9 Fitness Hills I Will Die On (And Why I Stand By Them)

 

Hey, hey beautiful human! There's always some new workout trend telling women we need to train harder, sweat more, lift lighter weights, do more reps, spend more time in the gym, or burn a certain number of calories if we really want to see results.

And after years of strength training myself and helping women work toward their fitness goals, there are some things that I keep coming back to over and over again. These are things that I genuinely believe can make a HUGE difference in how you train, how you recover, and ultimately, the results you see.

So today, I’m sharing nine fitness hills I will absolutely DIE on, and why I stand by every single one.

What’s discussed:

  • Why cardio is helpful but not a game changer

  • Why a good workout can’t help without good nutrition

  • How to train efficiently without overdoing it

  • Same effort over time equals same results

  • Why sweating a lot in the gym doesn’t equal results

  • Why counting calories doesn’t determine how effective a workout is

  • How rest is crucial to get results

If you’re still reaching for the same dumbbells you were using a year ago, I think you’ll love Episode 566: What Most Women Get Wrong About Progressive Overload.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

Transcript

(0:00) Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:05) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I give you a dose of real talk (0:11) and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your (0:17) authentic self.

Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Real. Let's get it. Let's go.

(0:28) Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. Okay, (0:33) so there are a handful of things when it comes to fitness that I feel very strongly about. And (0:38) I think part of the reason that I feel so strongly about them is because I see women making their (0:42) workouts so much more difficult and so much more complicated than they actually need to be.

Like, (0:47) there's always some new workout trend telling us that we need to train harder, train differently, (0:52) sweat more, lift lighter, do more reps, spend more time in the gym or in your workouts, (0:57) burn a certain amount of calories and you have to do that if you really want to see results. (1:02) And after years of strength training and helping women work towards their fitness goals, there are (1:07) some things that I just keep coming back to over and over again. And these are the things that I (1:12) genuinely believe can make a huge difference in how you train, how you recover, and ultimately (1:18) the results that you're seeing from the work that you're putting in.

And so today I'm going (1:22) to be sharing nine fitness hills that I will absolutely die on and why I stand by every single (1:27) one. Now, I know some of these might be a little bit controversial, especially if you (1:31) spent years believing that a good workout has to leave you dripping in sweat or completely exhausted, (1:36) but my goal is to really help you understand how to make your workouts more effective (1:40) so that you can stop wasting time doing things that aren't actually moving you closer towards (1:45) your goals. And just like I always say, I want you to keep things simple because getting stronger (1:50) and building a body that you feel comfortable and confident in does not need to be nearly (1:56) as complicated as social media makes it seem.

Before we get in though, I want to share this (2:00) review. She gave a five star review and said a lifeline. This summer I'll be coming up on (2:05) two years postpartum, one year post brain surgery, and four months post early miscarriage.

I have (2:11) been a long time listener of Embrace Your Real and in the last couple of years it has helped (2:15) me continue to have compassion for and wisdom in how I care for my body and recover well. (2:20) Combined with doing movement with Julie workouts, you have been a lifeline to me in this season, (2:25) Julie. Thank you.

Wow. You have gone through so much in the past summer and in the past years, (2:31) honestly, like the two years, one year post brain surgery, four months post early miscarriage. (2:35) I'm really sorry that you're going through all of this.

I pray that God continues to give you (2:40) healing and compassion for your body. And I thank you so much for taking time out of your day to (2:45) send in this review and also just tune into the podcast. That is my goal.

Every time I turn on (2:50) this microphone is to you. I just pray, Lord, I pray that I encourage, I empower, I encourage (2:55) in some way, shape or form, educate them. And so I just thank you so much for taking time out of (3:01) your day to send in this review and tuning into the podcast.

All right, let's get into the nine (3:06) fitness Hills that I will absolutely die on them and why I actually stand by them. (3:10) Hill number one cardio is great, but it should always be the supplement, not the main event. (3:15) I want to start with this one because I know that cardio is something that so many women (3:18) automatically turn to when they want to lose weight or change their bodies.

Like they start (3:22) running more, they start spending, you know, an hour in the elliptical or the stair master (3:26) signing up for back to back spin classes, because we have been conditioned as a society to believe (3:32) that the more calories that we burn, the better results we're going to see. And listen, I love (3:37) cardio for the benefits that it provides. It's incredible for your cardiovascular health.

(3:41) It's great for endurance, overall fitness. And I absolutely believe that it deserves a place in (3:46) your routine. In fact, I've personally been either walking or running two miles every single day.

(3:51) If I'm walking, I'm wearing a weighted vest. If I'm running, I'm running two miles with a (3:55) stroller in my dog. It's something that I have personally just been enjoying incorporating into (4:00) my routine.

It gets me outside. It gets my body movement. It gives me the opportunity to kind of (4:05) challenge myself in a different way than I have before.

But here's what I want you to understand. (4:10) I would never personally rely on those two miles alone to build the body that I'm working (4:14) towards. Do I think they're beneficial? Absolutely.

Do I think walking and running (4:18) are incredible forms of movement? 100%. But if my goal was to build muscle, improve my body (4:25) composition, continuously get stronger. I know that strength training needs to be the (4:30) foundation of my routine because cardio and strength training create different adaptations (4:34) in your body, right? Cardio is excellent for improving your cardiovascular fitness, (4:39) but strength training on the other hand is going to provide the resistance that your muscles (4:43) need to grow and become stronger.

And this is something that I see women get so frustrated (4:47) with all the time. They're spending hours doing cardio, working incredibly hard, and then wondering (4:52) why their bodies aren't changing the way that they expected. Sometimes what they're missing (4:56) is just consistent strength training that actually challenges their muscles.

So I'm all in for going (5:02) on walks, going on a few runs a week, taking a spin class, doing whatever form of cardio that (5:07) you genuinely enjoy. But when it comes to my own routine, I'm personally always going to be (5:13) prioritizing strength training and then using cardio to compliment that work. (5:18) Hill number two, you can follow the best workout plan in the world, (5:21) but you can't out train poor nutrition.

I don't care how incredible your workout program is, (5:27) how consistently you're showing up, how hard you're pushing yourself in your workouts. If you (5:31) are not nourishing your body with what it actually needs, you are going to struggle to (5:36) see the results that you're working so hard for. And I think that this is something we overlook (5:40) because it's so easy to assume that if we're working out consistently, our nutrition will (5:44) somehow take care of itself.

But here's the reality. Your body needs adequate energy and (5:48) nutrients to recover from your workouts, to repair that muscle tissue, and to adapt to (5:53) the training that you're doing. If you are consistently under eating, you might not have (5:57) enough energy to train effectively or recover properly.

If you're not eating enough protein, (6:02) you're making it harder for your body to maintain and build the muscle that you're working so hard (6:06) for. On the other hand, if your goal is fat loss, and if you're consistently consuming (6:11) more energy than your body needs, you may not see the changes in your body composition that (6:16) you're expecting. It's like trying to walk up an escalator that's going down, right? (6:20) You're putting in all this effort, but you're making it much harder than it needs to be to (6:25) actually move forward.

And I see this happen with women who are so dedicated to their workouts, (6:29) but when we look at their nutrition, they're barely eating protein at breakfast, they're skipping (6:34) meals throughout the day, or they just simply have no idea how much food their body actually needs. (6:39) And this is why I am such a big advocate for understanding your macronutrients. (6:44) When you know how much protein, how many carbs, and how many fats your body needs, (6:48) you can start fueling yourself in a way that actually supports the work that you're doing (6:52) in your workouts.

That's also why I created my macro counting made simple. Inside, (6:56) I teach you how to figure out your numbers and how to make them work in your real life because (7:01) you shouldn't have to spend hours in your workouts wondering why all your hard work (7:05) isn't paying off. So if you've been feeling like you're doing everything right with your workouts, (7:09) but you're still struggling to see results, maybe it's time that you take a closer look at (7:13) how you're fueling your body.

I will leave the link for my macro counting made simple (7:17) in the show notes below. Hill number three, you do not need to work out six days a week to see (7:22) incredible results. I think that we've created this belief that more days we spend in our (7:26) workouts, the more committed we are to our fitness goals.

And if someone is working out (7:30) six days a week, while we're only working out three or four, we automatically assume that (7:34) they're going to see better results than we are. But that is simply not how building muscle works. (7:38) For many women, three or four intentional strength training sessions per week can be (7:43) incredibly effective, especially when those workouts are structured properly, (7:46) and you're consistently challenging your muscles.

And I want you to think about how freeing that (7:51) can be because so many women are trying to squeeze these unrealistic workout schedules (7:55) into their already busy lives, like they're working, they're raising families, (7:59) they're managing responsibilities, and somehow feeling like they're failing because they just (8:03) can't get to their workout every single day. But I'd much rather see you consistently complete (8:08) three effective strength training sessions every week than try to work out six days a week, (8:13) burn yourself out and eventually give up because you can't maintain it. (8:16) So please remember that more workouts do not automatically mean better workouts.

What (8:21) matters is the quality of your training and the consistency of your effort. (8:26) Hill number four, high reps will not build the body that you think they will. (8:31) All right, this one might ruffle a few feathers because I know that so many women have been told (8:34) if they want to look, quote unquote, toned, they need to lift weights for 20, 30 or even 50 reps.

(8:40) And I think that this comes from the misconception that lifting heavier weights (8:44) is somehow going to make women bulky, while lighter weights and high reps is going to (8:47) long, lean toned appearance. But I want you to understand something. (8:52) That toned look that so many women are chasing comes from having muscle definition and building (8:58) that muscle requires challenging your muscles.

So if you are doing 25 repetitions with a weight (9:04) that you could easily lift another 20 times, you are not giving your muscles much reason to (9:09) adapt. And this is why I personally love the eight to 12 rep range so much for my string (9:14) training, my Dumbo workouts, because you can lift heavy enough to make those final repetitions (9:18) difficult while still focusing on proper technique and maintaining control throughout the movement. (9:24) And I want you to stop being afraid of challenging weights because you think you're (9:27) going to wake up one morning and look like a bodybuilder.

Just remember building significant (9:32) amounts of muscle takes time, consistent training and proper nutrition. So if you're working (9:38) towards that stronger, more defined body, I just want you to make sure that your weights (9:42) are actually challenging you. This is something that I've really been focusing on in my shoulders (9:46) the last, I would say probably six to eight months.

And I've seen so much shoulder definition, (9:50) but you guys, I'm going heavy on my shoulders. I'm going heavy and I'm challenging myself. (9:56) Those last two or three reps, especially two reps, I am almost on the verge of like (10:02) this freaking sucks, but I'm still able to maintain proper form.

(10:05) So if you are looking at a specific body part, I just want you to remember you have (10:10) to be lifting heavy enough. You have to be pushing yourself and just know like, no, (10:14) you're not going to wake up one morning and be like, Oh my gosh, I'm so bulky. (10:17) It's just, that's not the case.

It takes so much time to build significant muscle. (10:22) And also you have to remember the percentage of body fat that you have, (10:26) the calories in versus calories out. There's so many things that go along with that, (10:30) but please, please, please do not be afraid of challenging weights.

(10:33) Hill number five, if you are lifting the same weights that you were lifting a year ago, (10:37) don't be surprised if you're not seeing results. This is one of the biggest things that I want (10:41) women to understand about strength training because you can be incredibly consistent (10:45) with your workouts and still struggle to see progress. If you're never increasing the challenge, (10:49) let's say you've been doing goblet squats with a 15 pound dumbbell for the past year.

(10:53) When you first started, maybe those squats felt really challenging, (10:56) but now you can complete every rep without much difficulty. And yet you keep reaching (11:01) for the same 15 pound dumbbell every single week, because that's just what you're used to. (11:05) Here's what I want you to understand.

Your body adapts to the demands that you place on it. (11:09) And so if you want to continue building strength and muscle, you need to continue giving your (11:14) muscles a reason to adapt. And that's called progressive overload.

And it's one of the most (11:18) important principles of effective strength training. Now, again, progressive overload (11:22) doesn't always mean increasing the weight every single workout. In fact, it shouldn't be that.

(11:27) You can also challenge yourself by completing more reps with the same weight, (11:30) improving your range of motion. So maybe your range of motion was not all the way down (11:35) in that goblet squat. And this time you're really making sure that you're getting as (11:38) low as possible or you're increasing the training volume over time.

(11:42) You're also maybe adding a pause, you're adding a tempo. So one, two, three, four, pause, (11:49) explode up. There's so many different ways that you can implement progressive overload without (11:55) having to increase that weight, but there needs to be some form of progression.

(11:59) And this is why following a structured program can be so valuable because you can actually track (12:03) what you're doing and recognize when it's time to challenge yourself and move yourself to the next (12:08) weight. Inside my movement with Julie, I want women to focus on showing up with intention (12:13) and build strength over time instead of constantly jumping from one random workout to another. (12:19) So the next time that you're reaching for the same tempo that you've been using for months, (12:22) look back in your workout history and ask yourself, is it time for me to challenge (12:27) myself with maybe a little bit more weight? Or if I don't have access to more weight, (12:31) can I implement some other way of progressive overload into this movement? (12:36) Hill number six, every workout does not need to be hit bootcamp style or leave you dripping in sweat.

(12:41) I think that we've created this idea that if we aren't completely exhausted after a workout, (12:45) we somehow didn't work hard enough. Like we judge our workouts based on how sweaty we are, (12:50) how high our heart rate gets, whether we can barely walk out of our workout afterwards. (12:54) And because of that, so many women end up turning every workout into some kind of high (13:00) intensity circuit.

But here's the thing, your strength training workouts should not always (13:05) feel like cardio classes. If your goal is to build muscle, you need to be able to perform (13:10) challenging sets with good technique. And that means giving yourself enough rest in between (13:15) those to really make sure that your muscles are primed and ready for the next set.

(13:19) If you're constantly rushing from one exercise to the next, your cardio endurance can likely (13:23) and will likely give out before the muscles you're actually trying to work are. (13:27) Now I know that there's a lot of conversation about hit and cortisol, (13:31) so I want to kind of clarify something. Hit does not automatically make your body hold onto fat, (13:36) but doing too much high intensity work without enough recovery can leave you exhausted and make (13:43) your routine harder to sustain.

And so I want you to remember that sweating more does not (13:48) mean that you're building more muscle. You can have an incredibly effective strength training (13:52) session without feeling like you just completed the hardest bootcamp of your life. (13:56) Hill number seven, the number of calories that you burn during a workout does not determine how (14:01) effective it was.

Oh my goodness. This is one that I feel so strongly about because I see women (14:06) letting their fitness watches completely dictate how they feel about their workouts. They finish (14:11) a workout, they looked out at their watch, and if it only says, I only burned 180 active calories, (14:17) they're disappointed.

But if they see, you know, 500, suddenly they feel like they (14:20) accomplished something incredible. And I understand why we do this because we've been conditioned to (14:26) think that exercise is primarily about burning calories, but the calories that you burn during (14:30) a workout tell you very little about how effectively you're building strength or muscle. (14:35) You could have an amazing lower body session where you're lifting heavier, (14:39) you're progressively overloading your muscles, and your watch might show fewer calories than (14:43) a 45 minute cardio session.

Does that mean that your strength workout was less effective? (14:47) Absolutely not. Those workouts are just doing different things for your body. On top of that, (14:52) wearable devices can honestly be pretty inaccurate when estimating calories burn.

(14:57) So I don't want you to treat that number like some perfect measurement of your effort. (15:01) I'd much rather you pay attention to whether you're getting stronger, lifting heavier, (15:05) improving your technique, completing more repetitions than obsessing over the calorie (15:10) number on your wrist. Hill number eight, rest days deserve just as much priority as (15:15) training days.

I think this is another one that we struggle with because we're (15:19) always so used to associating progress with doing more. I think that taking a day off, (15:24) we think is going to lose momentum. We sometimes feel guilty for resting because we convince (15:29) ourselves that we should always be doing something productive.

But let's talk about (15:32) what actually happens when you strength train. You're placing stress on your muscles and (15:36) creating a stimulus that encourages your body to adapt. An adaptation requires adequate recovery, (15:43) nutrition, and sleep.

Your rest days are an essential part of that muscle building process (15:48) and constantly training without enough recovery, that's going to make it harder to perform well (15:52) and progress. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to sit on the couch all day or every time (15:57) that you have a rest day. You can absolutely go for a walk, stretch, enjoy some gentle movement, (16:02) or just simply take some time to relax.

The goal is to give your body a break from the (16:07) challenging training sessions that you're asking it to recover from. And I think that (16:11) one of the biggest mindset shifts that we can make is recognizing that rest is something (16:16) that we intentionally include in our fitness routine because it helps us get us stronger. (16:21) So if you're someone who feels guilty every time you're taking a rest day, (16:25) I want you to start viewing recovery as something that actually supports your progress.

And last (16:30) but not least, hill number nine, training your core every day does not and will not (16:35) automatically give you a stronger, more defined core. I saved this one for last because I think (16:39) that there's so much misinformation around core workouts, especially when it comes to women who (16:44) are trying to achieve a flatter stomach or more defined abs. I can't tell you how many times I've (16:50) seen workouts promising a flat stomach in seven days or some magical five minute ab routine that (16:56) is supposedly going to help you get rid of belly fat.

And I really want women to understand (17:01) how our core actually works. Your core is involved in so many of the movements that (17:06) you're already doing in your strength training, your squats, your deadlifts, your carries, (17:10) your other compound exercises. Those are going to be challenging your core because those (17:15) muscles are going to help stabilize your body throughout the movement.

And while dedicated (17:20) core exercises can absolutely and should be a part of your training, they're valuable, (17:26) but doing hundreds of crunches every single day is not automatically going to give you (17:30) better results. Your abdominal muscles need progressive challenges and adequate recovery, (17:35) just like any other muscle in your body. And so if your goal is more defined, visible definition, (17:42) obviously, body fat distribution is going to play a role in that.

You cannot choose where your body (17:47) loses fat simply by training that area more frequently. So I want you to think about core (17:51) training as a part of a well-rounded strength training program, instead of feeling like you (17:56) need to finish every single workout with 15 minutes of crunches or core. Now you can train, (18:02) I would say, core up to three times a week is really kind of the max that I would recommend.

(18:07) You really don't need it more than that. And that would be, you know, doing a core finisher, (18:12) maybe. So inside my program, we have lower body, upper body, cardio and core, shoulders and glutes, (18:17) and full body.

In the cardio and core workout, you already have your core set up for you, (18:21) whether you're doing the 60 minute or 30 minute. And then also in the full body workout, (18:25) I always include at least two, sometimes three core exercises in there. Again, keeping in mind (18:31) that especially in the full body workout, you're really going to be using that core a lot in a lot (18:35) of the other full body movements.

So in addition to those specific core exercises that are programmed, (18:42) I would say you can maybe do one other, you know, core finisher, adding it on to maybe lower body (18:48) day. So you're doing it on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, if you're following the Monday through (18:52) Friday schedule, or you could even do it on like a Saturday. Just keep in mind that it doesn't (18:57) have to be long, I would say maybe three or four exercises max, if you're adding it on to an (19:02) additional workout and whatever it is, I just want to make sure that you are consistent with it.

And (19:07) so if it's not sustainable, just stick with the actual program inside my Moomoo with Julia app. (19:12) If you just are following that, and you are intentionally training your core two times a week, (19:18) trust me when I say that is more than enough, you are getting that core stabilization in a lot (19:22) of other compound movements throughout the week. So don't worry about it.

I know that we covered (19:27) a lot today. So I want to quickly go through those nine fitness hills that I will absolutely (19:31) die in. Number one, cardio is great, but it should be the supplement, not the main event, (19:35) I want you prioritizing strain training while still enjoying cardio for all of its incredible (19:40) benefits.

Number two, you can follow the best workout plan in the world, but you cannot out (19:45) train for nutrition, your body needs adequate protein, carbs and fats, and total energy to (19:51) support the work that you're doing in your workouts. Number three, you do not need to (19:54) workout six days a week to see incredible results, three or four intentional workouts (19:59) a week. That is more than enough.

Number four, high reps won't build the body that you think (20:04) it will. Number five, if you're lifting the same weights that you were lifting a year (20:08) ago or even six months ago, do not be surprised if you're not seeing results. Your muscles (20:12) need to be continuously challenged and progressive overload truly is an essential for long-term (20:18) progress.

Number six, every workout does not need to be a hit bootcamp style or leaving (20:22) you dripping in sweat. Number seven, the number of calories that you burn during a workout (20:27) does not determine how effective it was. I'd much rather you focus on getting stronger, (20:32) improving your technique, and progressively challenging your muscles and obsessing over (20:36) the number on your watch.

Number eight, rest days deserve just as much priority as (20:41) training days. And last but not least, number nine, training your core every day will not (20:45) automatically give you a stronger, more defined core. I want to leave you with one (20:50) final reminder because I think that this is something that so many women need to hear.

(20:54) You do not need to make fitness more complicated than it actually is to see incredible results. (20:59) You don't need to spend hours upon hours in your workouts every day constantly chasing the (21:03) highest calorie burn or leave every workout feeling completely exhausted. I want you to (21:09) focus on building a routine that challenges your muscles, supports your recovery, and also (21:13) allows you to consistently show up for yourself.

And remember, the goal is to build a stronger, (21:19) healthier body that allows you to continue doing things that you love for years and years to come. (21:25) I want you to be able to lift heavy things, carry your groceries, keep up with your kids, (21:29) travel, move confidently, enjoy your life without feeling like your fitness routine (21:33) has to consume every waking moment. Because at the end of the day, our workouts are supposed (21:38) to help take care of the bodies that God has given us.

And I want you to feel empowered to (21:43) do exactly that. If you're listening to this episode and you're like, all of that makes (21:47) complete sense. But you absolutely have no idea like how to structure your workouts, (21:51) how to pick exercises, how to know when to increase your weights.

That's exactly why I (21:56) created my MooMoo and Julie Dumble Only Workout app. I want women to feel confident in their (22:00) strength training and have a plan that they can follow without constantly wondering whether (22:04) they're doing enough or doing the right things. And if you're following your great workout plan, (22:09) but if you just still are not sure if you're eating enough protein or how to either even (22:14) fuel your body properly, I want you to check out my macro kind of made simple because your workouts (22:18) and your nutrition need to support each other.

I will have links for both of those in the show notes (22:23) that you can learn more about both of those. And if you're still kind of reaching for the same (22:27) dumbbells that you were a year ago, or even six months ago, I think you will love episode 566, (22:32) what most women get wrong about progressive overload. It really goes deeper into what (22:37) progressive overload actually means.

And kind of all the different ways that you can keep (22:41) challenging your muscles, even when you're not adding more weight. So I will go ahead and link (22:45) that in the show notes for you as well. If you got something out of today's episode, I would love (22:50) for you to share it with a friend who might need kind of this fitness reality check.

And if you (22:54) haven't already be sure to follow the shows that you never miss an episode. Thank you so much (22:58) for spending time with me today. I love you so much.

I mean it, and I'll talk to you in the (23:02) next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need (23:16) you to do.

First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so (23:20) Julie A. Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, (23:26) healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second (23:31) thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple podcasts to never miss an episode.

Thank you so much for (23:38) joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought.

(23:42) The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident (23:47) and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than (23:54) the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.

 
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