NEED HELP WITH BURNING FAT?

(🔊 Sound On) If you feel unstable during a barbell squat, there are a few things you can do to improve squat stability. In this post, I will give 3 squat stability tips. Swipe left for more!
-
First, it is important to mention that you do not have to start with a barbell squat. You can perform more simple variations like a goblet squat to familiarize yourself with the movement pattern. Once you feel comfortable with a goblet squat, you can progress towards box squats and then eventually to barbell squats. Make it a gradual process.
-
Now, if you struggle with unstable knees that track inward during squats, it's worth looking into glute medius strength. The knees tracking inward is typically due to an inability to contract the glute medius. Strengthening your glute medius via exercises like clam shells is helpful. Something like a banded goblet squat can also be done in your warm-up to reinforce a stable knee position during squats.
-
It's also beneficial to incorporate single-leg work in your training. Being able to stabilize each leg individually during exercises like lunges and split squat can help you feel more stable during regular squats. Since each legs strengthens individually, you also correct any excessive muscle imbalances between your legs that could be causing some instability during barbell squats. I suggest including a split squat or lunge into your routine at least 1x/week.
-
Lastly, we need to look into the shoes you wear while squatting. If you use running shoes, you are essentially squatting on a soft cushion surface, which isn't as stable as the floor. So I would suggest either squatting with flat shoes or bare-footed for a better grip on the floor with your feet.
-
🎵 Background music by @iamryanlittle ...

⏳I often get asked about how to deal with fat loss plateaus. But let's first properly define a "fat loss plateau".
-
Not seeing your weight drop after a few days or even after 1 week is NOT a plateau. Seeing fat loss progress takes time. Give yourself between 2-3 weeks to gauge progress. Also, when you track progress, don't just rely on your scale weight. Also, track your body measurements and take progress pictures. If you control your food-intake and exercise regularly, you generally will see progress. Even if it's slow progress. Slow progress adds up over time. In 2 years from now, you won't care if it took you 3 months or 5 months to lose fat. You'll care about having achieved your goals and sustaining the fat loss progress.
-
Now, if you have been in a fat loss phase for at least 10 weeks and now you notice that for 2-3 weeks in a row there is no sign of progress, I typically suggest a diet break. With a diet break, you purposely go out of a calorie deficit and eat around maintenance calories. This provides a mental break from restricting calories. This diet break is also intended to manage the "metabolic slowdown" you experience as you consistently eat at a calorie deficit and it may enhance muscle maintenance while losing fat [2, 3]. After your diet break, you return back to your regular calories. Still not seeing progress? Then decrease calories by 10%. See the 3rd slide of this post for more details.
-
Lastly, if you just started your fat loss phase and you experience no significant progress after 2-3 weeks, it is also possible that your calorie deficit is too small. Increasing activity and/or reducing calorie-intake then is the next logical step. The first step I take with most of my clients whenever this happens is either reducing calorie-intake by 10% or adding a daily 20-30 min walk. This usually provides that boost in the calorie deficit that's needed to lose fat again.
-
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28925405
2. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-018-0256-5#Sec132
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28794207/ ...

🏋‍♂️ The overhead press is a staple exercise when it comes to shoulder training. Exactly how you should perform the overhead press will depend on your training goals. But if your goal is to press the weight up as efficiently as possible, take a good look at your grip-width.
-
It's common for people to maintain quite a wide-grip on the overhead press. This is fine if you are using the overhead press to improve your Olympic lifts. But having a grip-width that allows your hands to be positioned over your elbows puts you in a more efficient position to overhead press the weight. As you can see when you swipe left on the video, you have an efficient grip-width if your forearms are vertical at the bottom of an overhead press.
-
Having your hands placed over your elbows helps because it reduces the moment-arm between your hands and shoulders, resulting in a more efficient press. If you are used to doing the overhead press with a wide-grip, it may take some practice before you notice the strength benefits while using the narrower grip suggested in this post.
-
🔊 Background music by @iamryanlittle - Seeing Double ...

Some struggle with losing fat, whereas others struggle with gaining weight. If you consider yourself a "hardgainer" and would like to gain weight, this post might help.
-
Because "hardgainers" need to eat more than the average individual to gain weight, they generally also have a higher protein intake. A high-protein intake is fine. But if you have a small appetite, consuming tons of protein might hold you back. Moderating protein intake may sound counterintuitive if gaining size is the goal, but hear me out.
-
Multiple research reviews show that protein is generally more filling than carbohydrates or fats [1-3]. The thermic effect of protein (number of calories used to digest and process protein) is also higher [4]. These factors make it more challenging to be in a calorie surplus while having a very high protein intake.
-
Reducing protein intake to an acceptable level and raising carb/fat intake can make it easier for a "hardgainer" to achieve a calorie surplus and gain weight. Research shows that consuming 1.6g/kg (0.7g/lb.) of your bodyweight in protein is sufficient to maximize muscle growth [5]. So keeping your daily protein intake at around 1.6g/kg of your bodyweight can help you consume more calories without sacrificing the benefits of a high-protein diet.
-
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470183/
2. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/5/1558S.full
3. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0174-y
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9683329
5. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2017/07/11/bjsports-2017-097608.info ...

(🔊Sound On) As a follow-up from yesterday's YouTube video about squatting depth, today let's compare the front and back squat. The front and back squat essentially train the same muscle groups, but there are some key differences between these exercises. Swipe left for a comparison.
-
With a front squat, you need to maintain a more upright torso. If you would lean forward as with a back squat, the bar would roll of your shoulders. Since you have a more upright posture, there is less pressure on the low-back compared to back squats. So front squats are worth a try if you experience low-back discomfort during back squats [1]. Your quadriceps typically also work a bit harder during front squats because your hip extensor muscles (like the spinal erectors) assist less in the movement. Both the cross-grip and front-rack grip are good options with front squats.
-
Now, about the back squat, because the bar is on your back, your torso needs to lean forward more compared to the front squat. The increased forward lean involves your hip extensor muscles like the glutes more into the lift [2]. It usually is also easier to keep the bar in a stable position with a back squat. So if you are focused on squatting maximum weight, the back squat is a great option.
-
Background music by @iamryanlittle
-
References:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19002072
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25630691 ...

🎬 New YouTube video about "How To Improve Squat Depth" is now live! You can visit the link in my bio or go to YouTube.com/iWannaBurnFat to see the new video. In the rest of today's post, I will discuss why it's normal that everyone's squat looks a bit different.
-
There are many ways a proper back squat can look. Given that there are individual differences in our anatomical structures and biomechanics, it's not possible to recommend one specific squat depth or "forward-lean" for everyone.
-
A basic concept when it comes to proper back squatting is that if you can comfortably squat deeper, this is generally good for muscle and strength gains [1, 2]. Squatting deep while maintaining good technique is also considered safe for individuals with no pre-existing injuries [3]. But exactly how deep one should squat is totally up to the biomechanics and current mobility needs of the individual.
-
If you currently are experiencing discomfort while trying to squat deeper or feel like you can't squat deep enough, I suggest you check my new YouTube video. I discuss 3 simple science-based tips about how you can improve your squatting depth. Visit the link in my bio or go YouTube.com/iWannaBurnFat for more details!
-
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23629583
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22344055
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23821469 ...