Often we forget what an important part of strength training mobility work is. Mobility work has the reputation of being something that you just tack on or do during a warm-up. But the reality is that mobility work is incredibly important and dictates how you move, how you feel, and the gains that you see in and out of the gym.
If You Want to Make Mobility More of a Priority, You Should:
Rich Thurman, better known as Coach RT3, is a mobility specialist who is passionate about sharing his experiences as a black man in the fitness industry and advocating for coaching in a way that takes care of your body, mind, and spirit as one whole person.
Mobility is Not an Afterthought
Let's be real, does every part of your body function optimally? The chances are probably pretty low. Incorporating mobility into your strength training as the main objective will help you see the benefits you are looking for and improve your overall performance as you age.
In general, we tend to overlook and neglect important health things until it is too late. This is why Coach RT3 is so passionate about helping others understand the why behind their workouts and get specific about how mobility work can help them. Mobility work is not an afterthought; it is a key component to achieving your goals.
Knowledge is Power
Coach RT3 really understands the importance of educating people on how their body works. You need to access the full capability of your mobility to ensure your training is going to succeed. Coach RT3 believes in the power of sharing information, which can be challenging on social media. But, through his passion and tenacity for the power of mobility, he helps people move better, feels better, and do more while still recovering in a way that is essential for longevity.
The more you have access to your mobility, the better your life is going to be. What are you waiting for?
Are you ready to dedicate yourself to mobility? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
“I am a firm believer in the way I communicate and the way I put out information; it is in a sharing way. I don't hold any information back. And if you want to work with me and if you want to train with me, then you are working with me and training with me because you like the way in which I coach.” (26:18)
“I want you all to be better and to understand and to learn and to grow. Because if you all learn and grow, then everyone is better.” (27:40)
“Mobility should be the throughline for everything that you are doing in life because it is life.” (33:19)
“If you really want mobility to be something that impacts your longevity and life, you have to slot it in as the thing, and everything else has to be the 20.” (44:53)
“If you move better, you feel better… and if you feel good you do more. And if you do more, you get more of what you want overall anyways.” (51:37)
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LTYB 338: Mobility, Justice, and Representation in the Fitness Industry with Rich Thurman
You can still be a strong badass who can lift heavy as you journey through peri-menopause and post-menopause. But, you have to do it in a way that is a bit different than you did in your 20s. If you are a 40+ woman and not seeing the results you want, holding back on adjusting the way you train as your body transitions is probably the reason.
If You Want To Level Up Your CrossFit Training Through Peri-Menopause, You Should:
Shawna Norton is an L1 Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition, with a B.S in Kinesiology. She holds an L1 with Crossfit and actively coaches athletes through her women’s only coaching program- Competitive Female Training. She is passionate about serving the needs of women in her community and loves helping them fuel their training and focus on what their bodies can do in peri-menopause and beyond.
Why You Need to Lift Heavy Things
As we get older, sometimes we can forget about the importance of hard things. Society tells us to focus on the scale and not get ‘too bulky’. But building muscle as you age, especially as a woman, is so important to your overall health, longevity, mindset, and happiness.
This new stage of life is an opportunity for you to reassess what your body needs and create a strength training program that is going to meet your unique needs as a woman. Strength training isn't just about what you look like. It is a way to ensure your quality of life throughout peri-menopause, post-menopause, and beyond.
Giving Women a Voice and a Program
Women make up 50% of the sport of CrossFit, and yet most of the programs out there are designed for men. That's where Shawna comes in. She is all about empowering women with the right tools and knowledge to be given a voice in the CrossFit world and feel confident in their training.
Shawna is dedicated to answering the question, ‘what about us?’. By helping women understand the power of muscle and how to achieve their CrossFit goals in a way that is adapted to a woman's physiology as she ages, Shawna provides programming tailored specifically to the needs of women. A conversation that is not had enough, in this episode, Shawna smashes CrossFit misconceptions and provides a unique perspective on strength training in peri-menopause and on.
How have you adjusted your strength training to suit the needs of your changing body? Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments on the episode page.
“I got into CrossFit, and all of a sudden I had a barbell in my hands, and it was like, this is where I am supposed to be. I want to take up space, I want to lift heavy.” (6:17)
“I am still a beautiful woman, but I am beautiful because of how I am made, not because of how society says I need to be.” (12:54)
“Our programming is designed only for women. But we also communicate in a way that our female athletes can actually understand what they are supposed to do.” (29:10)
“Women are 50% of the sport, and we have the right to have our weaknesses addressed to the same level that you are programming for men. Think about that when you are programming.” (32:16)
“If you are not happy where you are at, you have to do something different. If you keep doing the same thing, you are going to keep getting the same results. Try it! What's the worst that can happen? You’re going to get stronger?” (42:43)
“Having muscle is so much more than if you can fit into your jeans.” (48:23)
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Pull-Ups Resource
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FYS 382: Making Strength Gains in Your Late 40’s with Allison Fitzpatrick
FYS 378: Powerlifting and Recovery Tips for the 40+ Athlete with Laura Phelps
FYS 375: Strength Training Changes for Peri-Menopause and Post-Menopause with Dr. Stacy Sims
The idea of gaining strength in your 40s and beyond can seem daunting. But with the right tools, nutrition, and support, it is much easier than you might think. Often we think we know best when it comes to how we can achieve our goals, but in reality, it takes an outside perspective to help you reach a level of health and happiness that you never thought possible.
If You Want to Make Strength Gains in Your 40’s, You Should:
Allison Fitzpatrick found strength training in her late 30s and is now a 10+ year veteran in the world of fitness. Coming to strength training as a non-athletic person, Allison had her fair share of skepticism and fear. After completing my Strength Nutrition Unlocked Program, Allison is here to give a first-hand account of what it is like to go through the program and the amazing gains she has made on the other side.
By the time Allison hit her 30s, she knew that she wanted to get stronger but didn't want her body to change. Like many of us, she struggled with the tug-of-war mentality between the things we can't control about getting older. She started to feel out of control of her body and was dealing with a toxic relationship with the scale.
Finally, she was ready to try something new. Allison entered the world of Strength Training through Crossfit. What surprised her the most was how she started feeling happy in the gym. However, the real progress came when Allison realized she not only needed to change the way she trained but also the way she fueled herself.
Take Control of How You Age
Strength Nutrition Unlocked is all about embracing your ability to make a change. While we cannot control getting older, we can control how we treat our bodies, fuel our bodies, and think about our bodies. You are not a spreadsheet, and your body is not a calculator. It takes a personalized and nuanced understanding of your body needs to see the results you are searching for.
Allison is keeping it real with a first-hand account of what it is like to be a student in Strength Nutrition Unlocked, embracing her highs and lows, and why nutrition was the key to making strides in strength as a woman in her late 40s.
Are you ready to make a change when it comes to how you train and fuel your body? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
“It's like this crazy adrenaline rush. You have more power than you think you have. It was amazing to see that my body was capable of doing things I never knew possible.” (10:03)
“For me, the biggest changes were increasing my protein and increasing my carbs and just overall food intake. And just being more mindful of what is actually on my plate.” (32:24)
“I was making my feelings about myself and how I felt about myself contingent on this number on the scale… It really did become a toxic relationship.” (36:30)
“I can’t control that I get older and older. I can’t control perimenopause. I can’t control that my body is going to change. There are all these things that are out of my control. But I can control what I put into my body, how I fuel my body, how I move my body, and how I think about my body.” (39:27)
“I know I wanted to be happier. I know I wanted to feel better. I know I wanted all of these feelings, and I thought that losing weight was going to give me those feelings. And it wasn't that. As soon as I started to feel that increase in weight and eat more and feel better and notice that I am actually fueling my body for what I am doing, and fueling my body for strength and for health and for longevity and all of that, that's what is making me happy and making me feel good.” (48:56)
Join the Group Strength Nutrition Unlocked Program Here
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FYS 381: 6 Reasons to Hire a Nutrition Coach
FYS 378: Powerlifting and Recovery Tips for the 40+ Athlete with Laura Phelps
FYS 375: Strength Training Changes for Peri-Menopause and Post-Menopause with Dr. Stacy Sims
FYS 350: Are You Eating Enough? Low Energy Availability in Sport
If you want to build muscle, get stronger, see better results and gains in the gym, have more energy, and improve your performance, hiring a nutrition coach could be the best investment you have ever made in yourself. A coach can help you accomplish your goals quicker, focus on a doable way to reach those goals, and provide you with the emotional and social support you need to get there.
If You Want to Get Serious About Your Nutrition, You Should:
Many people out there think they can do it themselves when it comes to nutrition and fitness. While the internet is full of advice, that doesn't mean it's necessarily good advice. A meal plan or chatting with a bot does not help you change the things that are in your way, and will cost you your time, effort, and mistakes in return.
If you are ready to make serious progress in your fitness and nutrition goals, a coach is the best way to create a plan that is doable in your life, and that fits your unique needs, likes, and dislikes. You shouldn't have to be an expert in order to feel good in your body and supported in your dreams; that's what coaches are for!
Being able to assess a situation objectively is hard to do, especially when it comes to our own lives. If you want to progress and gain strength and endurance, it will take more of a sophisticated approach that helps you build sustainable and addictive habits.
When you get focused, get serious, invest in yourself, and put some money where your mouth is, it is incredible what you can accomplish. Don't keep putting off your goals, today is the best day to start, and it is never too late. With the right focus and support, I know you can do this.
Are you ready to hire a nutrition coach? Share your thoughts with me about my top 6 reasons in the comments on the episode page.
“Hiring my first sports nutrition coach was a key decision that I made that really changed the trajectory of not only my fitness but my personal life and my career.” (2:19)
“You might think that you are eating really ‘healthy,’ but that doesn't mean that you are adequately fueling, or eating enough of the right things, for example, to get you the fitness results that you want.” (7:52)
“I wasn't just paying a coach. I am investing in my own growth and in actually having a plan to get me to my goals quicker and help me figure out why what I was doing wasn't working.” (11:07)
“I want you to think about hiring someone to help you assess what needs to change, look at and identify the things you are willing to change, and how to do it in a way that is going to be doable in your life.” (19:10)
“Meal plans don't teach you about long-term habit change, and they don't help you address the underlying challenges that might be getting in your way.” (24:24)
Join the Group Strength Nutrition Unlocked Program Here
1-1 Strength Nutrition Coaching
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I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
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FYS 380: From Endurance to Lifting: Top Sports Nutrition & Training Lessons
FYS 367: 5 Strength Nutrition Lessons I Wish I Learned a Decade Ago