories up. You are eating too little. There is such a thing as not eating enough food to burn fat. You need to have your baseline level of calorie intake. Pretty reasonable. Your maintenance level of calories needs to be healthy before you consider dropping calories to burn fat. So if you have been super low for a really long time, you need to start gradually increasing your calories as long as you have an underlying health condition ruled out, okay, still see the doctor, get blood work taken, rule out a medical thing, but reverse dieting that just involves over time in a slow and controlled fashion, increasing your calorie intake 50 to 150 calories at a time and eating that for a week to two weeks or maybe even longer.

  (14:01)

  And yes, you will see your weight go up probably slightly when you increase your calories because you've been really fucking low for a long time and your body's like, oh, hell yeah. Now we've got some energy. Let's quickly store that away because we don't know when this bitch is going to give us more food. You see what I mean? So you kind of have to mentally prepare yourself. Reverse diet is hard for a lot of people mental health wise, but that's what you have to do if you want to be healthy. So you increase your calories, your weight will likely spike up, but then it should come back down and then level out. Once it has leveled out, that's when you add more calories, another 50 to 100 calories, and then it'll be the same thing again. Your weight will probably go up and then come down and then stabilize.

  (14:49)

  And you keep repeating process until you reach the point where you're eating a pretty reasonable amount of calories for someone of your size. So you can calculate how many calories should a person of my size, my activity levels. You can find out what a good sort of reasonable amount of calories is for you to maintain your body weight. Once you have gotten to the weight where you're able to eat that amount without gaining weight, then you can cut calories, then you can go on a diet. Now, what will often happen, what happens with a lot of my clients when I have them reverse diet, if they have been eating a really low number of calories for a long time, once I get them to start eating more food, a lot of times they start losing weight. A lot of times people will skip the spike, come back down and plateau.

  (15:37)

  Some people completely skip that. That might happen for you. So that might be what you need to do. And another thing that can slow down your metabolism. I eat get your body to burn. Fewer calories is going on and off crash diets. So you might have this binge restrict pattern where you really don't like your body. You see something promoted on Instagram, this juice cleanse or whatever. You go on the juice cleanse, you're eating maybe a thousand calories a day, or maybe you're drinking a thousand calories a day. By the way, 1000 calories is the starvation threshold, okay? If you're eating 1000 calories or below, that is unhealthy. But some people will go on these crashed diets. Well, they'll eat that super low amount or they'll drink nothing but juice to have that really low amount of calories, and they'll get the illusion of having burned fat because their body will be dehydrated and they will not have the bulk of the food.

  (16:38)

  And they'll think, oh, I lost weight that was successful. They go off of this crash diet because they're fucking starving. And then they'll Kirby mode, right? They go off the diet and then they Kirby mode, just everything in sight, and then they end up gaining more weight because they binge the fuck out of the end of their diet. And then they start eating more and more and more calories than their body is ready for and can absorb and use. So that binge Kirby mode slash restrict crash diet, if you tend to alternate between those where you have periods where you're just like Kirby mode eating everything, and then you're like, oh, I'm going to starve myself for a short period of time, that also can get your body into a place where it's not really burning a lot of calories because your body, again, built for the wild, is reading your behavior as a sign of an inconsistent environment.

  (17:32)

  So it's like we don't know when it's going to be the next place that we go into where we don't have any food at all. So we need to store away whatever extra energy we get whenever we do the binge part. You see what I mean? If you have that binge restrict kind of cycle, that also is going to reduce your calorie expenditure. IE slow down your metabolism. And again, if that's the case for you, you likely have a very low number of calories that your body can stand to eat without gaining weight. And again, the solution to that is getting on a consistent diet, right? Getting to where you're eating a consistent amount of calories every day, and then see how your body responds to eating that consistent amount of calories over the course of at least a week. And then see where it is and make a decision from there about whether you need to reverse diet, bring your calories up, or if you are ready to reduce your calories, but you kind of have to have those first things in place that I talked about before.

  (18:28)

  Exercising enough, eating according to the healthy plate model, sleeping enough. Those are the bare minimum things. If you're not doing that, you need to take care of that first. And then if that doesn't work, then you get more specific about how many calories am I eating? Figure that out. Figure out how many calories your body is used to having, and figure out how your body responds to having a consistent amount of calories that you take in every day. And then once you have that data, you can make a decision, but still going to the doctor and making sure that you don't have an underlying thyroid issue or a Crohn's disease or something is also good data to have. So I hope that that answers your question. What we mean by slow metabolism, fast metabolism, what it means in terms of fitness and how it can be related to a medical issue. More often than not, in my experience, it's related to having an inconsistent relationship with food and just not being super mindful of how you eat and how you exercise. That's most people's case. But thyroid issues are really common too. So check with your doctor, but also make sure that you kind of check off the list for those things.

  (19:38)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA, Jaydigains. If you haven't yet, make sure that you like this video and subscribe to my channel if you're watching on YouTube. If you are listening to the podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And again, make sure that you check out my training app, which is linked in the show notes or the description below this video. I will see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, drink your water, and prioritize your self-care. I'll see you soon.

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Episode 65: Why a Warm-Up Routine Might Be the Missing Piece in Your Fitness Journey (Especially with ADHD or Autism)

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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In this episode of The Coaching Corner, I share how building a consistent warm-up ritual can completely change your fitness journey—especially if you have ADHD or autism. A structured warm-up not only helps your body prepare to move, but it also reduces mental load, helps with executive dysfunction, and can even stand alone as a mini workout on tough days.

👉 I break down the key elements of an effective warm-up:
✔️ Low-intensity cardio
✔️ Dynamic stretching
✔️ Personalized mobility work

Whether you're brand new to exercise or returning after burnout, this episode will help you create a warm-up that works with your brain and body. I also introduce you to my training app, where you’ll find structured workout plans and on-demand workouts for all levels.

💡 Perfect for:

• Neurodivergent exercisers

• People with ADHD or autism

• Beginners looking for low-pressure ways to start

• Anyone struggling with motivation or overwhelm

🎧 Listen above or watch below and learn how to make warm-ups your secret weapon for workout consistency.

The Power of a Ritualized Warm-Up

Creating a consistent warm-up isn't just about getting your body ready—it's about helping your brain shift gears, reduce mental load, and ease into movement.

For neurodivergent folks like us, a reliable ritual helps eliminate decision fatigue. It becomes an automatic routine that signals, “Hey, it’s time to move,” without requiring a huge burst of motivation or executive function.

And here’s the thing: your warm-up can also double as a mini workout on the days where everything feels too hard. I tell my clients all the time—you don’t need to do a full workout to succeed today. You just need to do something. And your warm-up absolutely counts.

What Makes a Good Warm-Up?

A solid warm-up includes a few key components:

1. Low-Intensity Cardio

Think of this as gently flipping the "on" switch for your body. March in place, walk, ride a stationary bike, or do light step-ups for 2–5 minutes.

2. Dynamic Stretching

Unlike static stretching, dynamic stretches involve movement. This might be arm circles, leg swings, or hip openers to get your joints lubricated and ready.

3. Personalized Mobility Work

This is where you address your own tight spots or movement limitations. Maybe it’s shoulder circles, foam rolling, or banded hip openers. Tailor it to your body’s needs.

Your warm-up doesn’t need to be fancy—it just needs to be repeatable and doable. That way, even on low-energy or overstimulated days, it’s something you can rely on.

A Warm-Up That Works for You = A Workout You’ll Actually Do

So many of my neurodivergent clients feel discouraged because they think they need to “go hard” or “do it perfectly” to make progress. But the truth is, consistency beats intensity every time.

Your warm-up can act like a gateway habit. Once you do it, you’re already in motion—and more often than not, you’ll feel ready to keep going. But even if you stop there? That’s a win.

Want Help Creating a Routine?

If you want guidance, I’ve created a training app with structured workout programs and on-demand movement sessions. You’ll find warm-up sequences, mobility flows, and full workouts—designed for different energy levels and different brains.

You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. I’ll bring the plan. You bring the effort.

Links

• Watch on Youtube

• Show Notes

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Get my Training app

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  When you first start at the gym, you are going to have to think about what you're doing for your warmup because anytime you start something new, it takes a lot of brain energy, it takes a lot of focus. But if you try to keep your warmup consistent, keep it the same every single time you train, you will reach the point where you don't have to think about it anymore. And that is a good place to be because especially on those days when you're feeling overwhelmed or really stressed and you just don't have the executive functioning to be able to output more energy, having the warmup on autopilot is a really easy low barrier to access entry to getting a workout in.

  (00:48)

  Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer and health coach for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share with you the same kind of tips and strategies that I share with my personal training clients to help them get strong, lose weight and eat better. Now, starting a fitness journey or coming back after a break can be really overwhelming. And if you're someone with ADHD or autism, the overwhelm can hit even harder. The noise, the stimulation, the list of exercises and the pressure to do it all and do it all perfectly, can really paralyze you to the point where you have trouble even starting your workouts. So what I encourage all my clients to do, and this is what I do for myself as well, is have a solid warmup routine that you don't have to really think about.

  (01:40)

  It's the same in every workout, and it helps you to kind of get in the mode or the mindset for your workout. And on the days where you're feeling too overwhelmed to do a full workout, the warmup ritual in and of itself will help you to get some blood flowing and get some circulation. And some days that's going to be all you can do and that's okay. So today I'm going to give you the same tips that I give my clients for building a solid warmup routine that you can just go on autopilot and do at the beginning of every workout so you don't have to think about it. Now, real quick before we get into the episode, please make sure to like this video if you are watching on YouTube and subscribe to my channel. So you always get the latest videos as they drop.

  (02:26)

  And if you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. Also, keep in mind that if you are looking for a personal trainer or just a little bit of guidance with your workouts, I have recently just launched my training app and I'm so excited to open up my Gains library, which is a collection of my workout programs and on-demand workouts that I've created for my clients, and I'm making available to you. So links for that will be in the show notes or in the description below this video. Check it out. I would love to see you there and help you make some progress in your gains. Now, without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (03:15)

  Remember, when you're experiencing executive dysfunction, you need to reduce the load on your brain as much as possible. So having a warmup routine that is memorized that you don't even have to think about is one less spell slot that you have to spend to get your workout going. And what I find with a lot of my people is that when they're in that mode, they're having trouble getting started, just getting the workout going by doing their memorized solid warmup routine actually gets them in the mode where they're actually ready to train. So let's talk about what a warmup is and what a good warmup routine contains. The warmup is the very first part of your workout, and the goal of it is to get your body ready for the more intense stuff that you're going to be doing later in the workout. What we're trying to do is get blood flow to the muscles.

  (04:05)

  We're trying to increase your core temperature by a few degrees, which will help you to get into the higher intensity work. We're also trying to get some synovial fluid flowing in your joints to protect your joints in the higher intensity exercises. A good solid warmup will also take your muscles through their full range of motion to help alleviate any tension or tightness so that you reduce the risk of pulling a muscle while you're training. A good warmup will also get your brain and your muscles connected because if you are neurodivergent, you probably spend a lot of time not really present in your body, probably lost in your thoughts. So getting into your muscles, getting into your body is another core part of a good warmup routine. Now, your warmup does not have to be super fancy or complicated. In fact, I recommend that you keep it as simple as possible.

  (04:59)

  So here's what I recommend for my clients. Whenever I train my clients, we always start with five to 10 minutes of a low steady state cardio warmup. So I tell my clients, pick the cardio machine of your choice and walk at a steady pace for a period of five to 10 minutes. You don't have to do anything super intense here. This is just low to moderate intensity to get you breathing a little bit faster, to get your heart beating a little bit faster, but not too crazy. We're trying to get warmth into your muscles and loosen you up. You should still be able to talk while you're doing your steady state cardio warmup. So a lot of times I use this time to check in with my clients while they're doing their cardio warmup. I'll stand nearby. I'll ask them questions like, how's your body feeling today?

  (05:45)

  Any aches or pains? How was your weekend? And this is a good time for me to check in with them, but it also keeps them working at a pace that is appropriate for the warmup because if you can't talk during your cardiovascular warmup, you're working too hard. Okay? So don't go crazy here. Now, after five to 10 minutes of walking on the treadmill, working on the elliptical using the rowing machine, you could walk outside or maybe go on a light jog outside as well, if that's something that you prefer. Just do something that gets your big muscles going, gets you moving in a repetitive motion but not too intense. You should still be able to talk while you do this activity. And after you've finished that five to 10 minutes, then I recommend doing a series of dynamic stretches. Now, dynamic stretches are different from static stretches.

  (06:34)

  Static stretches are where you hold a stretch for an extended period of time because you are trying to work on your flexibility. For instance, dynamic stretches are all about bringing your muscles through their full range of motion contraction and extension with very little or no load. That way you can loosen the muscles up and prepare them for the more intense exercises that are to come later in the workout. So I work my clients from head to toe or from the feet up depending on what we're feeling like doing that day. And we go through all of the major muscles and the major movements of the body. And for each of these stretches, we're not really holding them, we're just kind of gently going through the motion, spending a few seconds on the extension and a few seconds on the contraction so that we can practice elongating and contracting the muscles.

  (07:25)

  Now, this helps to loosen the muscles up so that they don't stay tight. It also helps you to scan your body to see if you have any trigger points or tight points that need a little bit more attention before you put those muscles under load. So while you're doing your dynamic stretches, you really want to pay attention to what feels tight, what maybe you need to spend a little bit more time stretching or maybe use a foam roller to help relieve tension in those muscles before you ask them to do anything intense. Now, if you're using my training app, there are several options for dynamic stretch videos that you can follow along with at the beginning of your workouts, depending on whether you want to be doing them standing or on the mat or seated. Now, it's important when you're doing your dynamic stretches to not overstretch yourself.

  (08:12)

  You only want to go to the point where you feel that tension in the muscles, but you don't want to feel any kind of sharp pains, okay? So respect your body and listen to it and respect its limits. So every time you're doing your dynamic stretches, you only want to go as far as your flexibility allows. This is not the time to be working on your flexibility. This is just to practice elongating and contracting the muscles. If you want to work on your flexibility, save that for the static stretching at the end of your workout or do a separate flexibility focused workout day. Now, after the dynamic stretches, I encourage you to perform mobility exercises that are specific to you and your body. So this is going to be different from person to person according to what kind of movement restrictions you have, or if you noticed any points that were really tight or muscles that were carrying a lot of tension while you were performing the cardio warmup and the dynamic stretches.

  (09:09)

  So mobility exercises might be foam rolling using a foam roller or other myofascial release piece of equipment to put pressure on your muscles to encourage them to relax so that they can more fully extend. But they might also look like specific mobility exercises like T-spine rotations or T ant side to side squats. These exercises are going to be specific to you and your body and what you need to work on and develop. So if you're working with a good coach, they will likely give you exercises for this part of your warmup that are specific to whatever it is that you guys are working on at the time. If you're using my training app, you can scroll down and select from the on demand mini workouts that are for different aspects of mobility, like ankle mobility, hip mobility, shoulder mobility if these things apply to you.

  (10:01)

  And you can use these as part of the beginning of your workout before you start to do the main challenge portion of your workout. So for me, my personal sticking points that I always have to work on during the mobility section of my warmups, I have to always foam roll my quads, especially my hip on my right side. That is just an area that because of my A DHD and the way that I sit and my hyper mobility and the way that I sleep, I'm always kind of in a weird position on my right hip and I find myself sitting and laying in a weird way when I'm not even thinking about it. Whenever I'm really focused and hyper-focused on something, I find myself sitting in these postures that tend to make my right hip tight. So at the beginning of my workouts, I have to spend particular attention on loosening up those muscles so that they don't bother me while I'm trying to squat heavy or run or box or kick the bag.

  (11:00)

  So I might do some foam rolling from my quads foam rolling on my hips, and then I might do some Spider-Man planks and side to side squats to help loosen up my hips. What you might need to do is totally personal to your body, and if you need some help, feel free to pop by my fitness streams when I go live on my Twitch channel. Twitch Do TV slash JD gains on Tuesdays and other times throughout the week as I have time. And you can come and ask me your question and let me know what's been bothering you. And I can give you a few tips and exercises that might help to add to your warmup routine. And mobility exercises can also be customizable to what kind of a workout you're doing that day. So I'm not always going to need to really work on my hips if I'm just doing an upper body day, but if I'm doing an upper body day, my mobility exercises going to be more focused towards my shoulder mobility and warming up external shoulder rotation again on my right side, which is my problem side.

  (12:00)

  So I'm going to make sure that I'm going to do lots of exercises to warm up external rotation on my right shoulder before I do a workout that's focused on bench press or overhead press, for example. And when you first start at the gym, you are going to have to think about what you're doing for your warmup because anytime you start something new, it takes a lot of brain energy, it takes a lot of focus. But if you try to keep your warmup consistent, keep it the same every single time you train, you will reach the point where you don't have to think about it anymore. And that is a good place to be because especially on those days when you're feeling overwhelmed or really stressed and you just don't have the executive functioning to be able to output more energy, having the warmup on autopilot is a really easy low barrier to access entry to getting a workout in.

  (12:50)

  And you know what? Some days all you're going to have the spoons for is the warmup, and you know what? That's okay. Doing something is better than doing nothing. So getting a warmup in at least gets you five to 10 minutes of cardiovascular work, which is great for your heart and will get some blood flowing to your muscles, get you some endorphins, which might help to lower your stress levels and improve your ability to focus. Doing the dynamic stretches will also help to alleviate tension that maybe you have built up through stress and anxiety, and then doing those mobility exercises is always a good idea. So feel free to do your warmup routine even as its own little mini workout on the days that you're feeling like you can't really do a whole lot, like you just don't have the executive functioning to do a whole workout. Doing the warmup is fine and it will still benefit. You do this kind of a warmup routine, and I promise you, your body will be so much more prepared to work and to push itself in the resistance training or in the cardio that you have planned so much better than if you were to just jump in and start cold.

  (14:00)

  That's the episode for today. I hope that you found it helpful and let me know what questions you have, what do you do for your warmup, and is there anything new that I presented here that you're interested in trying? And we'll start incorporating into your workouts. Leave those comments in the comments below this video if you're watching on YouTube. And don't forget that you can join me while I'm live on my Twitch channel, Twitch tv slash Jaydigains. I go live on Tuesdays in the fitness and health category and a couple other times throughout the week as I have time. If you want more information on me and the products and services that I offer, head to my website, Jaydigains.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A, ai and s.com. And make sure to sign up for my training app, which you can find more information about on my website. Just click on training app on the top menu. And that's it for today. Thank you so much again for joining me. I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your day, and I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, drink your water, and take care of yourself, and I'll see you soon.

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Episode 64: ADHD and Fitness: How Neurodivergence Shapes Your Workout Journey

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

---

If you have ADHD — or suspect you do — you might’ve noticed that sticking to a fitness routine feels harder than it “should.” Maybe you start strong but lose momentum fast. Or you want to work out, but just can’t get moving. Sound familiar?

You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’re not making excuses.

You might just have a neurodivergent brain that functions differently — and that changes how motivation, routines, and fitness play out in real life.

In this post, we’ll explore how ADHD impacts your fitness journey and what you can do to build a routine that works with your brain, not against it.

ADHD and Motivation: It’s Not About Willpower

People with ADHD have what’s called an interest-based nervous system. This means you’re more motivated by novelty, excitement, urgency, or deep personal interest — not necessarily by importance or long-term rewards.

So if the gym starts feeling repetitive…
Or if your workouts don’t feel exciting today…
Your brain may simply not fire up the motivation you need to follow through.

Tips to support your motivation:

• Change up your workouts every few weeks to keep things novel

• Use gamification (like point systems or challenges)

• Add external accountability — a coach, a friend, a class

Executive Dysfunction Makes “Simple” Routines Feel Hard

ADHD often comes with executive dysfunction — difficulty with planning, starting tasks, switching gears, or remembering details. Even if you want to work out, the steps involved (changing clothes, deciding what to do, remembering your water bottle) can feel overwhelming.

You’re not avoiding the gym because you don’t care.
You’re avoiding it because your brain is struggling to initiate.

Try this:

• Automate as much as you can — same workout times, same gym bag, same pre/post-workout snack

• Use checklists or visual reminders

• Prep for tomorrow’s workout the night before so there’s less friction

Emotional Sensitivity and Setback Spirals

Many ADHDers experience Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) — an intense emotional response to perceived failure or criticism. This can turn one missed workout into a full-blown shame spiral.

You might think:
“I missed a day — I’ve failed again.”
“I’m just not the kind of person who can be consistent.”

This kind of thinking isn’t the truth — it’s your brain’s emotional regulation system going into overdrive.

What helps:

• Reframe “messing up” as part of the process, not the end of it

• Practice self-compassion (it’s a skill you can learn!)

• Track small wins so your brain starts to see progress as success, not perfection

Hyperfocus: A Double-Edged Sword

When ADHD brains love something, we can hyperfocus — pour hours of energy into it with laser-sharp attention. That might look like training every day for two weeks straight, learning everything about fitness… then burning out.

This cycle of “all in, then crash” is common — and it can make it harder to build sustainable habits.

Instead of fighting hyperfocus, try to:

• Use it to establish strong foundational habits

• Set external limits (like a rest day timer or a coach)

• Schedule in rest and recovery before you need it

Boredom, Dopamine, and the Search for Stimulation

Dopamine is a big player in ADHD — and when dopamine levels are low, your brain craves stimulation. Unfortunately, some of the most effective workouts (like steady-state cardio or mobility work) might feel boring.

That boredom can be painful — not just annoying.

Dopamine-friendly workout ideas:

• Music, podcasts, or fun playlists

• Group classes or partner workouts

• Try new sports, locations, or themed routines (e.g., RPG-style workouts, anyone?)

You Don’t Have to “Push Through” — You Can Work With Your Brain

ADHD isn’t an excuse. But it is an explanation. And when you understand your brain, you can finally stop forcing yourself into fitness routines that aren’t built for you.

Instead, you can design habits and systems that:

• Match your energy levels

• Embrace structure and flexibility

• Help you stay consistent — even when motivation fades

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to fix your brain to get fit.
You need a fitness approach that supports your brain the way it works.

Your path might not look like anyone else’s — and that’s okay.

Consistency doesn’t mean perfection. It means coming back — again and again — in ways that feel doable and kind to your nervous system. Whether you train in short bursts, need novelty, or thrive with checklists, your approach is valid.

Ready to build a fitness routine that works for your ADHD brain? You’re not alone — and you don’t have to do it all at once.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch the full episode on YouTube!
📩 Want more tools like this? Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly mindset and fitness tips delivered straight to your inbox.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Work with Me! Online Personal Training

• Training App

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  Motivation can be really inconsistent for people who have a DHD because your dopamine system doesn't work as effectively. Now, this is not your fault and it is not a failure on your part, it's just how your brain works. You don't get as much of dopamine release from doing exercise and from sticking to a plan and working towards a long-term goal as a neurotypical person, and that's okay. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I have been a fitness coach and personal trainer for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share the same tips and tricks that I share with my personal training clients to help you get strong, burn fat and build a body that you love. In today's episode, we're talking all about the ways that having neurodiversity, specifically A DHD impacts your ability to get in shape and stay consistent on your fitness journey.

  (01:05)

  In my work as a personal trainer, almost all of my clients that I work with have some type of neurodivergence, whether it's a DHD, autism, a mixture of both, or C-P-T-S-D, and there are many ways in which these brain types can impact your ability to get in shape and stay consistent in your fitness journey. So today we're going to talk about the ways that A DHD in particular shows up in your fitness journey, and I'm also going to give some tips for how to accommodate yourself and work with your brain instead of against it to get in shape. Now, real quick before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel if you're watching on YouTube, if you're listening to this podcast, make sure that you follow the show so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (01:59)

  If you have a DHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or if you suspect that you do, you might find that it is a lot harder to stick to a fitness plan or a diet plan, then it feels like it should. And this is a completely normal experience for people who have this kind of brain type. And today I want to talk about the ways that your A DHD might be impacting your fitness journey. And I'm also going to give you some tips for how to accommodate yourself so that you can stick to your fitness plan and reach your fitness goals. I'm going to share practical neurodivergent friendly tips for how you can manage your A DHD, including navigating executive dysfunction, how to work with dopamine driven motivation and deconstruct the all or nothing mindset, whether you're new to fitness or if you feel like you're starting over all the time, this episode is for you.

  (02:53)

  Real quickly, let's define what we mean exactly by A DHD. A DHD stands for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and there are a lot of different ways that A DHD expresses itself and affects the way that you think and behave. Having A DHD is more than just having difficulty focusing or feeling like you need to fidget all the time. Having a DHD can impact your routines, your motivation, your decision-making, and how you experience progress. Now the good news is that understanding more about how your brain works can help you to better navigate these obstacles so you can stay more consistent on your fitness journey by working with your brain instead of against it. Now, one thing that you have to understand when it comes to your brain type, if you have a DHD, is that A DHD is associated with lower levels of dopamine activity, particularly in areas of the brain that are responsible for attention, motivation and reward processing.

  (03:55)

  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is, it's a chemical messenger in your brain and in your nervous system. It plays a key role in how you feel pleasure and how you stay motivated, focused and learn through rewards. So when you do something or you accomplish something, your brain releases dopamine, which gives you a sense of pleasure and contentment and also a drive to do the thing again. So it reinforces behaviors that feel good or are important for survival in terms of your motivation and drive. Dopamine helps you to want to do things. So it's released when you're working toward a goal or when you're anticipating a reward. When something feels good, like you eat yummy food or you receive praise from somebody, or when you hit a PR at the gym, your brain releases dopamine and that reinforces that behavior. It makes you want to do it again.

  (04:52)

  Dopamine also helps to regulate your attention, your alertness and your ability to concentrate. Now, dopamine is also linked to movement. It plays a role in coordinating smooth intentional movement, which is why diseases like Parkinson's disease, which is linked to low dopamine, this can cause motor issues. Now in A DHD brains in general, dopamine signaling doesn't function as effectively as in neurotypical brains. So we may have fewer dopamine receptors, we may have reduced dopamine transport, or we might have faster dopamine re-uptake, meaning that the brain clears it away too quickly. And in terms of how you think and how you behave, you can experience all of this as trouble staying motivated, trouble concentrating, needing more stimulation in order to feel engaged and focused. You may also crave more novelty or immediate rewards. You may also have difficulty with planning and following through on your plans. Now when it comes to your fitness, all of this can have a major impact.

  (05:57)

  Your ability to get into a new fitness routine. If you're just started or staying motivated to continue to show up for your workouts or for your meal prep or whatever it is, motivation can be really inconsistent for people who have a DHD because your dopamine system doesn't work as effectively. Now, this is not your fault and it is not a failure on your part, it's just how your brain works. You don't get as much of dopamine release from doing exercise and from sticking to a plan and working towards a long-term goal as a neurotypical person. And that's okay. People with a DHD often have interest-based nervous systems, and this means that your motivation isn't necessarily driven by importance or logic or this is good for me. Instead, you tend to be more motivated by stimulation and novelty. So you might feel supercharged in a few of your workouts and then you struggle to get off the couch just a few days later.

  (07:00)

  Even though you want to care and you want to feel motivated, the dopamine just isn't there. So here are a few ways that you can navigate this fluctuating level of motivation. One is use variety to your advantage. It may not work for you to have a single block of training where you're going to do the same workouts for an extended period of time, weeks or months. Instead, you probably want to give yourself a little menu of workout styles and workout types that you can select from depending on how you're feeling. And I really encourage you to give yourself options that are activities that are fun and engaging and challenge your brain. So for example, I stay kind of consistent on my lifting. I definitely have many days where I just do not care. I don't care, and I don't feel motivated to lift weights. I do it because I want to maintain my muscles and also because I don't want to go through the process of getting out of shape and getting back into shape.

  (08:03)

  But there are some days where I legit just cannot. I just can't, can't fathom getting under the bar and doing some squats or bench press or whatnot, and instead, I kind of just feel like getting into a flow and doing some quick movements. So on those days, I'll get out the bag and I'll hit the bag and do some boxing and kickboxing drills. Sometimes the idea of exerting myself and getting tired and sweaty feels like too much of a demand, and so on those days, I'll just do mobility based exercises that help me to stretch my muscles and keep my joints limber and healthy. Another thing that is very helpful on the days that you don't feel like you have a lot of motivation and you need to do something like work out or go to work or fill out paperwork is a strategy called body doubling.

  (08:56)

  Body doubling is when you get somebody to work alongside you or just kind of sit with you either in person or virtually. So you're not necessarily talking to this person, they're just kind of there holding space with you. And this strategy helps so much for staying engaged. And I use this strategy. That's one of the reasons why I stream on Twitch. I stream my workouts on Twitch a lot of times. That's what helps me to stay motivated and stay consistent with my workouts. And I especially use this strategy when it comes to my meal prep because I really hate cooking. It's too tedious and under stimulating. But when I stream and I'm interacting with other people, listening to music, having a good time and socializing that body, doubling is such a powerful technique and it really helps me to get my stuff done. So these are a few things that you can use to accommodate your brain type if you feel like you can't stay consistently motivated to show up for your workouts.

  (09:51)

  Now, another thing that's really common for people who have a DHD is what's called executive dysfunction. So executive dysfunction is when the brain struggles to manage tasks that require planning, organizing, starting or finishing things even when you want to do them and when you know that they're important, it's not laziness or a lack of intelligence. It's a disconnect between inaction and action that a lot of times has to do with the faulty dopamine system that we have in our brains. So executive functions are the set of mental skills that help you to start tasks, stay focused, plan ahead. Remember instructions, manage time control impulses, switch between tasks and regulate your emotions. Now, what executive dysfunction may look like for you in your fitness is that you want to go to the gym, but you just can't make yourself start getting ready. You may freeze or shut down when it's time to take action.

  (10:52)

  You may forget appointments or deadlines or even where you put your keys, and by the time you search the house and you find your keys, you don't even want to go to the gym anymore. You might also feel overwhelmed by your fitness plan. You may also feel like, I don't even want to think about what is my workout plan. You may not even want to plan your workouts, and it's not a willpower issue. It's your brain's task manager that's lagging. Executive dysfunction is a neurological issue. It's not a moral failing, and there are things that you can do to work around it. One is try to automate the process as much as possible. Try to get into a routine, build it little bit by little bit so that you don't have to think about going to the gym or working out pre-pack your gym bag, have it ready to go and plan simple repeatable meals and snacks that you don't have to think about.

  (11:42)

  And I also encourage you to use visual cues like having a fitness calendar, a whiteboard or sticky notes, and this is where working with a coach can be very, very helpful because a coach will be the one doing the planning for you. Many of my clients who train with me in person say that they love that they can just show up and they don't have to think and they just do what I tell them to do. My online clients also enjoy the fact that I do all of the planning ahead of time for what their workouts should be for weeks ahead of time or for months ahead of time, and they just hit start now, follow the plan, plug in what they do, and hit save and go home. You also want to avoid the pressure of having to plan your workouts, so get onto a training program.

  (12:26)

  I have tons of training plans that are available on my substack, and you can also download them from my website. You can also join my training app where I have put together a bunch of six month programs that you can follow along with, and you don't have to do any of the planning yourself. If you want extra accountability, I am taking on a few online coaching clients, so you can also check that out. More information for that is on my website, Jaydigains.com. Now, another way that your A DHD may be impacting your fitness is your rejection sensitivity and having an all or nothing mindset. Many people with a DHD experience what's called rejection sensitivity dysphoria or RSD, what this means is that even minor setbacks feel like major failures. One missed workout can spiral into I'm failing again, or what's the point? This emotional intensity can derail the whole process if it's left unmanaged.

  (13:22)

  So if you deal with this type of all or nothing mindset or that feeling of, I'm failing again, when you miss a workout or you don't do everything completely, what I encourage you to do is one practice. The self-compassion one day off does not erase your progress. Remember, your body reflects what you do most of the time. You do not have to be perfect and order to make progress also reframe success. Showing up and doing something imperfectly or partially is still better than not showing up at all. So even if you have to reduce your workout or just do half of it or just show up and stretch, that is better than nothing, and I would rather you show up and do something for your body than nothing at all, even if you're not necessarily following the plan. Another thing that can help with this is to journal your wins and celebrate your wins.

  (14:14)

  Make a big deal out of them because it's so hard for your brain to release that dopamine and get that dopamine naturally that says, fuck yeah, we did the thing, right? You have to kind of make a big deal out of your wins yourself to really stimulate that dopamine release. Even with your small wins, give yourself some kind of acknowledgement. Text your friend and say, I did it. Text your coach. Keep a fitness journal and give yourself a sticker when you complete a workout, or if you show up, do something to mark your wins and celebrate them because your brain needs that extra little bit of reward. Another way that A DHD can show up on your fitness journey is that hyper focus can be both a gift and a trap. Hyper focus tends to show up when we find something new and interesting and we want to pour hours and hours and hours of our attention into that thing.

  (15:08)

  This is why people with A DHD often love video games and will get super, super into a video game and play for hours and hours and hours. And you may think, how do you sit still for that long when you can barely sit still at work? And it's because the video game or whatever it is that's new and stimulating, catches the hyper focus. Now when it comes to your fitness, you may be really excited at first when you start going to the gym because it's new and there's so much to learn. And so you want to pour so much time and energy into your workouts, which can be great because that'll allow you to make lots of gains really quickly in the beginning. However, you can go too far to the point where you burn yourself out. You get injured because you overtrain. So you want to manage that hyperfocus and pace yourself.

  (15:58)

  When it comes to starting a new workout block or starting in the gym at all, enjoy the hyperfocus because it gives you massive dopamine hits when you do the thing. But try to pace yourself and avoid the temptation of doing too much. I encourage you to create structure around your rest and recovery. A lot of times people with a DHD in particular have a hard time with the rest and recovery part of working out, so give yourself little rewards and reminders for doing the rest and recovery aspect of working out. Because remember, you don't make any gains in the gym. The gym is where we actually break the muscle down. It's the rest and recovery where the gains actually happen. So you have to prioritize those things. Creating structure around your rest and recovery might look like actually scheduling in rest days in your calendar and maybe scheduling activities that are restful and rejuvenating for you to do on your rest days.

  (16:57)

  So you feel like you're doing something. This might look like going to a stretch yoga class or getting a massage or maybe going to a sauna or maybe you schedule some time to sit down and play video games with your friends. I want to make sure that you set some reminders to make sure that you eat stay hydrated and that you stretch. Now, another way that your A DHD might be impacting your fitness is that the dopamine deficiency might make the gym feel boring. If you're not getting enough stimulus or stimulation, then you might have a really hard time motivating yourself to get into the door. Remember, dopamine plays a big role with A DHD, and your brain is less likely to uptake it or release it. Your brain processes it a lot less than someone who's neurotypical. If you're feeling like the gym is too boring, then you need modify your approach to the gym so that you are getting those dopamine hits that your brain needs in order to keep showing up consistently.

  (17:57)

  Ways that you can do this is make it more stimulating. Listen to music or audio books or podcasts. Have something going on in your headphones that keeps you have something going that gives you another level of stimulus so that you can, if you need to mindlessly do the exercises, but you have something that you can kind of settle your attention on. And also, like we said before, having a flexible training plan with different workout styles. Depending on where you are in your dopamine and your motivation can be super helpful. Keep it short and high intensity if that's what excites you, but just make sure that you don't go overboard because too much high intensity exercise can lead to overtraining. One thing that I find helps a lot of people with A DHD to stick to their training is to roleplay within their own minds and think about training like a superhero.

  (18:47)

  Because a lot of us with a DHD are really big fans of anime, right? Or different video games. That image of training like the hero in your favorite anime or manga or video game, actually helps a lot of people to stick it out when they're feeling low motivation to train. A lot of my buddies have tons of anime references up in their home gyms, and they think about their training regimen as preparing for a Dragon Ball Z battle. My first fitspo was Laura Croft. I wanted to be able to run around and pull myself up onto ledges and swan, dive into water, et cetera. So thinking about ways that you can sort of role play in your own mind and use your imagination to contextualize your workouts and give them a playful and meaningful role in your life. And again, body doubling can help a lot with this problem. Having a buddy with you that's training with you in the gym, or if you're streaming your workouts on Twitch, like me, having somebody else there can give just the right amount of stimulus that you need to do the thing that you need to do in the gym without just feeling like you're torturing yourself.

  (20:11)

  So there you have it. These are a couple of ways that A DHD might be showing up in your fitness journey. And now you have a few tools in your toolkit for managing them so you can work with your brain instead of against it to stick to your fitness plan. Remember, A DHD does not mean that you're a failure or that you're lazy or that you're bad. It just means that your path might look a little bit different and that you have to be a little bit more mindful about managing the amount of stimulus that you get from your workouts. And you might have to get a little bit creative, get a buddy or a coach. And remember, progress is not about being perfect. It's about showing up most of the time and doing whatever you can. Something is better than nothing. I'm right there with you.

  (20:51)

  I'm still learning how to manage my A DHD brain and it shows up in my business. It shows up in my fitness. We're learning here together, okay? Don't feel like you have to do it alone. You can join my Discord server or you can come and hang out with me while I'm live on Twitch. That's Twitch tv slash Jaydigains. I go live on Tuesdays and then other days throughout the week as I have time. And that's it for today's episode. I hope that you enjoyed it and found it helpful. I will see you in the next episode. In the meantime, please make sure to like this video if you found it helpful and you're watching on YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe to the channel. If you're listening, make sure that you have followed the channels. You always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. I'll see you next time. In the meantime, take care of yourself. Drink water, eat your protein, eat your veggies, and I'll see you soon.

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Episode 63: Newbie Gains, Plateaus, and PRs: What to Expect at Every Stage of Lifting

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or you’ve been lifting for years, understanding your training age is key to optimizing your workouts. Let’s break down the key differences between beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters—specifically when it comes to building muscle, gaining strength, and designing an effective program.

💪 What Is "Training Age"?

Your training age refers to how long you’ve been consistently following a structured strength training program. It's not about how long you've been "going to the gym," but how long you've been progressively training with purpose.

🟢 Beginner Lifters

Training Age: 0–6 months (sometimes up to 1 year)
Muscle Gain Potential: 1–1.5% of bodyweight per month
Strength Gains: Rapid — often weekly PRs
Focus: Learning movement patterns, building consistency

Program Design:

• Frequency: 2–3 full-body workouts per week

• Progression: Linear (add weight each session)

• Exercises: Compound-focused (squat, deadlift, press, row, pull-up)

• Reps/Sets: 3x8–12, moderate intensity

• Goal: Build a base of strength, coordination, and confidence

Sample Weekly Split:

• Mon: Squat, Bench Press, Row

• Wed: Deadlift, Overhead Press, Pull-up

• Fri: Repeat A or B, slightly heavier

🟡 Intermediate Lifters

Training Age: 6 months to ~2–3 years
Muscle Gain Potential: 0.5–1% of bodyweight per month
Strength Gains: Slower but steady with planning
Focus: Progressive overload, muscle balance, addressing weak points

Program Design:

• Frequency: 4–6x/week using Upper/Lower or Push/Pull/Legs splits

• Progression: Linear or undulating periodization

• Reps/Sets: Mix of strength and hypertrophy (6–15 reps)

• Goal: Improve both size and performance with variety and structure

Sample Weekly Split (Upper/Lower 4-day):

• Mon: Upper (Strength)

• Tue: Lower (Strength)

• Thu: Upper (Hypertrophy)

• Fri: Lower (Hypertrophy)

🔴 Advanced Lifters

Training Age: 3+ years of structured training
Muscle Gain Potential: 0.25–0.5% of bodyweight per month (or less)
Strength Gains: Hard-fought and incremental
Focus: Peak performance, fatigue management, precise programming

Program Design:

• Frequency: 5–6x/week with high volume and specialization

• Progression: Block periodization (accumulation, intensification, peaking)

• Reps/Sets: Wide range, includes advanced techniques (e.g., rest-pause, tempo work)

• Goal: Squeeze out every last ounce of progress through precision

Sample Weekly Split (Body Part Focused):

• Mon: Chest/Triceps (Heavy Press)

• Tue: Back/Biceps (Volume)

• Wed: Legs (Squat Focus)

• Thu: Shoulders/Arms

• Fri: Legs (Deadlift Focus)

• Sat: Conditioning or Mobility

• Sun: Rest

🎯 Final Thoughts

Progress doesn’t stop when the newbie gains do—but it does require more intention. Knowing where you are in your training journey helps you:

• Set realistic expectations

• Train smarter, not just harder

• Choose a program that meets your current needs

No matter your level, the key is consistency, recovery, and smart progression.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch the full episode on YouTube!
📩 Want more tools like this? Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly mindset and fitness tips delivered straight to your inbox.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Track Your Workouts with my Fitness Journals

• Work with Me! Online Personal Training

• Training App

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  When you get to be a more intermediate lifter, your gains are going to slow down. You're not going to be able to make progress as quickly as this, so just keep that in mind. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the prs because it is really cool to see your gains on a week by week basis progressing linearly like this. But I do want you to also keep in mind that eventually it will slow down, and that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. That's totally normal. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, A-K-A Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer and health coach for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share tips to help you to eat better, get stronger, and take better care of yourself. In today's episode, we're going to be talking about the differences between your progress, the gains you make in the gym, and what your workouts might look like when you're at different stages of your lifting journey.

  (00:59)

  If you've spent any amount of time in the gym, you'll know that there is such a thing as newbie gains, which is the amount of rapid gains that someone can make in the first six months to two years of their training. After this point, progress seems to stall and slow down a little bit as you get into the more intermediate phase of lifting or exercising. And then we also have the more advanced lifters and exercisers who have been training for a number of years. What you can expect from your body and how you need to train your body to get results is slightly different in these three stages. Now don't get me wrong, any exercise that you do in the gym is good for you and is going to help to improve your overall health. But if you're trying to optimize your gains, this podcast episode will help you to keep in mind the expectations that you need to set for yourself at these different stages of your lifting journey.

  (01:59)

  Before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you're watching on YouTube and subscribe to the channel so you always get the latest videos when they drop. If you are listening to this podcast, make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. Now, if you are looking for a training plan, don't worry, I've got you covered. I am accepting online personal training clients at the moment. Just go to my website, Jaydigains.com and click on coaching. To learn more about the coaching programs that I offer, I can check out nutrition coaching with my Healthy Diet Makeover program or check out my various exercise programs for beginners, intermediate and advanced exercisers. Now without further ado, let's get into the episode now before we talk about how to optimize your training, depending on what stage of your training you're in as a beginner, intermediate, or advanced exerciser, we need to talk about what's called training age.

  (03:00)

  Training age refers to the amount of time that you have followed a structured and consistent strength training routine. It's not necessarily about how long you have been going to the gym, but more about how long you have been consistently sticking to your routine of going to the gym. So you may have worked out really consistently 10 years ago for a number of years and then took some time off and it's been a while, maybe a couple of years since you've trained. So when you restart as a lifter, even though you have previous experience, your training age is going to be reset from the time that you start. And so how you train your body and the gains that you can expect to make are going to be much more similar to someone who is a beginner or a newbie versus you picking right back up from where you left off.

  (03:52)

  Now, this is good and bad because if you get newbie gains, then you're going to make a lot of rapid progress, but a lot of people who used to be intermediate or advanced lifters try to return to the gym after a long time away and try to work out at the exact same intensity and the same frequency and volume that they did previously and they can end up getting hurt. This happens all the time. So this is a great way for you to think about your training in terms of how you should pace yourself and also what to expect. So remember, it doesn't matter how long you have been going to the gym, what matters more is how long you have been consistently following a resistance training program, lifting consistently and challenging your muscles consistently. Now, there's three main stages to training age when it comes to resistance training.

  (04:44)

  First you have the beginners or the newbies. Now these are people who have been lifting consistently or doing resistance training consistently for zero to six months. Okay? Now, when you're a beginner, when you're in this beginner phase or this newbie phase, you can expect to make a lot of progress really quickly. Beginners have a muscle gains potential of one to 1.5% muscle gains per month, and you often can expect to perform personal records or personal best in every training session for a number of weeks or months. As a beginner, your focus should be on learning and mastering the main movement patterns like squats, hip hinging for exercises like deadlifts, as well as horizontal pulling or rows, as well as vertical pulling like pullups or pull downs. You should also focus on mastering proper technique for pushing exercises like the chest press or bench press pushups, and also vertical press movements like overhead press or shoulder press.

  (05:53)

  You should also focus on developing core strength and stability as well as an overall awareness of your body's positioning in space and awareness and connection to your muscles. Many people in the beginning of their fitness journey or when they're coming back from a long time of not exercising, lose the connection with their muscles. So as a beginner or if you're just returning back to the gym, you need to focus on reconnecting your brain to your body, become aware of what it feels like when you activate or stretch the different major muscles in your body when you're doing squats. You should feel your quadriceps engaging when you're doing hip hinging exercises, you should notice that your hamstrings are stretching at the back of the movement. You need to also maintain an awareness of your shoulder positioning as well as the positioning of your spine. Now, this kind of proprioception takes a while to build.

  (06:52)

  So as a beginner or as someone returning to the gym, you want to make sure that a good chunk of your training routines include mobility based exercises, core stability and core strength exercises, as well as balancing and stability exercises for the whole body. Now, as a beginner, you can expect to make gains with two to three training sessions per week, and oftentimes I find that beginners make a lot of progress with full body training sessions. This means that you're doing workouts that include exercises for your upper body, lower body and core. And the reasoning for this is that as a beginner or as someone who's returning to the gym and you're maybe not as in shape as you were before, you don't necessarily need to do a ton of different exercises for the same muscle group to make gains. In fact, as a beginner, you can make gains by doing one or two exercises for a muscle group in a training session.

  (07:51)

  So to avoid over-training any one muscle group, it's a good idea to kind of do everything in one training session. So you might do some upper body exercises followed by a lower body exercise and alternate that, and then finish with some core training or do some core training at the beginning of your workout, some balance work, some mobility work, and then finish off the workout alternating upper body, lower body. As you get more advanced as a beginner, you can begin to bunch your lower body exercises together and do them in C session within a workout and then do your upper body exercises all together within a workout. So these are all good ways that you can structure your training sessions to make sure that you're hitting all of the major muscles of your body and that you're not overdoing it with any one muscle group.

  (08:39)

  Now, in terms of the progression that you can expect to make, beginners can progress pretty linearly. I find that my beginning clients are able to add on more weight or do more repetitions per set of an exercise every week that we are training for the first month to six months, and sometimes even for the first year of their training. So one week you might be doing 10 pushups, and then the next time you go to practice pushups, you're able to do 12, 13 or 14, and then the next time you go, you're able to do 20. This is a pretty common progression that a lot of beginners experience, but I do want to caution you from having this expectation that it's always going to be this way. You are in newbie gains when you get to be a more intermediate lifter, and when you enter into that intermediate phase of exercising, your gains are going to slow down.

  (09:32)

  You're not going to be able to make progress as quickly as this. So just keep that in mind. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the prs because it is really cool to see your gains on a week by week basis progressing linearly like this. But I do want you to also keep in mind that eventually it will slow down, and that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. That's totally normal In terms of exercise selection, like I said before, it's really important that you're focusing on mastering movement patterns. So practice exercises like hip hinging, squatting, horizontal pressing, horizontal pulling, vertical pressing, vertical polling and rotation. Your goal here is to build a base of strength coordination and good technique as well as that mind muscle connection that's so important for keeping you safe as you make gains for the suggested number of sets and rep ranges. As a beginner, a good rule of thumb is to shoot for doing three sets of every exercise for between eight and 12 repetitions per set, and then you can rest for 30 to 60 seconds between sets before repeating an exercise in terms of how hard you should be training and the amount of weight that you should be using.

  (10:48)

  You want to use a level of resistance that is the level of a band or the actual weight that you use that allows you to feel the target muscles of that exercise burning by the end of your set. So for example, if you are doing bicep curls and you have three sets of between eight and 12 repetitions, you want to use an amount of weight that has your biceps burning by reps 10, 11, and 12. Now you want to make sure that as your muscles are burning, you're not breaking technique, okay? So we want to practice good technique in every single rep, even as your muscles get tired, so you don't want to use too heavy of a weight to the point where you have to start kind of using momentum to swing the weight up. And at the same time, you don't want to use too little of a weight to where you don't feel any kind of fatigue setting into the muscles at all.

  (11:43)

  So you want to find what I call your Goldilocks weight, which is the amount of weight that allows your muscles to feel that burn as they get tired by rep 12. Keep in mind that as a beginner, that weight is likely going to change pretty quickly over time. From one week you might need to hold the five pound dumbbells and feel tired, and then maybe two or three weeks later you need to go up to the eights or the tens or the twelves. This is really normal, so keep that in mind that you're not always going to be using the same weights, especially as a beginner, as you get strong really quickly. For this reason, I do think it's a good idea to record your workouts because this will allow you to know what weight you should be using each time you go to repeat and exercise.

  (12:29)

  I actually create fitness journals for this very recent that many of my clients and my followers on Twitch use, and you can find these on Amazon. I'll include a link for these in the show notes and in the video description below. But what these journals allow you to do is record what you do in every workout, including the exercise that you do, how many sets you do, what resistance level you use, and how many reps you do, and then you can also take notes on the workout itself. So that's a really good tool because next time I go to repeat this workout, I can look back in my journal and I can say, oh, okay, so I did eight reps with 135 pounds on the bar. When I go to do this, I need to put 135 pounds in the bar, see how it feels.

  (13:16)

  I did eight and my rep range is eight to 12, so I'm going to keep that weight the same, and I'm going to try to get more reps out. By the time that I reach a point where a weight is easy for me and I'm no longer feeling tired or I'm feeling the burn happening by reps 10, 11, and 12, that's when I know it's time to add more weight. So that's what we call the principle of progressive overload, which is going to be really important for you as a beginner to keep an eye on. So record your workouts, write them down so that you always know what weight you need to do and how many reps you did previously when you did that exercise. So when it's time to progress, and it's also kind of nice to look back on your notebook when you have done a couple of weeks of resistance training and you can see that progress over time like, wow, I was only doing this amount of weight for this number of reps and it was really hard a couple of weeks ago, but now look where I am.

  (14:11)

  I've added so much weight, I've added so many reps, so that can help with motivation as well. Now at some point, if you have been lifting consistently for anywhere between six months to two or three years, you're likely going to hit that intermediate phase and transition into being an intermediate lifter. Now, as an intermediate lifter, your gains are going to be much slower than what they were when you were a beginner. Instead of expecting one to 1.5% of an increase in your muscle mass every week, you can expect more likely something between 0.5 and 1% increase in muscle mass per month, and you have to work a little bit harder, a little bit more frequently, and with a really good plan in order to keep progressing as an intermediate lifter. So whereas a beginner can get away with making gains off of two to three times per week doing full body training, intermediate lifters more often than not have to increase the frequency of their training sessions to between four and even six times per week.

  (15:17)

  They also tend to need to do more sets on each muscle group in order to stimulate muscle growth. Then they had to do when they were a beginner. So where a beginner can kind of get away with doing a three by eight to 12 on squats and they'll grow their leg muscles from that, and intermediate exerciser is going to have to probably split out their workouts to do multiple exercises that hit the same muscle group for two to three, sometimes even more sets per exercise. So typically intermediate exercisers will split out their workouts into a four day split, alternating between upper body and lower body. Another really common split for intermediate exercisers would be something like push pull legs, and in each workout they're focusing on the same handful of muscles and targeting them with a variety of exercises. So for example, an upper body day that you might see me do if you join me while I'm live on my Twitch channel, that's Twitch tv slash jd gains, is I will start with my core stabilizing exercises and my balance training exercises for my warmup, and then I will start to do resistance training exercises that hit my chest, my shoulders, and my triceps.

  (16:34)

  So I might do a bench press, a couple of sets of bench press. I might do four sets of eight to 12, and then I might follow that up with some flies in order to hit my pecs and my anterior delts a little bit harder. And then I might follow this up by doing some tricep pull downs with a resistance band or a cable machine to get a little bit more fatigue and work in on my triceps, or I might focus on my back muscles and my biceps. And for this, I might do something like starting with some pull-ups or pull downs to activate my lats, and then I might do some rows which hit similar muscles but from a different movement, and I might follow this with some bicep curls. So as you can see in each of these examples of an upper body day, I'm focusing on the same muscle groups that are in the upper part of the body, the chest or pecs, the deltoids shoulders, the lats in the back, et cetera.

  (17:32)

  And I'm doing multiple exercises for as many as 10 to sometimes 20 sets per week depending on what your body needs in order to stimulate muscle growth and strength gains. Now in terms of progression, keep in mind that your gains might be a little bit slower here than they were when you were a beginner, but you should still see progress, linear progress over time. Over time, you should still be able to do more repetitions on the same exercise in each set with that with the weight that you're using. And over time, you should eventually be able to do that exercise with more weight. You're still going to be aiming for fatiguing the muscles by the end of each set and making sure that they're burning or feeling tired by the last three or four reps. And again, it's really important that you're writing down your workouts and recording what you're doing.

  (18:26)

  That way you can make sure that you're giving yourself the right challenge and progressing yourself when it's time. In terms of your reps and sets as an intermediate exerciser, you should be performing a mixture of higher volume training like you did when you were a beginner of sets between eight and 12 or repetitions or maybe even more repetitions up to 20 for some exercises. And you should also be focusing on starting to increase the intensity of your lifts with heavier weights and fewer reps. Now, you can progress the amount of weight that you're using linearly, or you can do what's called a daily undulating periodization where on one day of the week you're focusing on heavier lifts with fewer reps per set, and then on another day of the week or in that same training cycle, then you're lifting for volume doing the same exercises, but you're focusing on a different adaptation.

  (19:20)

  Heavier lifts are in general going to train more of your coordination and your central nervous system and train your body how to activate all of your muscles that need to work at the same time, whereas volume training is better towards trying to develop hypertrophy or building the muscle. Both are very important, both are important for you to train and include during this phase of your training. Your goal as an intermediate exerciser should be to continue to refine your mastery of these movements and make sure that as you are lifting more reps and more weight that you're doing so with good technique, you also should be focused on balancing out any kind of muscular imbalances that you have, and you should be focusing on addressing your weak points with mobility exercises and isolation exercises. As an intermediate lifter, you might benefit by block periodization in your training.

  (20:21)

  This means that you spend a number of weeks focusing on one adaptation at a time in order to really focus on getting that adaptation in your muscles. So for example, if you're following block periodization for power lifting, this means that you would have a period of between three to six weeks, maybe even longer in what we call an accumulation phase, where you would have a block of workouts that are focused on volume training, building muscle building your endurance and your work capacity. After between three and six or more weeks, then you might enter into what's called an intensification block where you're lifting heavier weights, but you're also still including the same kind of hypertrophy exercises as accessories that you might have done in the accumulation block. And then in your peaking block, you're getting ready to test maxes and lift really heavy weights for really small numbers of reps per set, like one, two or three reps per set, and you really shouldn't be doing those heavy lifts for small numbers of reps at the beginning of your intermediate phase of training.

  (21:34)

  This is something that you should be progressing towards and working towards gradually over the course of weeks or months. If you're following the OPT model, the optimal performance training model that the National Academy of Sports Medicine promotes, then you might go through different blocks focusing on stability and endurance, followed by strength and endurance, followed by muscular development, which is more like a hypertrophy block or an accumulation block, and then this is followed by a strength block where you would be doing those heavier lifts followed by power. These are both good examples of how you might periodize your training, which I do think is a good idea if you are in that intermediate or advanced phase of training to see gains and to make actual changes to your muscles, remember at this stage as an intermediate or advanced exerciser, your muscles are going to just need more of whatever it is that you're trying to get from them.

  (22:37)

  So if you're trying to develop hypertrophy, you're going to need to do more hypertrophy, high volume sets, and if you're trying to get stronger and develop your coordination, you're going to need to do more strength or high intensity lifts or coordination exercises. Now, as we all know, there's only so many hours in the day and only so many days of the week, so you can't necessarily spend as much time as you might need to develop all of the aspects of your muscular fitness and move them forward unless you are training like five hours a day like a professional athlete. And even professional athletes periodize their training, right? So periodizing your training where you focus either a day focused on hypertrophy or you put focus on hypertrophy for a couple of weeks, followed by stability and power, right, or endurance periodizing and focusing allows you to spend the time that you need in order to get your muscles to adapt in that way that they need without you necessarily overtraining yourself and overdoing it in the gym.

  (23:45)

  Now as an advanced lifter, once you get to the point where you have been consistently lifting and exercising for three or more years, it gets a lot harder to make gains. It's a lot harder as an advanced lifter to build muscle. You can expect to build between 0.25 and 0.5% muscle mass per month or maybe even less strength gains. Adding weight to your personal record is hard fought and very incremental. So the name of the game when you're in Advanced Lifter is patience and fall in love with the journey because you're not going to be seeing PRS all the time like you did when you were a fresh whipper snapper, and as an advanced lifter, you do often need more stimulus in order to get whatever adaptation it is that you're trying to get from your muscles. So you can often find advanced lifters in the gym five to six times per week, but their workouts will be highly fine tuned and specialized towards whatever adaptation they're working on that day.

  (24:47)

  Block periodization is incredibly important for advanced lifters because it allows them to give their muscles the amount of stimulus that they need in order to advance their strength gains and their hypertrophy. For this reason, you might find an advanced training program that has a wide variety of sets and rep ranges. Advanced lifters are also going to more often use more advanced exercise techniques like pause reps or tempo work in order to make the gains that they need to make. Now, we do like to think about training age in this kind of linear progression of beginner, intermediate, and advanced, but when you are in that advanced stage of having lifted consistently for three plus years, you are at this stage keenly aware of the fact that progress is not linear and it comes in spurts. So you're likely going to experience long periods where you are not seeing any gains, whether you're taking your measurements, checking your body weight, measuring your body fat percentage or your muscle mass, or if you're testing your strength or your endurance regularly with AMRAP sets or max tests, there are going to be long periods where you're not going to see those gains.

  (26:02)

  And that's why I say it's important to fall in love with the process of training. When you're an intermediate and advanced exerciser, you got to love this shit, or at least you have to get to the point where you see it as just part of your day, something that you just do and you don't think about it too much because if you think about it too much or if you don't love it, then you might start overthinking. And it's this middle slash advanced kind of stage where most people give up and they drop off, and you have to have the grit and the discipline to continue to show up. Most of the time in order to maintain your progress, it's not worth it to completely go off the rails and stop lifting for a year in order to come back and become a beginner lifter again, because in that time, you will have lost a lot of muscle.

  (26:57)

  And if you're not exercising for a year, that's not really great for your heart health either. So it's worth it to invest in cultivating this mindset that going to the gym, exercising is just something that you do, and sometimes you're going to be excited about it. Sometimes you're going to be in love with it, other times you're not. But it's just like any other relationship in your life. Sometimes you're going to have to really just have grit and continue to show up because of discipline, and then the love will come. But those are two things that I see make or break. Whether someone sticks around and gets to the advanced stage and holds onto the gains that they've made for the long haul, it's those people who are either able to just like, I'm not thinking about it. This is just something I do. It's just something that's part of my day and they stay consistent.

  (27:51)

  Or the people who are like, I love training, I love working out, and they're able to be consistently motivated to show up at the gym. That is the difference for a lot of people. And also, you don't have to love it. Like I said, you can just have the discipline to show up and do it because you love the results or because it keeps you healthy or because you want to age better. That's totally okay if you don't actually enjoy working out. You don't have to work out for two or three hours, but a little bit goes a long way, especially in the beginning, in the intermediate stages. And if you need to kind of pause and be an intermediate lifter and you're not making a whole lot of gains, but you're not willing to put in the extra time or the planning and precision effort that it takes to get into that advanced stage and to make progress at that advanced stage, that's okay as well. If you just want to do this as a hobby, as a lifestyle thing, just to maintain the health of your body, that is legitimate, and that's okay. But if you want to optimize your training to continue to get stronger to make more muscle, then this is the way that I would encourage you to think about your training age and so that you can plan your workouts and plan to periodize your training according to what your body needs.

  (29:16)

  So that's it for today's episode. Thank you so much for watching or listening. If you're watching this episode on YouTube, make sure that you like the video if you found it helpful, and make sure to subscribe to my channel so you always get the latest episodes and other videos that I drop throughout the week. If you're listening to this episode, make sure to follow the channel so you get the latest episodes whenever they drop delivered right to your device. And keep in mind that you can join me while I'm live on my Twitch channel. I go live on Tuesdays and other days throughout the week. As I have time, just go to Twitch tv slash Jaydigains and give me a follow or subscribe if you want to support the channel. Also, if you're interested in working with me or following one of my training programs, go to my website Jaydigains.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N s.com. I am taking on online personal training clients at the moment, and I also have a training app that you can subscribe to and follow one of the programs that I've created for beginners and intermediate and advanced exercisers. You can find information for that on my website. Thank you again, I hope that you found this helpful. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you're eating your veggies and eat your protein, drink your water, prioritize your self-care because you're worth it, and I'll see you soon.

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Episode 62: Reframing Setbacks & Building Self-Worth Beyond the Gym

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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We’ve all experienced moments when progress stalls, motivation dips, or a workout just doesn’t go our way. In this episode of the Coaching Corner Podcast, I’m diving into the emotional and mental toll that setbacks in the gym can have—and how to turn them into powerful opportunities for growth.

As a personal trainer and health coach, I’ve seen how easy it is to tie your self-worth to your physical performance. When things don’t go as planned, it can feel like a personal failure. But I’m here to remind you: it’s not. Setbacks are part of the process, and they can actually strengthen your mindset—if you approach them the right way.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why gym setbacks can impact mental health more than we realize

• How to separate your identity from your performance

• The role of self-compassion in your fitness journey

• Ways to develop a strong, well-rounded sense of self outside of the gym

• How to find balance through hobbies, connection, and self-reflection

This conversation is for anyone who’s ever felt discouraged by a lack of progress or questioned their worth because of where they are in their fitness journey. If you’re looking to build a resilient mindset and redefine success on your own terms, you’ll want to give this one a listen.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch the full episode on YouTube!
📩 Want more tools like this? Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly mindset and fitness tips delivered straight to your inbox.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  If you're coming to the gym with that attitude of how can I pick myself apart and beat the shit out of myself? You'll find something to do that with. But if you instead have a growth mindset of all of this is just facilitating my personal growth journey and setbacks in the gym should be handled exactly the same way that we should handle setbacks in real life, which is, okay, that didn't work. What can we learn from this? Or is there something to learn from this? Because it might just be I'm having a shitty day and it just didn't work. Get it next time.

  (00:43)

  Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer and health coach for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share with you some of the conversations and the tips that I share with my followers and personal training clients. In today's episode, I'm sharing a conversation that I had with my Twitch chat when I was live on my Twitch channel, that's Twitch tv slash Jaydigains. And in this conversation, one of my followers was telling me about a setback that he recently experienced while he was in the gym and he was having a really hard time coping mental health wise with that setback. Now, I think that this is a really common thing to happen for a lot of people, especially if you are the type of person who has a lot of high standards for yourself or if you tend to struggle with self worth.

  (01:33)

  So in this conversation I gave some tips for how to reframe the experience of setbacks in the gym so that it doesn't set back your mental health. If you struggle with self-worth or if you have a hard time not defining your self-worth by your performance in the gym or by your physique, then this episode is a great one to listen to. It's all about developing a stronger sense of self, a stronger connection with yourself, and learning to contextualize what we do in the gym in the grand scheme of things so that we don't experience setbacks as personal failures. And before we get into this episode, make sure to like this video if you're following along on YouTube, and make sure to also subscribe to my channel so you always get the latest videos. If you're listening to this podcast, make sure to follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And also, don't forget to give me a follow on Twitch if you're interested in joining me for my future livestream conversations. I go live on Tuesdays and several other days throughout the week in the fitness and health category where I do my workout and I offer fitness advice to my chatters and listeners, I hope to see you there. Just go to twitch.tv/Jaydigains and give me a follow or subscribe to support the channel. And without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:57)

  So Thursday, it felt good, jumped on the planned one rep Max pr. From the next week to that session, you messaged the guy helping you programming and said, if you feel safe with the need, do it. You did it, but you're not happy with your depth on it. At the time, you thought it was okay, but now you're depressed because you thought it wasn't good and you've been down on yourself. Any advice, it doesn't matter. None of this shit fucking matters, dude. Sometimes you got to step back and stop taking yourself so seriously. Your value, your personal value has nothing to do with how heavy you squat or you know how perfect your squat is. You can't identify who you are as a person with your performance in the gym because guess what? We're all getting old one of these days. You're not going to be able to do this shit anymore, and it doesn't mean that you won't be as valuable of a person.

  (03:56)

  This is something that we do for fun because it is fun. This is enrichment, but it's not everything. You have to develop a sense of self. Remind yourself of who you are outside of the gym. If you overly identify with the gym and your performance in the gym, you're setting yourself up for some real bad mental health. So I would suggest reconnecting with other things that you love to contextualize what we do here in the gym sometimes, if this is the only thing that we're doing outside of work, then it becomes overly important to the point where your mental health really suffers. If you miss a lift or something, it's not that important. I love what we do, don't get me wrong, but it's just a part of our life. So I would suggest you take some time to focus on reconnecting with other things that are important to you.

  (04:56)

  Spend time with people that are important to you, other hobbies, and cultivate a sense of self outside of the gym because this is something that we do to enrich our lives, but it's not like life or death. If you're having trouble over identifying with the gym, look for some places that you can volunteer like at a food bank. Volunteering and helping people in your community is a great way to re-contextualize your life and remind yourself of what's actually important. Connection. Connection with other people, connection with ourselves. Also, trust that the depth of your squat, the form is going to come. Maybe you're not on there right now, or maybe you had a bad day, you're going to have those days. You're a human being and it doesn't say anything about who you are as a person. If you can't hit your squat depth one day, try being depressed about late stage capital like me.

  (05:58)

  Well, I think that the two sides of the same coin, because this system that we've grown up in, what we learned to value about ourselves is not our true selves. It's what we do. Our performance, being a good boy, a good girl, I mean, our worth is being measured from an early, early, early stage of being little middle school or elementary school kids having our work graded and then we mistake in this country, the whole fucking point is not to earn straight A's, be 100% perfect. The point is to grow as a person, be curious about the world. So we carry that with us into later stages of our life. But yeah, so what? You had a bad day. You got to set your expectations about yourself. What do you expect from yourself? Truly, this shit doesn't matter. The whole point of all of this is that we're just keeping our bodies healthy, that we're growing as people.

  (07:03)

  This should be a vehicle for self-development and self-exploration, but the gym is going to reflect back to you whatever you bring into it. At the same time, if you are looking for a reason to beat the shit out of yourself, you'll find one, right? If you're coming to the gym with that attitude of how can I pick myself apart and beat the shit out of myself, you'll find something to do that with. But if you instead have a growth mindset of all of this is just facilitating my personal growth journey and setbacks in the gym should be handled exactly the same way that we should handle setbacks in real life, which is, okay, that didn't work. What can we learn from this? Or is there something to learn from this? Because it might just be, I'm having a shitty day and it just didn't work.

  (07:51)

  Get it next time. This is an invitation, I think, for you to adjust your attitude that you bring with you into the gym and probably into other areas of your life. So I don't want to say harden up or stuff your feelings down that's not at all the answer. You got to feel your feelings. Your feelings are there to tell you something, and I think in this case, your feelings are telling you that you are over identifying with your performance in the gym for your self-worth. And it's not that you need to harden up, it's that you need to pay attention to how you're defining your sense of self and develop that in other ways because we have our true self who is, that's at our core of who we are, and then we, each of us put masks on to the world because none of us wear our heart on our sleeves and just are completely ourselves to the world.

  (08:48)

  We always have modes that we operate in depending on the social situation. So that mask is how we present to the world. Sometimes we mistake that mask for our true self. So maybe you're worried about other people judging you or something because you didn't get that squat depth or something. Who fucking cares? It's about you. How do you feel about you? You got to focus on your relationship with yourself. Your true self and your true self is valuable regardless of what fucking weight you put on the bar. I'm not going to tell you that your feelings are wrong because our feelings are data, but if you notice yourself having certain feelings, you had to be mindful of what kind of message are your feelings trying to send you? And I think your feelings are telling you, Hey, I don't feel like I'm worth it now.

  (09:44)

  I'm looking for evidence of that. I don't think I'm a worthwhile person. See, see, CI missed the squat, death. I knew I was a worthless person. So it's an invitation to reexamine your relationship with yourself. Maybe it's your inner child. That's what I always guess, because usually it's childhood trauma that is the source of self-worth issues. Not always, but a lot of times it goes back to childhood trauma. So I think it could be worthwhile to have a little meeting with your inner child, your younger self, and be the adult that he didn't have to reassure him that he's a worthwhile person and tell him all the things that you wish an adult had told you when you were that age. Whatever your first wound was to your self-worth, that part of you still exists and it still exists in that wound, and if left unattended to, it can become this thing where he's saying, I feel worthless, and then you in the present are looking for evidence of that because you could totally reframe it.

  (10:59)

  If you had a better relationship with yourself, a personal, a growth relationship with yourself, like a growth mindset, then you could talk to yourself differently and be like, well, we missed it this time, and that's okay. We'll get it next time. You have to be mindful of the way that you talk to yourself. I found it really helpful to start talking to myself as though I'm talking to my inner child, I'm the adult, but I'm also talking to my inner child, and that's helped me to stop being quite so mean to myself. I don't want to be an abusive piece of shit who says mean things to a child, and you kind of have to think about that every time you say mean things to yourself, you are saying it to your inner child. Find ways to remind yourself that your value is intrinsically tied to this one thing.

  (11:43)

  Yeah, that's why I think we need to have multiple hobbies. The gym shouldn't be your only hobby. It's good. It's a good hobby to have, but it should not be the only hobby because then you over identify yourself with it. Collect hobbies like Pokemon, the more hobbies you have, the more dopamine you have. If you stop being able to work out tomorrow, you need to know you still have reasons to exist. Exactly. That's why you got to have other, I've noticed with clients who, when they get injured, if they over identify with their workouts or if they over identify with working out as their one hobby, and that's where they get their self-worth from, they get injured or shit happens, life happens, and you can't make it to the gym for a week or two. You need to not have a complete mental breakdown when that happens.

  (12:40)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I hope that you found this conversation helpful in thinking about your own setbacks that you experience, whether it's in the gym or in other aspects of your life. Keep in mind that you are so much more than the things that you do. You're so much more than your performance in the gym or what your physique looks like. You as a human being are special. You are worthy of love, and don't ever forget that. Even if you miss a lift, doesn't mean that you aren't a worthwhile person. I'm proud of you, and I can't wait to hear what your thoughts are on this episode. Leave them in the comments below this video if you're watching on YouTube. And once again, don't forget to subscribe to the channel and to follow the show. If you're listening on your podcast app now, I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, drink your water, eat your protein, and prioritize your self-care. I will see you soon.

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Episode 61: How to Build a Healthy Relationship with Food (Without Deprivation) | 7 Mindset Shifts to Help You Eat Better

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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When most people decide to “eat healthier,” their first thought is usually, What do I need to cut out? That mindset can lead straight into a cycle of restriction, guilt, and burnout. But what if eating better didn’t have to mean giving up the foods you love?

In my Healthy Diet Makeover coaching, I help people shift their focus from deprivation to nourishment. One of the first tools I teach is the Healthy Plate Model—filling half your plate with veggies, a quarter with protein, and the remaining quarter with carbs or healthy fats. But beyond the plate itself, there’s a deeper layer to long-term success: your mindset.

Let’s explore some powerful mindset shifts that can help you create a healthy, lasting relationship with food—without ever feeling deprived.

1. From Restriction to Addition

Instead of thinking, What do I need to remove?, start asking, What can I add in?

This small shift in perspective helps you feel empowered rather than restricted. Rather than cutting carbs or your favorite snacks, start by adding more vegetables or an extra serving of protein. The more you nourish your body, the fewer cravings you experience—and the less you feel the need to “cheat.”

2. See Food as Fuel, Not a Reward or Punishment

It’s easy to label food as “good” or “bad,” but those moral labels usually create guilt or shame. The truth? All foods have a place. Some give your body nutrients and energy; others offer connection, comfort, or celebration.

Healthy eating isn’t about avoiding cake at a birthday party. It’s about making choices that support your energy and mood—most of the time—without turning food into a moral battleground.

3. Progress Over Perfection

Real talk: You’re going to have days where you eat takeout, forget to meal prep, or snack late at night. That’s not failure—that’s life. The goal isn’t to eat perfectly every day; it’s to build consistency over time.

One less-than-ideal meal doesn’t undo your progress. Let go of the “I blew it, so I’ll start over Monday” mindset. Just get back to your healthy habits at the next opportunity.

4. Tune Into Hunger and Fullness Cues

Diet culture often teaches us to ignore our body’s signals, but tuning back in is key. Ask yourself: Am I actually hungry? Am I satisfied yet?

Learning to trust your body’s natural cues can help you stop overeating, stop under-eating, and stop relying on external rules that don’t serve you.

5. Make Meals Enjoyable and Satisfying

Healthy food should taste good. If your meals feel like punishment, you’re going to crave the “fun” stuff even more.

Use herbs, spices, sauces, and textures to make meals something you actually look forward to. Satisfaction is a key part of fullness—and part of what keeps your healthy habits sustainable.

6. Ditch the “All or Nothing” Mentality

Health isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making small, supportive choices again and again.

Instead of thinking “I ruined everything with that cookie,” try “That was one choice. I can still make a nourishing dinner tonight.” Every meal is a chance to support your body—no need to wait until next week to get back on track.

7. Be Curious, Not Critical

If you find yourself slipping into old habits, avoid self-judgment. Instead, get curious: What was going on? Was I tired, stressed, rushed?

Approaching your habits like a detective (not a critic) helps you learn and grow rather than spiral into shame. I often recommend my clients keep a food and mood journal—not to track calories, but to uncover patterns and build awareness.

Final Thoughts

A healthy mindset toward food is just as important as the food itself. When you let go of rigid rules and shift into a mindset of nourishment, flexibility, and compassion, eating better becomes something you want to do—not something you have to do.

Want help making that mindset shift for yourself? My Healthy Diet Makeover coaching is designed to help you eat better without deprivation. Let’s build a way of eating that works for your life.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Nutrition Coaching: Sign Up for My Healthy Diet Makeover Program

• Get the Healthy Diet Makeover Handbook: Ebook or Paperback

• Meal Plans & Recipes

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  If you have been trying to eat healthy and you've made a bunch of different attempts and nothing has stuck, it's likely that your relationship with food is the root of the problem. And until you fix your mindset and you fix your relationship with food, you're going to continue to struggle to eat healthy and to eat in a way that supports your fitness goals. So I have seven main tips that I want to give you that can help you to rethink your relationship with food and try to tackle this from another angle that might help you to be more successful.

  (00:47)

  Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share the wisdom that I share with my clients to help them to eat better, burn fat, and build muscle. In today's episode, we're talking about how to change your mindset towards your eating so that you can make sustainable changes in your diet. It's one thing to know what you should be doing in order to reach your fitness goals, but it's a completely different challenge to put that knowledge into action, which is where most of my clients struggle initially when they come to work with me. So in today's episode, I'm going to share seven mindset shifts that can help you to make meaningful change in your approach towards food. If you feel like you have a poor relationship with food or you have been trying to make changes to your diet unsuccessfully for a while, this podcast episode could be very helpful for you.

  (01:45)

  Now, before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you're watching on YouTube, and make sure to also subscribe to the channel so you always get the latest episodes and other videos that I drop throughout the week. If you're listening to this podcast, make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And don't forget that if you do need additional help and guidance in changing up your eating patterns, you can subscribe to my coaching program Healthy Diet Makeover, and you can find information for that on my website, Jaydigains.com. I am accepting clients right now. So head over to the links in the show notes or in the video description to sign up for that. You can also get my Healthy Diet Makeover handbook, which has the content of the program as well as worksheets, a seven day meal plan and some recipes to help you step-by-step, change up how you're eating and form a healthier relationship with food. You can find links for all of that in the show notes and the video description. And without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:51)

  I found that many people know what they're supposed to be doing. Many people know how to eat healthy. When I try to educate them on how to eat healthy, what I find is a lot of times they already know what they should be doing and teaching them what they should be doing doesn't necessarily mean that there will be a change in their behavior. When I was a younger trainer, I used to get really frustrated. I used to get really worked up like I'm telling them what they need to do. Why don't they just do it? And maybe you've thought that to yourself, I know what I'm supposed to do, why can't I just do it? And it's very frustrating. And so I've spent the better part of the last 10 years trying to figure out how do I help people to eat the way that they know that they should eat?

  (03:36)

  It's more than just telling them how to eat, but also how do we get you to the point where you're able to consistently eat the way that you need to eat? And what I found through my research is it's psychological in large part. So if you have been trying to eat healthy and you've made a bunch of different attempts and nothing has stuck, it's likely that your relationship with food is the root of the problem. And until you fix your mindset and you fix your relationship with food, you're going to continue to struggle to eat healthy and to eat in a way that supports your fitness goals, whether that's fat loss or muscle gains, or just generally eating better. If you aren't mindful of how you relate to food and your mindset towards food, then you're going to struggle to change your behavior towards food.

  (04:33)

  So today what I wanted to do was offer you a couple of tips that can help you to change your mindset and your relationship towards food so that you can start to make some meaningful gains towards eating better. So I have seven main tips that I want to give you that can help you to rethink your relationship with food and try to tackle this from another angle that might help you to be more successful. With that said, I do have to say, even with these seven tips, you still may struggle and it may be that you need help from a professional to guide you and coach you through the process. Our relationship with food often is wound up with our relationship with ourselves and our psychological wellbeing, our mental health, how we take care of ourselves in terms of exercise and how we eat is directly influenced by our relationship with ourself and our mental health.

  (05:39)

  So if you're struggling with mental health, well you know what? That makes sense given the time that we live in and what's going on in our society. I don't know anybody who isn't struggling with their mental health right now. That's very normal and it's okay to not be okay, but I do want to encourage you to seek out help working with a therapist, getting into group therapy, working with a dietician, a nutrition coach or a personal trainer can be really helpful. But with that said, here are seven things that can kind of get you started and rethinking your relationship with food. Number one, tune into your body's cues for hunger and fullness. I think a lot of people don't realize how dissociated they are from their bodies. Dissociated means that you're not really in touch with your body, like you're not listening to your body.

  (06:34)

  And we develop that practice of dissociating from our bodies. A lot of us from an early age, were taught to dissociate and not listen to our bodies. If you went to public school as a kid in the United States, you probably learned how to dissociate from your body because there were specific times in the day when you were allowed to go to the bathroom to go get a drink of water, to eat and add in there. If you also had any kind of childhood trauma, if you suffered a tragedy, if there was any kind of abuse, emotional, physical, whatever in your house or that you experienced. Our brains have this built in ability to dissociate, to remove you from your body so that you're not feeling what you're feeling to protect you psychologically. And it can be a helpful adaptation in really hard settings and really difficult settings.

  (07:32)

  However, it can have the negative effect later in life in situations where you need to be listening to your body. And if you don't have the habit of being in tune with your body, then you're going to struggle to feed yourself adequately, and you'll probably struggle to take care of yourself in other ways too. You might miss other cues from your body like, I need to sleep, I need water, I need to go to the bathroom. These are all just a couple of examples. Or if you're not used to listening to your body because you're more often dissociated or your mind is really occupied by stress, then it's going to be really hard for you to listen to your hunger and your fullness cues. And so when that happens, you might often find yourself mindlessly eating and eating way more than what you actually need.

  (08:24)

  You might miss your body's cues that it says, Hey, I'm full now we should stop eating because you're not actually feeling the feelings in your body until it's too late and your stomach hurts. And so you may have a habit of overeating because you miss those fullness cues because you're not actually in touch with your body. On the other side, you may have a habit of not feeding yourself adequately because you don't listen to your body's hunger cues, and that also can as well, and that can have really negative effects on your health. You can find yourself malnourished. You can find yourself even with an eating disorder. So either way, whether you miss your body's hunger cues or your fullness cues, that's not necessarily a healthy state of being. And so if that's something that you know about yourself or maybe you're thinking, yeah, I often do overeat or I often don't eat, I'll go all day without eating.

  (09:27)

  It may be because you're not tuned into your body's cues. And so what you want to do is develop a habit of listening to your body. Great ways to learn how to listen to your body is to practice what's called mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation are all about getting in touch with your present experiences and learning how to rewire your brain to pay attention to the sensations that your body feels in the present moment. And if you have a habit of dissociation, if you have a lot of trauma that's unprocessed, then this is going to be a struggle for you. And I would encourage you to seek out a therapist who does mindfulness or a group setting, a group therapy setting that's all about mindfulness. Pick up a book. There's lots of books and handbooks and workbooks on mindfulness, and there's even apps that will take you through guided meditations.

  (10:24)

  Certain types of exercise like yoga often incorporate mindfulness and mindfulness meditation into the training sessions. Many yoga practitioners will end their training sessions with a mindfulness meditation, a body scan where you go through your body from the top of your head all the way through to your shoulders, your arms, your torso, your hips, your legs, all the way to your toes where you notice the sensations of your body. That's called a body scan meditation. And that is a great way to teach you how to pay attention to your body, and it might help you to kind of carry that over into paying attention to when your body is telling you, Hey, I'm hungry, or Hey, I'm full. So listening to your cues will help you to feed yourself adequately to stop eating when you need to stop eating and to make sure that you eat when you need to eat.

  (11:19)

  So that's number one is get into with your body. Number two, which is kind of a follow-up. When you start paying attention to your body, when you start paying attention to your habits, a really bad spiral that a lot of people fall into, once they start paying attention to the behaviors, they start to become very critical of themselves. Once you start noticing things about yourself, you want to make sure that you are coming from a perspective of being curious and you're paying attention to your patterns. You're paying attention to the sensations of your body without judging. And that's another piece of mindfulness, which is why mindfulness is such a great therapeutic practice to get into. You want to practice that habit of observing without passing judgment, because in order to change your behavior meaningfully, you're going to need to become more mindful and notice your behavior more.

  (12:23)

  But if you notice something that's an unhelpful behavior and your immediate response is to start beating yourself up about it, then you are going to attack. Your brain is going to experience that as a trauma. Your body's going to experience that as though someone is bullying you. And so that thing that you're noticing about yourself is going to now be marked as a potential danger, right? Because your brain is like, oh, that's painful to think about because you start to shame yourself. You're going to start bullying yourself. You're expecting to be bullied when you notice those things about yourself, and you cannot make meaningful change when you don't feel safe. So if you're bullying yourself about the things that you want to change, you're not making yourself feel safe. So instead, what you want to do is kind of think about approaching yourself the way that you would a child who is learning the things that you're trying to learn.

  (13:23)

  You can kind of role play within your own mind of thinking about how if I were a child, how would I want an adult to handle this? I mean, if you were guiding a child through the behavior changes that you are trying to get from yourself, you wouldn't verbally abuse that child, right? You wouldn't call that child stupid for not getting it right the first time, right? Instead, I mean, unless you're an asshole, but if you're not an asshole, you'd be like, that's okay. We just got to keep trying. So think about it in that way. And that's inner child work, which is another type of therapy that can be really, really helpful, is developing a better relationship with your inner child, learning how to self parent and be the grownup in your life so that when you talk to yourself, you try to develop a practice of talking to yourself like the adult, talking to a child and trying to guide a child towards a changed behavior.

  (14:22)

  So being curious to notice things about yourself without passing judgment, taking the perspective of I'm the adult in my life, I'm going to talk to myself like a child who needs guidance is a great shift in your mentality that can help you to make more meaningful change, and that goes with healthy eating, but also just like anything else in your life too. So that's number two. Be curious, not critical. Number three, you also want to notice if you have this pattern of food as a reward or punishment. So giving yourself a little treat if you were good, that's something that you can do from time to time, but you just want to be careful because if you have a habit of overeating and you use food as a treat, then it can be very easy for you to kind of be like, oh, well, I was good today.

  (15:12)

  I got through this really stressful thing, so now I'm going to treat myself with a little bit of ice cream. Oh, now I've eaten the entire pint. Oh no, I've eaten the entire gallon. You know what I mean? And likewise, you want to be careful about withholding food from yourself as punishment. So thinking about how you approach yourself when you notice behaviors that you like or you don't like that are desirable or undesirable, do you punish yourself or do you reward yourself? And you want to be careful about using food as a punishment. Instead, what I suggest you do is think of food as fuel for your body. It's not a reward. It's not something that you take away to punish for yourself. It's a tool that you use to give your body energy, to give your body the protein that it needs to grow muscle and the vitamins that your body needs to function and fight, infection, fight diseases, and keep you healthy.

  (16:07)

  It is a tool, it is fuel. That is a mindset shift that could really help you if you tend to withhold food as punishment or use food as a reward for yourself. Try to change that relationship so that it's like, oh, no, this is just a morally neutral tool that my body needs, and I need certain amount of it and certain types of it so that I can feel better. It's not good. It's not bad. It just, it's fuel, right? So that's number three. Number four, from restriction to addition. This kind of goes with using food to punish yourself by withholding that restriction mindset, I find is very, very tough for a lot of people to make progress with. If you have a deprivation mindset towards food, you need to withhold from yourself. Or if you're on a diet and you're like, I need to withhold, I need to stop.

  (17:05)

  If you're so focused on what you can't have and what you shouldn't have and what you shouldn't do, and it's all about restriction, that is not going to last for very long. It's very hard psychologically for humans to operate under a restrictive mindset. Eventually your brain and your body are going to rebel against you because it's just that restriction. It's like walls that close in and eventually either they crush you or you just fully like, fuck this. It's too much. It's a lot of stress and a lot of added pressure to your brain. So instead of thinking if you're trying to eat healthier, if you're eating a lot of junk food or packaged food, or you're ordering a lot, instead of thinking, oh, I need to stop doing that. I needed to take this out, I need to avoid that. That's all about restriction, right?

  (17:55)

  Instead, what I would encourage you to do is focus on addition. What am I going to add to my diet? I want to hit a certain amount of X, Y, Z and reframe it into a positive approach. So that might look like, oh, I need to make sure that I eat three servings of veggies today. I need to hit my three veggies serving three servings of vegetable quota, and so I'm focusing on what I'm adding to my diet instead of what I can't have. Likewise, focusing on making sure that you hit your protein goal can be a really helpful shift. If you are my size, then you need 95 grams to 115 grams of protein every day. Most people don't eat enough of their protein, and most people struggle to hit their protein goals. And so you have to focus and you have to plan in order to eat enough protein.

  (18:51)

  And so when you focus on that, you're not really focused on deprivation and what I can't have. Instead, you're like, how am I going to do this? And when you focus on, for example, getting enough vegetables or getting enough protein, you will by default eat better, and you will by default, probably lower your calorie intake because instead of just eating whatever you feel like or eating by your feelings and just eating a bunch of junk food, instead you're focused on, I need to make sure that I eat enough of this thing and that thing so you don't feel deprived, but at the same time, it's still serving the ultimate goal, which is helping you to eat better overall. That's number four, from restriction to addition, very important mindset shift number five, make meals enjoyable and satisfying if you're trying to eat healthy, and your approach to that is, okay, I'm just going to eat raw vegetables with no salt, pepper, oil, or seasoning, and I'm just going to call it that, right?

  (19:53)

  If you're not seasoning food and trying to eat healthy, if you hate what you're eating, you're not going to stick to it. You're not. And that's the mistake that a lot of people make is they think that, oh, I just need to eat a bunch of raw vegetables that they don't like, no seasoning, nothing. And they'll eat just grilled chicken, no seasoning, nothing, no salt, no pepper. And then they're like, I hate this. I don't want to eat like this. Well, yeah, I wouldn't either. You don't have to eat really bland food in order to eat healthy. In fact, there's a lot of really flavorful, delicious healthy food out there. The Mediterranean diet is a perfect example of a diet plan or a nutrition cuisine, a style of cuisine that is tasty, full of vegetables, full of healthy fats and protein. Also like Indian food.

  (20:48)

  Another great example of a cuisine that is full of flavor, lots of vegetables, right? Chinese food, not Americanized Chinese food. I mean like traditional Chinese food, lots of vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. So there are lots of options for healthy eating. That's tasty too. So don't feel like you have to just eat really bland food. And if you want examples of tasty, healthy, well-balanced foods, I have some meal plans and recipe collections on my website, so you can check those out at my website, Jaydigains.com, because I put together a bunch of different recipe collections and meal plans with really tasty recipes that fit the healthy plate model that will get you protein, get you vegetables, healthy fats, right? Enough fiber and vitamins that your body needs. So don't settle for a super bland diet if you're trying to eat healthy. Number six, you got to ditch that all or nothing mentality.

  (21:55)

  This is something that a lot of my clients struggle with, and it will fucking hold you back. It's the most pervasive mentality, I'd say from my American clients in particular. And I think that's because maybe American society has a lot of those puritanical roots that had the standard of perfection, but that all or nothing standard of perfection mentality is going to sabotage your progress. It is not about being perfect. Your body does not even need you to be perfect in order to make progress. I often teach my clients the 80 20 rule. If 80% of the time you're eating the way that you need to eat, you're following the healthy plate model, which by the way looks like this. If 80% of the time your plates look like this, half of your plate is veggies or veggies and fruit, you get at least a fourth of your plate, a good source of lean protein, and then you're not overdoing it on the grains and starches.

  (23:02)

  Your grains and starches are prioritizing whole grains and complex carbohydrates. If most of the time you eat like that, then you give yourself a little bit of wiggle room. 20% of the time you can treat yourself and not eat like that. And if you do that, you will make progress. You will make progress if you're doing that most of the time or if most of the time you're eating within your macros goals or within your calorie goals, okay? You do not have to be perfect in order to make progress. And number seven, which brings us to number seven, progress is more important than perfection. So even if you're not even doing 80% eating like that 80% of the time, if you were doing 0% of the time two weeks ago and now you're doing a little bit more, that's a win. And I want you to focus on celebrating your wins and making a big fucking deal about them, because every little step towards healthier habits is a win.

  (24:02)

  And the more that we celebrate those wins, it's just like with training a child or training a dog. When you are rewarding yourself by celebrating those wins, give yourself that dopamine hit, fuck yeah, I did it. Give yourself a pat on the back. Give yourself a sticker, right? Those little celebrations train your brain to do whatever it was that you just did again and again and again, which makes it easier for you to do without even thinking about it in the future. And it also makes it easier to add on other additional habits. So reward yourself for every little tiny step in the right direction, even if you're not yet doing all the things or 80% of the things, every single step matters. So those are my seven tips for changing your mindset around your approach, towards your diet and your fitness overall. And these seven tips are really applicable to anything when it comes to your personal growth.

  (25:06)

  But it is worth thinking about. Again, if you struggle with your mindset and your relationship towards food, number one, it's very common. I think a lot of us, especially if you were raised in the United States, a lot of us struggle with our relationships and our mindsets towards food. So you're not alone. It's not you. It's not that you're broken or anything. We just don't really live in a very healthy society. A lot of us, were not taught or modeled healthy relationships with food. So it is something that if we want to be better, we kind of have to put a lot of effort and energy towards that. But it can absolutely be done. I have tons of clients who will tell you that after working with me making these mindset shifts and also going through my Healthy Diet Makeover program, whether they work with me one-on-one coaching, or they just read the book and apply the books, principles, every single client that I've had go through this program tells me that it has completely changed their mindset towards food, to the point where they're like, they actually crave vegetables, which they used to hate vegetables.

  (26:07)

  They notice when they haven't eaten enough protein, so they more often eating enough protein. And those are really the most important things when it comes to changing your diet. A lot of it comes down to eating more vegetables and eating enough protein, but you're not alone. You definitely can change. So if you started to think to yourself, maybe I'm just meant to be like this. Maybe I just never going to eat healthy, it's not true. That's a limiting mindset, right? So remember, growth and progress over perfection. You can do this. I know you can do this, but if you want some help, if you want a little extra guidance, I am open and I'm taking clients right now for my Healthy Diet Makeover coaching program. I will put links to that in the show notes or the video description. If you're watching on YouTube, I'm happy to help.

  (26:57)

  Or you can just order my Healthy Diet Makeover handbook, and the book will walk you through the program on your own. You can work at it at your own pace. This has the five steps that I put my clients through to give their diets a healthy makeover, and it also includes some sample recipes and a sample seven day meal plan that you can use, rinse, repeat, modify for your own diet. So there's resources out there for you and you can do it, but all of it comes down to your mindset. So use these seven tips to think about your approach towards food and just know that you can do it. I believe in you. I do. I do.

  (27:44)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I hope that you found this discussion helpful. I would love to know what questions you have or thoughts that you might have after watching or listening to this episode. If you are on YouTube, leave those in the comments to this video. And again, make sure that you like the video if you found it helpful, and subscribe to my channel, and if you're listening to the podcast, follow the show. I will see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, drink your water, and take care.

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Episode 60: 10 Foods that Boost Your Calorie Burn

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Welcome back to the Coaching Corner Podcast! I’m Jayd Harrison, your go-to guide for all things fitness, nutrition, and sustainable fat loss. In this week’s episode, we’re tackling a hot topic that comes up all the time: Which foods can actually help with fat loss?

Spoiler alert: it’s not just about eating fewer calories. The real magic happens when you include foods that naturally boost your metabolism and increase calorie burn during digestion.

Fat Loss Isn’t Just About Eating Less

Yes, maintaining a calorie deficit is essential for fat loss—but not all calories are created equal. Certain foods can actually give your metabolism a helpful nudge, making it easier for your body to burn fat. In this episode, I highlight 10 metabolism-boosting foods that also come with additional health perks.

Here’s a sneak peek at what I cover:

• Protein-rich foods – for muscle preservation and high thermic effect

• Spicy foods – like chili peppers that raise your body’s calorie burn

• Green tea – packed with antioxidants and metabolism-enhancing compounds

• Coffee – in moderation, it can increase fat oxidation

• Water – simple but powerful for satiety and metabolic function

• Seaweed – a surprising source of iodine for thyroid support

• Whole grains – for sustained energy and digestive health

• Apple cider vinegar – may help with blood sugar control and appetite

• Lentils & legumes – loaded with fiber and plant-based protein

• Dark leafy greens – nutrient-dense and low-calorie

Each of these foods plays a role in helping your body burn more calories, stay fuller longer, and support your overall wellness.

Practical Tips for Your Fat Loss Journey

In addition to the food breakdown, I also talk about how to:

• Build meals that support a calorie deficit without feeling deprived

• Stay mindful of portions and hunger cues

• Combine smart nutrition with consistent exercise for the best results

If you're looking to take your results to the next level, be sure to check out my Healthy Diet Makeover. It’s a guide that walks you through how to optimize your eating for both muscle building and fat loss, without fad diets or restriction.

Links:

• Healthy Diet Makeover Handbook (Ebook and Paperback)

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  I think what a lot of people do in their approach to fat loss is they focus on, oh, I need to eat low calorie foods. But I think that you can greatly improve your fat loss success by also placing the focus on foods that are actually going to burn more calories for you to digest things that actually boost your metabolism. And so this is like a little list that you can kind of refer to, maybe add a little bit more, squeeze a little bit more out of your diet. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've created this podcast to share some of the tips and tricks that I share with my personal training clients. I've been a personal trainer for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share the tips and tricks that I share with my personal training clients to help them build muscle, get strong and burn fat.

  (00:57)

  In today's episode, I'm sharing 10 foods that you can add into your weekly meal plan to boost your metabolism and burn more fat. I myself am on a fat loss journey right now and I'm making a couple of different changes to how I eat in order to maximize fat loss while also retaining the muscle that I've built over the last year of bulking. If you like the tips and tricks that I'm sharing in this podcast episode, make sure that you check out my Healthy Diet Makeover book, which you can buy on Amazon or you can download the ebook from my website. This is a step-by-step guide on how to clean up your diet and eat healthy to maximize your fat loss and build muscle and get strong. So you can purchase this from the links in the video description below. If you're watching on YouTube, you can also find links to it in the show notes. Without further ado, let's get into the episode and take a look at 10 foods that you should add to your diet to boost your metabolism and burn more calories.

  (02:01)

  Now that I am in my cut phase, I figured this is a great time for us to talk about changes that I'm making to my diet that maybe can be helpful for you if you are in a fat loss phase. Specifically what I want to talk about today are foods that you can eat to boost your metabolism. When we use the phrase boost your metabolism, what we're actually referring to is getting your body burning more calories because when it comes to fat loss, we want our body burning more calories than what we're eating every day. The main way that we get ourselves into a calorie deficit where our body's burning more calories than what we're eating is one, we are controlling what we're eating and being mindful of what we're eating, making sure that we're eating less than our maintenance level of calories, which is the amount of calories that our bodies need to stay the same.

  (02:51)

  So eating a calorie deficit by tracking what you eat or following a meal plan that is for the number of calories that your body needs in order to burn fat. The other ways that we get our bodies burning more calories is through exercise. Cardiovascular exercise can help your body to burn calories during the workout, and resistance training can boost your overall everyday calorie burn by building more muscle. Muscle building is a calorie expensive activity and your body burns more calories when you have more muscle, but you can take it a step further and in addition to being mindful of the calories that you're eating, some foods that you eat can actually get your body burning more calories. Now it's a small amount, but that adds up over time. So you can choose foods that take more energy for your body to break down or that boost your metabolism, boost the amount of calories that your body burns in some way.

  (03:46)

  So I have a list of 10 foods that you can eat to boost your metabolism and get your body burning more calories to help push you along in your fat loss and accelerate it a little bit. So one of course is protein rich foods. This is a must have for any fitness-based diet, whether you're trying to burn fat or build muscle protein is so important because it is the building blocks of your muscle. When you eat protein, your body breaks that protein down into amino acids and then reconstructs them into actual muscle protein and adds it into your muscles to make your muscles grow bigger and stronger. So eating plenty of protein is a really great way for you to boost your metabolism because that process of breaking the food down into its protein and then breaking the protein down into amino acids and then rebuilding using the amino acids to rebuild into muscle protein, that's a lot of steps and every process that your body runs requires energy.

  (04:50)

  It's like electricity, right? Any process that your computer runs takes electricity to run, and if you don't have your computer plugged in and you're running high energy taking processes on your computer, your computer battery is going to go down really fast, right? Similar thing happens when we eat foods that can boost our metabolism. When we give our bodies multiple steps that they have to go through in order to break that food down and then turn it into muscle or turn it into energy that you can use that makes your body burn more calories. So protein-rich foods, things like poultry, chicken, right? Turkey. Turkey is my favorite. Fish eggs and then vegetarian sources of protein, things like Tempe, tofu, legumes, beans. These are all really great sources of protein that your body can use to build muscle and also burn more calories during digestion. It's not just about building muscle, but it's also when you're eating enough protein, your body doesn't actually crave sugary types of foods.

  (06:02)

  You don't feel that low energy as much. I noticed with a lot of my clients who need to make that switch to eating more protein, if their diet is a lot of carbohydrate or fat-based foods and they're not eating enough protein, they often feel low energy. So eating protein rich foods covers a lot of bases. It reduces your hunger cravings between meals. It's more satiating, so you feel more full from eating high protein foods and also your body burns more calories, breaking down protein and turning it into muscle or using it for energy. Then foods that are like simple sugars, right? Number two, spicy food. So spicy foods contain a compound called capsaicin, which can slightly increase calorie burning and also reduce your appetite. So if you can handle eating spicy food, adding hot sauce or chopped peppers to your meals and to your snacks can boost your metabolism and get your body burning more calories a little bit and also reduce your cravings.

  (07:04)

  So adding more spicy food into your diet, definitely a good approach when you're trying to increase your calorie burn. Of course, caffeine is another thing that can help boost your metabolism. Drinking green tea in particular, which is our number three food, green tea has a lot of metabolism boosting properties. One of course it has the caffeine and caffeine can support fat burning, but it also helps to reduce your appetite as well. And it also has antioxidants, which are good for everything, boosting your metabolism as well as boosting your immune system to keep you healthy overall. So green tea is one of those foods or drinks that I think is a really great thing to add into your diet, even if you're not in a fat loss phase, but especially when you're burning fat, when you're in a fat loss phase. Green tea can help, even the decaffeinated green tea can be good to add into your diet because again, you get those antioxidants, but the caffeine helps quite a bit as well.

  (08:10)

  And then of course, coffee, which is my main source of caffeine that I drink every day because it has that caffeine in it, it can temporarily increase your metabolic rate and also give you a feeling like you have energy to get up and get moving and do more stuff too. That's the other benefit of caffeine, right? Without caffeine in the morning, I kind of feel a little bit lazy and I don't want to get up and moving, but when I have caffeine in my system, I'm more likely to get up and moving. So that also helps me to burn more calories through meat, my non-exercise activities, so my non-exercise calorie burn goes up when I have enough caffeine. Just be careful with the caffeine. Know your limits. Everybody's body is different. For mine, I can stand to have four cups of coffee a day, and that's what I usually do.

  (08:59)

  For some people, they can't handle more than one cup, and that's fine. Listen to your body and you don't have to do caffeine, but if you like caffeine and your body does fine on caffeine, using caffeine during your fat loss phase can be helpful. And number five, something that somebody in chat already mentioned. Water, drinking plenty of water, your body needs water. It is mostly made up of water, and I would argue that most people are chronically dehydrated. Most people do not drink as much water as they need, but it's essential for your body's functioning for you to feel healthy. But it also, if you are trying to burn fat, drinking water is a huge boost for that, especially if you drink cold water because your body has to bring whatever you're drinking, it has to bring it to a temperature that it can absorb, and if you drink cold water, your body has to spend some extra calories warming the water up so that your body can absorb it. So drinking cold water is a great way to kind of just slightly increase your daily calorie burn.

  (10:07)

  But of course, hydration supports your cellular functioning, which includes your fat metabolism, so drinking plenty of water. Also, I think that a lot of people have a tendency to snack or crave sugary salty foods when they're dehydrated. It's not uncommon to mistake your body's thirst signals for snack ishness. So drinking plenty of water can kind of reduce the amount of snack ishness and hunger that you feel between meals or between snacks, and it can decrease your total calorie intake through the day because when you drink plenty of water, your belly is going to feel more full, more often because it's literally full of water. So staying hydrated is a great way to keep your calorie burn high. Another one, if you're a sushi fan, if you like Asian food, number six, seaweed. Seaweed is a natural source of iodine, which is really important for healthy thyroid function, and your thyroid regulates your metabolism.

  (11:13)

  So keeping your thyroid healthy and happy should be a priority at all times, but especially when you're in a fat loss phase and you're trying to boost your metabolism. Now, sushi in general is higher calorie because it's like a lot of rice, but you can snack on seaweed. They have these little seaweed strips that you can buy. They're crunchy. Some people will use that kind of like the way that they would use a wrap or a chip, but just be mindful of how much you're eating though, don't overdo it. Number seven, whole grains especially anything that's going to have a lot of dietary fiber in it, dietary fiber is going to make you feel fuller because it's going to expand in your belly, especially if you drink enough water. So it'll make you feel fuller, keep you set more satisfied between meals, but also all grains are basically seeds, right?

  (12:07)

  They're the seeds of the wheat plant or rice plant, and refined grains have gone through a process where they remove the outer shell of that seed or the husk. Whole grains are when the outer husk or shell is still intact. So things like oats, brown rice versus white rice, whole wheat versus refined wheat or white wheat. These are examples of grains that contain that outer husk and that outer husk has more fiber in it. It also is a good source of iron as well, but it takes your body longer to digest whole grains than it does refined grains because your body has to break through that outer shell, that husk. You have to do that within your digestive tract. Remember, anytime your body has to run an extra system to break down food, then that burns more calories. So you not only are making yourself feel fuller by increasing your daily dietary fiber, reducing your cravings between meals because your belly is more full, but also while you're digesting that food, your body is burning more calories.

  (13:17)

  Another thing about whole grains that's really helpful is that they stabilize your blood sugar and they reduce your cravings. So you've probably experienced when you eat a high sugar or a food that has a lot of refined sugar, where you get that boost of energy and then that big dip in energy. A lot of times that big dip in energy that happens usually in the middle of the day or between meals is a dip in your blood sugar levels. When you eat a lot of refined sugar or refined grains, you might see more drastic dips in your energy levels, but eating more whole grains and food that is complex carbohydrates versus simple carbohydrates is a great way to keep your blood sugar more stable. Now, number eight, apple cider vinegar. There are some studies that suggest that apple cider vinegar may support fat loss and help to control blood sugar levels, which does impact your metabolic function.

  (14:15)

  However, I do want to say as a caveat, we talked about before on the podcast, certain scammers who were pushing apple cider vinegar as this panacea wonder food super food that was going to solve all of your problems. It's not going to solve all of your problems. It is one thing that can help, can help, but it's not going to be just start drinking apple cider vinegar, which is kind of like, I don't know if it's so much these days, but a couple of years ago, about 10 years ago, it was like all the rage, and you saw so many people on social media who were just like, you just need to drink a shot of apple cider vinegar and not really change anything else about your life. It's not going to change your life, but it's something that can help. Number nine, lentils and legumes are a great choice for your veggies.

  (15:02)

  If you follow the healthy plate model and you aim to eat lots of veggies throughout the day, which you should, even if you're not in a fat loss phase, you should still be aiming to eat lots and lots of vegetables, but especially choosing things like lentils and legumes. One, they're higher in protein, which we already talked about how protein, eating higher protein foods can help boost your metabolism. They're also high in dietary fiber, which can help reduce your calorie intake, reduce cravings. They take longer for your body to digest, so that also boosts your metabolism. So try to aim for including some lentils and legumes a couple times throughout the week in your meals. My gosh, I love lentils. They're my favorite. And actually right now in my garden, I'm going to have a couple of beans ready to harvest that you know I'm going to be snacking on.

  (15:54)

  I have a bunch of snack peas, a bunch of just garden beans, so yummy to just snack on or add two salads or pasta dishes, that kind of thing. And number 10, dark leafy greens, things like spinach, kale, and Swiss chard. These guys, they cover a lot of bases for us to help our bodies to burn more calories. They support thyroid function. They're rich in iron, magnesium, and B vitamins, which are all things that support your thyroid function. And again, your thyroid is what determines your metabolism, or it impacts your metabolism. So you can boost your energy expenditure by eating foods that support your thyroid function, like dark leafy greens. And with these, you might have salads, right? That's always a good option. It's an easy meal prep option is to just build out a bunch of salads and eat them throughout the week. But you can also add these dark leafy greens to things like smoothies, so you can have kind of a sweet but high veggie intake type of meal.

  (17:06)

  You can add them to omelets or little egg cups. That's one of my favorite things. Make little egg cups that are like muffins made of eggs with some added ingredients, including leafy greens or stir fries. All of these are really great options. You can use leafy greens as wraps instead of using a tortilla, you could use a couple of kale or large spinach leaves. That's another thing that I'm growing in my garden right now. Super easy to just go out there and like a cow. So those are 10 foods that you can add to your diet if you want to increase your daily calorie burn just through the food that you're eating. Those are changes that I'm making to my diet to help my body reach my fat loss goal faster. And also notice how all of the foods that we have mentioned besides coffee and green tea, all green tea has its benefits, but all of them have other benefits as well to your health. So it's good to be including these foods anyway, even if you're not burning fat. But if you are trying to burn more fat and you want to increase your total calorie burn, add these 10 foods into your diet.

  (18:26)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of the Coaching Corner Podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. If you're interested in working with me or learning more about the products and services that I offer, head to my website, Jaydigains.com. And don't forget to check out my Healthy Diet Makeover book, which you can buy from Amazon or download from my website to start the process of cleaning up your diet in five easy steps. You'll find links for that in the show notes. If you're listening to this podcast or in the video description, if you're watching on YouTube, make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel if you're on YouTube so that you always get the latest videos that I drop. If you're listening, make sure that you have followed the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. I'll see you in the next episode. And in the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, stay hydrated, and take good care of yourself. I'll see you next time.

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Episode 59: Tips for Getting Better Rest to Maximize Your Gains

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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If you’re serious about building muscle, losing fat, or leveling up your performance, here’s a truth you need to hear: rest is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.

In this episode of the Coaching Corner Podcast, I break down why rest and recovery are just as important as your workouts. In fact, without proper rest, you’re not just stalling progress—you could be actively sabotaging your gains.

The Problem With "No Days Off" Culture

We live in a world that praises the "rise and grind" mindset. Hustle harder. Sleep when you're dead. But when it comes to your health and fitness, that mentality can be more harmful than helpful.

Chronic stress, poor sleep, and overtraining can lead to:

• Plateaus in strength and fat loss

• Hormonal imbalances

• Increased risk of injury

• Mental burnout and low motivation

Your body needs downtime to recover, rebuild, and adapt.

The Role of Your Nervous System in Recovery

In the episode, I explain the key roles of the sympathetic nervous system (your “go” mode) and the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest and repair” mode). To make real progress in the gym—or in any physical pursuit—you need to allow your body to shift out of high-alert and into deep recovery.

Training breaks your body down. Rest is where the magic of growth actually happens.

How to Optimize Your Recovery

Here are a few of the recovery tips I discuss in the episode that you can start using today:

1. Take Regular Rest Days

At least 1–2 rest days per week should be part of your training plan. Think of them as active recovery days, not lazy days. Go for a walk, do some mobility work, or just let your body chill.

2. Prioritize Sleep

Sleep is where most of your recovery happens—both physically and mentally. Aim for 7–9 hours a night, and try to:

• Stick to a consistent sleep schedule

• Limit screen time 1 hour before bed

• Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

3. Manage Your Stress

Chronic stress keeps your body in "go mode." Use tools like breathwork, journaling, meditation, or even short walks to regulate your nervous system and shift into recovery mode.

4. Listen to Your Body

Fatigue, irritability, poor performance, and restless sleep are signs you may be under-recovered. Don’t ignore them. Adjust your training volume or intensity when needed.

Final Thoughts: Rest Is a Tool, Not a Weakness

If you’ve been pushing hard and not seeing results, it might be time to zoom out and rethink your approach. Rest isn’t the opposite of work—it’s what makes your work effective.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to the full episode here and subscribe to the Coaching Corner Podcast for more evidence-based fitness strategies.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  Balance out as much as you are active in your training, as much as your sympathetic nervous system is activated, you have to balance that out with effective rest. So you need to think about rest as it's like yin and yang, right? You can't have one without the other. You can't have gains without rest. You work hard in the gym, but you have to balance it out with effective rest. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share with you some of the tips and tricks that I share with my personal training clients to help them to build muscle, burn fat and get strong. In today's episode, I'm going to share with you a conversation that I had with my Twitch channel where we were talking about the importance of rest.

  (00:54)

  Now, when a lot of us think about fitness, we often think about the workouts and the energy expenditure as well as eating healthy. But another really important factor of the total equation of your health is getting proper rest. Now that includes time resting from exercise or time resting from stressing your body as well as the rest that you get while you're sleeping every night. In this episode, I'll show you why it's so important for you to get good rest, and it'll also give some tips to help you get good rest and a good night's sleep that you can maximize your gains. Before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you're watching on YouTube and subscribe to the channel, and if you are listening to this episode, make sure that you follow the show so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. If you are interested in the services and products that I offer, head to my website, Jaydigains.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N s.com. I am taking on personal training clients at the moment, so check out the coaching program options on my website and without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:05)

  This topic that we're going to talk about, I call rest, is gains. I think it's a very particular thing to American culture, but I'm sure it's in other places too, but Americans in particular do not like to rest. We have this hustle culture and it's pretty toxic to be honest. It can be good and motivating you to push forward, but we're not machines. We're living creatures, and part of being a living creature is that we do need rest. I think we need to reframe how we think about rest. A lot of times people think of rest as being lazy or a cop out. I should be productive, I should be doing something right now. But rest itself is a system of your body and it is productive and that's why I like to say rest is gains. You have two different operating systems of your nervous system.

  (03:10)

  One is the sympathetic nervous system, one is the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is your action system. And when your sympathetic nervous system is activated, that's when your body releases go hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and hormones that get you motivated to do things, do, do, do, do, right? So when you are working out, that's sympathetic nervous system. If you get stressed, if you're stressed by work or you're anxious and you're trying to get something done, that is sympathetic nervous system activation. Your parasympathetic nervous system is what we call your rest and digest system. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated when you're at rest, when you're sleeping, and that system is what turns on to turn the food that you eat into muscle and to repair damaged tissue. So when you're sick, one of the reasons why we want you to rest right when you're sick is that allows the parasympathetic nervous system to take over and activate all of the healing and the repairs, and it helps with your immune system, right?

  (04:26)

  Because when we're working out in the gym, we're not actually building muscle, we're breaking muscle down. That's what effective training does. It actually causes damage, controlled damage to the muscles, so you're not building anything when you're working out. It's triggering the systems that when you go to sleep, then you actually build the muscle. Your body turns all that protein that you've eaten into muscle protein. So it's important to prioritize rest and balance out as much as you are active in your training, as much as your sympathetic nervous system is activated, you have to balance that out with effective rest. So you need to think about rest as it's like yin and yang. You can't have one without the other. You can't have gains without rest. You work hard in the gym, but you have to balance it out. With effective rest. You'll probably see people who really rise and grind and it's toxic.

  (05:24)

  And you see this in the fitness world with people who say things like no days off and they do every workout that they do, four or 5, 6, 7 days a week is really, really hard and it's really high intensity. There's no recovery. They're not focused on doing mobility work. They're not focused on doing rehabbing or pre rehabbing exercises. They skip their warmups, they skip their cool downs. Those are people who've internalized this rise and grind mentality, and those are the same people who often end up getting injury after injury after injury or burning out, falling off the wagon and stopping, working out completely and gaining a bunch of weight. That rise and grind mentality is a threat to your gains, but also your overall wellbeing. So remember Ed, you got to balance the two as hard as you train in the gym, you also make sure that you're getting effective rest.

  (06:23)

  So it's important that you prioritize resting in a couple of different ways. One, take your rest days. You do not need to be working out every single day of the week, okay? No days off is toxic. You can get up and move around and you can get some activity in every day, that's fine, but you shouldn't be stressing your body every single day because your body needs time to recover and make repairs. So at least at the very least, take a rest day once a week, seven days, but that's really cutting it close. You really should be taking a rest day after every two to three workout days. If you want to avoid burning out or getting injured, you can just lay around and be lazy if you want, if that's what your body needs, listen to your body. But if you want to get up and moving, you want to actually be active, then go for a light walk, right?

  (07:16)

  Don't do anything too stressful, but you can still get up and move around. Clean your house. Light intensity activities like that that aren't going to stress the body, but get the blood flowing can be good for your recovery too. Doing some yoga is also good, some stretching, maybe some foam rolling. Go for a walk with a friend or with your dog. Just avoid something that's going to be too high intensity on your body. On the other hand, in addition to taking rest days and giving your body the time to recuperate and recover every couple of days after you've worked out, it's also super important that you're prioritizing getting a good night's sleep as often as you can because sleep is when that rest and digest parasympathetic nervous system is activated. If you are not sleeping well, then your body's not running that system as efficiently as it could, which means you were going to miss out on gains because your body is not actually doing the rebuilding, the breaking down of your nutrition and turning it into muscle.

  (08:18)

  That's not happening as much because you're not sleeping and it's when you're sleeping that that system runs. So everybody needs to focus on and prioritize getting a good night's sleep on most nights and how much sleep you need really varies from person to person, but it's usually somewhere between eight and 10 hours of good quality sleep per night and that you might need more. Women in general tend to need to sleep more. And then depending on where you are in your cycle, you might need to sleep more too. If you are in your luteal phase or on your period, you may need to sleep more. If you're in a high intensity block of your training, you likely will need to sleep more too. So how much activity you get, how much exercise you get and how intense your workouts are will also require more sleep.

  (09:06)

  So a lot of times people say that they need to sleep more when they're on a cut, when you're in a calorie deficit, which makes sense, right? Because your body is slower at making repairs, it's not going to be as efficient at making repairs. So you'll likely need to sleep more in order for your body to actually keep up with the recovery that it needs from your workouts when you're not eating as many calories as your body needs. So it's definitely worthwhile prioritizing, getting good sleep. But this is the one thing that I think most of my friends struggle with the most for a number of reasons. There's a lot of reasons why people don't sleep enough. One is that a lot of us tend to not go to bed when we need to, which is definitely the case for me, especially if I've had a really shitty day.

  (09:58)

  If I've been really busy all day and I've had meeting after meeting task after task and I haven't really had any time to unwind, I'm more likely to engage in what some people call revenge bedtime. Revenge bedtime is a silly little term. I don't know where it came around, but I heard about it on TikTok. But revenge bedtime is when you feel like the day was not yours, and so you're taking time to yourself as revenge for the day, not feeling like it belonged to you, and you end up pushing past your bedtime to give yourself more time to yourself and then you end up going to bed like an hour, two hours, three hours or more past when you actually need to. So I'm more likely to do that when I'm really overly busy, if I'm overly worked and really stressed. So not going to bed when you need to get enough rest.

  (10:49)

  That's one thing that's pretty easy to actually change though. You just kind of have to get more organized and disciplined around it. I set a bedtime reminder on my phone so my phone will tell me, Hey, it's time to wind down. Now, ideally for myself, and this is what I found over the last couple of years, ideally for me, I want to be in bed at 9 30, 9 30 pm That gives me plenty of time to read a little bit to wind down and go to sleep. So I have my phone remind me at like eight 15 way ahead of time, like, Hey, your bedtime's coming up soon. And then it actually goes ahead and it goes into sleep mode on my phone. So I'm not getting new alerts that are triggering because new alerts is one thing that can get my sympathetic nervous system fired up, get me into problem solving mode, and you know what I mean?

  (11:39)

  So my phone doesn't, my phone, my computer, they don't send me alerts after 8:15 PM because that is my winding down before bedtime. So as long as I actually stick to that and I'm disciplined about going to bed in time, then that gives me plenty of time to sort of wind down before I actually have to go to sleep. For me, I'm not the kind of person that can just lay down and go right to sleep. I need to be in bed reading a book and giving myself a good stretch of 20 minutes to be ready to sleep. And if I wait too long, then I'll get a second wind, which is the worst dude. It's the worst when you get the second wind and you're like, now I'm like two or three hours late of my bedtime, and I'm like, my brain is re-fired up.

  (12:27)

  So setting a bedtime for yourself and sticking to it is an easy fix, easy way for you to get more effective rest. And that goes to say it's also important, getting into a consistent sleep schedule is a part of that. Your body doesn't really understand the difference between weekends and weekdays. Your circadian rhythm runs on a 24 hour cycle. So it is helpful if you can keep your bedtime and your waking time consistent on most days. So where you're going to sleep at about the same time and you're waking up at about the same time, it'll be so much easier for you to get effective rest if you keep your sleep schedule consistent, right? Going to bed at about the same time and trying to wake up at the same time, even on the weekends and on the weekdays. I mean, initially it's hard to get your body into that routine, but the more that you try to stick to that, the more your body will actually automatically start winding down, leading up to your planned bedtime.

  (13:29)

  So stick to a consistent routine and try to wake up at the same time and go to sleep at the same time, even on the weekends, if you have trouble getting to sleep, make sure that you're creating a sleep friendly environment for yourself. If your bedroom is hot and there's lots of lights, our bodies are queued to get sleepy when we are in a cool dark environment. So I don't run the air conditioning very much in my house during the day. I am okay with being warmer, but at night, that's when I turn the air conditioning on and I bump it down a little bit to make sure that it's cool enough. I know I'm going to wake up and I'm going to be dehydrated because I'll sweat if it's warm. So bumping down the air conditioning, turning on a fan, making sure that there's some air flow, and then making sure that the light in my room is dim, leading up to bedtime.

  (14:22)

  I have a little salt lamp that I can dim, I can turn down and turn up. So it makes this nice warm soft light. That's what I have on 20 to 60 minutes before I plan to go to sleep, and I don't have any of the big lights on after eight 15. I also have like noise canceling, or not noise canceling, but blackout curtains. I have blackout curtains in my bedroom to keep the streetlight from waking me up. And I also have an air purifier that I run to give me some white noise because I need white noise, otherwise every little sound will wake me up. Figure out the conditions that you sleep best in and try to make sure that your sleep environment, sleep friendly environment has those things consistently figure out. If you prefer to sleep warm, then make sure that your environment is warmer.

  (15:12)

  If you prefer to sleep cooler, make sure that you're cool enough and make sure that your sleep environment is consistently setting you up for being able to fall asleep when you go there. Also, limit your exposure to electronic devices experts, say within an hour or two hours before you plan on going to sleep. The reason is because electronic devices is a lot of light shining right into your eyes and light cues our body circadian rhythms. So naturally as it starts to get dark, your body naturally starts to get sleepy, but that doesn't happen as much if you're on electronic devices and screens that are shining light into your eyes that can kind of interfere with that process. So wearing blue light blocker glasses can help, but still you don't really want to be looking at any bright screens or have any bright lights on within an hour or two before you plan on going to bed.

  (16:09)

  And also, it's like I said with the notifications too, that can be triggering, right? If you see a notification, you check your email, that can activate your sympathetic nervous system and get your adrenaline pumping or get you stressed, which will make it hard for you to fall asleep. So that's another reason to avoid the electronic devices. And also, if you have a hard time sleeping and you drink coffee or caffeinated beverages, or if you vape, if you smoke, if you use nicotine, if you use zens, avoid using those things or drinking those things before bedtime. At least four to six hours is ideal because stimulants will activate your sympathetic nervous system, which will make it harder for you to fall asleep or get effective sleep. So be careful about drinking coffee too close to bed or drinking sodas that have caffeine in them or vaping or using zens or whatever your stimulant of choice is.

  (17:10)

  Be mindful also of hidden sources of caffeine, like chocolate, especially if you eat dark chocolate or if you have hot chocolate that has a little bit of caffeine in it. Green tea and just like black tea as well, have caffeine in it. And some medications also have caffeine in them, so just be mindful of stimulants. Some medications are stimulants, like if you have a DHD, you don't want to take your A DHD medicine right before bed because it's stimulant. Let's see what else? You want to also manage your stress. I think that stress is probably the number one thing that keeps people from being able to sleep effectively because they don't have good habits of self-regulation. A lot of us weren't taught how to regulate our nervous systems as kids, right? Our parents didn't know how to regulate themselves, so they didn't teach us how to regulate ourselves.

  (18:03)

  And if that's the case, you might find yourself regulating your nervous system with unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking or smoking or eating lots of sugar or comfort foods and other unhealthy stress coping mechanisms that people pick up. So learning how to regulate your nervous system is a great way to manage your stress. Like we were talking about before in the previous episode, there's a lot of different strategies that you can use to regulate your nervous system from mindfulness to breathing exercises, to somatic exercises like tapping, talking to a therapist, journaling. All of these are really great ways to regulate your nervous system. If you don't have good, healthy coping mechanisms or ways to regulate your nervous system, that likely is going to affect your sleep and then also watch your nutrition, right? I am definitely not the kind of person that can fall asleep when I have an empty stomach.

  (19:04)

  If I haven't eaten within one or two hours before bed, I will have a really hard time sleeping and I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night. So that's something I know about my body and I need to make sure that I have something in my belly before I go to bed. But you also want to avoid eating things before bed that are going to keep you up, things that are going to cause gastric distress or upset your stomach. You want to avoid really heavy meals, caffeine, of course, like we already talked about, and alcohol too. Even though alcohol is a depressant and it slows your system down, it doesn't actually help you to get good rest. It actually keeps you from getting good rest. So having alcohol before bed, you may think that you're unwinding and you're relaxing, but you're not going to get good sleep with alcohol in your system.

  (19:55)

  So instead, you want to eat when it gets closer to bedtime, you want to eat lighter meals, and you also want to incorporate sleep promoting foods. Some foods will make you feel sleepier. Things like high protein, high protein, but lean protein, things like Turkey, dairy products, nuts, seeds. You can even do bananas. Stuff that's also going to keep you full for a longer period of time that has a moderate amount of fiber so that you're not going to wake up hungry. So these are all little tips that you can use to get better sleep, get better rest to improve your gains, right? Because it's just like we said before, it's like yin and yang. As hard as you work out in your workouts, as much as you stress your body, you have to balance that out with effective rest. And if you struggle with effective rest, you can use any of these little strategies that we talked about to deal with that.

  (20:55)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. I hope that you found this discussion helpful, and I'm curious to know what strategies you use to make sure that you are getting good, effective rest to maximize your gains. Leave those in the comments of this video if you're watching on YouTube. And don't forget that you can join me when I'm live on my Twitch channel by following me on Twitch. Just go to twitch.tv/Jaydigains and give me a follow to get notified whenever I go live. I usually go live on Tuesdays and Fridays in the fitness and health category to do my workout, answer fitness questions, and record a few episodes of the podcast. I'd love to see you there, and don't forget that you can find out more about me and the products and services that I offer by going to my website, Jaydigains.com. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you are eating your veggies, eating plenty of proteins, staying hydrated, and taking good care of yourself. I'll see you soon.

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Episode 58: Here’s Why You Can’t Stop Stress Eating & Drinking (And What to Do About It)

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

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How to Break Free from Sugar Addiction and Take Control of Your Health

If you’ve ever found yourself reaching for something sweet when you’re stressed, tired, or just feeling off, you’re not alone. Sugar addiction is real—and it’s more common than most people realize. In this week’s episode of the Coaching Corner Podcast, I’m diving deep into why sugar is so addictive, how it impacts your body and mind, and what you can actually do to reduce your intake and feel more in control.

Why Refined Sugar Feels So Hard to Quit

Refined sugar isn’t just tasty—it’s engineered to be addictive. Food manufacturers know how to hit that bliss point: the perfect combo of sugar, salt, and fat that lights up the reward centers of your brain. That’s why you can polish off a whole sleeve of cookies and still crave more.

And it’s not just about flavor. Sugar can also become a go-to coping mechanism when we’re dealing with emotional stress, anxiety, or overwhelm. The spike in dopamine and quick energy boost can feel like a temporary solution—but it often leads to a crash, guilt, and more cravings.

The Connection Between Stress, Emotional Eating & the Nervous System

One of the key things I talked about in this episode is how dysregulation in the nervous system can fuel sugar cravings. When we’re in a chronic state of stress—whether from work, relationships, or internal pressure—our bodies seek comfort. That’s where sugar often comes in.

But there are better ways to support your nervous system.

Practical Tools to Curb Cravings Without Feeling Deprived

Here are a few strategies I use with clients (and myself!) to reduce sugar intake and build healthier habits:

1. Start with awareness, not judgment. Notice your triggers and patterns around sugar without shaming yourself. Awareness is the first step to change.

2. Incorporate mindfulness and somatic tools. Practices like meditation, deep breathing, or the butterfly hug can help calm your nervous system without reaching for food.

3. Prioritize balanced meals. When your meals have protein, fiber, and healthy fats, your blood sugar stays more stable—and cravings drop.

4. Explore emotional support. Working with a therapist trained in somatic therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you develop better coping tools for emotional regulation.

You're Not Broken—The System Is

If you’re struggling with sugar, it’s not a lack of willpower. It's often a mix of biological, emotional, and environmental factors. You can create a more balanced, empowered relationship with food—one that supports your goals and your nervous system.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Get the Healthy Diet Makeover Handbook: Paperback or Ebook

• Work with Me! Nutrition Coaching

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  If you find that you tend to stress eat a lot or you have other unhealthy regulation coping mechanisms that you don't like and you want to change them, I really recommend starting to think about other ways that you can regulate your nervous system and really prioritize giving yourself a menu of things that you can choose from so that you're not always feeling like you have to choose or go for the food or go for the alcohol. Because the more that you give yourself these choices and the more often that you choose these other things, it makes it easier. It rewires your brain so that in the future you'll more often regulate with things that are healthy for you and aren't going to cause unwanted weight gain or other side effects like alcohol and refined sugars have on our bodies.

  (01:00)

  Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share with you some of the tips and tricks that I share with my personal training clients. In today's episode, we're going to talk about why it is so hard to stop eating sugary foods. I'm going to share with you a conversation that I had with my Twitch chat while I was live on my Twitch channel, Twitch tv slash JD gains. In addition to talking about why it is so hard for us to break up with sugary foods, I'm also going to give some tips for how you can reduce your intake of refined sugars. And before we get into the episode, if you are interested in learning more about how to eat healthy in a way that supports your fitness goals, make sure to check out my Healthy Diet Makeover book.

  (01:45)

  I've created a five-step process that I share with all of my personal training clients for cleaning up the diet, getting your calorie intake right and how to meal plan and meal prep for healthy eating. It's a pretty quick read and it's very simple, straight to the point guidance on cleaning up your diet and getting your diet on track. You can find the physical book on Amazon and order it there, or you can download the ebook from my website. I do also have a coaching program that goes along with this book that you can find more information for on my website. Just go to Jaydigains.com and scroll down to look at the coaching program options. Now, without further ado, let's get into the episode and talk about why it's so hard to stop eating sugary foods.

  (02:38)

  The thing about a lot of foods that have refined sugars in them or beverages that have refined sugars in them, they are engineered to be addictive. They're literally made to make you addicted to them, so having it just once or twice greatly increases the likelihood that you'll do it again pretty soon because food companies actually will test their products by putting people in MRI machines and then they will take a look at their brains when they eat a chip, and then based on the activity in their brain, if it's lighting up areas that say might get lit up by you getting a hit of cocaine or something, they will tweak the flavor so it lights up more of those reward centers, and that's how they make the foods more and more addictive. You have to completely stay away from sugary stuff or you'll easily eat too much.

  (03:34)

  I honestly think that I have to stay away from sugary foods too. I have a very addictive personality. I do tend to get addicted to video games pretty easily, and sugar sugary food or just like high sodium snack foods is a big one for me too, Cheez-Its just a sucker for cheesy, cheesy, salty snack foods, and when I'm stressed, I'm more susceptible to that. It hits those reward centers in your brain and gets your body to release dopamine, and if you're really, really stressed or you're not getting hits of dopamine from other more healthy sources, then it can be very easy for food to become this sole source of dopamine. And that's where a lot of people, especially people with A DHD tend to get stuck in the sugar addiction because we already tend to have low dopamine to begin with, and our systems get dysregulated more easily, so we're more susceptible to that kind of stuff.

  (04:37)

  You're still weak to beer, hard to stay away. Yeah. Alcohol's another one that some of my clients struggle with, and it's hard because alcohol's not just something that gives you a nice buzz. It's also for a lot of people a ritual, right? It's how they wind down after a stressful day at work. They have a couple glasses of wine or a couple beers with their partner, with their friends. It's a communal experience. It's a relaxing experience for a lot of people, and that's where you kind of get caught, which again, if it becomes so much of a way that you regulate yourself, you don't have other ways that you regulate your nervous system that are not eating or drinking, then you become very susceptible to getting addicted. So it's something you got to watch out for, and once again, you got to be really mindful of taking care of your system and approach your self-care as your nervous system is like a really complex computer.

  (05:40)

  It gets overheated, and if you have a DHD or autism, it gets overheated easily, so you need to have things that you do to cool it down or regulate yourself, and a lot of people just by default end up turning to food to regulate themselves That gets them to a calm baseline level. If that's your only way that you regulate yourself very easily, you could end up gaining unwanted weight or ending up with an addiction to sugar or alcohol or both. I think it's worth investing in some resources to learn how to regulate your nervous system, either by going to therapy, working with a somatic therapist, journaling, cultivate a nice little library in your brain of things that usually work to help calm your nervous system that's not eating or drinking something great. Ways to regulate your nervous system without eating or drinking something include mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises.

  (06:40)

  This is why yoga is really great for a lot of people to bring them mental clarity and peace because yoga and breathing exercises that are part of yoga are all about focusing in the present moment, being mindful and present and paying attention to your body, paying attention to your breath, and focusing on what is happening right now so you can get out of your mind and out of your thinking about the future or stressing about the past, what's happening right now, and you focus on the sensations of your body while you're exercising or while you're doing breathing work. Just taking a moment to sit back and just focus on your breathing and take a few deep breaths is a great way to get into the present moment and can regulate your nervous system. But there's also some somatic exercises that come from EMDR therapy, which include tracking something with your eyes that goes left to right because bilateral stimulation of your brain where you go left, right, left, right, left, whether that's your eyeballs moving or you feel something you're doing taps left right, or you're hearing music that goes from your left ear to your right ear has a great effect on calming your mind and helping you when you're in a really dysregulated state.

  (08:00)

  So a really common somatic EMDR exercise for helping you to regulate your nervous system is called the butterfly hug. Basically, you take your hands across your shoulders like this, you're giving yourself a hug, and then you just tap side to side and you just try to focus on the feeling of that tap left, right, left, and you focus on the feeling of the taps, but there's all kinds of other ways that you can just tap left, right on your neck, on your shoulders, on your chest, and then exercise itself is a great way to regulate your nervous system. You don't have to go to the gym and just crush your body and stress yourself. Sometimes your workouts can just be, I need to regulate my nervous system. I just need to get some blood flowing and I need to do something that's not stressful to my system.

  (08:50)

  But just movement, moving your body and paying attention, the movement of your body is another really great way to regulate your nervous system. If you find that you tend to stress eat a lot or you have other unhealthy regulation, coping mechanisms that you don't like and you want to change them, I really recommend starting to think about other ways that you can regulate your nervous system and really prioritize giving yourself kind of a menu of things that you can choose from so that you're not always feeling like you have to choose or go for the food or go for the alcohol, because the more that you give yourself these choices and the more often that you choose these other things, it makes it easier. It rewires your brain so that in the future you'll more often regulate with things that are healthy for you and aren't going to cause unwanted weight gain or other side effects like alcohol and refined sugars have on our bodies.

  (09:50)

  But getting with a therapist, especially someone who works with Somatic Therapy Strategies, EMDR is a great example. Cognitive behavioral therapy also has a lot of physical exercises, mindfulness, right? Mindfulness. These are all great forms of therapy that can help you to develop a better habit of regulating your nervous system, and it's worth doing, I think, because if you are not really good at regulating your nervous system, it's likely that there are other parts of your life that are suffering in addition to just, oh, I'm eating a lot more than I would like, or I'm drinking a lot more than I would like. You probably have relationships in your life that are suffering because of your poor regulation, right? There's probably boundaries that you need to set in your life towards work or in other relationships that you just haven't been regulated enough to be able to set those boundaries, right?

  (10:49)

  So I think it's worth doing for sure, but if you are interested in working with a therapist to learn how to regulate your nervous system better, you could just go to psychology, what is it? Psychology today.org. If you have health insurance, you probably can get a lot of your therapy covered through your insurance, so go log into whatever your portal is for your insurance, and usually they'll provide lists of providers that take their insurance, and there's also a lot of free resources online as well. There's also courses that a lot of therapists have put together and they sell. Basically, this is a course on mindfulness, or this is a course on EMDR, so there are so many options out there for you, so don't feel like you're trapped in. This is going to be like this forever. It does take some time to learn new ways to regulate yourself, but it's definitely worth it, and there's free resources out there, and there's also people who professionally you can work with to learn new ways of regulating your nervous system.

  (12:04)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. If you're interested in learning about me and the services and products that I offer, head to my website, Jaydigains.com, and don't forget to order your copy of the Healthy Diet Makeover book from my website or from Amazon. The links for that are in the show notes of this episode and in the video description, if you're watching on YouTube, make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel if you're watching on YouTube so that you always get the latest videos. If you're listening to the episode, make sure to follow the show so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure to eat your veggies, eat your protein, stay hydrated, and take good care of yourself. I'll see you next time.

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Episode 57: 9 Minimalist Meal Prep Strategies

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

---

Do you struggle to eat healthy when life gets hectic? In this episode of the Coaching Corner podcast, I share my top minimalist meal prep strategies to help you stay on track with your nutrition—even during your busiest weeks.

As a personal trainer, I know how overwhelming traditional meal prep can be. That’s why I focus on simple, time-saving tips using grocery store staples like rotisserie chicken, salad kits, microwavable grains, steamable veggies, canned beans, tuna packets, and frozen meals. I also share high-protein snack ideas like Greek yogurt, jerky, protein bars, and hard-boiled eggs that keep you fueled on the go.

Plus, I cover how to balance convenience with fresh foods, stay mindful of sodium intake, and still build meals that support your goals—whether it’s fat loss, muscle gain, or just feeling better overall.

👉 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 9 minimalist meal prep tips that work

• My favorite healthy grocery store shortcuts

• Quick snack ideas that don’t require cooking

• How to save time without sacrificing nutrition

• A simple mindset shift to make meal prep sustainable

🎯 Whether you’re a busy professional, a parent, or just someone trying to eat better without the stress, this episode is packed with practical nutrition hacks you can start using today.

📘 Want more help with your diet? Grab my Healthy Diet Makeover Handbook Paperback or Ebook

🎙️ Subscribe to Coaching Corner for weekly episodes on fitness, fat loss, nutrition, and mindset.

#MealPrep #NutritionTips #HealthyEating #FitnessPodcast #MinimalistMealPrep #JaydHarrison #BusyLifestyle #MealPrepHacks #CoachingCorner

If you’re trying to get leaner without losing strength, or just want to train smarter during a fat loss phase, this episode is for you.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Work with Me! Nutrition Coaching

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  A lot of grocery stores in their deli section have ready to eat, ready to go, meals and snacks. So take a look at those sections of your grocery store. That's another simple, very, very fast way to meal prep if you don't have time to fully cook. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years and I created this podcast so I can share with you some of the tips and tricks that I share with my personal training clients. In today's episode, I'm going to share a couple of tips for minimalist meal prep. We all have weeks where we are just too busy or too tired to go through the process of planning and cooking our meals for the week, and when that happens, it can be very easy to get off track on our diet plans.

  (00:55)

  So what I'm sharing in this episode are a couple of really fast and healthy ways that you can still meet your macros with spending minimal time in the kitchen. Now, if you like the tips and tricks that I share in this episode, make sure to check out my Healthy Diet Makeover book, which you can buy off Amazon or you can download the ebook from my website In my Healthy Diet Makeover book, I've created a five-step process for cleaning up your diet, starting with how to put healthy food on your plate at every meal, and I'll also show you how to figure out how many calories you should be eating and how to split those calories up between your macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats. This book also comes with a bunch of recipes that you can try as well as a seven day example meal plan. I'll show you how to meal plan and how to meal prep as well. There's other tips in this book as well on how to eat healthy on a budget, how to eat healthy while traveling, et cetera. So make sure to pick up a copy of the book. You can find a link for that in the video description below if you're watching on YouTube and if you're listening to this podcast, you can find links for the book in the show notes. Now without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:12)

  I had a client a couple weeks ago where she just had sort of a bad mental health weekend and the weekend is when she usually does her meal prep, and then she was really worried about getting off track that week when I saw her on Monday and I was like, well, why don't you just get the stuff that's like ready to eat right from the grocery store? So you have to do very minimal stuff. We were brainstorming some of the things that she could do to make sure that she was hitting her macros and hitting her calories so she could continue to work out as hard as she needed to reach her goals. She's got a wedding coming up, so these are some of my tips. I have nine tips for simple minimalist things that you can do to make sure that you're sticking to your diet plan even if you just don't have time to meal prep or maybe you your window for meal prep.

  (03:00)

  My number one tip that I recommend people if you're not vegan or vegetarian is to just grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store because the rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are number one guaranteed to be tasty. They're well cooked right, and they are usually cooked really with the right amount of seasoning and everything. You can eat them right out of the box. You could just literally just buy one and eat it depending on what your protein and your calorie goals are and how much you have to eat at a meal, you might have to eat half a chicken, right? If you have the funds for it and you want to go a little step further, then go to a Peruvian restaurant. They'll also give you basically a whole, it's like brick grilled chicken. Now you can eat it whole right as it is, or you can very quickly take that and turn it into some chicken salad or you can add it as a topping to a sandwich.

  (03:59)

  You can make a wrap out of it. You can turn it into some quick tacos. It's very easy to make multiple things using a rotisserie chicken or a Peruvian chicken, and a lot of times the Peruvian restaurants will give you an option, half a chicken, a whole chicken or whatnot. So this is something very, very easy, very minimalist. You literally could just keep it in your fridge and then just cut off a few pieces as you go so you don't have to worry about cooking it yourself. Now, if you are in a calorie deficit, if you're watching your calories when you're using the rotisserie chicken, you can easily reduce the calorie intake of that chicken by just not eating the skin because rotisserie chicken are usually cooked with the skin on. Just peel the skin off and eat just the meat and then be careful about what sauces you're using.

  (04:54)

  But you can easily make a pretty low calorie high protein snack or full meal using rotisserie chicken. It lasts at least three days in the fridge. You could get a couple of them or you could get one every couple of days if you have a particular week where you're not going to be able to cook, just get a rotisserie chicken at the beginning of the week and then another one midway through the week. Okay? Another thing number two is pre-washed salad kits. You can get these from the grocery store and these are great. You can pack 'em right into your lunchbox. You can eat them right out of the package. They usually contain a mixture of different vegetables. You can also find ones that have a variety of different proteins like boiled eggs or chicken Turkey or ham, and they have other ingredients too. So this is another really easy you can grab and go right from the grocery store to make sure that you're getting some fiber and some vegetables in your diet even if you don't have time to meal prep.

  (05:56)

  However, I also have to say it is also super, super fast to just build your own salads for meal prep. This is something that I do a lot of times when I have those weeks where I'm just like, I cannot be bothered. I'll just buy a bunch of kale or spinach and then whatever other ingredients because with just a couple of different vegetables, like a bag of greens and then some other vegetables, depending on what kind of salad you're building, you can build out seven different meals using all of those things, mixing and matching the different proteins and toppings that you use. So that's another simple, very, very fast way to meal prep if you don't have time to fully cook. And you could use the rotisserie chicken for part of the protein, boiling some eggs. You can also buy boiled eggs from the grocery store.

  (06:48)

  A lot of grocery stores in their deli section have ready to eat, ready to go meals and snacks, so take a look at those sections of your grocery store. That's where you'll often find the pre-washed salad kits as well. If not there, you'll also find them in the vegetable section. Number three, another thing that can be super helpful if you don't have a lot of time to cook is microwavable grains fellow twitch streamer and bodybuilder slash powerlifter cure the hermit or hermit earnest on other social media. One thing that his community used to give him a hard time about was his microwavable rice. He'd get, was it Uncle Ben's? Yeah, he'd get packs of Uncle Ben's rice, microwave them, and then have that with some tuna or some other packaged chicken or something for a quick post-workout meal, and his community is to give him a hard time for using the microwaveable rice, but it's legitimate and that's what you got to do what you got to do.

  (07:50)

  There's nothing wrong with having, honestly, if it's the difference between you not eating at all versus eating some microwavable grains, freaking get the microwaveable grains. So this is super, super simple way to get in some healthy grains without having to go through the whole process of cleaning your rice and then boiling it and then steaming it, et cetera, et cetera. You can skip all of that and just get some little packets and you can go from any grocery store. Number four, precut veggies and steam bags. Another great way to get in your veggies with very minimal cooking time. Just go to the frozen food section of your grocery store and you'll find steam bags all over the place. Some of them have different sauces that they can add to give some different flavorings. My colleague and coach really likes, it's like a cauliflower rice that has this cheesy sauce and he'll get two of those and microwave two of those and have those for lunch with some protein.

  (08:55)

  Very fast, simple, pretty good tasting, at least that's what he tells me. You'll find a lot of different microwaveable and steam bags like that with flavoring or without flavoring, and if you go to the produce section, a lot of times you'll find pre-cut veggies that are ready to eat right out of the box, and sometimes they'll even come with a little bit of ranch dressing or some hummus or something. That's another really simple way to make sure that you are getting some veggies in, even if you haven't meal prepped. You can also do the same thing if you diet allows for deli meats. You can also find party trays that have deli meats and cheese and hummus, and sometimes there's a mixture of veggies and veggies and deli meats and et cetera, so those are some good options as well. Number five, if you are up for just a little bit of cooking, boil some eggs.

  (09:53)

  When I have a minimal prep week, one of the first things I do is pop between six and 10 eggs into a sauce pan, boil them, and then I don't even peel them. Once they are cooked, I stick them in the fridge and some ice water and then I use them as I go throughout the week. I'll make egg salad or I'll use them as toppings on a wrap or for a salad, frozen Turkey burgers or veggie patties, so frozen foods like that that you can keep in your freezer and then just pop them in the microwave when you're ready to eat. Still a little bit of cooking, still a little bit of prep. You get something that's nice and warm, but you don't really have to make the patties right, they're already ready to go. Also, pre-cooked chicken sausage or summer sausage again, like deli meats, that kind of a thing.

  (10:48)

  If your diet allows, just keep in mind when it comes to sausage and deli meats, you got to be mindful of the amount of sodium that's in it. If you are trying to eat a low sodium diet or if you're watching your blood pressure, this might not be the best option for you. And number two, sausage a lot of times has a lot higher fat content, especially saturated fat, so if you're watching your saturated fats, you want to be careful about sausage, but that is another option as well. Number six, a couple of shelf shelf stable staples that you might want to just keep in your kitchen at all times for when you have a week like this when you don't have time to cook are things like canned beans. These are super easy to just warm up, add salt, pepper, and maybe a little bit of seasoning.

  (11:40)

  You could eat them exactly like that or you could add them to salads, add them to protein bowls, et cetera. They're a really great source of dietary fiber and protein. I mean, honestly, you could live off of beans because they are a complete food. They have carbohydrates, healthy fats, and also protein, so I always recommend keeping canned beans in your pantry at all times and then just use them on weeks when you don't have time to cook. Tuna and salmon packets are also a really great staple to keep in your pantry. Another thing that you can very easily whip together, add onto a sandwich or add onto a salad or make tuna salad with crackers. Very quick, easy, high protein and healthy fat food. You want to also keep some soup or chili in your pantry or in your freezer too. Sometimes what I'll do is make a soup or a chili like a big batch of it, like a family size batch of it that has between six and eight servings, and then I will freeze the soup and keep it in my freezer For weeks like this, when I don't have time to meal prep or I don't have time to do a whole meal prep, I can always grab those frozen meals that I've created for myself from a couple of weeks before.

  (13:06)

  There are a lot of companies who make pretty healthy frozen meal options. The only thing that you have to watch out for these is sometimes they don't have enough calories. If you look at the nutrition on the box, it is just 310 calories. A lot of them are like 310 calories, 400 calories, and that is for most people, not really enough calories for an actual meal, but if you have two of them, it's full of vegetables, it's full of, usually they don't have as much protein as you need to, but if you eat two or one and a half, then you can probably get your protein intake. So there's a lot of good options for frozen meals that you should probably keep stocked in your freezer just in case. And if you have a week where you haven't meal prepped or you don't have time, you can always just go to the grocery store, grab a couple of those and just have them in your freezer.

  (13:55)

  Just keep in mind when it comes to these pre-made frozen meals, a lot of times they do have a lot of sodium in them, so again, if you're watching your blood pressure, you want to be mindful of how much sodium is in these frozen foods. The same thing when it comes to the shelf stable canned foods as well. Those canned foods are going to have a lot more sodium in them too, so it just makes sure that you're balancing that out with drinking plenty of water to help flush your system, but you want to balance out these shelf stable and frozen foods with fresh foods, so that's why I first recommended the rotisserie chicken and the precut veggies, that kind of thing. I also have a couple of tips for snacks, for snack ideas if you want to maximize your protein. Some snacks that you should keep in your kitchen are Greek yogurt cups.

  (14:46)

  A lot of them have at least 12 grams of protein. Oikos has this product that's called Ocos Pro, and it's like 20 grams of protein for a small half a cup of yogurt. It's good to have those and keep those in your fridge very quick, easy 20 grams of protein right there, and it's not very high calorie, either string cheese or those cheese rounds. Just make sure that if you are watching your calories go for skim or low fat. Again, keeping hard boiled eggs in your refrigerator is a good choice for snacks, you could just pop on some salt and some pepper, maybe some a drop of vinegar, and you can easily have a little snack that's 12 grams of protein, two eggs, right? Keeping jerky like beef jerky in your pantry is a great way to get a protein dense snack that is fast.

  (15:39)

  You don't have to cook it and it's ready to go right out of the package or meat sticks so you can get Turkey beef jerky. You can also find plant-based jerky as well that's made with lentils or soy roasted at a mame or chickpeas. You can get them in these little snack packs, these little pouches, keep those in your pantry. Easy way to get a good balance of carbohydrates, fats and protein, and then protein bars and shakes. Of course, many bodybuilders and power lifters. It's kind of a staple of our kitchens. We always have protein shakes or protein powder and some protein bars somewhere, so these are some fast protein dense snacks. If you are looking for something that's like more like fresh and fruity, you could find some pre-sliced apple packs, unsweetened applesauce cups, another really good choice for something sweet and fresh. And now number nine.

  (16:36)

  I'll be honest on the weeks that I don't have a lot of time to meal prep and I am just kind of flying by the seat of my pants, I'm more likely to go for stuff that is sweet. I'm more likely to eat things that are sweet and desserty. I'm more likely to crave that, and if I haven't meal prepped, it's likely because I'm busy and I'm stressed, so I know going into it that I'm probably going to want something sweet. So if I'm going to the grocery store to pick up some stuff that's going to be quick meal prep. I'm also going to grab some stuff that's a pretty nice little sweet treat that's going to go towards my macros, so you can get those yaso frozen Greek yogurt bars. Those are so yummy. If you like ice cream or if you like frozen yogurt, that kind of thing.

  (17:24)

  Those are really yummy. Protein bars are a really good, they can just sometimes scratch that itch for something sweet, especially if you like chocolate, and I do so keeping chocolate protein bars and using them as sort of like a dessert when I'm feeling like I want something sweet. It's a good way to satisfy that when I'm stressed, but also add to my protein for the day. You can also find a lot of protein snacks like protein cups, premier Protein, and Cozy Shack simply, well, they make protein pudding. You can also find high protein ice creams like Halo Top. These are all good options for if you have a sweet tooth and you want to satisfy that sweet tooth and also have it go towards your macros and calories for the day. Those are my nine tips for how to tackle if you haven't had time to meal prep or if you don't have time to meal prep and you want to still eat in a way that's going towards your goals and in alignment with your goals. Now I'm curious to see what are the things that you guys do when you have a week where you don't have time to meal prep? When you don't have time to cook, what do you do in order to stick to your diet plan? If you're watching this on YouTube, leave those in the comments below this YouTube video. I really want to hear what your tips and tricks are.

  (18:50)

  Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. If you are interested in working with me or if you're interested in the products and services that I offer, head to my website, Jaydigains.com. I am taking on online personal training clients right now for a variety of my programs, so make sure that you check out those options. You can also hang out with me while I'm live on my Twitch channel. That's Twitch tv slash Jaydigains, so make sure to follow me there so that you can join me in the live chat while I'm doing my workouts and doing the podcast. And that's it for this episode. I'll see you in the next one. In the meantime, make sure that you eat your veggies, eat your protein, stay hydrated, and take good care of your body, and I'll see you next time. Take care.

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Episode 56: 9 Strategies to Speed Up Fat Loss Through Resistance Training

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

---

In this episode of the Coaching Corner Podcast, I’m breaking down why resistance training should be your top priority during a fat loss phase—not just cardio.

Cardio definitely has its place, but relying on it too much can lead to muscle breakdown and a slower metabolism over time. To help you avoid that, I’m sharing 9 powerful strategies to make your resistance training more effective so you can burn fat, keep your muscle, and get long-term results.

🔥 Here’s what I cover:

• Why cardio alone isn’t enough for sustainable fat loss

• How lifting weights supports your metabolism and muscle retention

• My 9 go-to training tips for fat loss:

1. Train consistently (3–4x/week)

2. Focus on compound movements

3. Use higher reps with moderate weights

4. Keep intensity high (train smart, not sloppy)

5. Choose weights that challenge you

6. Add metabolic finishers

7. Increase your daily movement (NEAT)

8. Prioritize recovery and sleep

9. Get your nutrition right—think protein, fiber, and a slight calorie deficit

If you’re trying to get leaner without losing strength, or just want to train smarter during a fat loss phase, this episode is for you.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Gains Club Membership

• Livestreams on Twitch

• Train with Me! Body Sculpt Coaching Program

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  So when you are in a fat loss phase, it's important that you're combating that breakdown of muscle tissue. That is a natural part of being in a calorie deficit because remember, your body's going to break down fat and muscle to make up for energy that you're not getting through food, and if all you're doing is cardio and moving your body and burning lots of calories through cardiovascular exercise, then that breakdown of your muscle tissue is going to happen a lot faster. Now you can combat this breakdown of muscle tissue by incorporating resistance training regularly into your weekly training routine.

  (00:46)

  Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. My name's Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share some of the tips and tricks that I teach my personal training clients. In today's episode, we're going to talk about how to tweak your resistance training to support your fat loss. Now, when people think about fat loss, they often envision a training routine that includes endless hours of cardio. But resistance training is what I like to call the secret magic bullet to sustainable fat loss. If you are looking to achieve a toned physique, meaning you have some muscle definition and a lean body composition, you cannot neglect doing resistance training at least two times a week. There are some ways that you can tweak your resistance training to make it even more effective at helping you to burn fat and change your body composition.

  (01:41)

  Now, before we get into this episode, make sure to like this video if you're following on YouTube and subscribe to the channels so you always get the latest episodes and other videos that I dropped throughout the week. If you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the channel so that you always get the latest episodes delivered to your device. If you are interested in working with me as your coach, I am taking on clients to my workout program, just go to my website, gd gaines.com or check the links in the show notes or the description of this video. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:19)

  So many people believe that what they need to do to optimize their workout program for fat loss is to do lots of high intensity cardio to burn a lot of calories in each workout. The problem with this approach though is that it can very quickly lead to burnout or even injury even for intermediate and advanced exercises. Experts don't recommend doing this type of training more than two or three times a week. Another problem with this is that the amount of calories that your body burns in high intensity cardio is going to naturally decline over time. Your body is an adaptation machine. It is made to make movements that you do frequently automated so you save more energy on them because your body's built for the wild and in the wild. If you continue to burn a lot of calories more than what you are eating, eventually you're going to run out of your fat stores, which are your energy stores, and you could die.

  (03:17)

  So your body tries to make activities that are very calorie expensive, more efficient over time so you don't burn as many calories as your body adapts. When this happens, then in order to keep your body continuing to burn the same number of calories, you have to do more by increasing the amount of time that you're doing your cardio or increasing the number of times you do that type of training a week. Now there's only so much exercise you can do in the day before you start to experience a breakdown in your body or in your motivation. Another thing that can happen with this approach is loss of muscle mass. When you're doing really high intensity cardio for extended periods of time frequently throughout the week, your body is not going to be able to keep up with the repairs that are necessary to sustain that type of activity for long.

  (04:09)

  In order to make up for the energy that you're not getting through your food, you're likely going to see a breakdown of the existing muscle tissue that you have Now as that muscle tissue declines, so will the number of calories that your body burns in that exercise and overall in your everyday life. So when you are in a fat loss phase, it's important that you're combating that breakdown of muscle tissue. That is a natural part of being in a calorie deficit because remember, your body's going to break down fat and muscle to make up for energy that you're not getting through food. And if all you're doing is cardio and moving your body and burning lots of calories through cardiovascular exercise, then that breakdown of your muscle tissue is going to happen a lot faster. Now, you can combat this breakdown of muscle tissue by incorporating resistance training regularly into your weekly training routine, but there are some ways that you can go even further by making your resistance training further support your fat loss by increasing the number of calories that your body spends every day without necessarily having to do more and more cardio.

  (05:20)

  So let's take a look at nine different ways that you can optimize your resistance training to keep your muscle mass from reducing and to increase your calorie burn over time. And the number one way to optimize your resistance training for fat loss is to train frequently at least three to four times per week. When it comes to fat loss, consistency is key. Working out more frequently will help to increase the total calorie burn of your body on a day-to-day basis, and working out for three to four times a week will give you the amount of time that you need to hit all of the major muscle groups. So for example, you could do a three day workout routine that's a total body split where you're working upper body, lower body and core every day that you train. Or you could try a push pull leg split and upper body, lower body, total body split.

  (06:08)

  All of these are great options for three day training programs. For a four day split, you could try alternating between upper body and lower body days. A lot of my clients really like this format because upper body days are a lot easier to recover from than lower body days, so they're not feeling quite as tired after every gym session as they would if they were doing total body. And when you're in a fat loss phase and a low calorie intake, you're likely going to be tired. So it is nice to have some days of your resistance training program that are going to be easier on your energy levels and easier to recover from. You could also do something like a body part split. We alternate between arms, chest, back, legs, et cetera. There are many ways that you could split up your workouts, but I do recommend that you try to stick to at least three to four times a week, and you can even do shorter sessions the more often that you're training, so you're not having to spend quite so much time in the gym as you get tired or and tireder during your fat loss phase.

  (07:06)

  Now, another way that you can optimize your resistance training for fat loss is to prioritize compound movements. These are movements that involve multiple joints working in action at the same time. The classic examples of compound movements are things like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, press exercises like bench press or pushups. But variations of these types of exercises are also really great different types of lunges and the variety of deadlift styles. When you get multiple joints moving at the same time, this means that you're getting more activation and more muscles. The more muscles that are involved and your resistance training, the more calories you're burning during that workout. But it's not just about how many calories you're burning in your workout, it's also about how much muscle growth are you stimulating within that workout because when you recover from your workout and your muscles grow, the more muscle that you can build, the more your total calorie burn is going to increase on a day-to-day basis.

  (08:09)

  So both in and outside of the gym, we really want to make sure that we're boosting that calorie burn by stimulating the muscles. Compound movements are also super efficient. If you don't have a whole lot of time to spend in the gym, especially if you're feeling really tired, doing a few compound movements that hit multiple muscles at the same time could mean that you don't have to do quite as many exercises and spend less time in the gym. Also, many of the compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges involve the big muscles in your body. Big muscles burn a lot more calories than your smaller muscles in your upper body, so that also is going to increase the calorie burn from in the workout itself and also the recovery afterward. Now, it's important for a number of to do your compound lifts toward the beginning of your workout.

  (08:58)

  At the beginning of the workout, you're going to have a lot more energy than what you will have towards the end of the workout. I recommend doing your compound lifts or compound exercises at the beginning after your warmup and your priming, and then save more isolation based exercises like bicep curls to be at the end of your workout when you have less energy. Now, number three. Another way that you can optimize your resistance training for fat loss is to use a higher number of reps in each set using less weight and higher reps. Increasing the total volume of your training is going to go a lot further for you than doing really heavy lifts. For a small number of reps, this is going to do a number of things. Number one, more repetitions means more time under tension for your muscles. The longer that your muscles are under tension and having to work, the longer they're going to have to be spending calories.

  (09:54)

  So within the workout, high rep sets are going to by definition, burn more calories than low rep sets. High rep sets are also going to get your heart rate up, especially if you're training within that 10 to 20 repetitions per set range and with your heart rate elevated, that is going to boost your fat loss. Higher repetition sets also boost your post-exercise calorie burn so your body will burn more calories for longer even after you stop working out. It's also generally safer on the joints to use less weight and do more repetitions, which is very important, especially when you're in a calorie deficit. Being in a calorie deficit means that your body is going to not be able to recover as well from your workouts as when you are in a maintenance phase or if you are in a bulk. This means you're more at risk of getting injured.

  (10:45)

  But when you're using less weight and doing a higher number of repetitions, you greatly reduce the likelihood of getting injured from your exercise. And of course, higher volume training also is the best way to increase muscle growth and hypertrophy, which will one, combat the loss of muscle from being in a calorie deficit and will also boost the amount of lean muscle tissue in your body, which will in turn increase your daily calorie burn. So when we talk about higher volume training for your resistance training, we want to be shooting for sets with reps of between eight and 15 reps per set. Especially on your compound lifts, you want to keep it within that range. But on your isolation exercises like bicep curls, tricep, kickbacks, leg extensions, you could do as many as 20 repetitions per set. Just keep in mind, the longer that your muscles are burning, the better.

  (11:37)

  We want to approach muscle failure. That point where your muscles completely give out, you don't necessarily need to go all the way to muscle failure, but stopping just short of it is a great way to ensure that you're getting a maximum calorie burn within the workout, that you are stimulating muscle growth to combat the loss of muscle tissue, and that you're also going to be increasing the amount of muscle in your body, which will increase your total calorie burn on a daily basis, even on those days that you're not working out. Now, number four, another way to optimize your resistance training for fat loss is to increase the training intensity and my training intensity. What I mean is that your workouts should be challenging for your overall total body system. Not only do we want to get the muscles burning, but we want your total system to be challenged.

  (12:23)

  We want your heart rate to feel like it's getting spiked at the end of every set, and we want you to go into each successive set, not feeling quite as recovered as you did with the previous sets. Now, great ways to do this is to decrease the amount of time that you rest between your sets. Generally speaking, when my clients are in a fat loss phase, I like them to rest between 30 and 60 seconds. This ensures that going into set 2, 3, 4, et cetera. Their muscles are not quite recovered and they're going to get that burn happening sooner. Another great way to increase intensity is to incorporate circuit training or super sets. Super sets are when you alternate between two or more exercises that usually hit the same muscle group. So for example, you might do a set of squats followed by a set of lunges.

  (13:10)

  Circuit training is when you alternate between a variety of exercises that usually hit multiple different muscle groups, so you might do some squats, and then you might do pushups followed by lunges, followed by pull downs or pull-ups. This is a great way to keep you moving, so your body is spending minimal time at rest, which would increase your calorie burn within the course of the workout. You can also use training techniques like drop sets or practicing myo reps to help yourself push past your limits of fatigue. Number five, another way to make sure that your resistance training is optimal for fat loss is to make sure you're using the right weight during your sets. The weight that you use in an exercise should make the exercise feel challenging within eight to 12 reps or whatever the recommended rep range is for your program. The goal is to get the target muscles burning while maintaining proper technique through the entire set.

  (14:04)

  And of course, you want to gradually increase the number of reps you do or the amount of weight that you use over time. Whenever you repeat an exercise from one week to the other, you should be adding something to increase the challenge. And we do have an entire episode on how to progressively overload your muscles and your resistance training, which I highly recommend you check out to get more information on how to progress your resistance training to make it more challenging over time. You can use any of the suggestions in that episode to make your resistance training more intense. Now, number six. Another great way to optimize your resistance training for fat loss is to add what are called metabolic finishers. Now, these are exercises that you do after the main portion of your resistance training workout. The goal here is to increase your heart rate, get it up, and also focus on getting your muscles burning.

  (14:55)

  A great example of this is a 10 minute Im om, which stands for every minute on the minute. So every minute right on the dot, you start a set of an exercise like kettlebell swings or burpees before resting until the next minute hits. Doing that for 10 minutes is a great way to get your heart rate up and get your muscles burning. You could also do five rounds of 30 seconds of kettlebell swings, battle ropes, or sled pushes. You could also do five to 10:00 AM wrap circuits. This would be a circuit of a handful of exercises where you do as many reps as possible in each exercise for between five and 10 minutes. Number seven, another way that you can optimize your training program for fat loss is to incorporate neat, which stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. So anytime that your body is moving, even when you're not necessarily exercising or working out, your body is burning more calories.

  (15:56)

  So lots of activities that of daily living can burn more calories. I suggest setting a daily activity goal for yourself when you're in a fat loss phase, walking more is a great way to get your body burning more calories. I like to shoot for between 8,000 and 12,000 steps a day. You can use your smartphone or wear an activity tracker device to track the number of steps that you take every day, and also you can track your heart rate throughout the day as well. I recommend also taking the stairs instead of the elevator. And if you have a sedentary job, you could stand more pace around or take walking meetings. And if you have a phone call that you need to do, go for a walk and walk and talk at the same time. And number eight, another thing that you should do is prioritize your recovery.

  (16:40)

  Remember, we do not build any muscle while we're actually in the gym working out. The muscle building happens after the workout, when you're at rest, when you're sleeping, if you have eaten properly, your body will take the food that you eat and it will turn it into muscle to combat that muscle loss and it will burn fat. So it's very important that you're prioritizing getting good effective rest. Aim for sleeping between seven and eight hours a night at least. It's also important to manage your stress because the more stressed you are, the harder it is going to be for you to get effective sleep. So manage your stress through different practices like mindfulness, meditation, journaling, talking with a therapist or trusted friend. It's also important that you're taking your rest days to give your body time to recuperate and repair the damaged tissue that happens normally through the course of training effectively.

  (17:34)

  And finally, number nine, it's super important that while you're in a fat loss phase and working out to build muscle and combat muscle loss, you need to dial in your nutrition. It's so important that you're giving your body enough protein and the right amount of calories to prioritize building muscle and burning fat. A good rule of thumb to shoot for is one gram of protein per pound of lean muscle tissue. And you may even want to do more when you're in a fat loss phase to ensure that you're getting as much protein as you need to build. Muscle protein is also pretty satiating and can help to reduce cravings. So a high protein diet is going to help a lot. It's also important that you're eating enough fiber. Dietary fiber helps to make you feel more full at the end of a meal or a snack, which will reduce your cravings.

  (18:24)

  And high fiber foods like vegetables, whole grains, fruits, these are all pretty satiating foods that are pretty low in calorie as well. And again, you want to prioritize whole unprocessed foods over packaged foods like crackers, cookies, chips, et cetera. Packaged foods are more likely to have added sugars or fat and other things like preservatives and salt that will increase your inflammation, increase your cravings as well, and just make it harder for you to achieve your fat loss and weight loss goals. And remember that for fat loss, you do need to maintain a calorie deficit. We need your body burning more calories than what you're eating. So a pretty modest calorie deficit of 200 to 500 calories below your maintenance level of calories is enough for you to achieve a nice sustainable fat loss at a rate that is going to minimize the amount of muscle that you lose.

  (19:20)

  Especially if you're doing resistance training. The steeper that you go in your calorie deficit, the more likely it is that a lot of your weight loss is going to come from muscle tissue. So if you're in a steep calorie deficit of like a thousand calories or more, just know that that is going to come at the cost of your lean muscle tissue, and as your lean muscle tissue goes down, so will your daily calorie burn. So I recommend sticking to that 200 to 500 calorie deficit a day if you want to retain muscle and improve your body composition while burning fat. So there you have it. Nine ways that you can optimize your resistance training or fat loss.

  (20:02)

  Thank you so much for watching this episode. I hope that you found it helpful. I'm curious to know what things you're using to optimize your training for fat loss. Leave those in the comments below this video if you're watching on YouTube. And don't forget that you can connect with me while I'm live on my Twitch channel. Just go to Twitch.tv/Jaydigains. Make sure to subscribe to this channel if you're watching on YouTube and to follow the channel. If you are listening to this podcast, again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I look forward to seeing you in the next episode. In the meantime, take care.

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Episode 55: 7 Ways to Progress Your Resistance Training and Get Stronger

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If you want to get stronger, build muscle, or improve your overall fitness, one principle is essential: progressive overload. It’s the key to continually making gains and ensuring your workouts remain effective. Without it, your progress will eventually stall, leaving you frustrated and stuck in a plateau.

In this post, we’ll break down what progressive overload is, why it matters, and how to apply it to your resistance training for long-term results.

What Is Progressive Overload?

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed on your muscles over time. Your body is highly adaptive—if you consistently challenge it, it will grow stronger and more resilient. However, if you don’t push your limits, your body will maintain the status quo, and your progress will stagnate.

The key is to make small, intentional increases in difficulty to keep stimulating muscle growth, strength gains, and endurance improvements.

Why Is Progressive Overload Important?

1. Prevents Plateaus – Without increasing the challenge, your body will adapt, and progress will slow down.

2. Builds Strength and Muscle – Muscle growth (hypertrophy) occurs when your muscles are consistently pushed beyond their current capacity.

3. Improves Performance – Whether you’re lifting for sport, functional strength, or general fitness, progressive overload ensures continued improvement.

4. Supports Fat Loss – Gaining muscle increases your metabolism, making it easier to maintain or lose weight.

5. Keeps Workouts Engaging – Seeing measurable progress can keep you motivated and invested in your training.

How to Apply Progressive Overload

There are multiple ways to implement progressive overload in your training. Here are some of the most effective methods:

1. Increase Repetitions or Sets

If adding weight isn’t an option, try increasing the number of reps or sets. For example, if you’re doing 8 reps of squats, aim for 9 or 10 in your next session.

2. Increase Time Under Tension

Slowing down the eccentric (lowering) phase of an exercise can increase muscle activation and growth. For example, lowering a squat over 3-4 seconds instead of dropping quickly increases the challenge.

3. Increase the Weight

The simplest method is to add more weight to your exercises. A good rule of thumb is to increase weight by about 2.5–5% for upper body movements and 5–10% for lower body movements when you can complete all your sets with good form.

4.   Increase Training Volume

Volume refers to the total workload (sets × reps × weight). Gradually increasing this over time can lead to consistent gains.

5. Reduce Rest Time

Shortening your rest periods forces your muscles to recover faster, improving muscular endurance and work capacity.

6. Improve Exercise Form

Quality movement leads to better muscle activation. Refining your form ensures that you’re targeting the right muscles and reducing the risk of injury.

7. Incorporate Advanced Techniques

Once you’ve mastered the basics, techniques like drop sets, supersets, paused reps, and tempo training can add a new level of difficulty to your workouts.

How to Track Your Progress

To ensure you're actually applying progressive overload, keep a workout log. Track:

• The weights you lift

• The reps and sets you complete

• Any changes in tempo or form

• How you feel during and after training

This data helps you identify trends, adjust your approach, and stay motivated as you see your progress over time.

The Takeaway

Progressive overload is the foundation of strength training success. By making small, consistent increases in difficulty, you’ll continue to build muscle, gain strength, and improve your overall fitness. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter, applying this principle will ensure that your hard work translates into real, measurable results.

Want to take your training to the next level? Start tracking your workouts and applying these progressive overload strategies today!

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• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  Sticking with a consistent workout plan and then progressively overloading within that workout routine. It's a great way to know whether your routine is working or not when you stick to a certain specific routine in order of exercises. This allows you to see your body gets stronger over time as you're able to add more repetitions to the same exercise or do more weight of an exercise over time. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I'm a personal trainer and I created this podcast that I can share information and tips to help you build muscle, burn fat, and achieve your fitness goals. In today's episode, we're going to talk about seven different ways that you can progress your resistance training to make more gains. As you get stronger, you're going to need to give your muscles more challenge over time.

  (01:01)

  Sticking with the same amount of weight, the same number of reps and sets, and the same exercises over an extended period of time is going to inevitably lead to a plateau. But if you want to keep your muscles strong and get them to be even stronger, you're going to need to increase that challenge. So we're going to talk about how to do that in today's episode. And before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you are watching on YouTube and subscribe to the channel so that you always get the latest videos as soon as they drop. If you're listening to this episode, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered to your device. If you're looking for an online personal trainer, I am taking on new clients from my Body Sculpt coaching program, so you can check out my website Jaydigains.com for more information on how to sign up. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-N s.com. I hope to see you there. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:00)

  Now, it's no secret that resistance training is a crucial piece of any exercise routine. Every week you should be doing resistance training at least one day a week to keep your muscles strong and to keep your bones strong. And resistance training is also the chief way to change your body composition by increasing your lean muscle tissue, which will help you to decrease the amount of your body that is fat mass. Now, many people make the mistake of sticking to a resistance training routine and keeping it exactly the same for weeks and weeks or months and months on end. When I used to work at a big box gym, I'd see it all the time, the same people coming in, doing the same workouts with the same amount of weights, the same number of reps, the same number of sets. Now, doing a specific workout program may initially help you to build muscle when it's new, but eventually your body is going to adapt to whatever routine that you're doing and you're likely going to hit a plateau.

  (02:59)

  In order to keep your muscles from hitting a plateau and to keep them getting stronger, you'll need to increase the challenge to your muscles over time as you get stronger, you should be able to perform more reps or more weight or be able to do more exercises and workout for longer. That's what you'll need to do in order to keep the stimulus going so you continue to get stronger over time, and we call this principle of increasing the challenge to your muscles little bit by little bit over time progressive overload. You don't need to be crushing yourself every day in the gym and doing super, super hard workouts. Just a little bit extra challenge every time you train goes a long way. It can be something as little as adding on five pounds to the exercise or adding on a few more reps to each set or changing the rate of motion and how slow you're performing the exercise so that you increase the time under tension.

  (03:56)

  Little tiny tweaks here and there to make each exercise a little bit more challenging. Every time you train will help to keep your muscles from hitting a plateau so you can continue to build muscle, get strong, burn fat, and keep your bones healthy. It also helps to keep your workouts from getting too boring. If you're doing the same thing all the time, it's easy to get bored and then fall off the wagon completely and stop showing up for your workouts. So you do want to add an element of change, something that's different to your workouts every time you train. Now, at the same time, it is important to stick to a workout program for a couple of weeks at a time, sticking with a consistent workout plan and then progressively overloading within that workout routine. It's a great way to know whether your routine is working or not when you stick to a certain specific routine in order of exercises.

  (04:51)

  This allows you to see your body get stronger over time as you're able to add more repetitions to the same exercise or do more weight of an exercise over time. I usually like to keep my clients on a consistent program where they're doing the same handful of workouts every week for four to six weeks at a time, and then I change up their workout program slightly so that they've got new exercises and a new order. This gives them just the right amount of time to see progression with the routine, but as soon as they start to maybe get a little bit bored of the routine, then we change it up again. Now, some people will stick to the same routine for as much as three months, and that's totally fine as long as you are practicing progressive overload within that period of time. Every time you train, you should be trying to add more challenge to your muscles even if you're doing the same routine.

  (05:44)

  So there are a couple of ways that we can do this that you can add more challenge to your muscles to progressively overload the exercise to progressively overload your muscles and keep them getting stronger. So let's take a look at how to do that now. Number one, the first way that you can increase the challenge to your muscles within a workout program is to increase the number of repetitions or sets that you do of an exercise. So in many of my workout programs, I start my clients off with a rep range of between eight and 12 repetitions, and I encourage them to start the first week or two of their program with an amount of resistance that is challenging for them to approach muscle failure at about eight, nine or 10 reps. And then over the course of the weeks that they have this training program, I challenge them to try to do one more repetition every time they do that exercise.

  (06:36)

  So in week one, they might do eight or nine repetitions in each set, and then week 2, 3, 4, they may be doing 9, 10, 11, and even 12 repetitions on the same exercise. Using that weight, you should be trying to push yourself to do more repetitions over time. For many exercises, I'll have my clients do somewhere between 10 and 15, sometimes as many as 20 repetitions depending on the exercise. When it comes to muscle building for your isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep kickbacks, you really can push yourself to as much as 20 or 25 repetitions because the principle here is you want to keep the muscles under tension and burning that burning sensation as lactic acid builds up in the muscles is a really great way to help them to grow and get stronger. You also can just add another set to the exercise, which is what my coach commonly has me do as well.

  (07:32)

  Once you reach a point where you have been doing two or three sets for a while with that weight and within that eight to 12 number of repetitions, then you can add on another set to increase your total training volume. Another thing you can do, number two is increase the time under tension for your muscles. Slow your reps down. That is a great way to increase the amount of time that your muscles have to spend under load, especially when you slow down the extension or the eccentric phase of the exercise. This has a great hypertrophic effect on the muscles, which means that it stimulates muscle growth and strength gains. I encourage my clients often to perform each rep at a rate of about four seconds down with a two second pause at the bottom and then one second to come back up. If you've been doing the standard two seconds down, two seconds up rate of motion, slowing down your reps is going to feel like a big challenge, and that's a great way for you to continue to challenge yourself without necessarily having to add on more weight or do more reps.

  (08:37)

  Now, number three. Another way that you can increase the challenge on your muscles is to increase the amount of resistance that you use, namely the weight. So if you have been using 15 pounds on your goblet squat for a couple of weeks, maybe try the 20 or the 25 pound. You only want to gradually increase the weight in small increments, no more than about 20% of an increase at a time. Try to avoid huge jumps in how much weight you add to the exercise because greatly increasing the amount of weight could lead to injury. And keep in mind that as you increase the weight, you should only be using an amount of weight that you can execute the exercise with good technique and proper form. As soon as your form starts to break down, you should end the set. Don't count reps where you have to be sloppy on your form in order to get the weight to move, and if you find that you have to be sloppy in order to get reps out with that weight, you should not be using that weight.

  (09:36)

  Okay, we have a whole episode on ego lifting that you should go back and watch or listen to help yourself avoid this error. We never want to train with sloppy form. And number four, you can play with all three of the previous factors we talked about by increasing your total training volume. Training volume is the total workload and refers to the number of sets multiplied by the number of reps multiplied by the amount of weight that you use, and you can play with these variables by adjusting the number of sets, the number of reps, and the amount of weight that you use in order to give your muscles a novel stimulus and progressively overload your training. For example, if you have been practicing a five by 10 with goblet squats at 25 pounds for a couple of weeks, that means that your total training volume is 1,250, and in order to progressively overload this exercise, you could play with the number of sets, reps, and the amount of weight to increase that number to say 1500 or 1,500 to increase the total volume to 1,500.

  (10:38)

  You could reduce the amount of sets that you do to four and then increase the amount of reps you do to 12 using an increased amount of weight, 30 pounds, and this will come out to about 1,500. So you've played with all of the different variables in order to increase the total amount of volume. Now, another not as common variable to play with for progressively overloading your muscles is you can decrease the amount of time that you spend in your rest periods. This means that you're going into each successive set of every exercise with your muscles less recovered, so as your muscles fatigue, you're going to get more lactic acid building up, more burning happening much sooner in each set, so this increase in the challenge can yield lots of gains. Number six, another way that you can progressively overload your muscles is to improve your exercise form.

  (11:29)

  If you have been squatting with pretty shallow squats for a while, working on deepening your squats and breaking parallel to improve your squat form will challenge your muscles because you will be making the muscles have to work under a greater range of motion, so practicing your exercises with an increased range of motion is a great way that you can progressively overload and exercise. This also has the added benefit of helping you to reduce your risk of injury. The better your technique gets in an exercise, the less likely you are to hurt yourself doing that exercise even as you increase weight or increase your total training volume. And number seven, another way that you can progressively overload your muscles is to incorporate more advanced training techniques. You can perform variations of an exercise that are more challenging or that involves some kind of a balancing component.

  (12:23)

  For example, single leg squats, single legg deadlifts or exercises using a BOSU ball or stability ball. Adding a component of instability to an exercise makes the exercise harder, but it also makes your muscles have to work harder, and it also involves more muscles to keep you stable. You can also try other advanced techniques like paused repetitions or super sets. Combining multiple exercises targeting the same muscle group can also incorporate drop sets and more tempo training. You can also add explosivity to your movements like doing plyometric squats, box squats, and other explosive movements like this. All of these are great ways that you can keep the challenge on your muscles. I do have to say when it comes to doing these advanced techniques, the same rule applies to when you are increasing your weight only practice. Good form, we don't want to practice sloppy reps, so make sure that you're performing these exercises with good technique, keeping your body in alignment and keeping yourself safe.

  (13:28)

  A great way to make sure that you are practicing progressive overload in your training is to track your workouts. Like we said before, it is a good idea to keep a consistent training routine for at least three weeks at a time, and I recommend keeping a fitness journal so that you can write down what you do every time you train. This does a number of things. One, it creates a record for you to keep you motivated so that you can see your progress over time. It also will help you to keep track of what weight, what number of reps, and how many sets you should do, and other variables that you might change in order to progressively overload your muscles. It'll also tell you when it is time to progress your exercises. If you've been doing the same exercises, the same number of reps, same weight, et cetera, for a number of weeks, especially if you've been doing it for two weeks, then it's definitely time to advance.

  (14:22)

  Using a fitness journal also can help you to track other things around your training, like your readiness to train, how you're feeling before and after the workout, which is going to fluctuate over time. You can also write down how challenging an exercise was. Remember that we always want the exercises to be challenging in some way. If they feel easy, then you need to progress the exercise in some way unless you are doing priming exercises or mobility warmup and cool down exercises. When it comes to the challenge exercises in your workouts, you want to feel challenged. Now, I do have fitness journals that I sell on Amazon. You can find the link to those in the show notes or the description of this video if you're watching on YouTube. Many of my clients use these fitness journals and have found them very helpful. I use them for myself to keep track of my own workouts as well.

  (15:12)

  They're pretty simple, but very effective. Check out the link for that in the show notes or video description. Many of my personal training clients also use the A BC Trainer Eyes app. This is the app that I use to deliver my clients' workout programs for online training, and it includes not only a way for them to track their workouts, but it saves all of the data of previous workouts and previous times that they've done an exercise, so they always know how much weight, how many reps they should be doing. It also includes links to videos of how to do each exercise. You can find more information on that on my website, Jaydigains.com, and you'll get your workouts delivered to you through the Trainer Eyes app, which you can also use to track your workouts over time. You get a new workout routine every month that progressively overloads your muscles, and you'll be getting my help one-on-one each step of the way. You can find more information on that in the links to my show notes or in this video description. With all that said, the key takeaway here is every time you train, you should be challenging your muscles. You can change up your exercises, change up the number of reps you do, add more weight, change your total training volume in some way. Every time you train, you should be progressively overloading your muscles to keep them challenged and to avoid plateaus.

  (16:31)

  Thank you so much again for watching this video. Again, my name's Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. Let me know what questions you have by leaving them in the comments below this video if you're watching on YouTube, and also let me know how you progressively overload your muscles in your training. I'd love to hear how it's going, or you can join me while I'm live on my Twitch channel, Twitch.tv/Jaydigains, and you can chat while I'm live. I will see you in the next episode. In the meantime, take care.

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Episode 54: Science-Based Tips for Training Around Your Period: How Women Should Work Out

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

---

Hey there! 👋 I'm Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains), personal trainer and host of the Coaching Corner podcast. In this episode of the Coaching Corner podcast, I'm diving into a question I get a lot from female clients: Should I change my workouts based on my menstrual cycle? The short answer? It depends on you.

I walk you through the different phases of the menstrual cycle—menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal—and break down how hormonal changes can affect your energy, strength, and recovery. I also share the potential benefits of training during each phase, along with practical tips for adjusting your workout intensity if needed.

This episode is all about tuning into your body, making informed decisions, and ditching the myths around performance dips during your period. My goal is to help you feel empowered in your fitness journey and confident adapting your training to your unique cycle.

Let’s stop forcing a one-size-fits-all approach to fitness and start working with our bodies instead of against them.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Stacy Sims' book Roar

• Gains Club Membership

• Livestreams on Twitch

Sponsors/Affiliate Links:

• Legion Athletics Supplements: Use code Jaydigains to get 20% off for new customers - Double loyalty points for returning customers)

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  Men's programs typically have a pretty linear progression if it's designed for a man's body. This doesn't always work for a woman's body because we may need to deload every four weeks, and not every program offers a deload every four weeks, right? But you should feel empowered to choose that for yourself and deload as necessary. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. My name is Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. A common question that I get from my female clients is Should I change up my workouts depending on where I am in my cycle? And the answer to this question is, as always, it depends. So in this episode, we're going to take a look at the different factors that go into play at different points of your hormonal cycle and how you might think about changing up your workout program according to where you are in your cycle.

  (00:57)

  And before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video if you are watching on YouTube and subscribe to the channel so you always get the latest episodes. If you're listening to this podcast, make sure to follow the channel so that you always get the latest episodes as well. If you would like more information on me and the services that I offer, check out my website, Jaydigains.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-N s.com. Right now, I am accepting new clients to my body sculpt workout program. You can find information for that in the show notes or the video description. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (01:34)

  There's a discussion that we have to have at least once a year because it's something that comes up with my clients. It's something that comes up in the community, which is the question, should I train around my periods? Should I change my workouts around my period? Like any question when it comes to fitness, health and wellness, the best answer I can give you is it depends. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. And the reason I say that is because every woman is different and even within the same woman, every period is different and it's going to affect you differently. And there's other factors that get involved in terms of your energy levels and your readiness to train that can play with your hormone levels and what's going on with your body around your period. If you've got really bad cramps and a really bad back ache, maybe you don't sleep as well, so you don't have as much energy.

  (02:22)

  So it depends. The best thing that I can say is to listen to your body and deload as needed. You don't necessarily have to not work out when you're PMSing or when you're on your period, but give yourself the permission to step back a little bit, take it a little easier. Instead of going to an RPE nine, go to an RPE eight or even seven. The most important thing is just to kind of move because the movement will help you to feel better. However, that is also to say, sometimes resting is the best thing that you can do and you just don't know until you try different things. So it really does depend. Some fitness experts and even I have a client who's seeing a chiropractor and he encouraged her to talk to me about training around her hormonal cycle, which is kind of something that I was already doing.

  (03:27)

  But I do think that there's a lot of misunderstanding around this topic, and it also doesn't help that it was kind of a trending topic a couple of years ago and you had a lot of influencers coming online, making content about planning your workouts around your hormonal cycle and that you should plan your workouts around your menstrual cycle. They'll sell you like a cookie cutter workout program that it's like this is how you should train around your hormonal cycle. But the problem with that is that, like I said, every period is different and every woman is different. And for some women, you don't even need to change anything about your workouts due to your menstrual cycle. I have a girlfriend who is on a pill that makes it so she doesn't get her period, but every three months and when she gets her period at the end of those three months, it might fuck her up a little bit, but not a horrible.

  (04:24)

  And then there's other women who are laid out for a week and a half. So anybody who tries to give you a one size fits all solution to trading around your period is just at most innocent misinformed, at worst, the scam artist. So again, it comes down to you got to know your body and listen to your body, but it's also like not all in your head. Don't let anybody shame you for needing to rest or tell you, oh, you suck it up. Basically. You might need that from your coach. If you're preparing for an athletic competition, maybe I don't know, your coach might know your body and know how you perform and be able to say if you had that relationship with them, they might be able to say that. But I see this a lot from women who have male training partners who don't know any better, and the male training partners will give the female a really hard time if she needs to skip because of her period or if she needs to take it easy.

  (05:28)

  I encourage you to listen to your body and do what you feel is best because there are real things happening in your body when you are going through your different stages of your hormonal cycle. So what I wanted to do today was kind of break down what the science says so that you can, if you do want to train around your period and you do want to plan your workouts around your hormonal cycle, you understand when is the right time to maybe try one style of training and when is a good time to just be very careful and when's a good time to step it back. And I also want to encourage you to just keep in mind that you can perform well at any point of your period. You may feel like shit, but you actually can perform very well even when you have cramps, even when you're grouchy and irritable.

  (06:19)

  The studies show that athletic performance can stay pretty consistent. So let's take a look at the different aspects of the female 28 day hormonal cycle. So unlike male bodies, the female body has 28 days of its hormonal cycle, whereas the male body has a hormonal cycle of 24 hours where they get different levels of testosterone and other hormones over the course of a 24 hour cycle over the course of a day and the morning, the male body has more testosterone, they have more energy in general, and that starts to wane and come down towards the evening. The female hormonal cycle is different over the course of a month. We have days, whole days and whole weeks where we might have more energy, more focus than others. So it's important that we are cognizant of that in terms of how it might affect our workouts, our readiness to train, our motivation towards training.

  (07:21)

  The first day of your hormonal cycle is the first day of your period. So we call that the menstrual phase, which is usually days one to five. It can last a little bit longer though when you're in your menstrual phase. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest and that's when you have your period or you would have your period. Some women don't bleed, some people don't actually bleed for their periods, but their hormones still have that cycle. I have a couple of clients that are athletes that don't actually get their periods, but their hormonal cycle is kind of similar. So we try to think about tracking when they would have their cycle and keeping an eye on energy levels that way. After you finish your period, you have your follicular phase, which is usually days six to 14, and this is when your estrogen levels start to rise and your body begins to prepare you for ovulation.

  (08:24)

  And ovulation is when your body releases an egg. So the ovulation phase usually happens around 14 days, and that's when your estrogen levels rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, and then it peaks. That's when the estrogen levels are at their highest. And then you have your luteal phase, which is that run up to your period between ovulation and actually starting your period. And the luteal phase is after ovulation, progesterone levels rise and they prepare your body for a potential pregnancy. If you don't conceive, then your hormone levels will drop and that's when your period starts. Then the process starts over and over again, plus or minus every 28 days for a really long time. The common belief was that menstruation makes you weaker and less capable in the gym. And a lot of people believed that they shouldn't work out when they're on their period. And it's true for some women, you may feel extremely fucked up when you're on your period.

  (09:31)

  You may have really bad cramps and you may just feel like you need to rest and stay home for a day or two. And you know what? If that's what your body needs, then you might need to do that. But the science shows that you actually can exercise on your period and you don't actually lose strength and you don't actually see a dip in your performance. So if you're a competitive athlete and you have a competition that just so happens to land on while you're on your period, you may be thinking, well, fuck. Well, there goes the record that I was planning on setting, right? That's not necessarily the case. In fact, women actually can perform really, really well during their period. Right now we're sort of like in this stage where there's a lot of studies being done to kind of look at this.

  (10:27)

  So the science is really new and it's changing pretty rapidly because just scientists have not really been looking at the effects of menstruation on female athletes for a number of reasons. It's not just because science is sexist and that academia is a male dominated field. That's definitely part of it. But the other part of it though is because the female hormonal cycle has 28 days, it's very hard to use women, female bodies as any kind of control group. It's hard to control for those factors because how a woman's hormonal levels will be different on day to day throughout her entire 28 day cycle. And again, not every period is the same. So on day 13 of last month's cycle, you might have a certain amount of estrogen and progesterone in your body, and then you go to day 13 of the next cycle and it can be radically different and there's no way to predict for that.

  (11:32)

  So it's hard to study the female body and the effects of these hormones on anything medicine wise or fitness wise because her bodies are so inconsistent. So there hasn't been a whole lot of studies around women's bodies and therefore a lot of the exercise science leading up until now kind of treated women as small men, basically just looking at the muscle mass of men versus women. Women in general tend to have less muscle mass than men. Women tend to be shorter than men. And so a lot of the studies that use male bodies have been used to say, this is what happens in the human body, and apply it over to women just assuming that women are just like a smaller man. And that's not true because our hormonal levels change and they do affect many aspects of our lives, including our readiness to train and how we recover from training a really great source of information on the latest studies and the current science on the effect of the hormonal cycle on women and female bodies who are interested in fitness.

  (12:52)

  If you're a female athlete and you're interested in seeing how your menstrual cycle affects your training, Dr. Stacey Sims has a book called roar. She actually has two books, one called roar, which is all about the exercise science surrounding premenopausal women's bodies, and it goes into how you can optimize your training and performance around your menstrual cycle. She has a second book called, I believe it's called Next Level, which talks about the effects of perimenopause and menopause and how that may affect your training and how to optimize your training to factor in all of the things that are going on with that. So a lot of this, like what we're talking about, comes from Dr. SIM's research and with all of her studies where she's conducted studies but also has been looking at the studies around how the menstrual cycle affects women and their readiness to train and the performance as athletes, she has come up with these recommendations in terms of how to modify your workout program around your menstrual cycle.

  (14:03)

  The first phase, your menstrual phase, Dr. Sims calls your secret weapon. Okay, so contrary to common belief, your period is actually a really good time for you to train hard because your estrogen and progesterone levels are at their lowest. That makes it a lot easier for you to access stored carbohydrates for energy, which allows you to one, have more energy during the workout, but also to recover from the workout. Your pain tolerance is higher, and that means that you can push yourself past when you maybe normally would stop. So if you're trying to build muscle and you want to get close to muscle failure, you might be able to push a little bit harder during this period, literally during your period. So what Stacey Sims recommends is during this time, if you wanted to do a weekly undulating periodized program, periodized, you could time heavy strength training or high intensity interval training or sprint work, something that's going to demand your body a lot.

  (15:12)

  You could do that during your menstrual phase days, one through five of your menstrual cycle. Now, your follicular phase, she calls your peak performance time, and as your estrogen levels rise, this can lead to you feeling stronger and having more capacity for endurance training. And your coordination, your neuromuscular coordination goes up as well steadily as your estrogen levels rise from day six to 14 of your menstrual cycle. So at this point, your body is more efficient at utilizing carbohydrates, which makes it a great time for you to be progressively overloading in your workouts and doing your intense or high volume training. This is a good time for you to do, continue doing heavy lifting, explosive power training, speed work and endurance space sessions are really great for this time period. Now, all of this culminates during ovulation. Ovulation is like your mama bear strength time.

  (16:19)

  That's when you feel like a super woman, your estrogen levels have peaked, your testosterone gets a slight boost as well. And what this can do is lead to you feeling very powerful and you can really perform some prs during this time. However, because the estrogen level is higher, this also leads to higher ligament laity and you have a greater risk of injury. For example, ACL. Tears are very, very common during ovulation, so it's something to be careful of. You can test your prs during ovulation, you'll probably perform really, really well. However, there's a risk of you overdoing it during this time because you feel so strong. So just make sure that you're progressing gradually. Remember the principles of progressive overload. You might feel tempted to jump and add a shit ton of weight to the bar to test some prs or run more sprints than what you normally would.

  (17:28)

  Make sure that if you are going to be progressing during this time, if you are going to be pushing yourself, keep it within reasonable limits. I personally like to follow a rule of thumb of no more than 20% of an increase at a time. So if you're feeling really strong, then add 20% more weight to the bar or do 20% more reps or 20% more time under tension. Okay, no more than that because more than that, you risk accidentally hurting one of your ligaments. And a ligament injury takes a really long time to heal. Okay? This is a good time for heavy lifting, testing your maxes, doing some explosive power training Olympic lifts, but you do want to make sure that you are properly warming up and performing stability work to prevent injury. And then finally, when you enter into your luteal phase, after ovulation ends and your luteal phase, that's when it's time to shift gears.

  (18:28)

  That's when it would be if you do tend to be affected by your period, this is a good time to deload. This is a good time to deload because increases in your progesterone levels can lead to higher body temperature as well as reduce carbohydrate availability and increased fatigue, which means that working out is going to feel harder because you're just going to feel more tired. You also are likely going to have a harder time recovering from your workouts during this time, and it also becomes really, really important for you to continue to hydrate. Hydration levels are really important here because with the higher body temperature, you're probably going to be sweating more. So all of that combined can lead you to feeling like crap, and I feel like crap during my luteal phase. So that's usually a time that I am going to deload and maybe scale back a little bit.

  (19:20)

  And what I'll do often if I am in a power lifting block when I enter my luteal phase, I don't feel safe to do any really heavy lifts. I'm not really going to be trying to lift anything above 80% of my one rep max. So even if I am in an intensification block or a peaking block for power lifting, if I'm really feeling the effects of my luteal phase, I will just drop the weight down to more of an accumulation range of weight. So I'll be doing something between 60% and 75% of my one rep max, and I'll just do more reps because it's just safer. It feels safer, and you also lose a little bit of coordination during this time too. You might find that when you are in your luteal phase, when you're PMSing, you're more clutsy, you might be more clumsy, you knock things over, you drop things more.

  (20:20)

  Well, when it comes to your workouts, especially when it comes to something that is really demanding neuromuscularly like power lifting, heavy lifting or Olympic lifts, if you're not fully connected to your body or if you've got a little bit of coordination issues, that could very easily lead to injury. So if you're feeling really fucked up due to PMSing, this would be a good time for you to deload back, maybe focus on more muscle building or accumulation level lifts, or you could just take a full break from lifting or whatever high intensity activity you do, and instead just do some steady state cardio. Again, you could bump it back to just being moderate level resistance training. Doing some yoga and mobility work is also a good option for this time period, and it will probably make you feel better too, doing some breathing exercises or just going for walks.

  (21:17)

  These are all good options if you're feeling really fucked up during your luteal phase. And then once you hit your period, once day one of your period starts, then you can go back to progressively ramping up your workouts. So if you are affected by your periods, this is a great way for you to think about changing up your workouts. As you go through your 28 day cycle, what you can probably do is think of a three week block progressively gradually increasing the intensity of your workout sessions basically until you hit your luteal face or your PMSing in usually week three, right? Day 17 to 28. Well, I guess week four, that would be week four. So you could do three weeks on, and then week four would be a deload for you because you know you're going to be ramping up to being on your period that week deload, and then restart in day one.

  (22:18)

  And again, gradually increase progressively week one through three, deload, week four, rinse and repeat. So that's a great option to train around your period. Now, I do have to say for a lot of women, your period may not actually be that consistent. In theory, yeah, sure should be getting my period every four weeks, but for very different reasons. You might get one every three weeks, maybe every six weeks, maybe every eight weeks. If you are experiencing perimenopause, you might have months without your period. You may go three, four, or 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 months right before you have a period again. So this is not like a surefire thing, it's not a one size fits all, but it does give you something to think about in terms of, again, I want to encourage you to listen to your body if you feel like your period is affecting you.

  (23:16)

  Just know that there is some very real science behind how your hormonal cycle is affecting you, and I want you to feel empowered to make some choices about how you might modify or choose in the moment how to modify your workout program. There's nothing wrong with just getting on a regular bro program like a bro split five days a week, and men's programs typically have a pretty linear progression if it's designed for a man's body. This doesn't always work for a woman's body because we may need to deload every four weeks, and not every program offers a deload every four weeks, but you should feel empowered to choose that for yourself and deload as necessary. The studies don't show that you're actually going to, performance is going to suffer. It's more that you will suffer, you will suffer, but your performance might not necessarily suffer. So if you are signed up for a competition, don't worry if you are on your period or if you're up PM sing because you can still perform well, you'll just feel like shit, and you might have a hard time recovering. So these are things to think about, right? As a woman or someone who has a female body, I want to empower you to listen to your body, know your body, and you can use this information to make the best decision for yourself when it comes to training around your hormonal cycle.

  (24:49)

  Thank you so much for watching this episode of The Coaching Corner Podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I hope that you found the information in this podcast episode helpful, and let me know if you have any questions. If you're watching on YouTube, you can leave your questions or comments in the comments below. Again, make sure that you have liked this video, if you found it helpful, and that you've subscribed to the channel so that you always get the latest episodes and videos. If you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered to your device. I drop new episodes on Mondays and Thursdays, and if you check out my YouTube channel, I also drop smaller videos throughout the week. You could also join me while I'm live on my Twitch channel, doing my workouts on Tuesdays and Fridays. Just go to Twitch.tv/Jaydigains and hit follow. Thank you so much again for joining me. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, take care.

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Episode 53: How to Avoid Fitness Scams

Youtube | Spotify | Apple | Google | Amazon

---

Hey there! 👋 I'm Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains), personal trainer and host of the Coaching Corner podcast. In this episode, I'm diving into the world of fitness influencers—and why you shouldn't believe everything you see (or hear) on your feed. From over-the-top transformation claims to misleading “quick fixes,” the fitness space on social media is full of content that looks good but lacks real substance.

I break down the red flags to watch for, like shady supplement pushes, unrealistic body standards, and advice that’s more viral than valid. Plus, I'll share tips on how to spot credible fitness professionals and get the trustworthy, science-backed information you actually need to reach your goals.

Whether you're new to fitness or just tired of the noise online, this episode will help you filter out the fluff and stay focused on what really works.

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Gains Club Membership

• Livestreams on Twitch

Sponsors/Affiliate Links:

• Legion Athletics Supplements: Use code Jaydigains to get 20% off for new customers - Double loyalty points for returning customers)

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  If you are looking for content that is to make you feel better about yourself in whatever respect, wellness, fitness, spirituality. So anywhere where people are seeking answers or seeking to feel better about themselves or to understand their place in the grand scheme of life, there are people out there who are going to take advantage and so it's something you want to be on the lookout for. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years and I've created this podcast to share with you the tips and lessons that I share with my personal training clients. In today's episode, I'm going to share with you a conversation that I had with my Twitch chat when I was live on my Twitch channel, Twitch tv slash Jaydigains. We were discussing the topic of how to spot bad fitness and wellness influencers.

  (01:04)

  If you've spent any amount of time on the internet and social media, you've probably seen some pretty wacky influencers out there promoting misinformation or trying to sell you on some kind of a scam. So in this conversation I'm sharing some tips to recognize red flags for when you are watching content from an influencer that may be trying to scam you or give you bad information. I'm also going to share some green flags to look for and fitness influencers that actually are worth listening to. And before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video and subscribe to my channel. If you're watching this on YouTube, if you are listening to the podcast, make sure that you have followed the channel so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. If you're interested in learning more about me and if you want to work with me as your personal trainer, you can check out my website, Jaydigains.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G s.com. You can also join my membership where I post monthly workout plans, meal plans, recipes, training tips, fat loss tips and nutrition tips, all that can be found on my website. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:19)

  So I want to talk about this topic and I do want to say I go back and forth about calling myself an influencer, like a fitness influencer. I do think that in terms of what an influencer is, is a person on social media who influences other people by definition, the actual job, how they make money, what their whole thing is. What they're supposed to do is make content that gives a lot of views, gets a lot of engagement. The goal is to go viral as often as possible. So when you're an influencer, typically you pick some kind of a theme or you've got some kind of a brand, some kind of a vibe, some kind of a catch phrase or something that's recognizable. And the goal is to go viral as often as possible, to get as many views as possible, to get as much engagement as possible.

  (03:27)

  That's how influencers get paid. We and I do say we, because I am a partnered creator on multiple platforms and I do get paid for certain amounts of views on TikTok, I get paid for the certain amounts of views at one minute, and there's other tiers of pay where you get paid for a certain amount of comments. So as you can probably put together when it comes to being an influencer in the fitness space, if the goal is views, virality, comments, engagement, then it's a kind of slippery slope to where you can find yourself creating content for engagement that maybe isn't necessarily good information or good guidance or possibly has a negative impact on somebody's fitness journey or their mental health or their idea of themselves. So on the other hand, what I actually do see myself as is what I am professionally. I'm a coach, I coach people.

  (04:40)

  I'm a personal trainer. I have one-on-one personal training clients that I serve in person and online and through my podcast. My podcast is all about teaching people how to build a healthy lifestyle, how to make progress on their fitness journey. So my priority is to educate and help people. That's what I see my job as. And so what I put out there is not always going to be the most viral. It's not always going to be the most the type of content that's going to necessarily get a lot of engagement and a lot of views because what a lot of influencers will do is put controversial information out there. They'll put controversial, takes a video of them saying something controversial because they're banking on people going to the comments and correcting them and having arguments because you can have arguments in the chat or in the comments that drives engagement.

  (05:42)

  Whereas for me, what I'm trying to do is put together content that I can share with my clients and followers and subscribers to help them move along in their fitness journey. So the drive of success is different for someone who's a coach, who's trying to help people versus an influencer who is trying to get views, trying to get engagement. And sometimes it can be really difficult to tell what kind of a person you're dealing with when you're scrolling on social media. Sometimes it can be very difficult to tell whether the person who is presenting information in front of you is giving you good information or if they're just an influencer trying to drive engagement. So that makes it very tricky and difficult. And the problem is not just that these people are sharing bad information and it's going viral and a lot of people are learning things that could potentially hurt them.

  (06:46)

  It goes even further than that in that the rabbit hole goes pretty deep. But there's also a pretty significant, what we might call the fitness to alt-right pipeline, which is prominent and exists all over the internet everywhere where people are seeking information on how to live or how to make themselves feel better. There is an alt-right pipeline that goes with that thing. You see it in the spirituality community. There's the spirituality to alt-right pipeline where you have people who are getting into magic and people who are reading tarot cards and they get lured in with these things that will make them feel better or help them to make sense of their life, and it can be very easy to pull them over into just little bit by little bit. They get kind of conditioned into more and more like white supremacy. You also see this with the wellness community as well.

  (07:53)

  There's the clean eating trad wife content that kind of is a funnel can become a funnel toward the alt-right where conversations start to devolve into women's place is in the kitchen and that's what they should be doing and women should be making babies and that's all they should be doing. So there's a lot of these pipelines on the internet and wherever you're hanging out on the internet, whether it's here on Twitch, whether it's on YouTube, if you're watching this on YouTube or if you're on social media, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, wherever it is that you're hanging out, if you are looking for content that is to make you feel better about yourself in whatever respect, wellness, fitness, spirituality, Christianity, I think we are all just look at our government and you can see that the very clear Christian to alt-right pipeline that exists in this country in particular, but it's always existed.

  (08:53)

  So anywhere where people are seeking answers or seeking to feel better about themselves or to understand their place in the grand scheme of life, there are people out there who are going to take advantage. And so it's something you want to be on the lookout for. They'll either try to take advantage of you by selling you crap that doesn't work. They might take advantage of you by teaching you information that's just plain wrong and following it could at the best lead to you wasting your time and money. At worst. It could end up getting you sick or even dying or unloving. And also there's people who might try to sell you on some kind of a belief system, which might be political or religious. So you want to be super careful about that when you're navigating these spaces online. These pipelines have always existed and they probably always will, but you need to be on the lookout for these kinds of things.

  (09:56)

  Scammers of all types, whether they're trying to sell you a product that doesn't work, fucked up ideology, et cetera. They kind of all have very similar things in common. And if you dive into cults and how cults behave, there's a lot of similarities in how scammers operate in the same way that the wellness or fitness or health or crunchy, granola, clean eating to alt-right pipeline works. They all kind of do the same kind of stuff. So once you kind of start to understand what the red flags are to look out for, then you'll be a lot more protected against these bad actors in the space, which will for you, allow you to sift through bad information so that you don't end up hurting yourself, wasting your money, wasting your time, or potentially getting sucked into fucked up ideology and political movement. That's what I wanted to share today.

  (11:02)

  Have you guys noticed, what have you seen? What kind of shitty stuff have you seen on the internet? What are the trademark things that these scammers and these just these bad actors, what are the things that they do that maybe gives you the ick or tells you, I think this might be, there's something suspicious here. What are things that set off the alarms for you guys referencing a vague them? Oh yeah, a reference and other reference in group versus outgroup we're not like other people. We're not like those shady people over there, but it's vague. It has to be vague, A vague other brain rock content, anything that expresses an idea in some kind of absolute manner without explaining any nuance, IE literally everything short form. Yeah, I think there's room for a debate there, but yeah, short form a lot of times if it's like 15 seconds or less, how can you fit any kind of nuance into that?

  (12:05)

  Because the truth is when it comes to fitness and wellness and health in general, most of the time the answer to any question that you could come up with is it depends that you're dealing with someone who fucking knows their shit if that's what they respond with most of the time. Someone who knows what they're talking about and someone who isn't just trying to sell you on some bullshit is more often than not going to say it depends. That's a trademark thing. That's a green flag to look for when it comes to fitness influencers and health influencers. Science influencers positions anyone other than themselves as trying to trick you or feed you lies, right? So if they're like, oh yeah, the fitness industry doesn't want you to know this one, secret coaches don't want you to know this secret, but I've got it all figured out.

  (13:02)

  I'm going to tell you what they don't want you to know. Exactly. Yeah. That's a lot of times a really good sign that you're dealing with something that's a little slimy. And the thing is, I think that a lot of us intuitively can tell when we're being bullshitted. I do think that our guts often can tell when we're dealing with someone who's bullshitting. But the problem is that in order to function in this society so often we turn our alarms off, we go along like, okay, I'll hear this out. You know what I mean? Or maybe you've been conditioned by toxic relationships in your life to just tune your alarms out. And that is when you're particularly susceptible to these kinds of scams and dangerous pipelines, if you have existed in or do currently exist in a toxic relationship that where you have been kind of conditioned to not trust your intuition and to not trust yourself and trust your body and what your body's telling you, if you have been gaslit a lot, it is very easy for you to get taken advantage of by fitness influencers and people who don't really have your best interest in mind.

  (14:27)

  So ultimately that's going to be an ongoing issue in your life no matter what, and it's not just going to affect your health, it's not going to just affect how you interact with social media. So that's something to work on with a good therapist. Oh, they could be talking about mainstream health info resources, what we think we know about food in a way that's like conspiracy, that kind of get you to doubt what accredited institutions say when they get you to start to not trust in science and scientists don't listen to what the NIH says, don't listen to what the CDC says. Don't listen to what the World Health Organization says and they get you to basically doubt scientists and experts. Yeah, I'm the only one who will tell you the truth. They give you that kind of a vibe. Exactly. So the common red flags that I came up with when I was researching and preparing this discussion, one is over the top claims, which I understand that if you are completely new to fitness and health and new, this is your very first time even thinking about fitness and health.

  (15:47)

  This is going to be a little bit harder for you to spot, but there are a lot of bad influencers out there who will make over the top claims. For example, things like lose 10 pounds in a week, lose 50 pounds in a month, or this exercise will give you abs in 30 days. Be very, very careful about any program that says it's going to give you abs in a certain amount of time, or this exercise will give you abs in this amount of time. That a really good, that's a very bright red flag because the truth is the uncomfortable truth that many people do not want to accept is that sustainable fitness takes time. Getting to the point where you have a low body fat percentage and you have enough muscle to have muscle definition, it takes time for many people, the fitness transformation going from the place where you're overweight to the place where you have washboard abs, that is a process that for most people takes minimum two years at minimum, and that's quick.

  (16:59)

  So in reality, building muscle burning fat, getting the dream physique that you want, settle in, buckle up because this is a long process. Anybody who wants to tell you that they have a short fix for you or a quick fix for you is lying to you, is trying to hook you, is trying to get you to engage with their content so that they can make money or they are trying to sell you something that likely doesn't work in the most harmless way, doesn't work, but at the worst could actually hurt you, make you sick or even kill you, right? Right. Use this one trick to instantly lose 20 pounds or something like that. These are outrageous claims, so anybody who's trying to give you a really fast, you're going to reach this specific goal in a very short amount of time. That is a good sign that you're dealing with a bullshitter or you end up in a cult or an MLM.

  (18:05)

  Exactly. Because they use these same strategies as well. Good point, pa. Also, another thing that's a good red flag is does this person have any kind of credentials or science-based advice we were talking about earlier? If they try to get you to doubt a accredited scientific communities and peer reviewed scientifically based concepts, especially things that are pretty well accepted, if they are trying to get you to doubt that and doubt science, you're likely dealing with a scammer or a bullshitter or someone who's trying to get you on some kind of a pipeline. I mean, anyone can go onto the internet and call themselves a fitness expert, myself included. So even though I've been working as a personal trainer for 10 years and I've been certified through different organizations and different specializations, so I got my first personal training certification through NASA and afa, and then I've gotten multiple certifications since then.

  (19:14)

  I was a group fitness certified group fitness instructor for a while. I've gotten across MAGA teaching certification, I have accredited certifications and I'm always being educated trying to keep up with continuing education units. So if someone doesn't have any kind of credentials, at least a bachelor's, if you're going education-wise, they at least have a bachelor's in exercise physiology or kinesiology science like that, or they have some kind of certification through a certifying agency that's accredited like nasa, ace, a certified strength and conditioning coach. They need to have some kind of a connection or at least are science-based and using actual science in their advice and it should be stuff that you can verify, right? It's important that when they're talking about if they're making claims, especially claims that are sort of going against the grain that they are referencing, actually peer reviewed scientific papers and journals because there are a lot of shit flus out there who are being like, the health scientists don't want you to know this, and then they basically give you garbage.

  (20:40)

  So there needs to be some kind of a link if they are themselves not accredited with a university or accrediting organization, at the very least when they're talking about something they should be referencing, the science and the science should be something that you yourself can verify. You should be able to go and look and read, look at and read articles and papers on the topic, and a really good fitness influencer, if they have a blog, they will often link directly to the research that will tell you more about the thing that they're talking about. There are a lot of really good fitness influencers who do this, who do link directly to the studies.

  (21:33)

  How do I say his name? Menno, right? Just wait, no. Is it Menno? I don't know how to actually say his name. He's a good example of someone who's always talking about the science. He himself also is a researcher. Sometimes he will talk about some pretty controversial stuff because it'll be like this study that just came out kind of makes us think differently about this thing, but he's going into the science and also making it something that you can kind of digest as a normal person. Lane Norton also does a lot of focus on the science, and he also has a journal that kind of summarizes the latest research and exercise physiology and kinesiology into real people language. So that's another pretty good one. Well, Dr. Mike. Yeah, Dr. Mike also a really good one, literally a researcher, really jacked, amazing dude who's the short blonde guy.

  (22:36)

  He didn't actually go to school for it, but he actually now participates in studies. Jeff Nipper, there we go. Jeff Nipper. Jeff Nipper is another really good one. So these are influencers who are talking about science and who are linking to the science and breaking down the science into easy to understand terms and also how to apply it in your own training, but people who get you to doubt science and scientists don't want you to know this kind of stuff. That's a big red flag. If they want to position themselves as the one true connection to the truth, whatever the truth is that they are claiming they that is a red flag. And in general, the more anecdotal and opinion-based the content is, the more skeptical you should be. Okay, so other red flags that you should be on the lookout for when you come across a fitness influencer, health influencer, if they are demonizing or on the other hand, overhyping some food or supplements if they are all about some kind of one ingredient that's going to change your life.

  (23:59)

  Perfect example of this is apple cider vinegar. That is a good kind of segue towards a wellness influencer that recently Netflix actually made a dramatized, sort of like a life story type of thing, what would you call it? There's a drama on Netflix about the rise and fall of Belle Gibson, who is an Australian wellness influencer who rose to prominence in the early 2000 tens and she gained a huge following and she also got promoted by major companies like Apple, and I think it was Penguin Publishing published her cookbook, the whole pantry. She wrote her prominence in the 2000 tens, early 2000 tens with her app that was in the Apple app store and was promoted by Apple. And what she basically claimed was that she had had cancer multiple times and that she had cured her own cancer. And so all you had to do was follow along with her recommendations, buy her cookbook and use the app and you could basically cure your own cancer.

  (25:30)

  That was the claim. That was the claim, which is a really kind of, you get a couple of red flags there already. She's already making pretty outrageous claims, which was like red flag number one. But one of the things that's about that whole period of time was this rise in popularity of apple cider vinegar, which everybody was kind promoting on social media. I saw all over social media, it was kind of like a juice diet type of cleanse thing that drinking apple cider vinegar and basically reducing your food intake would cure you of all kinds of ailments. And it turned out that she was a complete fake. Not only did she lie about having cancer multiple times, she lied about her age. She was incredibly young when she rose to prominence. I think she was 18, but she lied and said that she was in her mid twenties and journalists began to expose the inconsistencies in her cancer narrative.

  (26:36)

  So then she admitted in a 2015 interview that she never actually had been diagnosed with cancer and then she was fined 400,000 Australian dollars for breaching consumer loss, but she actually never paid that money. So it's wild, and it was actually one of my personal training clients who recommended watching apple cider vinegar. But this is a great example of someone who basically was a shitty influencer who got lots of money, lots of recognition, was even promoted by Apple, got this big published cookbook that was recommended and she was everywhere, but what she was basically promoting was complete bullshit. She never even had cancer to begin with and people who were trying to follow her recommendations were not getting better. They were actually getting sick. So that's a good example of somebody who is trying to take advantage, and that's one of the best examples. She's making these outrageous claims and other influencers too.

  (27:53)

  I saw a lot of influencers in that time period being like, drink apple cider vinegar in the morning every day and it will cure everything right now there's benefits to vinegar and there's a lot of benefits to apple cider vinegar in particular, but it is not this super food that's going to save your life. It's not this messiah of a food if they are trying to promote anything, it's like the Messiah thing that's going to save your life and fix you, whether that's a food, an exercise program, a diet, a meditation, if they present anything as your fix, your cure, all that is a big red flag that you're dealing with a shit flu, right? And again, what we were talking about with influencers, if someone is trying to be an influencer and that's their job, their primary goal is to get something to go viral, right?

  (28:47)

  They're trying to get engagement, and so you can tell a lot of times if you're dealing with this person, they have a sense of they're trying to get virality or engagement over accuracy When you watch their videos, when you read their blogs or whatever, if their main focus is driving engagement versus actually sharing information, you're likely dealing with a bullshit if that's the majority of their content. Now, that's not to say a lot of really good fitness influencers, coaches, people who are giving good information, they will often make posts with the goal of going viral with the goal of reaching a lot of people in order to grow their audience. So that is a thing that a lot of good actors will do in order to drive eyeballs to their platform, but most of what they put out there is going to be good information backed in science, and most of it is not going to give you that icky used car salesman type of vibe.

  (29:54)

  Here's a red flag that you see I think a lot on the TikTok and Instagram side of the fitness influencer spectrum, which is that there's a priority of aesthetic over expertise. Just because somebody looks aesthetic does not mean that they know what they're talking about. So someone who posts a lot of videos where they look really jacked or they look really toned and they're posting how to type of content or they're posting their workouts just because they look really aesthetic does not mean that their advice is necessarily sound. Especially a lot of these younger influencers, these younger fitness influencers who are in their early twenties, some of them are even teenagers, a lot of those dudes, they look really aesthetic because one, they're fucking young, their bodies are still growing and they have a lot more testosterone in their bodies than older men. Two, a lot of these young bros are on gear, a lot of them are on steroids, so doing their workout is not necessarily going to make your body look the way that their body looks.

  (31:00)

  Your body is going to look the way that your body looks when you work out, which you don't know until you work out and you've done it for a long time. So just because somebody has an impressive physique doesn't mean that the science behind what they're doing is sound, and it doesn't mean that you should necessarily take their advice or that you should necessarily even copy what they're doing. A lot of fitness influencers have recently been called out and exposed for having what they recommend that you do, what their recommended diet is and their recommended. They say this is what their workout is, but that's not actually what their workout is. They're posting content in order to get viral, in order to get views, but their actual workout is probably a lot more boring. You see a lot of fitness influencers posting themselves doing these wild routines that nobody is actually really doing every day.

  (31:53)

  You know what I mean? So that's something also that you should be really suspicious of or skeptical of is especially when they're posting themselves doing really crazy stuff that looks like crazy, crazy hard and likely, a lot of times that's not their actual workout. They're just creating content, and that's what I mean by when they're, that's something that fitness influencers will often do, focusing on virality and engagement over accuracy. This isn't what they're actually doing and following what their advice is not necessarily going to yield the body that you're after. Also, another thing that's a red flag is conflicts of interest via monetization. So the way that most influencers actually make most of their money is through sponsorships. So fitness influencers will make content in order to get a lot of views, and then companies who want to sell a product to the audience that interacts with that person will approach the influencer and say, Hey, promote our product and we will pay you X, Y, Z, or you'll get a cut of every sale that uses your code.

  (33:10)

  This is something that you have to do in order to make money, and this is something that good influencers and bad influencers get involved with as well. There are good podcasts and good YouTube channels that have sponsors that they use, and then there's also shitty influencers. But what you want to be on the lookout for is when the product that they're promoting makes some kind of promise that's like a red flag that what we talked about before, it was like, this is a super food. This is going to solve all of your problems. This is going to change your life. Supplements are a really good example of this. There are a lot of fitness influencers who make a lot of their money off of selling supplements, and I also, I have an agreement with Legion Legion who sells supplements, but you have to keep in mind a lot of the supplement industry is not terribly well regulated, and there are a lot of supplements that claim to do things that they haven't really scientifically been verified to do.

  (34:15)

  There's nothing wrong with monetizing your content. That is how we often get paid. But are the companies that they are working with, are they themselves scams? They is the product promising? All of these things that we talked about before that are signs of bullshitting, a lot of bullshit supplements out there. So how do they interact with this product and also do they even use it themselves? A lot of fitness influencers get sponsored by products that they don't even use, and that's kind of a red flag to me as well. I try to only accept sponsorship from products that I actually use. So when I was sponsored by HelloFresh, I was using HelloFresh. I still use HelloFresh recipes to this day, really love them, not sponsored right now, and I'm also sponsored by Legion. I do recommend their supplements because everything that they sell basically is science backed and they discuss the science on their website.

  (35:12)

  They actually make the opposite of that claim that you might hear from a shit flu. This product is going to solve all of your problems. The first thing that the tagline you say you see is you don't need supplements to build muscle, loose fat and get healthy, but the right ones can help. And that's what a good responsible influencer would say. And also a good responsible product. Does the products that this person promotes, do they kind of give you that sort of scam feel, right? So those are kind of signs that you can kind of watch out for what kind of products is this person promoting and are they promoting products that kind of undermine what they say they want to do, which is help you be healthy and help you be fit. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is exactly.

  (36:04)

  Now, unfortunately, a lot of influencers do not actually provide full transparency, unlike whether they're sponsored or not. And technically, if you are sponsored by any brand and you're plugging a brand, you should say, Hey, I'm sponsored by them. Hey, I have a deal with them, legal and ethical. But a lot of influencers don't. A lot of influencers don't actually, they're not transparent about, Hey, I actually get a kickback when you sign up for this thing, which is like, that's really bad practices and it's not legal either. In fact, when I'm doing a sponsored stream here on Twitch, I have to check, there's a little box that says this is a sponsored stream or this contains promoted content. A lot of influencers don't actually say that. That's why you'll notice that when I'm talking about a product that I really like and someone else too, like Chris for example, if Chris is streaming or she's talking on her vlogs, if she's talking about a product that she really likes, we're pretty fast to say, not sponsored by the way, I'm not sponsored by them.

  (37:10)

  I just really like this. That's what you should do. And so someone who is credible or credible, someone's credible, someone who is ethical and moral is likely going to give a caveat like that. There's going to be transparency around their monetization fake natty culture. That is another thing. I mentioned it before, especially these young kids, there is a growing number of influencers who claim that they're natural, meaning that they're not on steroids, that they never have used steroids while secretly they are using steroids or performance enhancing drugs. So these influencers will set an unrealistic body standard, and that can lead to some pretty significant disappointment. If you are looking to them, you're trying to follow their workout program, you're trying to eat the way that they suggest, and they're telling you do this thing so you can look like me, but they're actually, they're on steroids.

  (38:11)

  That is a huge red flag. So if someone is super, super jacked and super, super lean all the time, that's that's not a surefire like this person's not natty, but it is something to think about. It is something to be suspicious of because most people who are in a healthy fitness journey go through cycles of periods where they may have a higher body fat percentage and they may have a lower body fat percentage depending on whether they are prioritizing building muscle or burning fat, because if you are actually naty in order to build muscle, a lot of times you do need to be eating a calorie surplus, which leads to a loss of muscle definition. So someone who's super, super lean and defined all the time but is still getting bigger. It's not to say that it can't happen. There are definitely people who are genetically blessed who can stay really, really lean and put on a lot of muscle at the same time, but it is something that you should be like that's a little suspicious, and especially if they say that they're, A lot of people that you see who are super, super jacked are not actually naty.

  (39:29)

  So if they promote this idea that you have to follow what I do and you'll look like me, that's a red flag to me, that's a red flag. Any kind of person who's like, do this this and you'll look like me if you want to have, or they'll imply it. If you want to have my type of physique or if you want to have a good butt and they show their butt, you just need to do this one thing. That's a big red flag. Also, going back to the whole idea of demonizing or over-hyping foods and supplements. At the same time, a lot of fitness influencers or shitty influencers will hype up one food as the food that's going to solve all your problems, or this food is going to make you burn fat. This food is going to make you burn 20 pounds of fat. At the same time, if they're demonizing one food where they're like, you should never eat this, five foods you should never eat, that's a pretty common clickbait title because the foods that are right for your body and that are going to help you to live your best fitness journey are very unique to you. And again, anybody who's worth their salt as a coach or as a guide or as someone to give advice is going to say in every situation, it depends. So what foods are right for you? It depends.

  (40:56)

  So be cautious that they're also demonizing foods and saying, you should never eat this or you should never drink this, that kind of a thing. And then finally, another one, another red flag, last red flag that we'll talk about is promoting extreme workouts or extreme diets. There's a common catchphrase among shitty influencers, shitty gym influencers who will be like no days off workout plans, and they're really hard workouts too that are doing lots of high intensity interval training, really heavy lifting or high volume lifting with very little rest and recovery. That's a red flag for me. A lot of fitness influencers on YouTube, you'll see they'll be follow along with this workout to build X, y, Z to get washboard apps, and it will just be an hour of high intensity interval training. It's unrealistic, really, really hard. Really extreme workouts or extreme diets eat like this for a month, and it's basically a juice cleanse where you don't get to eat solid food for a month or any kind of juice cleanse.

  (42:11)

  We've talked about cleanses and detoxes before on the podcast, but promoting any kind of extreme diet or extreme workout that gives you this feeling of like, oh, I'm doing something. It must be working in the short term, like a quick fix type of thing. That is a red flag because again, real progress, real sustainable fitness progress takes time. It takes time. If you are overweight and you want to look toned, like you want to get lean and you want to have muscle definition, really you need to be thinking in terms of years. You need to be thinking in terms of a year from now, two years from now, because it really does take that long to reach those goals in a sustainable way, in a way that's likely not going to hurt you or get you sick, and that you'll actually be able to sustain in the long run.

  (43:08)

  So those are red flags to look out for when it comes to shitty influencers, fitness influencers or bad actors, people who don't have your best interest in mind. And I think that we can tell when someone, someone is actually giving us good information and they actually do have our best interests in mind. The markers of a good fitness influencer is someone who's qualified, who cites their sources, and it's legitimate sources. Someone who seeks the scientific facts and they prioritize science-based information over social clout, but also check their content history, check someone's content history, what kind of content are they putting out there? Is the majority of it click clickbait stuff to go viral, or is the majority of it actually like, Hey, this is actually good information.

  (44:10)

  Are they actually putting something out there that's helpful? Is the majority of what they put out there helpful and also pay attention to how they handle criticism? I think that that's a really big, either it could be a green flag or a red flag if someone calls them out, how do they respond is a really good way to tell whether you're dealing with a shit flu or someone who actually knows their stuff or is a worthwhile good actor who's trying to actually do good. So we all make mistakes. We all say the wrong thing sometimes. We all also sometimes need to update our knowledge as a coach taking continuing education unit classes all the time to update my knowledge. There are some things that I in the past have taught that I've even talked about on stream that are no longer really backed by the science things that I've had to update in how I coach people.

  (45:10)

  Good example of this is the rice versus meat protocol for injury, right? Because for many, many years when I was coming up as an athlete, when you got injured, if you sprained your ankle or if you pulled a muscle, the protocol was rice, rest, ice compression, elevation. But nowadays, more and more physical therapists and exercise physiologists, doctors are recommending meat, MEAT, which is to actually promote and speed up healing for a minor injury like that. What you actually need to do is keep it moving. M moving exercise. Once you're able to exercise, you should stay exercising. Even if you have to exercise around the affected joint, you should still get exercise activity. No, I'm sorry, analgesic. Analgesic. So if you need to reduce the swelling, you can eat foods that are anti-inflammatory like turmeric, lots of garlic, onion, that kind of thing. And if you have it's unbearable, then you can take an over the counter.

  (46:19)

  If your doctor says that it's right for you, EAM, then T is treatment. So a lot of minor injuries and sprains that happen during training or just in everyday life, they get better on their own, but sometimes you need extra treatment. Go to physical therapy. A lot of chiropractors are also now doing physical therapy, which is a cool development. So that's what's actually recommended now, and I was actually corrected and called out by somebody in the community here on Twitch about recommending rice, and instead he recommended offering or recommending meat, and also followed up with some sources that I could read to update my knowledge. So that's a perfect example of something that I've had to update. Another thing more recently is I've stopped teaching the Pilates imprint as a way to brace the core and practicing that at the beginning of resistance training. That has come as a result of having taught the imprint, and it has in some ways helped people to learn where their abs are and how brace their core.

  (47:30)

  On the other hand though, a lot of people who are imprinting when they hold that position while they're doing abdominal exercises like dead bugs or leg drops, it actually causes strain in their backs. And so I've gone through, I've researched it and from multiple sources, chiropractors, physical therapists, and other experts, going back and doing the research and talking to these people and reading what they've written about the topic, decided to stop teaching the imprint instead and teaching people how to brace in different ways. So that's a very recent update to what I offer, and that's always going to be the case. There will probably be things 10 years from now that I will have to teach differently.

  (48:26)

  All that to say, if you're dealing with somebody who's not a shit influencer, who actually is worth listening to, they're somebody who can handle criticism and who also is willing to have a growth mindset and grow beyond what they maybe currently teach or what they used to teach and what they used to say. If they can engage in good faith debate, if they can engage in good faith knowledge exchange, if they're willing to be wrong, if they're willing to be seen as wrong, and then change and update what they think, that's a sign that the person that you're following may actually be somebody worth listening to. But a shitty influencer, a shit influencer is probably going to respond a lot more like a narcissist, right? Narcissists hate to be seen as wrong. They want to be seen as an expert, and that is more important to them than actually giving good information.

  (49:28)

  So if you get this sense that their whole focus is being seen in a certain way versus actually giving good information, that's a good sign that this is somebody that you probably shouldn't be listening to. So I wanted to talk about that with you guys because I think I've been in this space, I've been streaming on Twitch for five years or more now, and my other platforms have grown. My YouTube channel is growing, and there have been a lot of shifts in the fitness influencing space, and there will be more changes that come along. Social media is just like fashion. There are cycles where certain things come into fashion and certain things that we said back in the eighties, and then we're like, oh, we learned like, oh, that's not a good idea. And then maybe five years from now, new young influencers will probably start saying that kind of thing again, and we'll have to do a bunch of myth busting around it.

  (50:30)

  That is kind of the nature of the beast. Whenever there is a free exchange of information, there's always going to be bad actors who are going to be, they're going to have their own ulterior motives. They want to be seen and they want clout, and they want money from sponsorships and engagement, and that's more important to them than actually giving good information and helping you along your fitness journey. I will say the type of people when I'm just interacting with someone's content and I'm trying to get a sense of the type of person that I'm dealing with is, and I have a pretty good strong pattern recognition in certain ways of people behaving, in my sense, I get a general sense of someone being a good influence versus influencer. A good influence someone to actually listen to is do they have a teacher vibe to them? Do they have a nerd vibe about them? Are they passionate about the thing that they're talking about? Do they have a passion for sharing knowledge about that thing, talking about that thing, someone who has a passion for the thing versus is more interested in attention. I look for people who have a good vibe of being a teacher. They want to share information. They love what they're sharing. They love to talk about the thing that they're talking about, and they also have the resources to back it up.

  (52:06)

  And they also refer to authorities. They respect the authority of other researchers, like peer reviewed studies of scientific organizations. Someone who's more on the narcissistic side is going to be, they don't want the spotlight on anybody else but themselves. They want to be seen as the expert, the center of attention. So just be careful if you get that kind of vibe from people. And it is hard sometimes to tell. I mean, there've been people who've come out to be really horrible people that you hear these terrible stories about that you're like, oh, wow, I didn't see that coming. It's human nature, and it's part of the experience of being human to kind of be tricked by people who don't actually have good or have your interests at heart. But these are hopefully some tips that will help you to kind of sift through the bad actors that are out there and prevent yourself from getting into a scam or some kind of a pipeline that ends up hurting you or someone else. So yeah, I hope that you found that helpful.

  (53:20)

  Thank you so much for watching this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I hope that you found this conversation to be helpful in sifting through good and bad fitness influencers in the online world. I'm curious to know if you have your own criteria for knowing whether you're dealing with a scam artist or someone who's just giving bad information. Leave that in the comments below this video if you're watching on YouTube, and make sure that you have subscribed to the channel if you're here on YouTube or that you have followed the channel if you're listening to the podcast. I look forward to hanging out with you in the next episode. In the meantime, take care.

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Episode 52: 5 Signs Ego-Lifting is Killing Your Gains

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When it comes to making progress in the gym, lifting heavier weights is often seen as the gold standard. But what if your obsession with stacking plates is actually holding you back? Enter ego lifting—a common but destructive habit that can stall progress, increase injury risk, and keep you from reaching your true potential. In this post, we’ll break down what ego lifting is, how to recognize it, where it stems from, and how to break free from it.

What is Ego Lifting?

Ego lifting refers to lifting weights that are too heavy for you to maintain proper form, often to impress others or boost your self-esteem. 

Instead of focusing on controlled, effective reps, ego lifters prioritize moving as much weight as possible—often at the cost of proper technique. 

👉 This can lead to poor muscle activation, stalled progress, and an increased risk of injury.

Common examples of ego lifting include:

• Performing half-rep squats with excessive weight.

• Bouncing the bar off your chest in the bench press.

• Using momentum to swing dumbbells instead of controlling them.

• Deadlifting with a rounded back to move more weight.

Signs You May Be Ego Lifting

Not sure if you’re guilty of ego lifting? Here are some common signs:

1. You avoid warm-ups or mobility work. If you think warming up with lighter weights is a waste of time, you might be prioritizing numbers over performance.

2. You judge your progress solely by the weight on the bar. Strength is about more than just lifting heavier—it’s also about control, endurance, and muscle engagement.

3. You experience frequent injuries or stalled progress. If you’re constantly battling aches and pains or your numbers aren’t improving, ego lifting could be the culprit.

4. Your form breaks down at heavy weights. If you’re sacrificing technique just to complete a rep, you’re not lifting effectively.

5. You get defensive when someone corrects your form. If you bristle at constructive criticism, you might be lifting for validation rather than progress.

Where Does Ego Lifting Come From?

Understanding why we fall into the trap of ego lifting is key to overcoming it. Here are some common sources:

• Gym Culture & Social Media Pressure – Watching others lift heavy can make you feel like you need to match them, even if your form suffers.

• Misconceptions About Strength Training – Some believe that lifting heavy at all costs is the only way to get stronger, ignoring the importance of proper progression, technique, and time under tension.

• Insecurity & Validation Seeking – Many lifters use heavy weights as a way to prove their strength, sometimes at the expense of actual progress.

How to Break Out of the Ego Lifting Mindset

If you recognize that ego lifting is holding you back, here’s how to shift your mindset and start making real progress:

1. Redefine Success – Instead of focusing on weight alone, measure progress in terms of endurance, stability, and overall strength development.

2. Prioritize Form Over Weight – A controlled, full-range rep with lighter weight is far more effective than a sloppy, heavy rep.

3. Use Progressive Overload Properly – Strength gains come from gradual increases, not jumping to the heaviest weight possible.

4. Film Your Lifts – Reviewing your technique can help you stay accountable and make adjustments where needed.

5. Surround Yourself with the Right Mindset – Train with people who value proper technique and longevity over lifting heavy for show.

Final Thoughts

Ego lifting is a trap that can derail your progress, increase injury risk, and keep you from reaching your full potential. By shifting your focus from lifting the heaviest weights to lifting with proper form and progression, you’ll build a stronger, healthier, and more resilient body. So next time you hit the gym, ask yourself: are you lifting to improve, or just to impress?

Links:

• Watch on Youtube

• Body Sculpt Training Program

• Gains Club Membership

• Livestreams on Twitch

Sponsors/Affiliate Links:

• Legion Athletics Supplements: Use code Jaydigains to get 20% off for new customers - Double loyalty points for returning customers)

• Transcript

  Jayd (00:00):

  Strength is more than just being able to lift heavier. It's just as much about having the control of your body and being able to control the weight while you're in motion. Hey there. Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for about 10 years, and I also grew up in the fitness industry. So I created this podcast to share some of the tips and wisdom that I share with my personal training clients and followers. In today's episode, we're going to take a look at whether or not ego lifting may be killing your gains. Ego lifting refers to trying to lift heavier weight than what you can actually control with good technique, usually with the intention of trying to impress other people or to boost your own self-esteem. Instead of focusing on controlled, effective reps, ego lifters will often prioritize lifting as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, often at the cost of proper technique.

  (01:08)

  Now, lifting this weight can lead to poor muscle activation. You're not going to get the gains that you would get through actually practicing slow controlled effective reps, which means that you'll likely experience stalled progress and even increased risk of injury. So today we're going to take a look at how to figure out if you might be ego lifting, and I'm going to give you some tips on how to reframe your mindsets so that you can practice your lifts effectively and with control to be safer about it and to make more progress. But before we get into the episode, make sure to give this video like if you're watching this on YouTube, and make sure to subscribe to the channel so that you always get the latest episodes and videos that I drop. I post pretty frequently on my YouTube channel, different exercise tutorial videos, as well as discussion videos just like this.

  (01:58)

  So never miss a video by making sure that you are subscribed. If you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much. Make sure to follow the show so that you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. If you would like more information on me and the services that I offer, check out my website, Jaydigains.com. That's J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-N s.com. Right now, I am accepting new personal training clients and my body sculpt program, and you can also sign up for my membership right from my website where you can download workout plans, meal plans, and get training tips, nutrition tips, fat loss tips, and other recipes every single month. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.

  (02:43)

  Ego lifting is one of the most common problems that I see in personal training clients, especially when they come to me with previous experience of lifting. As a reminder, ego lifting is when you try to exercise with more weight than what you can effectively control or execute with good technique. Lifting this way is really not optimal. You only want to train with the amount of weight that you can properly control. Not only does it mean that you will likely sacrifice some gains and stall your progress. In the worst cases, it often leads to injury. Common examples of ego lifting include performing half rep squats with excessive weight. If you are squatting with an amount of weight that you can't execute a proper squat, getting your thighs to parallel. If your mobility allows, then you're using way too much weight. Another example of ego lifting might be bouncing the bar off of your chest while you're doing a chest press.

  (03:40)

  Rather than allowing your muscles to generate the force to push the weight back up. In bodybuilding exercises, you may be swinging the weights around using momentum to get them up rather than generating the force with your muscles and also deadlift with a rounded spine. Basically, if you cannot perform the exercise slow and controlled with good technique throughout the entire range of motion, you should not be lifting that weight. Now, ego lifting can sneak up on even the best of us, even the most experienced and advanced exercises. We'll get into a habit of ego lifting from time to time. It's a good idea if you can pinpoint this starting to seep in early on so that you can adjust your mindset before it ends up getting you hurt. Now, if you're not sure whether or not you might be ego lifting, here are a few signs that you can look out for.

  (04:30)

  One, you tend to avoid warmups and mobility work. You might feel like warming up with lighter weights is a waste of time. Doing mobility work is a waste of time, and you may be prioritizing numbers like the weight on the bar or the number of reps over how you perform those reps. You may also begin to judge your progress solely by the amount of weight that you put on the bar. Strength is more than just being able to lift heavier. It's just as much about having the control of your body and being able to control the weight while you're in motion. It's also about your range of motion. Being able to manage a certain amount of weight in a deeper squat, for instance, getting more muscle engagement. All of these are really important parts of your progression as an athlete, as a lifter, if you have been ego lifting for an extended period of time, you may notice that you're getting a lot of minor aches and pains or chronic injuries popping up.

  (05:35)

  This might be happening pretty frequently. While at the same time your lifts aren't actually improving. You're kind of stalling in your progress. So if you're getting a lot of aches and pains and you're not really actually progressing, this is a good sign that you may be ego lifting. You may also notice that your form begins to break down as you add more weight onto the bar. If this happens a lot in your training sessions that you're practicing with poor technique but heavier weights on the bar, that's a good sign that you're ego lifting. And finally, if you get defensive when someone corrects your form or if they tell you to slow down, this is a good sign that you are ego lifting and that you're prioritizing the amount of weight on the bar over how in control you are of that weight. This means that you are more concerned with the validation of how much weight you put on the bar versus prioritizing progress over time.

  (06:33)

  Like I said, ego lifting can seep into your mindset no matter who you are, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or an advanced lifter. I find however, that ego lifting is more often a problem with people who participate in certain gym cultures where you go to a gym and you can just kind of tell that there's sort of this competitive atmosphere, and this isn't every gym, but there definitely are some gyms that have a culture of competition where people regularly are putting more weight on the bar than they probably should, where their form failure is breaking down. You want to surround yourself with gym buddies that prioritize progress in terms of improved technique and control mobility, as well as how much weight is actually on the bar. It can also come from social media pressure, which is another aspect of who are you spending your time with.

  (07:28)

  If you are consuming a lot of social media where people are moving really crazy weights, this can sometimes lead to you kind of comparing yourself where you are in your journey to them and make you feel like you should be doing that, where you begin to rush yourself to add more and more weight to catch up with them, when really you should be focusing on your own journey and progressing one step at a time from where you currently are. Now, ego lifting can also come from misconceptions about what strength training is. Many people believe that strength training is all about always adding on more and more and more weight to the bar, which makes sense given that many of the competitive weight training competitions are really focused on how much weight you put on the bar, but true strength progression is about growth in your ability to control your body, to be able to command your muscles, to generate maximal force in a way that is safe and keeps your body in alignment.

  (08:31)

  For me, it's more impressive to see someone perform a squat with really good technique, but less weight than someone who performs a soup or heavy squat with really crappy technique. Form really should be your focus, improving your form and your technique at every stage of your journey and being able to execute each exercise with good technique, no matter much weight you put on the bar. Ego lifting can also set in due to personal insecurities or maybe you're seeking validation from the outside. Many people come to strength training because they feel like it's a way that they can prove themselves to somebody else or to themselves, and when you're super concerned with that validation or boosting your self-esteem can often lead to putting more pressure on yourself to add more weight to the bar than what you actually should. Now I'll be honest, the worst ego lifters that I've had to work with as a personal trainer often come from two main places.

  (09:35)

  One of those places is high school weight rooms. Whether you took weight training classes in high school or if you lifted with your football team, high school weight training classes and weight training groups often have that culture of competition of continue to put more and more and more weight on the bar and they don't spend as much time on proper technique and executing the exercises properly with good form. Many of the ex high school weight room students that I train really struggle with performing the exercises slowly and with good technique, and when you force them to slow down, a lot of times their form breaks down. They might be really strong at one range of motion within the squat, but if you force them to pause at another point in the squat, they fall over because they haven't had the chance to develop the balance in the control through the entire range of motion because maybe their gym group or their coach prioritized moving the weight as fast and explosively as possible.

  (10:37)

  Oftentimes, these people experience chronic injuries, and it's not until they work with me and we kind of reframe how to do strength training and how to do workouts in the gym, and they learn how to perform with good technique and prioritize good technique that they begin to actually make really crazy gains, but it often does require bumping back the amount of weight that they put on the bar and slowing things down for a period of time so that they can learn how to actually execute with good technique. Once they master that technique though, oh my goodness, it's PR after pr. I know another place that I get a lot of ego lifters from is the Starting Strength Program. This is a program that's created by Mark rto. It's one of the most well-known beginners strength training programs. It focuses specifically on just barbell training and progressive overload.

  (11:29)

  Within this program, lifters are encouraged to add weight on the bar every week of the program. Every time you go to do the same exercise, you should be adding on more weight. Now, there's not a lot of focus on mobility work or other accessories. There's not much discussion on how to modify exercises for your body type because there are different recommendations for people who have longer femurs or differently sized limbs, et cetera. Another problem that I have with this program is that the people who go through it often rush through their reps and they really struggle to work on an accumulation phase or mobility work or balance work, which is a necessary foundation for actually being in control of big weight. And this program often sets people up with the expectation that every time they lift, they should be adding on more weight to the bar, which is very unrealistic and not necessary for making gains.

  (12:29)

  So when one of these students comes to work with me and I start to acclimate them to block periodization where we have accumulation phases, intensification phases, and peaking blocks, they really struggle to do the foundational work necessary to establish good technique because they just don't value it. They also have a really hard time doing cardio because cardiovascular training is not really a part of the Starting Strength program, and it is actually another really important piece of being overall athletic and improving your strength. A strong cardiovascular system is really important for delivering oxygen to your muscles and helping you in the recovery process. So often what happens with these clients is they really struggle to stay consistent with their program because it's just not as fun to train effectively as adding more weight onto the bar every single week. And sometimes you can just start to kind of get into an ego lifting mindset because you might be feeling insecure and you feel like you have to prove something.

  (13:29)

  It happens to everybody at some point in their fitness journey. So let's talk about how to break out of the ego lifting mindset. If you recognize that ego lifting may be holding you back, there are a couple of things that you can do to help change the trajectory of your workouts, and it's definitely worth doing this because this will allow you to actually make gains, make progress, and perform your workouts more safely to avoid injury. One is that you need to sit down and redefine what success means to you. Instead of focusing on weight alone, the amount of weight that you put on the bar define success and improvement by improvements in your endurance, improvements in your stability, your overall strength development, your mobility, how in control you are of that weight, how long you can hold different points of the movement. All of these are great indications of progress.

  (14:30)

  Number two is to prioritize form over weight. It's not just about how much weight you have on the bar, it's about how in control you are of that weight at all points of the exercise. A controlled full range rep with lighter weight is hella more impressive than a sloppy, fast heavy rep. You also need to establish an idea of what proper progression is. Strength gains come from gradual increases of the weight over time, and also strength improves as you also improve your balance, your overall coordination, your muscular endurance and work capacity. If you don't focus on improving these aspects of your muscular fitness, then you're not going to be able to improve your strength. Strength is built on top of the foundation of hypertrophy, muscular endurance, proper technique work, working with time under tension. If you're not putting in the effort to execute these exercises with proper technique, more time under tension and building muscle while also improving your mobility, then you are going to stall and probably get injured.

  (15:43)

  Once you get to that intermediate and advanced stage of being a lifter, just know that your progress is going to be a lot slower than what it was in the beginning. When you are a beginner and you have those newbie gains, you can more realistically expect to add more weight onto the bar on a week by week basis, but that's not realistic for an intermediate or advanced lifter. Progress is a lot slower at that point, and that's why we focus our training in different blocks that work on improving different aspects of your muscular fitness because that's what it really takes in order to move the needle on your strength. Another thing that can help you get out of the ego lifting mindset is to film your lifts. Review your technique every single time you lift regardless of the lift, regardless of the phase of your training, review your lifts, and if you're working with a coach, send your coach those videos so that they can give you form feedback and prioritize improving your form over time and make that your focus over how much weight is on the bar. And lastly, make sure that you're surrounding yourself with people who have the right mindset. If you are within a culture, whether it's online or in an actual gym, make sure that you are spending your time with people who prioritize control and good technique over just slapping more weight on the bar. So there you have it. These are the ways that you can identify whether ego lifting has seeped into your mindset, and these are some tips for helping you to break out of that mindset.

  (17:23)

  Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. I hope that you found this discussion to be helpful. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. If you're watching this on YouTube, let me know in the comments what your experience has been with ego lifting. Is it something that you have recognized in yourself and what helped you to break out of that mindset? Or are you currently struggling with that mindset and what questions do you have about it? Leave those all in the comments below the video. Also, make sure to like the video and subscribe to the channel so that you always get the latest videos whenever they drop. If you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes. If you would like more information on me and the services that I offer, head over to my website, Jaydigains.com. I am accepting clients right now for my bodys sculpt program, so you can find more information on that at my website. That's Jaydigains.com, J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N s.com. Thank you again for watching or listening, and I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, take care.

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