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Reverse Diet Realities with Alex Maclin

In this episode with Alex Maclin we cover the basics of how to meet yourself where you are at in your nutrition and fitness. With a brief chat on him leaving his Ph.D. program to pursue a career in fitness and nutrition. Alex helps us walk through his approach to reverse dieting with his clients, what this looks like, who it is for, what it actually is and how you can approach this! If you have been struggling with consistent nutrition for years THIS is the episode for you!

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Hey, I'm Lyss!

I’m Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. I am here to bring science to your training in a no-nonsense way. I have helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, and even do both. I’m here to help you do the same!

The fitness industry really rags on people who use

The fitness industry really rags on people who use the word "toned". And I get it, I used to be that person too. I would be lying if the word didn't also make my eye roll from time to time after hearing it for years. But now I view it in two ways.

1) An opportunity to meet someone where they are at, use language they understand and that we "know what they mean". Use it as a gate way / entry point to get what is usually women using this language to get into strength training.

2) To have some tough love get honest chats if necessary. Many people (again, usually women here) who really could benefit from a year of eating more/at maintenance and crushing the weights would get more of the benefits they are seeking. Or to have them really admit what they want. I am not anti-dieting. IF you really do just want to keep "leaning out" the fat on top of no muscle, I am not here to stop you. But I can help you learn to fall in love with heavy lifting and that *often* the look you want is strong.

Tone is the only word women know to use for muscular.
It really isn't their fault even if we hate it.

& while I would love to see it eradicated ... for now I will get off my ego box and hope you all will too and simply say "hey i know what you mean! but the way we do that isn't quite what you are thinking. But I can help!"

Toned is a gateway word.
Toned is muscle.
Toned is strong.
Toned... isn't quite what you think it is.

& And that is okay.
We will help get you there.

In the last 10 days I couldn’t tell you what my

In the last 10 days I couldn’t tell you what my protein intake was.

In fact. Im pretty sure I epically under ate in all the areas that count (fiber, micros, protein). I had some hodge podge meals. I haven’t lifted in over a week. & didn’t stress once about this during my trip.

I’ve been training since I was 15. Long gone are the days I remember thinking a few days “off track” or missed lifts were the end all be all. That our bodies are way more frail & rapidly decondition in ways they well…don’t.

Traveling is high on my life value list. Like really high up there next to my overall fitness + ability to be able to DO the things I love. But I do not train as hard as I do so I can spend every day of my life perfectly hitting a macro or bringing bags of protein powder in my purse or having to even worry about my “muscle loss” when I’m out creating memories.

I train hard, sleep well, fuel well and do what I do so I can handle all the adventures I dream of doing. NOT so I can spend my days worried about losing it all.

Under eating a few days won’t kill your gains.
A few days off off eating or that amazing meal on your trip is part of the experience.
& my god it takes ~10 days for your body to truly start losing fitness so give yourself a break.

Some vacations I workout. But a lot unless I’m hiking/running I don’t even think twice about it.

Our bodies are incredible, adaptable, smart and are not going to waste away on us because we are out enjoying or living our life.

Im not advocating that we run off and spend weeks being dumpster raccoons. “Living” isn’t gorging. But rather we stop spending our time we’re out LIVING stressing about the fitness that 1) is still there or 2) can be gained back easily when 3) those memories are fleeting or we can’t get back on any odd week of our regular life.

& this week I’ll simply get back to my routine. I’ll lift some weights. I’ll do some cardio. I’ll ease back into my normal I created around these pockets or living so I can continue to do what I value + love.

In the process of gaining fitness let’s not forget why we do it. So we can live a little stronger, move easier & enjoy the life we’ve been given 💪🏻🤍

I forgot that in spring of 2018 I hated Tuesdays.

I forgot that in spring of 2018 I hated Tuesdays. I mean to be honest — I don’t even think I can recall any single average Tuesday of my entire life on the spot. Till I found an old post talking about how hard and busy and stressful Tuesdays were.

The irrelevant stressors. The tasks we hate. The things we spend so much of our lives hype focused on become the nothingness of our subconscious.

But I can recall in as good of detail as our flawed human brains allow us the details of almost every day of adventure I have. I can close my eyes and trace trails. I can pause and remember moments and who I was with and what I was doing. The color, the vibrancy, the sound, it all.

And when I look back at these days I won’t remember how tired I was. Or hungry. The basic traits we carry even afar. I will remember the pause. The bliss. The way the cold mist outside my rain shell felt like being tucked in at night. The silence of the Icelandic plateau ridge at a sunlit 8 pm with no one around for miles. The color of the water falls as they brained into one. The wholeness I feel in these moments.

I refuse to live a life I need to escape from.
But rather create a life that is laced with the simple daily mundane that feels like home.
Spaced with days that stand out.

There is no escape.
Together it is all of it.
The flashes of memories that are no longer one off random days — but simply, “that one Tuesday I…..”.

That one Tuesday I lived.

3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO UP IN WEIGHT IN Y

3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO UP IN WEIGHT IN YOUR LIFTS!

1) You aren't making progress across time. Week to week*, month to month, and/or block to block of training. Either by moving more weight, doing more sets, or more reps. (*not always linear). While we won't make progress EVERY week in the gym, over time we should be noticing trends going up. If they arent, take a moment to assess why. Underloading may be a reason here!

2) You don't need 2-5 min to recover between exercises. Especially compounds. If you don't need to recover you may not be using enough weight. You feel ready to go after 30-60 sec. A lot of people underload and rush through sets + rests, their workouts feel easy, low effort. And they think lifting is "boring" or doesn't quite work. You should need time to recover between compounds especially. Accessory work you should feel like its effortful but can superset or rest 90-120 seconds if needed.

3) You aren't using weights that challenge you so that you could only do 2-3 reps left for most lifts. You feel bored and distracted during your lifting sets and can think about other things. If you are unsure about this, take a set all the way to failure. How close to that were you? Adjust weight accordingly.

If you want to learn more about the science of lifting, how to apply basic training concepts to your own program & how to make your own workouts checkout my ebook TRAIN! L!ink in bio always to get your copy and start crushing your training!

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS … and upper body pressing move

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS … and upper body pressing movements are all of them 😵‍💫

Is this you!?

When it comes to lifting — women have just as much potential gain strength as men. However we simply often have a 1) lower starting spot and 2) generally lower absolute strength — at least at first for many new trainees.

Overhead press & bench are big frustrations for @thelyssmethod clients. And we get it we really do.

My good friend + future 1:1 coach @mrcoreblend recently was chatting about how often women beat themselves up for making “small weight jumps” that are actually HUGE increases when we look at % increase. That a 405 > 425 bench would make any dude go crazy. But women who go from 95 > 105 feel like failures. Or that the jumps between smaller DB’s are massive % increases than the heavier ones.

You are NOT! But here are some tips to help improve your weight jumps in the gym.

1) USE RPE. We talk about this a lot but simply assessing your progress with RPE will let you adjust weights or reps better to meet your training stimulus. You can even track RPE PR’s in the gym. Those count too.

2) If you can’t make a big weight jump between DB’s or with plates just yet go up in reps till you hit your RPE target or that you can do. Over time drop reps back down as you add weight.

3) CHANGE PLATES. All gyms will have 2.5lb plates but if you can’t make that big of a jump you can buy smaller 0.5-1.5 lb plates or see if your gym has kilo plates which make odd jumps in weight that allow you to do “66” or say “76 lbs”. Etc.

4) If you cannot do more weight yet but you’re not hitting your RPE without a ton more reps consider adding another set OR doing a few higher and few lower rep sets. Such as 2x3 + 2x8-10

5) Give yourself grace + time. Your body is not weak it’s CAPABLE AF!

They say our views on something + opinion of it ar

They say our views on something + opinion of it are formed by the middle/peak and the end.

& as I leave Athens I sure hope so. For the many weeks that felt like my own permeant Groundhog Day, the friendless-loneliness, the burn out, the feeling that those days would never end. A chapter end capped with joy, friendship, memories + growth.

Moving away from Georgia isn’t sentimental for me because of Athens. But who I was and became there. The magnitude of that chapter of life. The 4.5 year chapter where 4.5/5.5 of my relationship with regis was spent. The longest I’ve lived anywhere that wasn’t my hometown.

Where I started my business.
Got my doctorate.
Ran my first ultras.
Took chance on my dreams.
& honestly — grew up.

24 to 29 are radical years of change.
So much of my becoming happened in this chapter.
I leave sentimental not because of a place, but what it symbolizes.

My love for regis + having each other + forming a private but simple little love / life.

The chances I took on my self + my dreams + my goals. The bad I shape shifted into good. The opportunities I didn’t ask for but created.

The shedding of the skin of self doubt I carried for years. The becoming, the self trust, the belief in my visions before others saw them.

The bone deep loneliness I turned into life long friendships.

The miles and miles my legs took me. The memories made. The trips taken.

This weekend my dad walked into my room as I packed up & said “kid, life is made of small moments that mean something. & this is a big one — you’re not longer a student. A big chapter is done.”

So as I pulled away from Athens this morning in the cool summer dusk I played “before I get there” by bronze radio return, a song that carried me through my masters to my PhD. Echoing the work left to do + not being ready to leave. “I got a little more work to do before I’m on my way”.

& tears of gratitude rolled + a small nod at this chapter as the simple lyrics sang out “when my time comes along to move on then I’ll already know.”

& I already know — “I’m ready to go”.

🤍

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Lyss Method

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Alyssa Olenick, PhD

M.S., CISSN, PH.D. – EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

Alyssa is an Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. She is known for her high energy and sassy approach to bringing science to your training in a no-nonsense way. Alyssa has helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, or even do both.

Alyssa Olenick, PhD

M.S., CISSN, PH.D. – EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

Alyssa is an Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. She is known for her high energy and sassy approach to bringing science to your training in a no-nonsense way. Alyssa has helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, or even do both.

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The fitness industry really rags on people who use

The fitness industry really rags on people who use the word "toned". And I get it, I used to be that person too. I would be lying if the word didn't also make my eye roll from time to time after hearing it for years. But now I view it in two ways.

1) An opportunity to meet someone where they are at, use language they understand and that we "know what they mean". Use it as a gate way / entry point to get what is usually women using this language to get into strength training.

2) To have some tough love get honest chats if necessary. Many people (again, usually women here) who really could benefit from a year of eating more/at maintenance and crushing the weights would get more of the benefits they are seeking. Or to have them really admit what they want. I am not anti-dieting. IF you really do just want to keep "leaning out" the fat on top of no muscle, I am not here to stop you. But I can help you learn to fall in love with heavy lifting and that *often* the look you want is strong.

Tone is the only word women know to use for muscular.
It really isn't their fault even if we hate it.

& while I would love to see it eradicated ... for now I will get off my ego box and hope you all will too and simply say "hey i know what you mean! but the way we do that isn't quite what you are thinking. But I can help!"

Toned is a gateway word.
Toned is muscle.
Toned is strong.
Toned... isn't quite what you think it is.

& And that is okay.
We will help get you there.

In the last 10 days I couldn’t tell you what my

In the last 10 days I couldn’t tell you what my protein intake was.

In fact. Im pretty sure I epically under ate in all the areas that count (fiber, micros, protein). I had some hodge podge meals. I haven’t lifted in over a week. & didn’t stress once about this during my trip.

I’ve been training since I was 15. Long gone are the days I remember thinking a few days “off track” or missed lifts were the end all be all. That our bodies are way more frail & rapidly decondition in ways they well…don’t.

Traveling is high on my life value list. Like really high up there next to my overall fitness + ability to be able to DO the things I love. But I do not train as hard as I do so I can spend every day of my life perfectly hitting a macro or bringing bags of protein powder in my purse or having to even worry about my “muscle loss” when I’m out creating memories.

I train hard, sleep well, fuel well and do what I do so I can handle all the adventures I dream of doing. NOT so I can spend my days worried about losing it all.

Under eating a few days won’t kill your gains.
A few days off off eating or that amazing meal on your trip is part of the experience.
& my god it takes ~10 days for your body to truly start losing fitness so give yourself a break.

Some vacations I workout. But a lot unless I’m hiking/running I don’t even think twice about it.

Our bodies are incredible, adaptable, smart and are not going to waste away on us because we are out enjoying or living our life.

Im not advocating that we run off and spend weeks being dumpster raccoons. “Living” isn’t gorging. But rather we stop spending our time we’re out LIVING stressing about the fitness that 1) is still there or 2) can be gained back easily when 3) those memories are fleeting or we can’t get back on any odd week of our regular life.

& this week I’ll simply get back to my routine. I’ll lift some weights. I’ll do some cardio. I’ll ease back into my normal I created around these pockets or living so I can continue to do what I value + love.

In the process of gaining fitness let’s not forget why we do it. So we can live a little stronger, move easier & enjoy the life we’ve been given 💪🏻🤍

I forgot that in spring of 2018 I hated Tuesdays.

I forgot that in spring of 2018 I hated Tuesdays. I mean to be honest — I don’t even think I can recall any single average Tuesday of my entire life on the spot. Till I found an old post talking about how hard and busy and stressful Tuesdays were.

The irrelevant stressors. The tasks we hate. The things we spend so much of our lives hype focused on become the nothingness of our subconscious.

But I can recall in as good of detail as our flawed human brains allow us the details of almost every day of adventure I have. I can close my eyes and trace trails. I can pause and remember moments and who I was with and what I was doing. The color, the vibrancy, the sound, it all.

And when I look back at these days I won’t remember how tired I was. Or hungry. The basic traits we carry even afar. I will remember the pause. The bliss. The way the cold mist outside my rain shell felt like being tucked in at night. The silence of the Icelandic plateau ridge at a sunlit 8 pm with no one around for miles. The color of the water falls as they brained into one. The wholeness I feel in these moments.

I refuse to live a life I need to escape from.
But rather create a life that is laced with the simple daily mundane that feels like home.
Spaced with days that stand out.

There is no escape.
Together it is all of it.
The flashes of memories that are no longer one off random days — but simply, “that one Tuesday I…..”.

That one Tuesday I lived.

3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO UP IN WEIGHT IN Y

3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO UP IN WEIGHT IN YOUR LIFTS!

1) You aren't making progress across time. Week to week*, month to month, and/or block to block of training. Either by moving more weight, doing more sets, or more reps. (*not always linear). While we won't make progress EVERY week in the gym, over time we should be noticing trends going up. If they arent, take a moment to assess why. Underloading may be a reason here!

2) You don't need 2-5 min to recover between exercises. Especially compounds. If you don't need to recover you may not be using enough weight. You feel ready to go after 30-60 sec. A lot of people underload and rush through sets + rests, their workouts feel easy, low effort. And they think lifting is "boring" or doesn't quite work. You should need time to recover between compounds especially. Accessory work you should feel like its effortful but can superset or rest 90-120 seconds if needed.

3) You aren't using weights that challenge you so that you could only do 2-3 reps left for most lifts. You feel bored and distracted during your lifting sets and can think about other things. If you are unsure about this, take a set all the way to failure. How close to that were you? Adjust weight accordingly.

If you want to learn more about the science of lifting, how to apply basic training concepts to your own program & how to make your own workouts checkout my ebook TRAIN! L!ink in bio always to get your copy and start crushing your training!

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS … and upper body pressing move

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS … and upper body pressing movements are all of them 😵‍💫

Is this you!?

When it comes to lifting — women have just as much potential gain strength as men. However we simply often have a 1) lower starting spot and 2) generally lower absolute strength — at least at first for many new trainees.

Overhead press & bench are big frustrations for @thelyssmethod clients. And we get it we really do.

My good friend + future 1:1 coach @mrcoreblend recently was chatting about how often women beat themselves up for making “small weight jumps” that are actually HUGE increases when we look at % increase. That a 405 > 425 bench would make any dude go crazy. But women who go from 95 > 105 feel like failures. Or that the jumps between smaller DB’s are massive % increases than the heavier ones.

You are NOT! But here are some tips to help improve your weight jumps in the gym.

1) USE RPE. We talk about this a lot but simply assessing your progress with RPE will let you adjust weights or reps better to meet your training stimulus. You can even track RPE PR’s in the gym. Those count too.

2) If you can’t make a big weight jump between DB’s or with plates just yet go up in reps till you hit your RPE target or that you can do. Over time drop reps back down as you add weight.

3) CHANGE PLATES. All gyms will have 2.5lb plates but if you can’t make that big of a jump you can buy smaller 0.5-1.5 lb plates or see if your gym has kilo plates which make odd jumps in weight that allow you to do “66” or say “76 lbs”. Etc.

4) If you cannot do more weight yet but you’re not hitting your RPE without a ton more reps consider adding another set OR doing a few higher and few lower rep sets. Such as 2x3 + 2x8-10

5) Give yourself grace + time. Your body is not weak it’s CAPABLE AF!

They say our views on something + opinion of it ar

They say our views on something + opinion of it are formed by the middle/peak and the end.

& as I leave Athens I sure hope so. For the many weeks that felt like my own permeant Groundhog Day, the friendless-loneliness, the burn out, the feeling that those days would never end. A chapter end capped with joy, friendship, memories + growth.

Moving away from Georgia isn’t sentimental for me because of Athens. But who I was and became there. The magnitude of that chapter of life. The 4.5 year chapter where 4.5/5.5 of my relationship with regis was spent. The longest I’ve lived anywhere that wasn’t my hometown.

Where I started my business.
Got my doctorate.
Ran my first ultras.
Took chance on my dreams.
& honestly — grew up.

24 to 29 are radical years of change.
So much of my becoming happened in this chapter.
I leave sentimental not because of a place, but what it symbolizes.

My love for regis + having each other + forming a private but simple little love / life.

The chances I took on my self + my dreams + my goals. The bad I shape shifted into good. The opportunities I didn’t ask for but created.

The shedding of the skin of self doubt I carried for years. The becoming, the self trust, the belief in my visions before others saw them.

The bone deep loneliness I turned into life long friendships.

The miles and miles my legs took me. The memories made. The trips taken.

This weekend my dad walked into my room as I packed up & said “kid, life is made of small moments that mean something. & this is a big one — you’re not longer a student. A big chapter is done.”

So as I pulled away from Athens this morning in the cool summer dusk I played “before I get there” by bronze radio return, a song that carried me through my masters to my PhD. Echoing the work left to do + not being ready to leave. “I got a little more work to do before I’m on my way”.

& tears of gratitude rolled + a small nod at this chapter as the simple lyrics sang out “when my time comes along to move on then I’ll already know.”

& I already know — “I’m ready to go”.

🤍

The fitness industry really rags on people who use

The fitness industry really rags on people who use the word "toned". And I get it, I used to be that person too. I would be lying if the word didn't also make my eye roll from time to time after hearing it for years. But now I view it in two ways.

1) An opportunity to meet someone where they are at, use language they understand and that we "know what they mean". Use it as a gate way / entry point to get what is usually women using this language to get into strength training.

2) To have some tough love get honest chats if necessary. Many people (again, usually women here) who really could benefit from a year of eating more/at maintenance and crushing the weights would get more of the benefits they are seeking. Or to have them really admit what they want. I am not anti-dieting. IF you really do just want to keep "leaning out" the fat on top of no muscle, I am not here to stop you. But I can help you learn to fall in love with heavy lifting and that *often* the look you want is strong.

Tone is the only word women know to use for muscular.
It really isn't their fault even if we hate it.

& while I would love to see it eradicated ... for now I will get off my ego box and hope you all will too and simply say "hey i know what you mean! but the way we do that isn't quite what you are thinking. But I can help!"

Toned is a gateway word.
Toned is muscle.
Toned is strong.
Toned... isn't quite what you think it is.

& And that is okay.
We will help get you there.

In the last 10 days I couldn’t tell you what my

In the last 10 days I couldn’t tell you what my protein intake was.

In fact. Im pretty sure I epically under ate in all the areas that count (fiber, micros, protein). I had some hodge podge meals. I haven’t lifted in over a week. & didn’t stress once about this during my trip.

I’ve been training since I was 15. Long gone are the days I remember thinking a few days “off track” or missed lifts were the end all be all. That our bodies are way more frail & rapidly decondition in ways they well…don’t.

Traveling is high on my life value list. Like really high up there next to my overall fitness + ability to be able to DO the things I love. But I do not train as hard as I do so I can spend every day of my life perfectly hitting a macro or bringing bags of protein powder in my purse or having to even worry about my “muscle loss” when I’m out creating memories.

I train hard, sleep well, fuel well and do what I do so I can handle all the adventures I dream of doing. NOT so I can spend my days worried about losing it all.

Under eating a few days won’t kill your gains.
A few days off off eating or that amazing meal on your trip is part of the experience.
& my god it takes ~10 days for your body to truly start losing fitness so give yourself a break.

Some vacations I workout. But a lot unless I’m hiking/running I don’t even think twice about it.

Our bodies are incredible, adaptable, smart and are not going to waste away on us because we are out enjoying or living our life.

Im not advocating that we run off and spend weeks being dumpster raccoons. “Living” isn’t gorging. But rather we stop spending our time we’re out LIVING stressing about the fitness that 1) is still there or 2) can be gained back easily when 3) those memories are fleeting or we can’t get back on any odd week of our regular life.

& this week I’ll simply get back to my routine. I’ll lift some weights. I’ll do some cardio. I’ll ease back into my normal I created around these pockets or living so I can continue to do what I value + love.

In the process of gaining fitness let’s not forget why we do it. So we can live a little stronger, move easier & enjoy the life we’ve been given 💪🏻🤍

I forgot that in spring of 2018 I hated Tuesdays.

I forgot that in spring of 2018 I hated Tuesdays. I mean to be honest — I don’t even think I can recall any single average Tuesday of my entire life on the spot. Till I found an old post talking about how hard and busy and stressful Tuesdays were.

The irrelevant stressors. The tasks we hate. The things we spend so much of our lives hype focused on become the nothingness of our subconscious.

But I can recall in as good of detail as our flawed human brains allow us the details of almost every day of adventure I have. I can close my eyes and trace trails. I can pause and remember moments and who I was with and what I was doing. The color, the vibrancy, the sound, it all.

And when I look back at these days I won’t remember how tired I was. Or hungry. The basic traits we carry even afar. I will remember the pause. The bliss. The way the cold mist outside my rain shell felt like being tucked in at night. The silence of the Icelandic plateau ridge at a sunlit 8 pm with no one around for miles. The color of the water falls as they brained into one. The wholeness I feel in these moments.

I refuse to live a life I need to escape from.
But rather create a life that is laced with the simple daily mundane that feels like home.
Spaced with days that stand out.

There is no escape.
Together it is all of it.
The flashes of memories that are no longer one off random days — but simply, “that one Tuesday I…..”.

That one Tuesday I lived.

3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO UP IN WEIGHT IN Y

3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU NEED TO GO UP IN WEIGHT IN YOUR LIFTS!

1) You aren't making progress across time. Week to week*, month to month, and/or block to block of training. Either by moving more weight, doing more sets, or more reps. (*not always linear). While we won't make progress EVERY week in the gym, over time we should be noticing trends going up. If they arent, take a moment to assess why. Underloading may be a reason here!

2) You don't need 2-5 min to recover between exercises. Especially compounds. If you don't need to recover you may not be using enough weight. You feel ready to go after 30-60 sec. A lot of people underload and rush through sets + rests, their workouts feel easy, low effort. And they think lifting is "boring" or doesn't quite work. You should need time to recover between compounds especially. Accessory work you should feel like its effortful but can superset or rest 90-120 seconds if needed.

3) You aren't using weights that challenge you so that you could only do 2-3 reps left for most lifts. You feel bored and distracted during your lifting sets and can think about other things. If you are unsure about this, take a set all the way to failure. How close to that were you? Adjust weight accordingly.

If you want to learn more about the science of lifting, how to apply basic training concepts to your own program & how to make your own workouts checkout my ebook TRAIN! L!ink in bio always to get your copy and start crushing your training!

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS … and upper body pressing move

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS … and upper body pressing movements are all of them 😵‍💫

Is this you!?

When it comes to lifting — women have just as much potential gain strength as men. However we simply often have a 1) lower starting spot and 2) generally lower absolute strength — at least at first for many new trainees.

Overhead press & bench are big frustrations for @thelyssmethod clients. And we get it we really do.

My good friend + future 1:1 coach @mrcoreblend recently was chatting about how often women beat themselves up for making “small weight jumps” that are actually HUGE increases when we look at % increase. That a 405 > 425 bench would make any dude go crazy. But women who go from 95 > 105 feel like failures. Or that the jumps between smaller DB’s are massive % increases than the heavier ones.

You are NOT! But here are some tips to help improve your weight jumps in the gym.

1) USE RPE. We talk about this a lot but simply assessing your progress with RPE will let you adjust weights or reps better to meet your training stimulus. You can even track RPE PR’s in the gym. Those count too.

2) If you can’t make a big weight jump between DB’s or with plates just yet go up in reps till you hit your RPE target or that you can do. Over time drop reps back down as you add weight.

3) CHANGE PLATES. All gyms will have 2.5lb plates but if you can’t make that big of a jump you can buy smaller 0.5-1.5 lb plates or see if your gym has kilo plates which make odd jumps in weight that allow you to do “66” or say “76 lbs”. Etc.

4) If you cannot do more weight yet but you’re not hitting your RPE without a ton more reps consider adding another set OR doing a few higher and few lower rep sets. Such as 2x3 + 2x8-10

5) Give yourself grace + time. Your body is not weak it’s CAPABLE AF!

They say our views on something + opinion of it ar

They say our views on something + opinion of it are formed by the middle/peak and the end.

& as I leave Athens I sure hope so. For the many weeks that felt like my own permeant Groundhog Day, the friendless-loneliness, the burn out, the feeling that those days would never end. A chapter end capped with joy, friendship, memories + growth.

Moving away from Georgia isn’t sentimental for me because of Athens. But who I was and became there. The magnitude of that chapter of life. The 4.5 year chapter where 4.5/5.5 of my relationship with regis was spent. The longest I’ve lived anywhere that wasn’t my hometown.

Where I started my business.
Got my doctorate.
Ran my first ultras.
Took chance on my dreams.
& honestly — grew up.

24 to 29 are radical years of change.
So much of my becoming happened in this chapter.
I leave sentimental not because of a place, but what it symbolizes.

My love for regis + having each other + forming a private but simple little love / life.

The chances I took on my self + my dreams + my goals. The bad I shape shifted into good. The opportunities I didn’t ask for but created.

The shedding of the skin of self doubt I carried for years. The becoming, the self trust, the belief in my visions before others saw them.

The bone deep loneliness I turned into life long friendships.

The miles and miles my legs took me. The memories made. The trips taken.

This weekend my dad walked into my room as I packed up & said “kid, life is made of small moments that mean something. & this is a big one — you’re not longer a student. A big chapter is done.”

So as I pulled away from Athens this morning in the cool summer dusk I played “before I get there” by bronze radio return, a song that carried me through my masters to my PhD. Echoing the work left to do + not being ready to leave. “I got a little more work to do before I’m on my way”.

& tears of gratitude rolled + a small nod at this chapter as the simple lyrics sang out “when my time comes along to move on then I’ll already know.”

& I already know — “I’m ready to go”.

🤍

Live It Up With Me On The ‘Gram

@littlelyssfitness

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