Alexander Training - personal training in Austin, Texas

Personal training in Austin, Texas and customized strength programs in Austin, Texas.

Kathryn Alexander

HIIT Interval Training for Fat Loss with Erika Lopez on KVUE

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Today on the KVUE Exercise Minute, Erika Lopez and I discuss HIIT Interval training for fat loss. Please see the link for the entire video, and for exercise demonstrations.

Video here: HIIT Interval Training with Kathryn Alexander and Erika Lopez


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Erika: I am here with Kathryn Alexander. We are talking about some of the questions I’ve been getting on social media. They have been asking what is the best form of cardio that is most effective for weight loss. What do you recommend?

Kathryn: I would say HIIT training. High intensity interval training is going to be the most effective for burning a lot of calories, increasing conditioning, and that results in fat loss.

Erika: What exactly is HIIT training?

Kathryn: HIIT means high intensity interval training, and it means for a period of time, you’re going to work really hard – harder than you can maintain at a steady pace –  but then you bring it back down.

Erika: So what are some of the exercises that we can do for a HIIT workout?

Kathryn: A good option at home is to do mountain climbers for 30 seconds, and then on your next interval, you can do plank jacks, rest, on your next interval you can do jumping jacks. I would say a hard 30 seconds, rest, 30 seconds to a minute.

Erika: Perfect. And so as long as you continue to get your heart rate up and then bring it down that’s what’s most important.

Kathryn: Exactly.


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Erika, thank you so much for the opportunity to be on the KVUE Exercise Minute!

If you are reading and have questions, please feel free to email me! kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

Related: When will you see results in your exercise journey?

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

How to Find the Best Personal Trainer For You

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Finding a personal trainer, like any other interpersonal interaction, is a matchmaking process. Investing in a good trainer will pay dividends over the years by adding health and vitality to your life. It is an investment, however, so make sure you choose the right trainer to maximize your benefit.

find the best personal trainer

There are currently no legal requirements to be a personal trainer in the United States. Anybody can do it. Anybody. Scary, right? Estheticians and manicurists have more legal and health rules than personal trainers do. For this reason, it is extremely important to do research, and find the right trainer for you.

By knowing what to look for, you can increase your chances of finding a great working partnership and reaching your goals quickly and safely.

There are millions of personal trainers with thousands of specialties out there. You can find trainers who specialize in pre- and post-natal fitness, fitness and cancer, bodybuilding, martial arts, weight loss, and many more specialties.

How do you know who is right for you? In an industry full of big talkers and charlatans, you have to do a bit of research. It might sound overwhelming, but it is manageable and worth it. Let me help!

What Do You Want from Your Personal Trainer?

A large determining factor in who will be a good match for you is, well, YOU. What are your goals?

Do you have a physique goal to reach, like losing 15 pounds before a beach trip, or gaining 20 pounds of muscle?

Do you have a performance goal like reaching a 405 deadlift?

Do you want short or long term training? Do you want your trainer to coach you on how to get started with the goal for you to continue on your own, or do you want someone working with you continuously over a long period of time?

Are you just interested in learning how to lift safely for health and injury prevention?

Take some time to think about what you are really looking to gain from training. These goals can always change. I encourage you to THINK BIG.

You can do so much more than you think you can. Humans are almost always limited by our imagination or mental drive. Need proof? Look around! Someone with fewer resources and more limitations has most likely done what you are seeking. Let that be motivation!

I encourage you to read this post: How To Get What You Want.

Where to Start Looking for a Personal Trainer

Choose your priority goal in a few words. For example, “lose weight”.

Google “your goal” + where you live. See what pops up. Do any particular gyms or individuals stand out to you?

You can also try adding “personal trainer” in your search query. For example, “lose weight in Austin with personal trainer” or “Austin Texas personal trainer weight loss”.

A good gym is worth driving for, but if you can find a good gym close to your home, that is even better.

You will likely find a facility you would like to look into, or an independent trainer you are interested in. If you find an independent personal trainer, or find a trainer’s website, please feel free to contact that person directly.

If you find a facility you like, check out their trainer bios and see who stands out to you. Use the guidelines below to filter them. From there, you can call or drop by, and ask to speak to a training manager. Ask this person if you can have a quick conversation about finding a trainer. Gyms often have an owner or manager who is excellent at match making trainers and clients for compatibility.

If you find a facility you are interested in, check out their training policies. Are their trainers self-employed or employed by the gym?

Self Employed vs Employed Trainers

What is the difference? Trainers employed by big box gyms like Gold’s, 24 Hour Fitness or Bally’s, require clients to pay the gym, and they pay the trainer as little as 30-50% of that. This is where many trainers start, which allows them to work with a wide variety of people and learn the business of training.

You can sometimes find good trainers in these gyms, but there is very high turnover. These gyms often put more emphasis on reaching sales quotas than continuous learning, and require their trainers to work pretty awful hours. It behooves the gym to have more trainers aka salesmen, so they aren’t often stringent on the quality of hires. Like I said, you can sometimes find good trainers here because they are starting out or haven’t realized they can work on their own, but be very careful about who you trust to train you.

I prefer trainers who are self-employed working out of a gym. Usually they are contract with a facility and run their own business. Their rates are not set by the gym, they are not forced to fulfill others quotas, and they are free to take time off to go to continuing education clinics and conferences. (This is very expensive, so I budget all year to do this, but it is worth every bit.)

Besides learning from experts, I have a blast at conferences. Check out the Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference, and The University of Texas Athletic Performance Clinic. I go to these every year, and there are more I haven’t written about yet, but this will give you an idea why it’s so important that your trainer networks and continues to educate him/herself.

This sounds a bit Darwinist, but I like the fact that independent trainers fail if they don’t keep providing value. There is no boss or manager to prop them up if their clients aren’t satisfied. This is better for you, and better for me. I don’t want bad trainers out there giving a bad name to my industry! I don’t want you to find a bad trainer, either!

True story, I worked in a gym that sold metabolic tests that they knew were faulty, therefore a complete waste of money. I was made to sit in unpaid remedial sales meetings because they noticed I didn’t sell any of these. It wasn’t because I couldn’t; I have a master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology, and I understand the value of metabolic tests when the hoses aren’t broken. I didn’t last long there, and it was the final push for me to work for myself.

One thing to note about paying independent trainers is that payment is directly between the two of you. This is nothing to be scared of because it is the same way you would probably pay your hairdresser, house cleaner, tutor or guitar teacher. However, ask how long they’ve been a trainer, how long they have been working at their particular facility, and about their refund policy.

the cutest client enjoying her conditioning

The Consult

Contact two or three of the most promising trainers and ask if they will do a consult. They should. From here, pay attention to the general feel you get from your interaction. Consider response times and thoroughness, friendliness and aptitude. Note: most trainers will do a free consultation, but some cost a small fee for the time. If the trainer provides some sort of value like an assessment, or credit toward training, that might be OK with you.

Use this template if you are stuck on what to say:

Hi _____,

I found your information on _____ and would like to talk to you about personal training. I would like to (goal, ie, lose 15 pounds, gain 20 pounds muscle, get a 405 deadlift) and would like to meet you for a consult. Can we discuss my goals and your background to see if we are a good match? 

The best way to reach me is _____.

Thank you, 

_______

 

Easy peasy! You can share more information if you would like. Most trainers will get right back to you to schedule, but don’t be put off if a trainer suggests referring you. This can happen if a trainer thinks he or she is not the right trainer for you, in which case, trust that! It can also happen if a trainer is booked. If he or she doesn’t provide a referral, feel free to ask.

Questions to ask your Personal Trainer

The best case trainer is a person who values education, experiences, communicates clearly and empathetically, and does his or her own training.

Personal Trainer’s Education

Look for a trainer who values education. Look for a college degree in kinesiology, exercise physiology, biology, pre-med, or a related field. There is absolutely no substitute for the investment of time, money, and energy of going to college to learn from professors, in labs. Degrees take years to earn, and certs usually require a few weeks of study.

Unfortunately, there are trainers with degrees who aren’t good at being a trainer or aren’t good people. Likewise, there are competent, good hearted trainers out there without degrees. In this case, AND in the case of trainers with a degree, you want to see a certification or multiple certifications from NSCA, ACSM, ACE, or The Cooper Institute. There are many many other certifications out there (hundreds!) but these are the best.

Personal Trainer’s Experience

This is going to be one of the most important determinators in whether you want to work with a trainer. How long has this person been training? Does he or she have experience with people in similar situations with similar goals? If not, is he upfront about that? Yes, everybody has to start somewhere. Brand new trainers should work at a gym where they can learn from and with others, or at university where they are guided.

I mean no disrespect, but please be wary of training with someone who just “found their passion” and jumped in. It takes more than just getting their own body in shape to be able to help others. Being a good trainer also means learning things you aren’t passionate about (hello, chemistry, accounting, statistics, so I can filter out bad research!) and sticking it out.

And yes, I was a beginner too. But I was a beginner at a university with a graduate assistant guiding me, and a training manager guiding her.

Testimonials

Does this trainer have testimonials from happy clients? Is there a variety of success in their testimonials? Look for people to not only see physical transformation, but also mention that they learned how to lift, or developed a greater faith in themselves through their time with this trainer. Your trainer should not only have tactical knowledge, but should also give you tools for life, too. I am a much much better trainer in year 13 of training instead of year 1, not only for what I’ve learned in another decade, but also because I communicate better.

Here are my favorite testimonials, which I call my success stories.

Extras

Does this trainer have a website? Does she have a blog? Social media presence? Does he or she offer a community on Facebook or forums? Does she offer any information or other resources? Does she offer training programs beyond he work out you do together? None of the above are necessary to be a competent trainer, but they are make or break for some people.

For example, I have a website and a blog that I am continuously updating. I have over 200 exercise video tutorials, and provide my clients individually written training programs through an app called Train Heroic. My clients love Train Heroic, and I love that it helps them learn.

Online personal training with Alexander Training and Train Heroic for training plans.

I do not have a community meet up or Facebook group. For some people, this is a deal breaker. If the community is important to you, seek out trainers who seem to have built that up with teams, group classes, or meet up events.

Practicalities

Do your schedules match up? Does he or she have availability when you need, and how will you accommodate travel schedules, etc.?

Soft Skills

Does he or she listen and hear you? Do you like this person? You might not be BFFs, but you’ll be spending time together so compatibility matters!

Kathryn Alexander female personal trainer

Dealbreakers in a Personal Trainer

Beware of:

The Super Expert

Trainers who say they can do/are experts in everything. NO ONE has time to be an expert in everything. No, instafmous trainer, you are NOT an expert in weight loss, muscle gain, botty gaining, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, running, training older clients, teen development, athletic development, youth sports, group training and yoga. You think I’m kidding? I wish I was. Sadly, people this delusional are out there.

Hard Sellers

If you trainer insists you must buy sessions otherwise you are neglecting yourself making a bad decision, or otherwise makes you feel bad about yourself, thank them for their time and leave.

Big Sellers

 If a trainer pushes you to pay for 20 sessions up front and you do not want to, consider if you want to continue. This is not an inherently bad situation; you might want to pay for sessions up front to create a commitment. Trainers should ask for prepayment, too. However, if you want to pay monthly and push for an excessively large prepayment, stick to your guns.

The Bottom Line

After you have talked to the trainers you are interested in, do a truthful gut check. Do you have a good feeling about this trainer? Does this person seem like a professional in his or her chosen field, or someone who jumped into training following a whimsical passion or because he or she was all out of other options? The bottom line is, passion is ok, but education, experience, and professionalism are better.

When you have decided, contact the trainer you would like to work with and schedule a first session. Drop the others a quick email to update them.

If you are stuck here, try this template:

Hi ____,

Thank you for meeting me to discuss my training goals. I have decided to go another route with training, so I won’t be scheduling with you at this time. I appreciate your time, and wish you the best. 

Thank you, 

______

Professional trainers will completely understand, and appreciate your discerning nature. Remember it is your right to pick a trainer best for you, and you are under no obligation to anyone.

Training can be the best decision you ever made! You can stop training at any point you would like, or seek another trainer if one just doesn’t work out. You have nothing to lose! I encourage you to try it. Best of luck finding the best personal trainer for you!

If you have more questions, or are local and would like to set up a consult, please message me here at my contact page and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Glute Exercises You Can Do Now to Reduce Back Pain: KVUE Exercise Minute 12/25/17

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Hey Mamas, hey Dads! 

I see you out there, planning your family holiday, cooking for your parents and children both, dodging legos, wrangling your children and herding cats.

Your back hurts, your feet hurt, and oh, your back hurts. You can handle exhaustion, but if only your back didn’t hurt.

What if I told you the answer is a two-fer? One workout protocol, two great outcomes. Work your glutes and reduce back pain. 

I recently had the honor of appearing with Erika Lopez on the KVUE Exercise Minute to discuss this very problem. Read on for description and a video of how exactly to do these exercises.

Why The Focus on the Back is Misplaced

Often, we focus on our back if it is the source of pain. We get back rubs, heating pads and do back exercises. This isn’t always the solution, though. The solution is to make the glutes stronger and use them they way they function best, taking the load off your back.

The end result of strong and properly functioning glutes is a lessening or complete cessation of back pain. As a bonus, they look amazing, too. 

3 Easy and Equipment Free Glute Exercises You Can Do Now


Here we demonstrate setup for the hip abduction and extension.

Here we demonstrate setup for the hip abduction and extension.

  1. sumo squats
  2. hip extension
  3. hip abduction (same link as hip extension, as it is often a combo exercise)

Do each of these for 3 sets of 10-15. This will be quick. If it is far too quick and easy, run through the whole process 2-3 more times. 

For a how to, watch this video with me and Erika Lopez of KVUE:

Exercise Minute 12/15/2017


Please click the link or the image for the full video (1:13).

Please click the link or the image for the full video (1:13).

Beginning a new exercise takes an initial investment, like priming a well to get water. You might feel soreness in your low back and glutes for the first few days, keep doing this every 2-3 days, and you’ll see a reduction in low back pain and an improvement in the appearance of your glutes. 

As always, let me know how these work for you! kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Last Minute Survival Guide for Holiday Eating

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Merry Christmas, my friends!


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The holiday season can be the most fun, celebrated, joyous time of year. It is filled with special indulgences, vacations, and reunions with loved ones. It can also be a time of pressure, tight deadlines, and to-do lists as long as CVS receipts. It is the combination of all of this – excitement, happiness, stress, and fatigue – that makes the holidays so tiring! 

The good news is that smart, healthy food choices can help you feel better and manage stress through the craziness. Oh, and the other good news is that life also returns to normal routine, pretty fast. Savor the fun crazy while you can!

Austin friends, I bleed purple and gold, but you know I love UT too! 

Why Food Can Make You Feel Bad

Keep in mind that food can make you feel better or worse, depending on what you eat. The great news is that, unless you are 5, you are fully in control of what you eat. (More about this below.)

It can be tempting to throw willpower out the window and attack the buffet with wild abandon, but remember chances are, you won’t feel great after. Is it worth it? Likewise, if you end up driving through a fast food restaurant and fill up with junk, you won’t feel so hot either. 

Confession: I love fast food fries and chocolate shakes. (Frosty anyone? Delicious. I know that will gross some of you out, but I can’t lie to ya!) However, I have them rarely and in small amounts because I hit a wall about half hour after I eat fast food.

Besides just making you feel stuffed and sluggish, the problem with quick, non-nutritious food is that it often leaves you feeling hungry soon after. If you pick at pretzels, popcorn, or cookies, but neglect to get a sufficient amount of protein and fat, you’ll be hungry again in no time. Those calories will add up without actually adding vitamins and minerals, and they’ll leave you unable to focus because you’re hungry again 15 minutes later. I don’t know about you, but I find that super annoying. 

Regular Days Around Holidays

During the days around holidays, when you are gift shopping, grocery shopping, planning parties and celebrations, take a few extra minutes to plan your meals for the day. If you don’t have time to cook ahead, at least take time to plan where you can eat healthily. 

For example, if you know you’ll have a tight turnaround between the post office and heading back to your workplace, think ahead about where you can get a healthy, quick meal. Almost every restaurant, including fast food places, has a grilled chicken and salad option these days. Quick options: 

  • burrito in a bowl at any burrito or taco place
  • chili’s or grilled chicken at Wendy’s
  • ready to go meals from a grocery store. You can often find healthy options. 

Snacks

When you don’t have enough time to sit down at a restaurant, look for the nearest grocery store or large convenience store. Convenience stores are starting to have a healthier section, which includes prepared meals, fruit, cheese and meats. Grocery stores also have options galore. Try: 

  • cheese sticks
  • beef jerky 
  • Greek yogurt. Pro tip: keep plastic spoons in your vehicle.
  • sushi pre-made at grocery stores. Pro-tip 2: HEB has the best sushi. Texans, try this. No affiliate link, ha 😉 I just love their sushi. 

The Big Meals

After all the work is done done, you’ll find yourself at the big party, the family holiday or meal with friends. This is the fun part, where you should finally be able to relax and enjoy! I don’t want you to have to think about what to restrict or what you can’t eat. Instead focus on filling up with the healthy things first: protein, vegetables, and water. Then add in your indulgences: extra dinner rolls, sides, desserts, and drinks. 

If you begin your meal by eating what your body actually needs, you will find you don’t binge as much with a fuller stomach after. Additionally, you can truly savor the indulgences that you have less often. (You shouldn’t feel guilty about food anyway, but especially not when you’ve preceded it with healthy foods.)

I sat down with Erika Lopez at KVUE to discuss this exact topic: healthy eating through the holidays. You can see this quick Exercise Minute by clicking here. 


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When Others Challenge What You Eat

Food and meals are usually social events, so people often discuss and share their food preferences. This is part of relating and learning from each other, but it becomes trying when people force their preferences on others. 

I haven’t figured out exactly why, but people are extremely dogmatic about their food preferences, like they are about politics and religion. This is unfortunate when people pressure others. 

If someone makes a neutral comment on your food choice, the easiest thing to do is lightly acknowledge it and move on. 

“Oh, another cookie?”
“Yes, they’re delicious! How’s your new job? Are you enjoying it?”

Boom, cookie philosophy crisis averted. 

For that acquaintance that just doesn’t get the hint, bless her little heart, you can be a little more direct. Your boundaries are yours, and you are entitled to your own choices. Let’s say you are going to pass on desserts this time. 

“You won’t want a cookie? They’re my Aunt Betty’s recipe and you really should have one.”
“No, thanks so much!!” You don’t have to explain your reasons. 
“Come on, one won’t kill you.”
“No. I won’t decide what you eat, and you don’t get to decide what I eat.” 

Repeat as necessary, and move on. Don’t feel like you have to give an explanation or bend. 


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Murray the festive cat holds his own against a jambalaya pusher but is powerless to resist a belly rub. Christmas Jam 2016.

Murray the festive cat holds his own against a jambalaya pusher but is powerless to resist a belly rub. Christmas Jam 2016.

ENJOY

Remember, life is to be enjoyed! Family and friends coming together is something to be celebrated! You won’t have them forever, and soon enough, you’ll go back to your regular life. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year! 

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

My Favorite Recipes

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If you have read my writing or looked at my recipes enough, you know that one of my staple food principles is to make protein the base of your meal. This is usually chicken, fish, beef, or eggs, and it is the backbone, the most delicious part, of the meal. 

Recipes; high protein and healthy by Kathryn Alexander

I have go-to seasonings and spices to make the meal truly feast worthy, because life is too short to eat bland food. For red meat, I use McCormick’s Grill Master Montreal Steak blend. In any kind of boil or stew, I use bay leaves. On almost all else, I use Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends (either Poultry Magic or Seafood Magic). Finally, I end up topping nearly everything with either Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s. Seriously, almost everything. Scrambled eggs, potatoes, vegetables.

Below are some recipe ideas for building a meal from a healthy protein base. Feel free to season liberally.

What are your go-to recipes and spices? Mine have a decidedly Louisiana flair so I’d love to hear about yours!

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

The Paris Experiment, A Sleep Study with Unintentional Benefits

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A couple years ago, I got the chance to go to Paris. It was last minute, and would be a quick trip. I didn’t love Paris the first time I visited, so my growing affection for the city made me appreciate each visit more. I looked forward to again seeing the city that made my pupils dilate with its ornate cathedrals, romantic art, and the big city buzz swirling all around me, yet having no need for me. 


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Amor and Psyche by Antonio Canova, displayed at the Louvre. I can't even pretend to be tough when I see this one. Melts my heart.

Amor and Psyche by Antonio Canova, displayed at the Louvre. I can’t even pretend to be tough when I see this one. Melts my heart.

I couldn’t wait to savor coffee on a French sidewalk cafe. And the baguettes, the French bread that they don’t call French bread because that would be redundant. 

The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the stores, the fashion. I was giddy thinking about it!

There was one catch: it would be a weekend trip, and I handle jet lag like a narcoleptic ninety-year old. I’m talking, out-like-a-light at 6 pm, can’t even hang with the toddlers. Then like a resurrection miracle, fully awake and happily functioning (all alone) at 3:30 am.

Le sigh. 

I Can Figure It Out

Call me stubborn or bull-headed (though I prefer determined), but I always think there has to be a way. I can figure it out! In the past, I have tried a variety of tactics to decrease jet lag so I could enjoy more travel time, with some but minimal success. This includes:

  • strategically timed melatonin on the flight to reset circadian rhythm (sleep on an international flight? haha)
  • exercise upon landing in new time zone. (Soooo tiring)
  • caffeinating myself at doses that would worry most health professionals
  • the Argonne Anti-Jet-Lag protocol, which was highly effective on National Guard subjects in this Pentagon funded study

The latter was the most effective, but still not good enough for me. I was convinced I could do better. 

  

A Crazy Plan With Unintentional Side Effects

My plan was to bring my body as close as I could to real-time wake-sleep schedules in Paris, while still here in American central time zone. It was simple enough: go to bed 4 hours early, and wake 4 hours early. This way my body would be halfway adjusted to the 7 hour difference by the time I landed. 

Beginning two weeks before my trip, I took the recommended dose of an over-the-counter sleep aid and aimed for lights out at 7 pm. I woke between 3 and 4 am. 

To ensure this would be successful, I warned my friends that I would be seeing less of them for a couple weeks, and I did all my work as early as I could, including anticipating clients needs so my support for them would not suffer. 

Other helpful habits included blacking out my room, being hyper organized so I didn’t worry about a thing, and putting my phone down in early evening. 

What Happened?

The results were amazing! First, I felt 10 years younger. I slept completely through the night, getting 8, even 9, hours of quality sleep. When I woke up, I eased into the day with a cup of coffee. Really, what rush is there at 3:00 am? Nobody else is up. 

I work exponentially better when I am not rushed or stressed, so I got good, quality work in that left me feeling productive and peaceful. 

My workouts felt good since I was truly rested. I was giving my body everything it needed. 

It was actually a great way to live, even without a trip to plan for. And the trip? Went off without a hitch. I don’t remember falling asleep at the dinner table once. The flights were even less stressful since I was more patient and in a better state of mind.

The Moral of the Story


...but I got to see my friend Marion, who lives in France. It had been about 15 years. Best reunion ever! 

…but I got to see my friend Marion, who lives in France. It had been about 15 years. Best reunion ever! 

….is obviously to get good sleep. Take care of yourself. Sometimes this requires being a little bit selfish. I did miss my friends, and feel kind of like a weirdo feeling like I was up past my bedtime when I was in the gym with my 6:00 pm client. 

It was worth it, though. It was a great reminder of how we need to be protective of our bodies and our time. No one else is going to do it for you! 

If you need a little pick-me-up in life, try this. It will change your outlook! Try just a 2 hour difference if you don’t have a time zone change in your future. 

Let me know how it goes for you! Email me. I read every email! kathryn@kathrynalexander.com


Sunset in Paris.

Sunset in Paris.

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Time Demands, Heart Disease, and Saving the World

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How do people get everything done? My to-do list is never ending. I’m not some special exception with a busier life; you can probably relate. Check this out: 

  • program client workouts
  • write thank you notes
  • workout
  • call my mom (she’s the best)
  • write/edit blog post
  • mow my lawn and trim those hyperactive shrubs that take over
  • do 3 loads laundry (light, dark and purple, Geaux Tigers!!)
  • workout
  • research changing client programs (this is a big one, will explain later)
  • encourage more consistent workouts to increase health such as developing bone strength, muscular strength and staving off heart disease and stroke
  • experiment with different ways of increasing client compliance
  • encourage all my clients, all my subscribers, and everybody I can influence to exercise smarter and live healthier
  • blah blah blah
  • are you still reading?
  • decrease heart disease! avoid heart attacks! reduce early death! 


Multi-tasking, obviously.

Multi-tasking, obviously.

Ok WOW that escalated quickly. All my to-do lists begin with small and defined tasks before progressing into saving the world. I am being entirely serious. I want to save the world.

I even left off some things like going to the grocery store and watching LSU, UT, and the Saints play football (make fun if you want, but it requires some serious wardrobe changes and time management). I sometimes even write “drink coffee” or “shower” so I can put a couple more check marks.

Setting Expectations

I wrestle constantly with the decision of where to set the bar for my clients. It’s tough because everyone’s time demands are different, everyone’s affinity toward exercising is different. If you love exercise and see it as a blessed break in your day, it’s not a burden to do. If you’re slammed busy with a spouse and co-workers and kids depending on you, carving out another 30-60 minutes in your day to do something you don’t even wanna do is, well, tough.

So where do I set the bar for my clients? In the past, if I knew exactly how much or little exercise could get my client to his goals, I would suggest doing exactly that. The problem is, what if I estimate wrong, ask him to do too little, and he (obviously) don’t reach his goals? That’s a real problem.

It’s time I change my approach.

<Note to other coaches: I would LOVE your input about your philosophy here. What do you ask of your clients in terms of work demand? Email me: kathryn@kathrynalexander.com>

Heart Disease and the Very Real Implications

I was rocked this week by the death of a gym-goer and friend. Heart disease, way too young. He exercised and ate healthy, which illustrates that we aren’t in control of all of our risk factors. For this reason, we should do the best we can with the risk factors we can control. 

Why don’t we do better, when we can control SO MUCH of our health status? It takes so much time. In addition to all the other things we have to do, going to the gym or getting out the door for a walk really cuts into our day. I get it. But we have to do better!

After all, we won’t get to put any checks on that to-do list if we are dead.

AHA Recommendations

The American Heart Association recommends, in addition to 2 days a week of moderate to high intensity muscle building activity, either:

  • at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days a week for a total of 150 minutes. These can be broken into 10 minutes chunks. OR
  • at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity 3 days per week for a total of 75 minutes

You can read more details here.

What To Do Next

The takeaway is that we must start taking the time to add more exercise in, despite how busy we all are. Be creative with how you can fit it in. If you truly can’t fit in 25 minutes of activity 3 times a week, you probably need the stress relief most! 

  • Lace up your shoes and walk right out your front door. 15 minutes out, 15 back. 
  • Try new hikes or routes in your city. Window shopping on South Congress? Yes please. 
  • Ramp a treadmill up to a high incline and walk at a high speed for a vigorous aerobic session if you don’t like walking. Vary the speed/incline by minute to avoid boredom. 

To my clients, expect to see some changes in your workouts soon, and be thinking about how you can fit in 2 more homework workout sessions.

If you have more ideas on how you sneak exercise into your day, please let me know! I hope every one of you finds a way to make healthier decisions and life better! 

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Can Steak on the Stovetop be as Good as Grilled?

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I love a good steak, and I put to the test if a steak on the stovetop can be as good as a steak on the grill.

Very often, people mistake “lifting coach” and “studier of exercise physiology” with “judgmental food snob.” 

I will explain: I’ll help you with your workouts. I’ll help you lose fat; it’s not rocket science. But I won’t ask you to eat only chicken and salad the rest of your life. 

I won’t judge you for wanting good food. 

I won’t judge you for having a beer. 

I want you to enjoy cooking and eating your food. 

I want your food to support your physical activities! 

Now that we have that settled, I hope you better understand why I cook good, hearty meals that aren’t only “diet food”. Steak on the grill is my favorite, and I have it at least once a week. It’s so delicious, and so easy to throw on sides.

steak done

Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak

What would I do if I didn’t have a grill, like most of my apartment-living life? I made it my goal to prepare a steak on the stovetop that is just as delicious as a steak on the grill. 

This Southern Living recipe called Cast Iron Cowboy Steak is the perfect experiment. I made it twice, once followed to a tee (well, almost), and once modified to cook inside. 

The original recipe recommends you use a cast iron skillet on the grill. On Round 1, I used the cast iron skillet on the stove top. No grill. Round 2, I followed directions. Both were delicious, but which was best?? Below is Round 1.

Round 1: Steak on the Stovetop

Set oven to 400. 

Put on music. My pick is Motown radio. The Shirelles? Yes, please. “Will you still love me tomorrow?”

Grab your drink of choice. 

Put on apron. Non negotiable. Do it. 

Kathryn in apron

Wash potatoes and place on aluminum foil that has been lightly coated with vegetable oil. Put potatoes and empty cast iron skillet in the oven.

Set timer for 40 minutes for potatoes.

Set timer for 10 minutes for skillet.

While you are waiting for then skillet to heat, apply salt and pepper to both sides of steak, chop thyme, garlic, and wash vegetables and salad. 

When the 10 minute timer goes off, use TWO pot holders to remove the skillet from the oven and put on the stovetop. It’s hot! Set the flame to high. 

Cowboy steak in cast iron

Put the oil in the skillet, and spread around. Add the steak, and set timer for 6 minutes. If you have a splatter screen, now is the time to use it. And don’t make fun of me for the apron. It’s a human-sized splatter screen. Also, my mom made this one for me and I love it.

Six minutes on one side with top halfway on. 

When 6 minutes has passed, use tongs to hold steak on edge, fatty side, for 1:00. Then cook the steak 4 minutes on other side. For about 2 minutes, while tilting the skillet, spoon the butter, thyme and garlic mixture on top of steak. 

steak toppings

Take the steak off the heat and let it rest while you dress up that potato and throw the salad together. Time to dig in!

Steak on stovetop garlic

Lessons Learned

The recipe called for 10 minutes on each side, but I had a thinner steak than they called for so I felt like that would be too much. I dropped it to 6 minutes, and it was still a little too well done for me. 

The butter, thyme and garlic mixture was savory and delicious!! It was a tad heavy on the garlic, though, so I will adjust that down next time. 

Round 2: Cast Iron on the Grill

I followed the directions and used the cast iron on the grill this time. I prepared everything the same way, except I skipped the garlic and added Montreal Steak seasoning. Couldn’t resist throwing some mushrooms on the grill too. 

Steak on the grill in the cast iron

Five minutes on each side and one minute on the fatty edge was still a little too done. It had amazing flavor which I enjoyed even more without the overpowering garlic. 

Lessons Learned

Thyme is a winner! I will be using thyme in my cooking more. 

I now have a great method of cooking steak inside should I ever need to. 

And the big question: can steak on the stovetop be as good as grilled? Maybe. Further studies are necessary. 😉

steak from the grill

More Recipes

Smoked chicken

Grilled venison fajitas

Vince Gironda’s egg shake

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

How to Stick to Your Resolution to Get Healthy and Why It Is Worth It

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Hi all, this is my first guest post, by author Paige Johnson. She makes some really great points about how to keep committed to your goals. Read on, and let me know if any of these have worked for you! 

How to Stick to Your Resolution to Get Healthy and Why It Is Worth It

Most New Year’s resolutions revolve around getting healthy – whether it’s giving up smoking, cutting all those carbs, or pledging to get out that exercise bike and actually use it. Most New Year’s resolvers also find that come spring, their motivation to stick to their resolutions becomes harder and harder to muster. Don’t feel like a failure – it’s totally normal. 

But there are some ways to re-energize yourself to stick to those resolutions. There are so many benefits – both mental and physical – for leading a healthy and active lifestyle; take the time and make the effort to keep it going this year and don’t put it off until the next time the ball drops. 

Make every day about three pillars of wellness

If you’re trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, you need to practice activities that contribute to overall well-being on a daily basis. It helps to think about this as a three-pronged plan: diet, exercise, and mental fitness.

Every single day you should make sure that you do at least one thing to benefit your diet, your body, and your mind. For example, add vegetables to your dinner, take a 30-minute jog, and practice yoga or meditation. This covers all the bases. 

What you’ll find is that these activities target more than what’s at face value. Exercising will increase your mental health as well. Taking time to meditate and relax will help you make better food choices, and so on. 

Get some help

Don’t be stubborn about achieving your resolution alone. If you’re having trouble keeping it, it may mean that you can’t do it on your own – and that’s ok. If you’re struggling to stay motivated to exercise, find a friend to be your exercise buddy. Not only will it be more fun, but they’ll hold you accountable. If you are struggling to see any gains in your physical fitness, think about hiring a personal trainer that can push you and show you how you can be more efficient in your workouts. If you’re trying to quit smoking or limit your alcohol intake, seek out the support of a group. 

If you think you need to modify or even shift courses on your resolution, don’t be afraid to do so. Strive for something that’s actually achievable. 

Make a monetary investment

Don’t go throwing money away – that’s not going to improve your mental state. But making small financial commitments to your own betterment can help you feel more motivated to succeed. Invest in some exercise equipment, or join a gym. If you’re wanting to cook more and with healthier ingredients, pay for a community supported agriculture plan. There are even apps you can use to pony up cash when you fail to stick to your fitness schedule and earn cash when you do. 

Why should I stick to it?

The benefits of a healthy lifestyle stretch far beyond losing weight and gaining muscle tone. Eating right and getting enough exercise have countless physical benefits, like decreased risk of a variety of diseases. Not only that, but those who practice healthy living are less likely to develop problems with depression and anxiety, and are much less likely to develop problems with drug or alcohol abuse. Committing to living a healthy lifestyle will also influence your family, who will be more likely to follow you down that path. And it also creates plenty of opportunities for your family to get up and get active together. 

If you find yourself struggling to keep your New Year’s resolution to get healthy, you shouldn’t feel like a failure. It’s hard. But instead of giving up and putting it off for next year, take pride in the small victories and use those to build upon your larger goals. 

Paige Johnson loves offering her advice on weight lifting and strength training.

How to Count Macros

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There are many ways to improve your diet, but counting macronutrients (or macros) is a very effective method. The ratio of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbs) we consume plays a huge role in how we feel, how much energy we have, and whether we gain or lose muscle or fat. 

How to Count Macros

The easiest way to count macros is to use a software or app like FitDay or MyFitnessPal. I prefer MyFitnessPal. It is free to use and has a huge database of foods that you can scan for easy logging. You’ll create a username and password, and when you are logged in, you’ll see a tab at the bottom called “Diary.” This is where you enter food.


My food scale. Cheap, effective, and well used.

My food scale. Cheap, effective, and well used.

To ensure that you are logging amounts correctly, I highly recommend using a food scale. They are fairly cheap (under $20) and and help your numbers be precise. It is tough to estimate food amounts precisely, and a program based on precision works better than guesstimates. 

Note that you won’t have to measure food forever. This is a learning process. Think of it as a period of time where you are gaining knowledge, not a strict set of guidelines. It will serve you very well in the future, especially when you feel great and see changes happening!


Sample screenshot of your daily macro summary.

Sample screenshot of your daily macro summary.

Word of warning: if you enter activity on MyFitnessPal, it will automatically adjust all your macros proportionally to offset the expenditure, without notice. Suddenly you will see that you can now have an extra 800 calories, for example. (!!!) I prefer not to add exercise in MyFitnessPal for this reason.

What Should Your Macros Be?

This is not rocket science, but is beyond the scope of this article. For my clients, I suggest macro goals based on specific measures from their fitness assessment. I use the Harris-Benedict and Mifflin-St. Jeor metabolic equations to establish a starting point that’s better than a shot in the dark. These take into account your age, weight, and gender, and then I add an activity factor to match your intake with your exercise level. 

The Process

This whole process is like a scientific method. We know what you are eating (thus the macros numbers), then we see what changed in your body. The more you track, such as when your numbers were good, when they weren’t, how your workouts are going, etc., the better you can fine tune to get stronger and leaner. 

Please remember this is a new process for most people, and there is a learning curve for everyone. Email or comment with general questions, or if you’d like training/guidance on numbers specific for you. 

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Say Yes

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Greetings from Orlando! I am en route to the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Tactical Training Conference. I love meeting coaches who work with police, fire, and military units and taking what I learn from them and passing it along to you. (If you’re curious, more about why I attend this conference here.)

When I attended this conference for the first time in 2014, I met powerlifter and coach Matt Wenning, whom you have probably heard me refer to for his extensive strength and conditioning knowledge. The following year at the conference, he introduced me to coach Mark Tayson, who invited us to workout at a friend’s gym nearby.

We walked into a gym with dumbbells, barbells, logs, tons of strongman implements, and a handful of welcoming members, including Dimitar Savatinov who won America’s Strongest Man contest that year.


Ironhouse Gym

What a crazy world! It was so surreal to be in a gym in a city I’d never been in, with people I barely knew, but who had decades of combined knowledge and similar passions. I was like a kid in a candy shop!

Fast forward a few years, and I met another coach I look highly up to, Ron McKeefery. We kept in touch at a couple conferences, and he recently asked me to be on his podcast, Iron Game Chalk Talk. This has been one of the biggest honors of my professional life! But you knew that, because it was just covered on my blog. Details of the podcast here in case you missed it.

All this, from talking to people at conferences!

Your Turn

Who will you talk to this week? What can you say YES to that will be beneficial to you and your clients, or coworkers or family? 

Let me know if you have any questions for me to pass along at the conference this week, and keep your eyes open for serendipitous opportunity! It’s out there! 

Have a great week! Thank you for reading,

Kathryn

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

How to Log Press with Joel Hendershott

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Strongman events are just fun. I love the familiarity of the 3 powerlifts and the discipline of bodybuilding. But strongman is just fun! Where else can you see car deadlifts, kegs, and giant stones being thrown around? No kidding, I witnessed a conan’s wheel event where the weights were Hooters girls, one of whom was pregnant. This wasn’t even in Austin, yall. You never know what events you’ll see at a strongman competition.


Joel pulls a truck in a strongman competition

I asked Joel to teach me some strongman lifts. Joel Hendershott is a strongman coach at Big Tex Gym in Austin, Texas. He has an ISSA strength and conditioning certification and runs Bracestrength.com. Joel has a great story: he was overweight, inactive and expecting his first child. Instead of waiting for a better time, or when he was less busy (let’s be honest- when will life get less busy?) he went to work becoming someone strong and healthy for his kid to look up to. 

He began powerlifting in 2012 and did his first meet in 2013. That same year, he took an interest in strongman. He was living in Vancouver at the time and he found the local competitors to be extremely welcoming. 

“Here’s the thing about strongman: It was just random equipment at random people’s houses. If someone had an awesome log in his garage, we went there. If another guy had big tires, we trained there. The guys were like, ‘Yes, come train with us.’’’

Sidenote: Joel and I agree that this inclusive and supportive spirit wasn’t just because they were nice Canadians. Powerlifters and strongmen and -women competitors are known for being supportive of each other, even cheering for each other in meets. If you’re considering jumping in, quit hesitating!

The Clean

The log press is a quintessential lift in the strongman competitions, and is unlike any other clean and press or jerk. It requires the strength of a deadlift, flexibility of a low paused squat, coordination and strength of a clean/front squat, and stability of a heavy overhead press. Whew! And yeah, it was as tiring as it sounds. 

I used wraps loosely wrapped around my forearms, less for joint support and more for protection against knocking my forearms on the log.

  • Begins with the handles of the log facing slightly down, away from you. 
  • You essentially stiff leg deadlift the log to just above your knees and squat with it. Be sure you don’t put it on your thighs or midleg. (Don’t actually lock your knees out during those movement; just know that you won’t be able to drop your hips as low or bend your knees as much as during a conventional deadlift.) 
  • Get your elbows high.
  • Drive your hips through to stand up with the log and quickly drive your elbows forward.

You can see here that I didn’t keep my elbows high on rep 2. It made it much harder and slower.

Joel shows us how its done.

Tips: 

Start with the log tilted forward, where the handles face slightly away from you.

Supplement your training with front squats. Paused front squats are a fantastic assistance exercise with huge carry over to the log press. 

The press

Once you have the log to your shoulders, you begin your set up for the press. As Joel says, put the mass of the log against the mass of your body. You can either strict press or push press.

Keep your elbows high whether you are strict or push pressing. Remember you are pressing a log; it is round and will roll down your arms if you let your elbows fall. 

To strict press the log, stand tight with your elbows high and forcefully drive the log up. 

To push press, stay tight, initiate a quick bend at the knees, then a forceful drive of the log overhead. The push press must be a quick dip and drive. If you languish at the bottom of the position or stand up slowly, you lose power.

As you can see in this video where I do 2 presses, my elbows drop a little bit before the second press, and it knocks me off balance. 

Joel and I worked on the log press and stones for about an hour. (How to on stones coming soon!) I was pretty wiped out! These lifts are obviously great for conditioning and overall strength. I will be incorporating them into my regular workouts!

If you’d like to train with Joel, contact him at beardfacestrength@gmail.com. Be on the lookout for the how to on stones, and email me or Joel if you have questions!


Stephen and Joel talk shop while working with the log.

Stephen and Joel talk shop while working with the log.

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Iron Game Chalk Talk with Ron McKeefery

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Ron McKeefery is a coach I have looked up to for years, so you can imagine how excited I was to be on his podcast, Iron Game Chalk Talk. Coach, thanks for having me! 

Check it out below, and check out his previous podcasts for many more great episodes at RonMcKeefery.com. 

Things we mention: 

A book I love, one of the most instructional books for coaches and trainers: Coach McKeefery’s #1 Amazon International Bestseller “CEO Strength Coach“

Ed Cosner’s PowerSport Strength and Conditioning 

Physical Training for Tactical Populations: An Optimal Approach – Matt Wenning, M.S., and Major Mark Ivejaz. Info here. 

Jocko Willink’s Podcast

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Austin’s Strongest Savage

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Rogue American Apparel and Big Tex Gym teamed up this past weekend to host Austin’s Strongest Savage, a US Strongman sanctioned competition. The event benefited 22 Kill, which works to support veterans’ mental health and prevent suicide.

Good coffee, good beer, an amazing venue, and great athletes made for a memorable day!


Iron Savage Barbell. This place is real.&nbsp;

Iron Savage Barbell. This place is real.


Get this man a medal! When the audio wasn't loud enough around the coffee stand, Joel Huston Hendershott held speakers up for all to hear. Joel coordinated this event and did a fantastic job!

Get this man a medal! When the audio wasn’t loud enough around the coffee stand, Joel Huston Hendershott held speakers up for all to hear. Joel coordinated this event and did a fantastic job!


Ed Cosner and I. Ed drove in from Houston to watch and coach.

Ed Cosner and I. Ed drove in from Houston to watch and coach.


Ed Cosner coaches Sarah Herald before her car deadlifts.&nbsp;

Ed Cosner coaches Sarah Herald before her car deadlifts.


Esther Chou of Big Tex Gym hands Dom Liontas, men's super heavy weight champ, his prizes. Dom drove from Canada to compete!

Esther Chou of Big Tex Gym hands Dom Liontas, men’s super heavy weight champ, his prizes. Dom drove from Canada to compete!


Robert Impastato of Big Tex Gym and Willie Wessels of US Strongman pose with the men's heavyweight open winners.

Robert Impastato of Big Tex Gym and Willie Wessels of US Strongman pose with the men’s heavyweight open winners.


The men's masters winners show off their prize hatches. Winners from L-R are Lee Huddle, Christopher Loop Sr., and Mickey Tomlin.

The men’s masters winners show off their prize hatches. Winners from L-R are Lee Huddle, Christopher Loop Sr., and Mickey Tomlin.

Super Bowl Snacks with Light and Hearty Versions

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It’s almost Super Bowl Sunday!! Are you ready for some football??? And some Super Bowl snacks?

I am! I love the big game, and I take great pleasure in the whole shebang: the athletes, the plays, commercials, the party, the food.

Food is complicated these days! People tend to fall in two camps: those who are watching what they eat, and those who aren’t. Many people are dieting or trying to lose weight, but let’s be real: people come to a Super Bowl party to eat!

Super bowl snacks

Here are some great party snacks that can be easily modified into a lighter version that’s just as delicious. Psstt…. this is great not only for the Super Bowl, but for any party where you anticipate needing both lighter and heartier options.

The Menu

Grilled Shrimp Kebabs

Loaded Nachos

Guacamole & Veggies

Grilled Shrimp Kebabs

  • 4 pounds shrimp, precooked gulf coast shrimp are my favorite 
  • 1 ounce olive oil
  • Cajun seasoning
  • a few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
super bowl snacks ingredients
Before you begin assembling ingredients, soak the wooden kebab skewers.
Shrimp kebabs
I prefer wooden skewers because they won’t burn you like the metal ones when you pick them up. Because you will. Ouch!

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on. 

Start the grill. 

Pat the shrimp dry and put in mixing bowl. Add 1 ounce of olive oil, Cajun seasoning, one minced garlic clove, and chopped cilantro to the shrimp. Mix ingredients until all shrimp are covered.

Skewer the shrimp in a horseshoe pattern. Place on the grill for about 2 minutes per side. 

Squeeze lemon juice onto the shrimp before eating. 

For a lighter option, enjoy them right off the grill. For a heartier option, dip in melted butter. 

Shrimp kebabs for Super Bowl

 Loaded Nachos

  • Chips
  • Shredded chicken breasts 
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1 can black beans
  • sour cream
  • shredded cheese
  • salsa
Texas nacho chips

Nachos are not going to be the most diet friendly food no matter what, but a la carte style nachos can be acceptable. Add on shredded chicken and beans for protein, and cheese and sour cream for extra flavor. For the lighter option, choose black beans and go easy or skip the cheese and sour cream. 

Please note that these aren’t healthy/unhealthy options, just lower calorie. Refried beans have about 60 calories per serving fewer black beans, but neither is inherently unhealthy.

Guacamole

Guacamole ingredients for Super Bowl party
  • 3 avocados 
  • 2 Roma tomatoes
  • 2-3 teaspoons of cilantro, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 lemon
  • Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning
  • sea salt

For dipping in the guac:

  • baby carrots
  • 2-3 pretty bell peppers
  • broccoli and cauliflower cut into bite size pieces

Add sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, garlic clove, salt and Tony’s in a bowl. Squeeze a lemon on top of the contents of bowl. Keep tomatoes separate for now. 

I use a knife to chop the avocados finely, then finish by smooshing them further with a whisk. I prefer this over a potato masher because it leaves avocado chunks rather than a puree feel.

When you are satisfied with the consistency of the guacamole, add the tomatoes in.

Find a great bowl to display all the pretty vegetables and chips in. Bonus points if its a themed football bowl.

Veggies for guacamole

Enjoy!

Try these Super Bowl snacks and let me know how they turn out for you! Let me know if you have other great recipes that can be modified for healthy options too. 

Shopping list for approximately 10 people:

  • 5 chicken breasts 
  • 4 pounds shrimp, I love the pre cooked gulf coast shrimp
  • optional chicken broth
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1 can black beans
  • 2 bags chips
  • 16 oz sour cream
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 or 3 pretty bell peppers
  • 1 package baby carrots
  • 2 roma tomatoes
  • 3 avocados
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • small bunch cilantro
  • wooden kebab skewers
  • sea salt
  • shredded cheese
  • Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning
  • 1 ounce olive oil
  • salsa

More Recipes

If you are looking for some great recipes for non-party situations, try these regular but healthy and protein packed meals:

Grilled venison fajitas

One pan chicken and veggies

Texas trout

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

UT Athletic Performance Clinic 2017

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The University of Texas hosted their annual Athletic Performance Clinic January 14. Top strength coaches and leaders in athletics speak at this clinic every year, and I love the opportunity to learn from them.

DKR Stadium from the UT Athletic Performance Clinic

The speakers included coaches of Olympians, collegiate, high school, and professional athletes. 

Snippets of what I learned:

Tim Pelot

Tim Pelot, Senior Strength & Conditioning Coach of the United States Olympic Committee

  • You must have systems when training groups, but remember they are individuals. 
  • Give your athletes energy and support them! They are expending physical energy, cognitive energy, attending sports medicine needs, etc. They need your support.
  • Take the temperature of the room and be adaptable.

It was really great to hear someone who has spend thousands of hours coaching, and who is so adept at thinking on his feet. 

Tanna Burge

Tanna Burge, Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Performance, Texas A&M University

Like Tim, Tanna reminds us we don’t coach just teams and groups, but rather individuals.

  • Be intentional, and be there. Ask how they are, mean it, and listen. 
  • If we skip these things, we miss opportunity to positively impact athletes.
  • Beyond the big business of athletics is life. Especially for young college athletes, this is their life!

Tanna gave us a great reminder that athletes aren’t obsessed with the process of lifting and training like some of us coaches are. They do what they have to but don’t think about it all day. Meet them where they are. 

Ron McKeefery

Ron McKeefery, Vice President of Performance and Education for Plae Sports Performance Flooring

Coach McKeefery has served as a strength and conditioning coach for many organizations including The University of Tennessee, Cincinnati Bengals, and Kansas City Royals. 

I’ve heard Coach McKeefery speak, I keep up with his social media updates, and always look forward to hearing what’s in his head. He has so much accumulated knowledge and experience, I could hardly take notes fast enough. 

  • Regarding players running late who must work extra because of their tardiness: “There is a consequence. You have to be ok with that. That’s life.”
  • “Be the person in the room who can get the athlete to his goals.”
  • “When Donnie [Maib, Head Athletic Performance coach for Olympic Sports at University of Texas] and I talk, it’s more about what we’re reading than anything else.” I LOVE this!

Ron also wrote a book, CEO Strength Coach, which I read in about a day after hearing him speak this last time. You can get it here. (not an affiliate link).

Loren Landow

Loren Landow, owner/director of Landow Performance

Coach Landow’s presentation was packed full of technical insight and coaching cues. He also has accumulated thousands of hours of coaching skills from his work with high school, collegiate, professional, and Olympic athletes. Most of what I learned from his presentation was really how to refine how I program and cue training. One of my favorite things he explained was of an athletes tool box, or how well they move. “The more coordinated they are, the better. The more skills in the toolbox,” for example. 

Al Vermeil

Al Vermeil, President of Vermeil Sports and Fitness

Al Vermeil is a legend in the strength and conditioning world. He has worked in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. He has done work with powerhouse teams such as The Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago White Sox, US Army Rangers, University of Alabama, Stanford University Sports Medicine, and too many more to name. 

I could listen to Coach Vermeil speak for days and still be beginning to learn from him. Coach Vermeil thoroughly discussed the foundation of power in sports, jump technique, speed development and much more. I will be reviewing his notes for a while. The most humorous part of his speech, when he asked, “How long do I have left? Three minutes? …oooh…”

Al Vermeil at the UT Athletic Performance Clinic

Donnie Maib

Donnie Maib, Head Athletic Performance coach for Olympic Sports at University of Texas

Donnie took participants to the UT weight room, outfitted by Sorinex Exercise Equipment, for a mobility and recovery session. Like many of the other coaches stressed, Coach Maib reminded us we are dealing with individual athletes. We need to evaluate each athlete’s movement, identify issues, and address them. This demo of mobility exercises and tools was very useful.

The UT Weight Room

The Stark Center

The clinic finished with a reception in the beautiful Stark Center, a museum of physical culture and sport. If you are even remotely interested in sports, competition, bodybuilding, or athletics, you need to check this place out. Drs. Jan and Terry Todd have done an amazing job creating the Stark Center from the ground up. It is in the north end zone of the UT Stadium. 

Pudgy Stockton at the Stark Center

As a bonus, I ran into Coach Ed Cosner, who runs PowerSport Strength and Conditioning. I visit his facility when I am in Houston. (You can read about my last visit to his place here). It is always great to run into friends, especially ones I learn so much from!

Ed Cosner at Stark Center

I am already looking forward to next year’s clinic!

The Sorinex Barbell in the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Tony’s 15 pound weight loss in 1 month

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Tony’s 1 Month Body Transformation: How he kick started his weight loss and healthy habits for great success in the first month. 

Every once in a while I am so blown away by someone’s change that I have to share it. If you are at Hyde Park Gym, you know Tony. He’s the funny one, the sometimes quiet one, who knows everyone. He’s a giver by nature and in both his personal and professional life has taken it upon himself to help others.

A few years ago, he made it his goal to take care of himself and lose weight. He went from over 400 pounds down to 280. At this point, he was having great progress building up his strength to impressive levels.

Tony, client of Kathryn Alexander (Alexander Training) earned a transformation that yielded big weight loss and big strength gains.
Tony shows his transformation, L-R, Nov. 2, 2016, Dec. 6, 2016. 15 pounds weight loss.
Tony, client of Kathryn Alexander (Alexander Training) earned a transformation that yielded big weight loss and big strength gains.
Tony’s transformation.
Tony, client of Kathryn Alexander (Alexander Training) earned a transformation that yielded big weight loss and big strength gains.
Tony showing his progress in a side view.

He decided to rededicate his efforts toward weight loss, so we started him on remote training. We made him a food and workout plan, which he implemented entirely on his own. His strength training helped build muscle mass and muscle growth, and his meal plan helped him lose body fat and drive body composition changes. 

Tony's transformation yielded big weight loss and a big deadlift!
Tony’s transformation yielded big weight loss and a big deadlift!

Following these guidelines, he lost over 15 pounds in the first month! I should note that Tony is exceptional at giving feedback and has great intuition about his body and workouts.

Tony Shares His Success Strategies

I asked him more questions:

KA: You’re already very accomplished in the gym, with a deadlift of 515. What made you want to switch toward the goal of fat loss? 

TS: That’s a tricky one to answer because there are a couple of reasons… training is a spiritual practice for me. I set my goals based on what I feel my spirit needs. If I need strength I get strong, if I need endurance then I do more conditioning, etc… I reached a point in my life where I felt as though I needed a complete transformation. I had developed and strengthened a lot of life and interpersonal skills but was struggling to grow beyond that. So I figured the best way to step out of my comfort zone for personal growth was to do it in the gym first.

But if you’re looking for a more surface level answer it’s because I was going through a breakup and needed a self esteem boost. (Note from Kathryn: I love the honesty here. Rededicating yourself to a workout plan or goal is a great way to get through tough times.)

KA: You clearly had a productive 1-2 months, with a 15 pound weight loss. What has been the most challenging part? 

Sticking to the diet and training program has actually been really easy and lots of fun.

The most challenging part has been allowing my ego to detach from the image of “powerlifter”. It’s been very humbling to work with lighter weights and higher reps… and the cardio. I thought I was in decent shape until you had me do cardio!

KA: What has been the most helpful part? What gave you the most tactical, useful advantage to getting your workouts and better food decisions? 

TS: The accountability. Since you’ve gone above and beyond to help me achieve my goals I feel waaaay more guilty about letting you down than letting myself down. Seriously though, knowing that I’m going to weigh in, take measurements, and report my diet and workouts back to you makes me second guess that second (sometimes third) piece of pie.

KA: What are you looking forward to from here?

TS: I’m really looking forward to the feeling of knowing I accomplished my goals in a healthy manner. I’ve set weight loss goals before that I was unable to reach on my own or that I met only because I was starving myself and overtraining.

I’m also looking forward to buying new clothes! Everything I own is getting pretty baggy and I no longer have to shop in the big & tall section. So many more options!!

1 month body transformation

Apply This To Your 1 Month Body Transformation

What are some ways you can apply Tony’s principles of success to your body transformation? Remember, making big changes in a month is a big goal! Remember also that I’d like your 1 month body transformation to be just the beginning of your health and fitness journey. 

Here are some things to remember so you can see noticeable results in your 1 month, and continue on for many more. 

  1. Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve in one month. Whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or overall fitness improvement, having specific, measurable goals will keep you focused. From there, plan ways to continue these habit changes in your daily life regularly.
  2. Nutrition Planning:
    • Calculate your daily caloric needs based on your goals and activity level.
    • Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats.
    • Get enough protein! How much protein do you need? Read this.
    • Eat smaller, frequent meals to keep your metabolism active.
    • Limit processed foods, sugary snacks, and high-calorie beverages. Remember, alcohol might be fun but it does no good for you.
    • Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.
  3. Exercise Routine:
    • Incorporate a combination of cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and flexibility exercises.
    • Whether you use bodyweight exercises, free weights or machines, use compound exercises in a variety of rep ranges.
    • Work with a trainer to learn the most effective way to lift, to learn good form, and to decrease risk of injury.
    • Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity most days of the week.
    • Include strength training exercises targeting major muscle groups at least 2-3 times per week. Maybe more if you like lifting. 🙂
    • Learn a variety of lifts for lower body, upper body and full body, and get good at them. 
    • Incorporate HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workouts. Hiit workouts are fantastic for calorie burning and improved cardiovascular fitness.
    • Don’t forget to include rest days to allow your body to recover and prevent overtraining.
  4. Consistency is Key:
    • Stick to your nutrition and exercise plan consistently throughout the month.
    • Track your progress using a journal or fitness app to monitor your food intake, exercise routine, and measurements.
    • Stay accountable by setting up regular check-ins with a friend, family member, or personal trainer.
  5. Prioritize Sleep and Recovery:
    • Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support muscle recovery and overall well-being.
    • Incorporate relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing to manage stress levels and promote recovery.
  6. Stay Motivated:
    • Set short-term milestones and reward yourself for achieving them.
    • Surround yourself with supportive people who encourage your efforts.
    • Visualize your success and remind yourself of the reasons why you embarked on this transformation journey.
  7. Adjust and Adapt:
    • Be flexible and willing to adjust your plan based on your progress and feedback from your body.
    • Celebrate your achievements and learn from any setbacks to continuously improve.

Remember, one month is a relatively short time frame for significant body transformation, but with dedication and the right approach, you can make noticeable progress towards your goals. Focus on building sustainable habits that you can maintain beyond the initial month to ensure long-term success.

What schedule and budget options are there for personal training with me? Read all about it at this link!

What Happens During Your 30 Days of Hard Work

A one month body transformation is no joke! Whether you are doing strength workouts, intense workouts, high-rep workouts, low-rep workouts, etc., if you put in honest hard work, you’ll see changes!

Get started on your 1 month body transformation and give it your honest best shot. You’ll see benefits in every way: internal benefits to your cardiovascular system like decreased resting heart rate, decreased/healtheir blood pressure, health benefits all the way down to the cellular level. Your blood vessels will be more pliable (which is a good thing) and your energy levels will increase. All of your muscle fibers will benefit from the movement and increased in blood flow.

More tips for how to get in shape fast!

You’ll see external benefits like changes in your physical appearance, increase in your fitness level and muscle definition. Your metabolic rate will increase and you’ll begin to enjoy both the better physical fitness and physical changes. Bottom line, you’ll be in a good place, and you’ll see even better results the longer you keep it up. 

Your Turn for Success

Kathryn here again: stay tuned for further updates about Tony’s progress. You know I can’t help but brag about my clients.

If you are ready to make a change, please message me here or email me at kathryn@kathrynalexander.com.  I wish you the best of luck in your training!

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

How Do You Handle Stress?

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How do you handle stress? Busy-ness is the new affliction. Everybody’s got it. Some people thrive in it, some people drown in it. 

Regardless of how well you handle stress, you are probably busy and need to manage stress in your life. 

What do you do to manage stress? Please let me know. I always ask this, and my clients probably think I am endlessly nosy. However, the better I know what works for people, the better I can help people.

This is why I would like your input. What do you do to manage stress? Below is a list of input I have received thus far. I’d like to hear yours! Do you do any of these? Do they work for you? Email me or leave me a comment! I will keep your identity in confidence, of course, if you’d rather email. 

  • Workout
  • Yoga
  • Write in a journal
  • Talk with a friend
  • Shoot clays at the range
  • Take the dog for a walk

How I Handle Stress

My favorite things to relieve stress? Working myself silly at the track or on bleachers, grilling, watching live music, and watching my two favorite football teams! Geaux Tigers and Hook ’em!

LSU Tiger Stadium football
track work exercise as stress management
live music at the hills cafe Austin Tx
how do you handle stress grilling steaks

Ready, go! Let me know. Thank you! 

kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Holiday Diet and Nutrition Tips

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It’s that time of year y’all: party time!! Between now and New Year will be dinners, holiday parties, family get togethers (and birthdays for those unlucky people who get combo gifts every year).

This party season is especially tough for people who are on a diet or people who find success by regularly planning their meals.

So how do you get through the holidays without completely going off the rails on your diet? I have a simple formula I follow. Let me share.

caloric balance = {[(kcal intake/24 hr time period)]# of days*3} – (kcal expended)*limx→f(x)

Kidding! Kidding!

There are three basic types of diet challenges during the holidays

  1. the snacks people constantly bring to the office
  2. the holiday party you go to the takes a couple hours
  3. the big family parties that you host, or otherwise attend, that go on for days.

All of these present unique challenges but have simple solutions. Let’s break them down.

Holiday diet and nutrition tips and Thanksgiving pumpkins

Situation 1: The treats that people bring to the office during holidays.

Some people enjoy sharing goodies with coworkers, and others are just trying to get it out of their house so they themselves don’t overindulge. Either way this will go on for six weeks. Brace yourselves.

But don’t give in. A random plate of cookies is not a reason to splurge. It is not a special or unique time. You know this is going to go on for six weeks. The best way to avoid this trap? Just don’t do it. Under any circumstance. Bring your lunch, plan your meals and don’t give an inch.

Situation #2: The holiday parties.

These are some of the most fun holiday functions, and you can’t avoid these even if you want to. Friends parties, work parties, spouse’s work parties, they’re all over December’s calendar. Quick and easy, and fun to get done up for, but not worth blowing your diet on.

Here’s how you enjoy yourself and don’t blow it: eat a healthy meal beforehand. (Same rule applies as grocery shopping. Don’t arrive hungry!) Make sure you have protein, fats, fibrous vegetables, and lots of water. Then, at the party, pick your two favorite indulgences and try those. If they’re not that good, you don’t have to finish them. Just don’t look at these parties of blowouts. Remember, you’ll go home in a couple hours.

About drinks: alcohol isn’t evil. It’s not inherently good or bad. It just doesn’t bring you toward any fitness or health goals so be aware of that. If you really are nailing down every calorie you eat, you’ll want to choose a liquor with a non caloric mixer. For example, gin + tonic has fewer calories than wine or beer. No matter what though, don’t drink and drive. Ain’t nobody got time for a DWI.

Situation #3: The big family parties!

These are most challenging situations to diets and exercise routines, simply because extended family get togethers usually involve travel for a few days.

What’s the key to diet success? Planning! What’s the hardest thing to do when you’re in a different city staying at someone’s house eating meals you didn’t plan? Planning!

It’s also when you have all your favorite family specialties. I come from a family of great cooks and bakers. When we get together, it’s food for days. The one-of-a-kind pralines, cheese ball, gumbo, taco salad, and other indulgences that you really don’t get all year round. And you’re surrounded by it!

What do you do?

First, you be proactive and bring the healthy stuff. Bring the good source of protein. Bring that awesome baked chicken you’ve perfected. Bring those bacon brussels sprouts that you make taste wonderful and hearty.

Second, try to retain some semblance of eating meals, not grazing all day.

Finally, make a game plan. Mine is the same as before an evening party: get enough protein, fill up on vegetables, make sure I’m hydrated with water or tea, before I add indulgences. When you’re getting enough of the healthy stuff, you won’t binge.

After the turkey is put away and the last touchdown is scored, be the ringleader of taking a walk around the neighborhood later. Do the waddle if you have to. Just do something to keep your feet moving.

Last and certainly not least, be thankful that we are able to make all these decisions for ourselves. Having an abundance of healthy choices while surrounded by family and friends is truly a blessing.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Four Simple but Effective Strategies to Improve Your Diet

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Diet change is always hard and has implications beyond just what you eat. It affects how you feed your family, and how you socialize. But remember: eating healthier makes you feel better, and that stays with you every minute of the day. It is worth it! Do your best and keep making good decisions to improve your diet!

Are you ready to make a healthy change but don’t know where to start? Here are four options.

1: Get Enough of What You Need. The “Good Enough” Diet.

The “Good Enough” diet is my favorite. It means you don’t focus on what you are cutting out; you focus on what you are eating. Your goal is to eat everything you need to make a healthy day. It means that your priority isn’t restricting things, it’s getting enough of the things you need. For this plan, you first identify how much protein, fat, carbs, water, and fiber you need. You make sure that you reach these targets every day. After that, you can eat and drink other things.

The beauty of this is that when you were getting enough healthy things, you don’t have as much room for splurges. You also won’t give in to hunger cravings and make bad decisions due to being ravenous (because you won’t be ravenous!). If you want to splurge, you can! You just won’t want or need to as often.

Another benefit of this approach is that you aren’t going to be deficient in vitamins or nutrients. You’ll be well hydrated, well functioning, and you won’t feel restricted. You’ll be taking in enough protein to build muscle (because you are working out, right?!).

This is the program I usually follow. I get enough of everything I need to nourish my body and grow from my workouts, and I don’t feel guilty if I throw Blue Bell in there.

This is good for it: holidays. A more relaxed time in life. Maintenance or strength phases, since it might be a caloric surplus.

2: Nail Down One Healthy Meal that becomes Easy and Habitual

With this approach, you pick one meal each day that you can commit to eating healthy. This will be the same meal every day. It gives you a foundation upon which to build healthy habits.

Breakfast is a great meal to make your healthy foundation. First, decide your goal for the meal. Let’s say it is 30 g of protein, 40 g of carbs, and 11 g of fat. Build a meal that satisfies those needs. This might be scrambled eggs, sautéed vegetables which you prepared the night before, a piece of toast and half an apple.

Make it simple, doable, and commit to having it every day. This meal serves as the basis for a healthy rest of the day. From there, try to make good choices at lunch and dinner, but if the wheels fall off later in the day, you know you got a healthy breakfast. Regardless of how you eat the rest of the day, when you get home, plan to make your healthy breakfast. That one staple meal is non-negotiable. Do not get lazy with this one.

Some people might want to make their staple meal dinner. If you prefer a light breakfast, and don’t have a problem eating a healthy lunch, dinner might be the better option.

If your office mates often go out to lunch, establishing lunch as your healthy staple meal might be the most beneficial option for you. In this case, you scope out the restaurants that you frequent, identify the healthiest meal on the menu, and pick that. That way you know you all your healthy options, and you choose them consistently.

This is good for: People who are busy. It takes a little bit of work on the front end, but from there is easy to maintain.

3: Don’t Eat The Things You Know You Shouldn’t: The Common Sense Diet.

Don’t eat the things you know you shouldn’t. This is called the common sense diet because it is common sense. You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know that some foods don’t bring you closer to your goals.

This is a very hands off eating plan for people who generally have self control. It means you just don’t eat the things you know you shouldn’t eat. If your goal is weight loss, you know you shouldn’t eat donuts. It won’t bring you closer to your goal. So, choose not to. This requires some willpower, but is the simplest plan. If you have 100 pounds to lose, this plan is pretty simple, does not require counting calories or grams, and can help you progress. Be honest with yourself and make good decisions.

This is good for: people who are looking for simplicity, and people who don’t want to count numbers, but can commit to make themselves better.

4: Focus on Fixing Your One Worst Habit

Focus on fixing your one worst habit. This can be a game changer for people who have a really bad habit. The best example is drinking full sugar sodas or sweet teas. I’m a southern girl and I love my sweet tea, but I can’t have multiple glasses every day. (I could, easily. It’s delicious! But I choose not to).

Perhaps your worst habit is that pint of ice cream every night, or a whole pizza every night for dinner.

This is actually an ok problem to have, because this adds up so quickly, and eliminating or reducing it will add up quickly in your favor. This isn’t for everyone. If you are already eating pretty balanced and don’t have any excessive vices, this might not bring you a lot of results.

This is good for: people who have a bad habit that adds up quickly and are willing to eliminate or reduce it.

Will These Diets Work For You?

All of these approaches stop short of counting every calorie and every gram. They won’t be thorough enough for people who are looking to compete in bodybuilding or physique. Also, if you have so much weight to lose that your health needs to be your first priority, you will benefit from being stricter than any of these approaches. However, these are great places to start.

Need Ideas For Your Staple Meals?

Here are some of my favorites:

Italian Seasoned Baked Chicken and Brussels Sprouts that actually taste good

Salmon, Broccoli and Rice

Scrambled Eggs, Grits, and Bacon

Try It!

Do any of these resonate with you? Have you tried any of these? Let me know if you implement any of these and how they work for you!

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.