Solid discussion tonight guys! As promised, here are the resources I showed during our call! Coach Em

This is a really popular one. Every now and then I will be on a call with someone who has been influenced into thinking that they've finally nailed down how to train based on what phase of their cycle that they are in. To be clear- hormonal fluctuations CAN influence how we feel during training. BUT- the differences across each of our cycles as a female are NOT consistent enough for people to boldly state cycle-syncing recommendations. This is why I coach with the individual in mind. Even with my partner (f) and I- we do not have the same cycle experience. Month-to-month my cycle symptoms will vary- especially if I have changed something in my training regimen I've found. As of right now there's either inconclusive or NO difference for strength, power output, VO2max, or hypertrophy potential. This does not mean that you might not feel like shit sometimes haha. But- let's talk about what you ACTUALLY might need to do if you wake up feeling that way but still would like to train: Autoregulation. There are a couple of ways to go about this. The first is RIR: This will define effort level in a set. - RIR 0= you have zero reps left that you can complete on your own or concentric failure is reached - RIR 1= you have one rep left before concentric failure  - RIR 2= you have two reps left before concentric failure  - RIR 3=you have three reps left before concentric failure  - RIR 4= you have four reps left before concentric failure Now, some of you are my clients and know that for hypertrophy gains- you will be in the 0-2 RIR. This has to do with the weight being lifted during your reps and how close to failure you are. If you are not feeling it, you CAN knock the weight down a little bit to hit the 3-4 RIR for the session. Sometimes, that is okay. You don't always have to grit through it. Something I've learned over the years. Next is Perceived Recovery Status. See attached photo and ask yourself these questions: - Is your Perceived Recovery Status Score Less than 4? - Was sleep poor last night? - Was stress worse today than normal? - Were meals missed or fluids off today? - Any Joint pain or aches?

We are a month into 2026. How’re the training plans going? Are you steadily progressing? Stuck? A certain exercise feel weird? Any online BS you’d like me to de-bunk? Lmao Let’s chat about exercise today 💪🏻

Every once in a while, the topic of training to failure will circulate around social media and arguments will ensue: "High reps/light weight" vs "Low reps/heavy weight" and RPE (rating of perceived exertion) vs RIR (Reps in Reserve). Each person will have a "my way or the highway" opinion about it, but as I tell my clients, any opinion that doesn't start with "it depends 🤷‍♀️", you really need to be skeptical of 😂. On the topic of training to failure, since some of you are doing my 14-day training trial, we need to clearly define what this means and why we do it. There are two forms of FAILURE: Technical Failure- a breakdown in form/technique but another rep could be performed Muscular Failure- the muscle is unable to perform a concentric contraction to move the weight being lifted. Both are utilized to measure failure. Typically, the free weights and more complex movements are going to be technical failure depending on safety aspects/experience lifting. Machine/cable work can be geared toward muscular failure. Training to failure has to be measured somehow. In Proud Nutrition Coaching, we use Reps in Reserve (RIR). RIR measures the number of reps shy of failure. For HYPERTROPHY TRAINING (growing muscle) we stick with 0-2 RIR. I'll only do 3 RIR for absolute newbies or you're getting back into the gym after considerable time off, then only for like 2 weeks or so. The research shows that 0-2 RIR is the most optimal for lean tissue growth. That is why we do it. Now, the disadvantages of doing 0-2 RIR are: you are a poor estimator of RIR (something that comes with more training experience) so your stimulus can be underdosed, requiring more sets in the gym ie more time spent. The advantages, if you do it right, is we can manage fatigue, less mentally draining, and you're safer on technical lifts. Oh, and muscle growth😤 Ok, now back to Training to Failure. The closer you get to failure creates a high motor unit recruitment (basically, more of your muscle is required to work MEANING more muscular tension = greater hypertrophy stimulation). We do this so we aren't wasting our d*mn time in the gym. This is also why "toning" by doing high reps/light weight is BS. If you are going to do high reps, you're still going to be close to failure at the end of those 20-30 reps lmao. Hard reps are what matter most.

This is a resource that I want you to have access to. This can be utilized when you are calculating/tracking weekly calorie output for your fat loss/gain plans. Posting now so I don't forget in the future: https://energizerfitness.com/about/fitness-calculators/calories-burned/