Glute Building Squat Tip, Intermittent Fasting, Boring Meal Prep
“There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density enhancement, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning than the correctly performed full squat.”
I’ve been churning out content on my Instagram page and through my weekly newsletter. However, many of you don’t follow me and aren’t subscribed to my newsletter. You should totally do that (just click here for Instagram and here for the newsletter).
Regardless, if you only check the site and don’t keep up with me on other mediums, I don’t want you to miss out on all the fun. So, here is a conglomeration of the fitness facts, tips, and stories I’ve shared this past week. Enjoy.
Q: “Since you are one of the smartest people I know, and you are Mr Health Freak - what are your thoughts on intermittent fasting, lol.”
A: It can work, but it’s not magic.
Intermittent fasting works well for a lot of people but there is nothing special about it. The main reason it works is because it helps people eat fewer calories overall (it’s a lot easier to lower calories when you’re only eating 1-2x day compared to 6-7x).
There’s a litany of correlative research/anecdotes/mice studies that suggest that intermittent fasting is superior to other diets for weight/fat loss. However, there is not one randomized, calorie controlled study that supports this speculation.
The highest quality research indicates that weight loss comes down to calories and protein.
Whatever strategy someone can use to eat the right amount of calories and protein (enough to lose a moderate amount of weight each week and about 1g/lb of bodyweight) over the long term and not hate their life is the best one. It’s as simple as that.
Want to challenge your glutes with squats? Change your back angle.
Thunder thighs or powerful peach? Did you know that your BACK ANGLE determines the muscles you target with the squat?
True story. The squat is a knee dominant movement (i.e. you bend more at your knees than your hips) and generally challenges the quads more than the glutes.
However, the angle of your torso - aka, vertical or horizontal - affects how much you isolate your quads or hammer your glutes.
This form tweak will revolutionize your leg day and help you understand HOW and WHY you squat the way you do.
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Keeping your chest up will target your QUADS. Here’s why - a more upright torso results in less hip flexion and less recruitment of your hip extensors (glutes and hamstrings). Because your glutes and hamstrings won’t work as hard, your quads need to carry the team on their back.
Leaning forward will target your HAMSTRINGS and GLUTES. Here’s why - a more vertical torso results in more hip flexion and more recruitment of your hip extensors. Because your glutes and hamstrings are putting in work, your quads get a break.
The tremendous thing about the squat is that no matter how you do it, you’re going to train your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
But with this nugget of knowledge under your belt, you can tailor ANY squat or lunge to your personal goals.
Want big, strong quads? Keep your chest UP (lead with the chest).
After shapely, powerful hamstrings and glutes? DROP your chest down (point chest toward the floor).
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An important caveat - a horizontal torso does NOT mean rounding your back. If you trace a line from your neck down to your tailbone, it should be a straight line.
Straighten up! Whether you’re targeting your quads or glutes, do your darndest to keep a straight back. This will reduce unnecessary shear stress on your spine.
Any personal squat questions? Message me or shoot me a video and I’d be happy to give you detailed feedback :)
Find nutritious meals you enjoy and eat them. Over and over and over.
There is a hard truth about eating well that no one talks about - most of your meals will be simple and boring.
Now, this doesn’t mean eating will no longer be enjoyable. That said, it’s well established that those that eat “healthy” diets consume different variations of the same meal over and over for weeks and months at a time.
If you’re searching for new, exciting, healthy options for every meal, you’re going to have a tough time. It takes significant time and energy to find new recipes, prepare fancy meals, and make it nutrient dense and convenient.
The most effective way to eat healthy is to find meals/meal templates you enjoy and tweaking them over time. Changing up the the protein, spices, sauce, carb, or vegetable when you begin to tire of eating the same meal is the key to consistent meal prep success.
For instance, I’ve eaten some variation of ground meat, rice, and vegetable, along with an apple or pear, for lunch every day for the past 30+ weeks). By making small changes along the way, I’ve been able to keep my meals enjoyable and on track with my goals.
For more meal prep tips, check out this article HERE.
Wrap Up
Thanks for stopping by. If you enjoy my weekly updates, I’d love for you to share the website with your friends and family.
As always, please give me feedback. What do you want more of? Any other suggestions? (Really, let me know - I love it!) Just let me know at solokasfocus@gmail.com.
Best,
John
