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LIFT BETTR

BUILD A CONCRETE CORE 😎

Strong abs aren’t just about looks—they stabilize your entire body, improve posture, and make sitting up in bed feel like a heroic act.

Let’s talk about some top moves to build core strength and create those visible lines, plus a few alternatives to keep things interesting.

1.) Weighted Crunches

How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent, holding a weight plate or dumbbell over your chest. Engage your core and lift your shoulders off the ground, then slowly lower back down. Keep movements controlled to avoid straining your neck.
Alternative: Bicycle Crunches – No weights needed here. This exercise targets your obliques while adding a cardio element to keep the intensity up.

2.) Hanging Leg Raises

How to: Hang from a pull-up bar, keeping your body stable. Raise your legs until they’re parallel with the ground, engaging your core. Slowly lower them back down without swinging. Great for those lower abs!
Alternative: Lying Leg Raises – Perfect if you’re not ready for hanging leg raises. Lie on the ground and perform the same motion, focusing on that lower ab engagement.

3.) Russian Twists

How to: Sit on the floor with your knees bent, holding a weight plate or dumbbell. Lean back slightly, engage your core, and rotate from side to side. This targets your obliques and adds rotational strength.
Alternative: Seated Twists (No Weight) – If you’re just starting out, perform the twist without weight to master the movement and build up core endurance.

4.) Plank Variations

How to: Start with a traditional forearm plank, engaging your core, glutes, and shoulders. You can add variations like side planks or shoulder taps to increase intensity and challenge stability.
Alternative: Modified Plank (Knees Down) – A great option if you’re building up to a full plank. Keep your knees down and focus on core engagement to get used to the position.

Pro Tip:

Consistency beats complexity. Find the core moves that feel right for you, keep challenging yourself, and remember that core strength isn’t just for show—it’s the foundation of your entire training routine.

Include these ab exercises 2-3 times a week for balanced core development. Remember, visible abs come down to a mix of strength training, smart nutrition, and consistency. Take your time, stay patient, and feel the progress build up over time!

EAT BETTR

WEIGHING YOUR FOOD PROPERLY? 🤔

So, you’re getting pretty serious about eating right? Great! That means you’ll need to start weighing your foods. It seems like a no-brainer…until it’s time to weigh your chicken and meal prep.

How do you do it accurately AND conveniently?

Here are my top tips when weighing and portioning your proteins.

1.) Meats shrink when cooking.

When you cook meat, you’ll notice it’s significantly smaller and firmer after you heat it. The shrinkage results from water leaving the meat; the longer you cook your meat, the more weight the meat will lose. However, the meat will not lose any protein content, increasing the protein per ounce. In general, you can estimate your meats lose 25% of their weight when cooked to accurately convert raw to cooked weight.

Thus, to convert raw to cooked weights, multiply the weight of the raw meat by .75.

2.) Weigh before and after cooking.

If you’re a stickler for precision and want the most accurate measurements relative to your cooking style, you can weigh your food before and after cooking. If you cook generally the same way, you only have to do this once for each type of protein. Simply weigh the protein, cook it normally, and weigh it again. This will tell you what percentage of weight each protein loses when you cook them. Write this info somewhere safe to reference it for future conversions (without so many extra steps).

3.) Cooking style matters.

So, I know I said that protein loses 25% of weight when cooking, but that is a general number based on grilling, pan-cooking, or baking your meats. However, steaming or cooking your meats in a crock pot can result in more retained moisture. In that case, assuming a 25% reduction could make you undereat. For cooking styles that retain moisture like those above, I recommend following my recommendation in number 2.

4.) Don’t get overwhelmed.

This is the most important rule. Don’t drive yourself insane by weighing everything down to the exact gram. Focus on sustainable habits and consistency over short-term hypervigilance. You and everyone who has to wait for you to weigh every ingredient will thank you.

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