How To

How to do Bear Crawls

January 10, 2022 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

About the Bear Crawl

If you have done bear crawls, you might be having flashbacks of sweat and tears and punishment from a high school coach. The bear crawl is a full body, energy intensive exercise that lends itself well to group application.

But have no fear! The bear crawl is a great exercise that is beneficial to almost everybody, not just high schoolers! It is equipment free and has many modifications to suit your goals and space.

What is the Bear Crawl?

The bear crawl is a traveling movement on all fours. It can be done quickly, like a run, for conditioning goals. It can be done as I’ll show you here, with smaller movements for a focus on the trunk. There are many ways to do a bear crawl well. In this case, you’ll take smaller steps and more precise movements. This will also allow you to do the bear crawl inside, where you might not have as much room as on a large turf.

To Do the Bear Crawl

Set up on all fours (4 point position)
Keep an active, neutral, flat back
Pick your knees up off the ground about an inch
Travel forward, taking very small (2 inch) steps
Deliberately keep your trunk engaged, as opposed to loose and flopping around
Reverse and travel backwards

Try It and Let Me Know!

Try out the bear crawl and let me know how it goes! It’s tougher than it looks so be prepared to work!

Happy training!

How to do Band Pullaparts

December 6, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Band pullaparts are a fantastic exercise for nearly everybody to do. Band pullaparts work your posterior upper body, something we need to be cognizant of in a very forward facing society. We look at our phones, we type on the computer, leaning in and stretching our neck.

The truth is, we need to do this anyway. It’s not just modern times. It’s because our eyes face forward. If not for a smart phone, it would be a book, a newspaper, a magazine.

It’s also very important to make sure your back is strong if your front is strong. Do you bench press? Do you do pushups? You need pullaparts then, to maintain shoulder health.

It’s simply a good habit to get in to work the muscles behind you, no matter your profession or physical demands during the day.

Band pullaparts are one way to do that. They work your rear delts, traps, and rhomboids, among other supporting musculature.

How to do Band Pullaparts

stand tall
extend your arms in front of you, gripping a light band
keep elbows straight but not locked as you press your arms straight around your side
I prefer palms down but you can experiment with different hand positions
squeeze your shoulders behind you as you make a big wide sweep with your arms
press until the band touches your chest
control the return to your start position and repeat

Execution and Incorporation of Pullaparts

Pullaparts are great as a warm up, finisher, or even between exercises. I sometimes do pull-ups between sets of bench press as a reminder to scapular control. You can do sets of 10-15, or do a larger set. Use a fairly light band, as this isn’t an exercise you’ll aggressively progress. It’s a reminder and reinforcement of shoulder health. Let me know if you have questions about your pullaparts!

How to do Lunges and Lunge Variations

November 30, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Lunges are a fantastic exercise because they are effective, versatile, and can benefit nearly everyone. You can do lunges without equipment, with equipment. You can make them harder or easier by adjusting the distance and load. They can work on strength, endurance and even balance.

If lunges aren’t in your program, what you doin?? 🙂

How to Do a Lunge

From a tall standing position, step one leg forward in front of you
Step as if you are on railroad tracks, not a tight rope
Aim to land with a 90 degree angle in both knees
Knee should be close to the floor but not touching
Press into the ground through your heel and big toe and squeeze your glute to stand back up
Repeat with your other leg, alternating as you go

When to Use Lunge Variations

You can do lunges many different ways, depending on what you are looking to gain from them.

To work balance, do walking lunges.

If balance is too prohibitive, stationary lunges or reverse lunges will allow you to get good work in.

To improve work capacity, do walking lunges a greater distance to get more volume.

To improve strength, hold dumbbells in any variation.

For all around increased challenge, try the Bulgarian split squat. These are challenging! Let me know how you like them!

And as always, feel free to email me if you have specific questions!

How to do the “Y”

November 22, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

The “Y” as I call it, is an exercise primarily for your rear delts, or the posterior muscle of your shoulder. This is a small, nuanced movement, so you can even do it effectively without weight. In fact, I want you to master it without weight first, so read below how to do it well.

Holding the position also reinforces a healthy hinge, which is a crucial movement to master to prevent back pain.

How to do the “Y” for rear delts

Follow the instructions below, and start with no weight at first. Remember, if you can do this and recruit the muscles you are trying to feel, you’ll do better at it when you do introduce weight. Start with a set of 10 reps, then stand and assess where you feel it.

hinge at the hips with back neutral and straight
extend arms with palms facing behind you
bend at the elbows as if you are elbowing the ceiling
rotate your arms up into a “touchdown” position
extend your arms into a “Y shape
bend at the elbows, rotate arms, and straight elbows to return to the start position

How to do the “Y” with a Bench at the Gym

If you have a bench or would like to do this at the gym, you can follow the same directions. Watch the video below for a demo.

How to Do the Goblet Squat

October 1, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

The goblet squat is a great squat variation that is effective as a training tool and teaching tool. It naturally predisposes one toward optimal form, making it easy to feel a good squat. It is accessible too, as it can be done with any implement that you can hold at your chest.

The placement of the implement (high, at your chest) recruits your anterior musculature more than a back squat does, meaning you’ll use your torso a good bit.

You can use the goblet squat as a warm up, learning tool, or main lift. Check out the directions and video below for more thorough directions.

Goblet Squat

hold the weight in your upward facing palms
press elbows toward each other so your elbows are under the weight, not pointing toward the sides of the room
keep trunk tight and neutral
break at the hips to initiate squat
sit deep into heels
squeeze big toe into the ground and squeeze your glutes as you stand

How to do the Dead Bug

May 4, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

The dead bug is a trunk and core stability exercise that can be done at beginner to more advanced levels. As long as you can safely lay flat on your back on the floor, you can do the dead bug.

Begin with the easiest version, described below. Once you have mastered that, you can progress to the tougher versions by using a foam roller, or performing the 4-way dead bug. Videos are below.

The Dead Bug

lay on your back with arms and legs extended into the air
squeeze your abs to press your back into the ground
maintain this abdominal squeeze
extend your right arm and left leg toward the floor in a controlled manner
shorten your range of motion if your low back pops off the ground
return to your start position, and repeat with your opposite arm and leg

Practice, practice. You’ll get it- this one’s a thinker!

Performing the dead bug on a foam roller provides an extra stability challenge.

The 4 way dead bug is the toughest. Keep your abs very engaged and low back pressed into the ground. This is a tough variation. I’d ideally like your reps to be better than my first rep in the video. Watch the reps to see if you can spot the difference.

Happy training! Let me know how you incorporate the dead bug into your program!

7 Squat Variations to Make Home Sessions More Challenging

March 30, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Exercising with less equipment can be liberating. You can train almost anywhere and you don’t have to spend time on all the details of the session. Lift, move, go! Push, pull, squat!

The challenge is continuing to progress with fewer options. You’ll eventually reach a point where you feel like you are doing the same 5 exercises over and over. That’s ok because 1) the basics work and 2) it only takes a little bit of adjustment to break out of that.

I focus on squats on this article because you’ll find yourself doing squats often. They are bang-for-your-bucks, and universally applicable. Below are some ways you can make your squats more challenging when you’ve run out of home weights.

Do More Reps

The easiest and perhaps most common way to challenge yourself more is to do more reps. This isn’t always the answer, especially if you have the option to go heavier on the next set. If you have used your heaviest weights though, you can add more reps per set. You can also add more sets if your sets are becoming excessively long.

Shorten Rest Interval

Like adding more reps, you can shorten your rest interval to increase the challenge. This decrease in recovery calls on your body to do more work in a fatigued state. Doing the same amount of work in a shorter amount of time shows progress.

Use Different Implements

This advice typically refers to using dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, and barbells. At home, this takes on a whole new meaning. Need more weight? Have a willing kid hanging around? Pick ‘em up and squat! Hold them in your arms like a baby or piggyback. No children or willing partners? Load up a backpack and squat. Wear it backwards for a front squat.

Tempo Squats

A tempo squat uses a familiar set and rep scheme, the same form, and even the same implement. However, you will vary your pace by going slower at certain parts of the lift. Tempo is commonly written as 4 digits, such as 1010. This means a one second descent, no pause at the bottom, one second up, and no pause before performing the next rep. I commonly use a 5010 tempo, which means a sloowww 5 second descent, no pause at the bottom, then a regular fast ascent. This will quickly spice up a squat set!

Pause Squats

Adding a pause at the bottom of a squat is also a great way to increase the challenge without increasing weight. To properly execute a pause squat, you will do a normal squat and dead stop at the bottom. Keep generating pressure so you aren’t wobbling, dipping or rising. Once you have held your pause as long as you need, drive up from that dead stop position. It is important here to NOT dip then drive.

Using the terminology of the last example, a 5 second pause squat would be a tempo of 1510.

Suitcase Deadlift and Offset Loads

A suitcase deadlift is performed by picking up something that is parked on one side of you, like a suitcase. It is an offset load, so the demand on your trunk is to resist the imbalanced pull while. This can be performed like a deadlift or a squat. You can do a suitcase deadlift with one weight, or with two weights that do not weigh the same. Because of the offset load, your trunk works asymmetrically, which is much more of a real life situation than a crunch type movement.

How to Apply These in Your Training

Identify in your sessions where you feel under worked. You can add in one of these exercises and see how it changes your workload. You can also add one of these techniques to the last set of your training. For example, if your goblet squats have been easy, add in a pause squat on the last set. If it’s a good challenge, you can call it a day or repeat that paused set.

Let me know if you have more questions! Get creative and challenge yourself on those home sessions!

How to Band Deadlift

March 16, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Want to be safer when picking up your kid? Yep. Want your lawn work to feel easier? Yes. Want to tighten up your back side? Oh yeah.

I have good news for you! Practice the deadlift movement and you can accomplish all of these at once. I say “movement” because you don’t have to do a competition style deadlift, as heavy as you can, to benefit.

Deadlifts Make You Strong

One of the most beneficial lifts, if not the most beneficial lift, is the deadlift. When done properly, the deadlift makes you real-life strong. It makes you more resilient and more injury-resistant.

The deadlift works much of your body and your whole posterior. Your prime movers when deadlifting are glutes, hamstrings, quads and back. The deadlift also works your upper back, traps, grip, and trunk.

Because it works so much of your body’s musculature, and because the deadlift allows a great amount of exertion, it sends a strong signal to your body to get respond. It says, “Get stronger and grow!”

Why Doesn’t Everyone Deadlift?

One of the biggest impediments to practicing the deadlift is that a traditional deadlift requires a 7 foot bar. Not many people have a barbell like that at home, and not even all gyms have good barbells. Additionally, some people prefer not to do a barbell deadlift. That is OK.

I do want you to have options though, because picking anything up off the floor is a movement that mimics the deadlift, and you’ll surely do that in your life. I want you to do it safely. A simple band at home can help you practice the deadlift.

How to Perform the Band Deadlift

stand with both feet on an appropriately resistant band
keep your whole trunk engaged (abs on, arms pressed down)
keep your trunk neutral (neutral here means straight, no swayback or tucked)
bring your hips toward the ground and grab the band
keeping your arms straight and your trunk unmoving, squeeze your glutes and grab the ground with your toes
press the ground away from you as you stand all the way up
reverse the movement to return to your starting position

Where to Find a Band

You can find a good and inexpensive band with a quick search for “resistance band”. Look for the flat band and not tubing. If you have questions about the purchase process or your form, please email me! I am happy to help and I wish you fun, fruitful deadlifting!

Tips for Easier Meal Prepping

March 8, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

I love cooking and hosting, so sometimes I’m cooking for a table full of people. Other times, it’s just me. Even then, I actually plan to cook a bit more than I need now, because I’ll always have enough for someone else to drop in, or for my leftovers.

I previously published a giant how-to on meal prepping for an entire week. It makes a crazy amount of food, most of which you can freeze if you don’t use. It’s a great option that shows how to realistically cook a lot of food with just a couple hours.

Read it here: How To Meal Prep for a Week

But what about the times you overcook, or make too much? You’ll figure out systems that work for you, but maybe some of these tips can save you time when cooking food in advance and saving it for later.

More Tips for Easier Meal Prepping

Meal prepping absolutely makes the week go easier if eating healthy according to a plan is important to you. Here are some quick ideas for cooking enough and not wasting food:

Batch your time and cook a few meals. Plan on having chicken breasts and veggies in the oven, and rice and ground beef on the stove. This way your prep and cleanup time is batched, too.
Invest in good food storage for leftovers. I love Pyrex. It’s glass, so you don’t have to worry about any weird staining or warping. It freezes and cleans easy, too.
You can freeze meals you won’t eat for a few days, and refrigerate the rest.
Keep a can of tuna or chicken, and frozen vegetables as a backup. If you run out of food or forget to plan, you can always pop open a can, saute the vegetables, and there you have a meal. If you don’t have guests, you don’t have to impress anybody but yourself.

Read next: My Favorite Recipes

Home Ab Session!

March 2, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

I’m a believer in the “big rocks”, the staples of a healthy program: squat, push, pull, weighted carry. Do these things regularly and progressively and you’ll have a solid core. Sometimes you need some accessory ab work though, and people ask me for more ab work all the time. So, here you go: a simple (but not easy) equipment free home session. Enjoy!!

The Session

In the next paragraph are the 5 exercises for this session. Do 10 reps of each exercise and then move immediately to the next one, resting at the end of each 5 before the next round, or as you need. If you can continue without your form suffering, continue. Where there is a right and left exercise, do 10 on each side. Run through this session 3-5 times. If you’re still raring to go, you can add another set!

The Exercises

Each exercise name is a link to a YouTube how-to, and pictures and explanations are below.

Crunch

lay on your back, supporting your head if you choose
using your abs, think about bringing your ribs closer to your hip bones
this is not a sit-up; it’s a partial range of motion crunch

Toe Touch

lay on your back with your legs in the air
reach your right arm toward your left toes in a quick crunch motion
reach your left arm toward your right toes in a quick crunch motion -continue alternating sides

Lying Leg Extension

lay on your back with knees bent at a 90 degree angle
keep knees directly over hips, not pulled into your chest
using your abs, press your low back into the ground
slowly extend your right leg until your knee is straight and heel is close to the ground
stop if your low back pops off the ground
if your low back pops off the ground, don’t bring your heels as close to the ground (image 3)
bring your leg back to the 90 degree bent position and repeat with the other leg

Breaststroke

lay flat on the ground with arms extended in front of you
head should be facing the floor, not looking in front of you
make a wide sweep with your arms around and slightly extend your upper body off the floor
as arms reach your sides, tuck your hands by your sides as you again extend your arms in front of you
inhale as you sweep your arms wide toward your sides
exhale as you return your arms to your starting position

Plank Knee to Elbow

get in plank position from hands
maintain a straight body position from your legs through the crown of your head
keep your back engaged so your shoulders don’t shift up into your ears, and you don’t sink toward the floor
bring your right knee toward your right elbow
return right foot to floor and perform the same movement on your left side
your knee probably won’t touch your elbow, and that’s ok. Don’t crunch to reach it

Different Styles of Cardio and How They Can Help You

February 10, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Love it or hate it, cardio is great for you. Cardio can improve your health, quality of life, and athletic and physique goals. There are many ways to do cardio, though, so let’s cover the details so you can discover what style is best for you.

American Heart Association Guidelines

For reference, 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

Low Intensity Steady State

LISS cardio is done at a very low intensity, or slow pace, usually for an extended period of time. This is usually a long walk and is done for recovery or just extra movement. If you are an experienced swimmer or cyclist and can settle into an easy pace, you can do LISS with those methods too. If you are physically exhausted from an accumulation of hard training, this is a good option.

Moderate Intensity Exercise

Moderate intensity exercise is a step above LISS in intensity, but is very do-able for a period of time. Examples include brisk walking, walking on a treadmill at an incline, jogging, cycling, rowing or swimming. Moderate intensity exercise can be done multiple times a week.

High Intensity Exercise

High intensity exercise is vigorous in nature and feels highly exertional. High intensity exercise sessions will usually be harder and quicker than moderate or low intensity. Examples include running, hard cycling, swimming and jump roping.

High Intensity Interval Training

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is characterized by bouts of high intensity alternating with low intensity or rest intervals. The high intensity intervals are typically done at an exertion level near impossible to maintain, thus necessitating the rest periods. Examples include sprints, hill sprints, stair climbing, kettle bell swinging, and jump roping. You might do HIIT only a couple times a week since it is quite demanding.

It All Adds Up!

Remember that exercise accumulates! No movement is wasted! Find something fun and try a new cardio method today!

Improve Your Mind Muscle Connection to Get More Out of Your Training

January 11, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Mind Muscle Connection

Developing and utilizing the mind-muscle connection is one of the most overlooked lessons to learn about training. If you are able to develop the mind-muscle connection, all your training will yield greater results.

The mind-muscle connection is basically the internal dialog of the brain and the muscles involved in the movement. Instead of focusing on the task (bending the elbow) you focus on the process (squeeze the biceps). This allows your movements to be more effective and to actually develop what you are aiming to develop. For example, shallow, unfocused squats will not develop the quads, hamstrings or glutes to the full potential. Focusing on what your body is doing and what muscles are contracting and assisting will allow you to recruit and stimulate your muscle fibers most effectively.

How to Develop Your Mind Muscle Connection

To develop the mind-muscle connection, focus on the muscle group you are using. For instance, in a squat, feel the stretch as you sit deep, then think about squeezing your glutes and legs as you stand back up. This is much more effective than just bending up and down.

It helps to brush up on the major muscle groups so you understand what muscle groups cause specific movement. Think about what muscle you are working as you move, and if you don’t know, look it up beforehand.

Here, I am focusing on the muscles that actually do the movement of the pullapart, called the prime movers.

The prime movers are rear delts, traps, and rhomboids. I focus on feeling these rather than focusing on what the band is doing.

What To Do Next

Working on moving your body deliberately with the mind-muscle connection is a lifetime goal; you’ll always be practicing and improving it. But once you have an understanding of it, then it will be especially effective to add more sets and reps. From there, you can even add progressively increasing challenges, such as heavier weights, pauses, tempo reps, etc.

It all begins with understanding what you are working though. Once you have that, you’ll see the effects of your training improve greatly!

3 Exercises for Improved Posture

January 4, 2021 by Kathryn Alexander 2 Comments

Optimal posture can help you breathe better, alleviate and prevent back pain, and look and feel more confident. Maintaining good posture is always important, but is especially pertinent if you sit many hours of the day, or are less active than you have been in the past.

Much of having good posture is simply practicing it habitually, but you can do exercises to develop and reinforce good posture. Do these 3 exercises a few times a week. You can do these at the beginning of your training session, after, or as a standalone session.

Band Pullapart

extend tall through your spine, whether you are sitting or standing
press your arms straight around your side
squeeze your shoulders behind you as you do this
press until the band touches your chest
elbows can have a slight bend here, but will stay at the same angle. Do not straighten or bend at the elbow

Bird Dog

start from a 4 point position on the ground
be sure wrists are directly under shoulders and knees are directly under hips
keep an active, neutral, flat back (no arching or hunching)
be tall through your spine, from the top of your head to your tailbone
without wiggling or compensating, extend one arm straight in front of you, and back under you
repeat on your other arm
extend one leg, thinking about squeezing your glutes and straightening at the knee
imagine you are wearing your favorite white shirt and balancing a tray of red wine on your back
If this is easy, you can extend the right arm and left leg at the same time, then alternate sides

Breaststroke

lay flat on the ground with arms extended in front of you
head should be facing the floor, not looking in front of you
make a wide sweep with your arms around and slightly extend your upper body off the floor
as arms reach your sides, tuck your hands by your sides as you again extend your arms in front of you
inhale as you sweep your arms wide toward your sides
exhale as you return your arms to your starting position

The Details

Begin with a set of 8-10 reps of each exercise. That is one round. From there, repeat, trying to do each movement better. Be in a better control, pay attention to what you are feeling. You can do 3-5 rounds, depending on how you feel. Still have more questions? Leave me a comment or email me! I’m happy to hear from you!

How To Meal Prep For a Week

March 19, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Meal prepping has been all the rage lately; seems like everybody has been talking about it, and for good reason: meal prepping has some huge benefits. It can cut cooking time, and ensure you have good healthy food when you need it. On the downside, it’s heavy on planning until you get in the swing of it.

To help expedite the planning process, I have compiled a comprehensive guide on how to meal prep for a week, from grocery list to clean up. Pro tip: employ the “I cook, you clean” rule, because there will be a lot of dishes. Sadly, this does not work if you live by yourself.

Plan breakfast ahead

This meal prep plan will not include breakfast, so I encourage you to have a quick, easy breakfast recipe, if you are a breakfast eater. I have a quick smoothie every morning for breakfast or scramble eggs with grits. Both are simple and I can prepare them practically on autopilot.

The Menu

This is a step by step guide for preparing lunch and dinner for a week, for about 2 people. You can follow along with the text and pictures, or you can watch the video, which condenses it down to the most important steps.

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You can adjust the recipes to suit you and your family’s food preferences. Check out the menu and if you’d like to follow my plans exactly, and email me if you’d like the full grocery list.

Getting started

You’ll want 3-4 baking pans lined with aluminum foil coated with a light layer of olive oil. You’ll also use a strainer, crock post and a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a skillet, you can use another pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Marinate flat iron steak with Italian dressing in large ziploc bag. Return to fridge.

How to meal prep chicken

The secret to cooking chicken that doesn’t dry out is to coat chicken with olive oil on both sides before you season it. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, or seasoning of your choice, and put chicken in the oven.

Wash your hands.

Write on a post it note what time you put it in, and when you need to check it. Set timer if you’d like. I suggest checking in 45 minutes.

How to meal prep salmon

Line pan with aluminum foil and olive oil for salmon.

Slice about half an orange and half a lemon. Coat salmon with olive oil, Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic seasoning, and place citrus slices on salmon. Put salmon in the oven.

Wash hands.

Update your post it note with time you put salmon in the oven, and time to check it. I suggest checking in 20 minutes.

How to meal prep vegetables

Line another pan with aluminum foil and olive oil.

Wash and dry asparagus, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Of course, you can make more of one if you have a favorite. Chop the ends of the asparagus and brussels sprouts and discard. Chop the brussels sprouts and broccoli into bite sizes, and coat with olive oil and sea salt.

Fill boiling pot with water and set to high heat, to prepare for the shrimp boil.

While the water is heating up, the salmon should be ready to check. Be sure that it flakes when you gently pull it apart with a fork. If it does, it is done.

Remove it from the oven. This should make a little more room for the veggies, which are ready to be put in the oven.

How to meal prep a shrimp boil

Prep your shrimp boil veggies: peel corn ears and break in half, wash and quarter oranges, and wash mushrooms and red potatoes.

As soon as water begins to boil, add spices, bay leaves, and potatoes and corn.

After 5-10 minutes, add mushrooms and oranges to shrimp boil.

Don’t take your eyes off the shrimp! They only take about 4:00 to cook. Overcook them and they’ll stick to the shell when you peel them.

Important: when the shrimp are done, save the water to make rice. To do this, pour the shrimp through a strainer placed in a bowl.

How to meal prep rice

But first, it should be about time to check for the chicken to be done. I always use a thermometer on chicken because it should be well done for safety. Nobody’s got time for food sickness. Chicken should be 165 degrees measured on the thickest part of the biggest piece.

When the chicken is taken out of the oven, everything should be out. Set the oven to broil and let it heat up. Bring the water in the boiling pot back to a boil. When it is boiling, add in the rice. Follow the instructions on the rice for amount of rice to cook give your estimate of how much water is boiling.

How to meal prep a giant salad

Wash a few more mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce. I use a combination of romaine lettuce and spinach for my salad. To skip a step, you can buy the spinach pre washed in a bag, but always wash it again.

Combine all these ingredients in a big bowl and put back in the fridge. This is your dinner salad for all week. You can add to it as necessary.

Confession: I don’t time rice. Check it occasionally and stir. It will be done when most of the water is boiled out. Yes, I know, very helpful. You are welcome.

How to meal prep flat iron steak

The flat iron steak should be broiled about 5 minutes and then flipped over for 5 more minutes. I like the steak cooked in my cast iron, which isn’t big enough for both, so I did them separately.

Food safety and freshness

When I prep food, my preference is to prep only 3 days in advance. However, sometimes people prefer to prep for a whole week, as I am showing here. You’ll want to take a few steps to ensure the food you eat is good all week. There are a few ways to do this:

Freeze food that you will eat in 3-4 days or longer. Take out to thaw the night before.
Supplement prepped meals with healthy purchased meals through the week.
Have a big prep on Sunday, and then a mini prep for say, your protein, mid week.

One way to do this mini-prep is to prepare a crock pot recipe. Crock pots are so easy and make very tasty meals.

How to meal prep a roast in the crock pot

Pour broth into the crock pot first. Add the roast, beans, french onion soup cans, bay leaves, and more broth if you have it. From here, you can either start the crock pot, or put this back in the fridge, ready to cook tomorrow during the day.

The Feast

When the flat iron steak is out of the oven, everything should be done and cooling. You have your choice of what to eat tonight, since all is available. Too add a lot more variety with a little bit of effort, you can make cooking night a taco night.

With just sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, cheese, an avocado and tortillas, you get one more entirely different meal. You can have chicken tacos, steak tacos, and any sides you’d like.

You’ll have a little bit of clean up but the foiled lined pans cuts that down tremendously. If you’ll be bringing lunches to work, I suggest putting them in Pyrex or Tupperware in their correct portions before you refrigerate them. If you will be coming home to dinner, you can condense food into pans and cover with fresh foil or Saran wrap, instead of portioning them.

I hope you found this guide helpful! I’d love to know how you use meal prepping and what tips you can share, too. Thanks for reading!

2 Minute No Sweat Series To Start the Day Right

March 12, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

You know that indulgent stretch right when we wake up in the morning? Before coffee, or before we even get out of bed? Yep, feels amazing. We do the same instinctively after getting off an airplane, or sitting through a long meeting. Our bodies like to move.

We are made to move.

It’s good for us! You know this. Your body does it naturally!

Yet we get busy and prioritize our to-do list, which (let’s be real) is sitting in front of a computer.

2 Minute No Sweat Series

The 2 Minute No Sweat Series is a series of movements that requires no equipment, no special clothing, and very little space. You can run through it once or 5 times. It can be used to energize you, or to relax into at the end of the day before you crawl into bed.

Check out the link below and give it a try! It won’t cost you anything but 2 minutes!

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If any of the movements bother you because of a painful joint or condition, feel free to skip it, or email me for a modification.

The Smoothie Recipe from The Iron Guru

March 4, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander 2 Comments

Smoothies and shakes are everywhere these days: green smoothies post yoga, protein smoothies post gym smash, and yogurt smoothies available in the grocery aisle for those on the go. They really are fantastic, as they are quick, versatile, and potentially healthy and delicious.

My Favorite Shake Recipe

You know I’m an old school iron girl at heart, so it makes sense that this recipes is based off Vince Gironda’s favorite shake recipe.

Vince Gironda, a preeminent bodybuilder and personal trainer in the 1940’s – 1990’s, developed what he called the Hormone Precursor Diet. It was heavy on protein and fat, with much of that coming from eggs. His original shake called for:

12 ounces cream (half & half)
12 raw eggs
1/3 cup protein powder
1 banana

My Take on the Shake

I am not a registered dietician, but I will explain how I adjusted this recipe for me. First, I use pasteurized HEB brand Liquid Egg. It’s quick and easy, and eliminates the chance of salmonella. Second, I adjust the recipe down a bit and omit protein powder. My recipe is:

4-6 ounces half & half
6 ounces Liquid Egg (the whole egg version)
1 frozen banana (if not frozen, add ice cubes)

Update: I’ve had lots of questions about the Liquid Egg. It doesn’t make the smoothie taste like egg, but it does give a great whipped texture. Smoothies have a way of disguising flavors, which is why you have heard of people sneaking in greens in smoothies and shakes.

Check out the whole process in the video below.

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Get 50% off your first two months of The Home Team Training here:

Modifications

Along the way, I have changed it a bit. Sometimes I add central Texas honey, because, you know, cedar fever. (Can someone tell me if having local honey really helps prevent allergies?)

Other times I add strawberries and blueberries for sweetness. The possibilities are limitless! You can substitute skim milk for cream to cut down fat and calories. You can add peanut butter if you’re trying to gain weight, or PB2 if you like the flavor of peanut butter but not the calories.

Obviously, you can add protein powder to up the protein content. You can add raw spinach, which hardly adds any flavor, or beans, if you are a vegetarian to increase protein. Both of these add nutritive value but little flavor, which in this case, is a good thing.

There is truly not a right or wrong. Consider your goals (gain weight, lose weight) and needs (increase protein, increased nutrients) and adjust ingredients accordingly.

Why Am I Recommending a Bodybuilder Shake To You?

It’s easy
It’s fast (2 minutes, I kid you not!)
It can be pretty delicious, or at least, innocuous.

The Liquid Egg cuts down at least 9 minutes cooking time (based on the scrambled eggs I ate every day for breakfast for about 3 years), and really gives a great texture to the smoothie.

Your Turn!

Experiment with a smoothie if you have trouble fitting meals or quick breakfasts in your day. Whether your goal is to gain muscle (tone up), lose fat, or increase conditioning, eating enough protein and vegetables is key! Try using a shake to add those crucial nutrients in.

As always, please email me if you have questions! I would love to hear about your favorite smoothies and how you incorporate them into your day.

References:

http://blog.joshstrength.com/2017/07/4-epic-weight-loss-and-muscle-building-techniques-from-old-school-bodybuilding-legends/

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/splendid-specimens-the-history-of-nutrition-in-bodybuilding/

3 Quick Ways to Improve Your Posture

January 23, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Everyone says you should have good posture, but do you know why? Lots of reasons! In short, good posture helps you look better, feel better, and breathe better.

Learning good posture is very do-able. It takes a few minutes to learn, and consistent practice.

Here is a quick throwback to the Exercise Minute with Erika Lopez at KVUE, where we go over 3 exercises that can help you improve posture. The exercises are listed below the video, which explains them in about a minute.

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Band pullaparts, a common movement many lifters do to prepare before working out
Breaststroke, a Pilates inspired movement
Dumbbell row, a classic lift

If you try any of these exercises, let me know how it goes!

How to Make Yourself Take Action: Exercise Minute with KVUE

January 2, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Happy New Year! Whew! We did it, guys! We made it through the Christmas frenzy. I’m still a little bit Pollyanna: I love Christmas, with all its travel and and gift giving and family loving.

Even with all the good, it was stressful, and I have a teeny little sense of relief to pack up the Christmas decor until next year.

What Next?

Many people finish the holidays with a little bit of exhaustion, a couple extra pounds, and a lotta bit of guilt. Let me save you lots of time and mental anguish and assure you:

There is no need to detox! Do not take detox tea or wraps. Our kidneys and liver do that for us.
There is no need to feel guilty! We are made to seek pleasure from our relationships and meaningful holidays. Turn that attention forward!

Quick, before you keep reading, pull out your phone and make an event on your calendar 7 days from now. Title it “Because I am worth it.”

It’s Not Always So Easy

I’m going to take us back to school for a minute here and introduce you to the Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model. Bear with me; I have found this to be extremely helpful in understanding where people (including me!) are when they approaching making changes in their health, or why they don’t make any change at all.

Developed by researchers James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente, this suggests that people are not universally in the same place, ready to change. Some people are. Some people are not.

You can read the full text here, and please take a minute to acknowledge how wonderful it is to be able to read journal text freeeee! Transtheoretical Therapy: Toward a More Integrative Model of Change

The stages move from less likely to change, to a post-change maintenance phase. For example, consider someone you know who smokes. Some smokers hate the habit and are seeking ways to quit. Maybe they have even already taken action, and tried to quit. Some smokers are just doing their thing, not wanting to quit at all.

Why is this? Why are some people ready to change, and others not even considering it, and even more confusing, some declaring they are ready to quit, but haven’t taken any steps toward quitting?

The Stages of Change model suggests that the smoker who has no inclination to change is in the pre contemplative stage. He isn’t even contemplating change. It is nowhere on his horizon to even think about quitting.

The contemplative smoker is considering it. He has considered quitting, and maybe has a good why: his health, being there for his kids, etc. He hasn’t taken action though. Not quite yet.

The smoker in the preparation phase has made up his mind to change! He will change, and is actively considering how to. (Personal trainers, THIS is where people are when they call you and request a consult. Help them here, be excited for them! They are going to make progress!) If your friend the smoker is in this phase, encourage him with happiness and support! Take a walk after dinner so he won’t be tempted to light up.

The action phase! This is where it happens! This is where people smoker fewer cigarettes, try the patch, or alter their cigarette buying/smoking habits. This is where people join a gym, exercise, take walks around the block.

What we want to see is people in the maintenance phase. This means they have been in the action phase and are living in a good habit. They don’t have the mental struggle of not smoking after every meal, or going to the gym every day. This is where we want people to be. This is where I want you to be.

Back It Up: Where are You?

The reason I tell you about the Stages of Change: I want you to understand that where you are is OK, and that you shouldn’t feel guilty about not being in maintenance NOW. If you were in pre contemplation yesterday, you won’t be in maintenance tomorrow.

Further, and more importantly, I want you to know you can push yourself toward an action phase. You don’t have to hope it magically comes around. It is peaceful to accept that you are where you are, and you make steps toward where you want to be. Remember, I might not be pre contemplative about my training, but I am about other things in my life. This is good for us all to consider.

If you are reading this, you are likely in a contemplative or preparatory phase. To push yourself toward the action phase, we are going to look forward and get ready for you to take action!

How to Push Yourself to Take Action

Remember that everything is a mental game. We make our schedules, our decisions, our priorities. If exercise and training is truly important to you, begin thinking about why and how you are going to take action.

Answer these questions:

Why is this important to you? Examples:
– I want to be there for my grandkids. Shoot, not even be there, I want to be on the floor playing with them on Christmas morning! (Aunt Kathryn worked realllll hard to keep up with the kids this Christmas. I want to be able to do that forever!)
– I want to feel better about my body so I am confident when dating.
– I want to be able to keep up with everyone else in Austin who seems to have a really active lifestyle. (True story; I am reminded I need to practice cardio more when I get suckered into running around Lady Bird Lake.)
– I want my butt bigger. No shame, girl! You own your body and you get to make it what you want. Want bigger biceps and chest? Same!
What type of activities do you enjoy? Be honest with yourself! Like I mentioned, I don’t love running. Make me “commit” to a running program, and I will fail. This from a girl who did 26 squat workouts in October. #Squatober
What schedule works for you? Pick a schedule you have a high likelihood of sticking to. Will you workout at lunch time? If so, pack a gym bag with shower sandals, a towel, and soap.
Think about what you need to begin. Aforementioned gym bag, tennis shoes, a bike?

Erika Lopez of KVUE and I discuss the importance of choosing a plan, activities you enjoy, and acting on it to begin the New Year in a healthy way. (Both this text and the picture are links.)

Some people think of this as working on New Year’s Resolutions, which makes total sense at this time of year. I want you to apply this action-taking framework anytime of the year, though. You don’t get a free pass if you happen to be reading this mid year! It’s always a good time to do something good for yourself!

Clearly, we are super excited to share this with yall.

What Next

Look forward. No more guilt. Consider everything you just thought of. What is popping in your head? Time to join that running group you’ve been meaning to see about? Next time you drive by, park your car at that gym you drive by and look at every day. Maybe you know you should go to the grocery store and make those healthy meals you know how to.

Go back to that date you put in your phone. That’s your goal date. Do that thing, that one starting step, by the date from now. Because you are worth it.

Then, my friend, you will be in the action phase.

Guys, I LIVE for updates! Email me or comment below and fill me in on what steps you’ve taken for you! kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

Get 50% off your first two months with The Home Team Training here:

Gym Etiquette Guide: How to Share the Gym and Get the Workout You Want

January 2, 2018 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

Like a community kitchen or shared break room, the gym is better shared when participants abide by a few common rules. Sometimes it can feel strange going to a new gym or going to the gym for the first time, but knowing how to share the space goes a long way in making you feel comfortable. Read these quick tips and know you belong in the weight room!

Wash your hands before and after you workout, use the restroom, cough, etc.

If there are people using the part of the gym you want to use, survey the area and quickly assess where others are working.

Wait until others are done with their set before you speak to them, so they can maintain concentration.

Speak up! Ask if you can work in or share if you want to use the same area or piece of equipment.

Share when people ask to work in with you. Often, sharing equipment creates an optimal work/rest pace.

Don’t stand directly in front of the dumbbell rack, in case someone needs to get or re-rack dumbbells during your set.

Likewise, don’t stand right in front of the mirror if someone is doing a workset.

Please don’t hesitate to ask gym staff if you have a question about how to use equipment. None of us know how to use everything in every gym.

Clean equipment if you sweat on it.

Understand that some people won’t want to chit chat while working out, and it is not personal. Usually people are just focusing on finishing their workout in time or are highly focused.

Change clothes for your workout. Dress to get the safest, most effective workout. Avoid:

long hair, long necklaces, or loose clothing that could get caught in equipment and pose a safety hazard
flip flops, heels, or unstable footwear
office clothes, since belts, zippers and buckles are rough on equipment.
Shorts that your butt hangs out in, please and thank you.

Kathryn_Alexander_personal_trainer_austin

Be supportive of others! Remember that even if you have different styles of exercise, you are both working hard to invest in yourself. That is worth supporting!

If you are in Austin or are looking for a personal trainer, email me to set up your free consult. kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

HIIT Interval Training for Fat Loss with Erika Lopez on KVUE

December 30, 2017 by Kathryn Alexander Leave a Comment

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

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.

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

How To

About the Bear Crawl

What is the Bear Crawl?

To Do the Bear Crawl

Try It and Let Me Know!

How to do Band Pullaparts

Execution and Incorporation of Pullaparts

How to Do a Lunge

When to Use Lunge Variations

How to do the “Y” for rear delts

How to do the “Y” with a Bench at the Gym

Goblet Squat

The Dead Bug

Do More Reps

Shorten Rest Interval

Use Different Implements

Tempo Squats

Pause Squats

Suitcase Deadlift and Offset Loads

How to Apply These in Your Training

Deadlifts Make You Strong

Why Doesn’t Everyone Deadlift?

How to Perform the Band Deadlift

More Tips for Easier Meal Prepping

The Session

The Exercises

Crunch

Toe Touch

Lying Leg Extension

Breaststroke

Plank Knee to Elbow

American Heart Association Guidelines

Low Intensity Steady State

Moderate Intensity Exercise

High Intensity Exercise

High Intensity Interval Training

It All Adds Up!

Mind Muscle Connection

How to Develop Your Mind Muscle Connection

What To Do Next

Band Pullapart

Bird Dog

Breaststroke

The Details

Plan breakfast ahead

The Menu

Getting started

How to meal prep chicken

How to meal prep salmon

How to meal prep vegetables

How to meal prep a shrimp boil

How to meal prep rice

How to meal prep a giant salad

How to meal prep flat iron steak

Food safety and freshness

How to meal prep a roast in the crock pot

The Feast

2 Minute No Sweat Series

My Favorite Shake Recipe

My Take on the Shake

Modifications

Why Am I Recommending a Bodybuilder Shake To You?

Your Turn!

What Next?

It’s Not Always So Easy

Back It Up: Where are You?

How to Push Yourself to Take Action

What Next

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