Training after pregnancy
I am 8 months pregnant. I’ve had a relatively easy pregnancy and I’ve been able to keep active throughout (following advice from my doctor). I’ve listened to my body and pulled back on the amount of weight I lift and as a result, I’ve lost some of my progress. After delivery and recovery, I’d like to ease back into a routine and get back to lifting as heavy as pre-pregnancy. Any tips for a new mom?
Supplement Giveaway
This is not a question for the show but I was announced as the Legion Giveaway winner on the April 25th episode and I never received any info on how to redeem my supplement. I have already tried reaching out to you via email multiple times but I never received any response. Can you please contact me about this? Thanks.
Dizzy after deadlifts
Hey guys!! Im doing your 12 week full body and lately i noticed that im getting a bit dizzy after high reps heavy movements, particularly deadlifts. I feel like im lifting at the prescribed RPE but my heart rate is upwards of 150 when i finish the 6-8 reps. Is that normal? Or is my cardio shit?
Have I gained fat or muscle?
I am a 61 year old female, and I have been working on building strength this year. I have been following PPL and I have been able to increase the load and reps pretty consistently. My bench press has gone from 40# to 65# and my deadlify has gone from 70# to 110# and I am super stoked about that! I am freaking out about the scale though. The numbers have gone up, and I did measurements. My waist stayed the same, but I gained in my arms, legs, hips, shoulders and neck. I have a smart scale, and it shows my body fat is 30% and it shows a 5 lb increase in muscle, and 1 1/2 increase in bone. The weight on the scale is up 15 pounds, and that is my panic point! How can I tell if I am building muscle and not just gaining weight? I work out 3x a week, and walk. I lift as heavy as I can and move each day. I feel good, and I have energy, all my blood markers are perfect, and I am not on any meds. I am focusing on health and strength, but I don't want to gain excess weight since I lost 125 pounds. I have kept it off for 4 years, and I don't want to go backwards. Thoughts?
Help my stop hurting after heavy lifting
Hey guys, I love your podcast thanks for keeping it real! I’ve been trying to commit to a strength training program and focus of form over heavy lifting for a long time now but without fail a few weeks in I always feel pain in my upper back. I’m not sure if this is just normal soreness that I need to work through or if it’s actually an injury. I try to make sure my form is good but being that I workout alone at home it’s hard to tell. How can I tell if the pain I’m feeling is something I should be concerned about?
NEED HELP calculating my calories intake for welding job
Hi, I Have been listening to this podcast since your first year and appreciate all the tools you give to help with the fitness journey. I recently started a welding job where I tend to sweat a lot, drinking 2 gallons of water in my 10hr workday. I’m trying to calculate what my calorie intake should be. I don’t walk a lot but I know I must be burning calories. I’ve done a 1800 calorie intake before, but with my new job I seem to be eating most of that at work, and still getting ravenous when I get home. I’m eating upwards of 120-150g of protein a day (most of which at work). Before the 1800 worked great for losing fat and gaining muscle, but that was with a more sedentary job and the gym 2-3/week. Do you have any recommendations on how to calculate for my kind of job? I would love any help I can get. Thank you
Summer Shredding SZN - Body recomp plan??
Hello to my favorite fitness duo! I just finished a round of endurance training in order to complete a 10k (woo but no thanks) and I am ready to get back into the gym to lift heavy. I am a 32F who has about 10-15lbs to lose. I have been reading/listening/learning about body recomp and I think I am a good candidate with my current body composition, nutrition and lifting knowledge. You have some pretty awesome workout plans, so I was wondering if you have a 4-day lifting plan that focuses on body recomp in the works? I know there is a ton of variance in both diet and lifting person to person, but was just curious! Thanks!
Cycle Syncing & Strength Training
Hey y’all! First—best podcast. Best peeps. Period. My question is: As someone currently following your full-body program and also navigating the natural ups and downs of a monthly cycle, I’ve noticed that during certain times, the weight just won’t move the same way it normally does—fatigue hits harder and recovery feels slower. What are your thoughts on adjusting a progressive overload program around the menstrual cycle? Do you have any recommendations for making steady progress while still honoring what your body needs on lower-energy days, whether that means lighter lifts or different types of movement? Also, we need a Tony doll to keep M’s doll company!
Calorie deficit
Hi there! Currently in a calorie deficit of 1725 5’7 female. Current weight 154. I’m hitting my macros on point with clean proteins,whole foods and healthy fats even adding treats but Im under my calories. Is this okay? I don’t feel hungry or deprived. Usually around 1500 1600 at the end of the day.
Alcohol and muscle loss/gain
Hi! I am doing really well with nutrition and weight lifting. My goal is recomp and so my calorie goal is close to maintenance, though I had to stop tracking due to an u healthy relationship with it. I started eating more intuitively and it’s been super great. Thing is it’s playoff season and I enjoy some alcoholic beverages when watching the games which is every other night. I have maintained my weight for a couple months, but since I’ve been drinking more (it’s summer after all!) I’ve lost 5 pounds. I take 5 g of creatine a day, starter that about a month ago. My question is, does alcohol deplete your muscles and is this weight loss potentially not coming from fat? Is there anything I can do to help myself still reach my goals while allowing myself to enjoy some beverages?
How long is too long?
Hello! I’ve been doing a cut of about 400 calories from my maintenance for 3 months now. I’ve been seeing good results, and would like to keep going with the cut. I know you guys have talked about how you shouldn’t be in a deficit for a long time. So is it ok to keep going until I get to where I want to be? Or should I be taking a break? I feel good with the calories I’m at, and can still get good lifting sessions in 4 times a week.
How to time your food intake with a busy schedule
First off thank you both so much for this podcast, it has leveled up my gym and nutrition knowledge. I work out 6 days a week. M,W,F I lift in the gym. Saturday is a long Walk/Run. Tuesdays and Thursday's I run in the morning, Have breakfast around 9-10 and then lunch at 12-1 (30-40g protein). I drive an hour away to teach marital arts from 3-5 . I have an energy drink when I get there around 2 and lots of water throughout the day. I sit down and have my dinner from 5-6pm (30-50g protein) Usually this is protein packed but a little lighter like a salad w/chkn, lots of veggies w/chkn or chicken and rice because from 6-7 I do light movements to help aid in digestion and warm me up for my class that I take at 7-8. I then have an hour drive home arriving usually no later that 9:30 and try to get to sleep around 10/1030 once I have settled in. I have a protein bar as a snack/treat in between lunch/dinner l because I feel it is too late to have after my own workout during the drive. I am trying to find out when to eat my food and my extra protein bar so that I have good energy, and optimal digestion without interfering with sleep, or workout. Summarize, I know usually they say dont eat 2-3 hours before sleep, but after a late workout and a decent drive is there a way I should switch around when to eat my meals and bar or does it sound like I am right on track. I am always exhausted but I am still fixing my sleep, but the next mornings I sometimes wake up with a raging stomach ready to eat everything or the scale puts me up 2-3 lbs ( I know its only one tool in my body transformation) but I wasn't sure if this would be effected by timing of eating. Thank you again so much for your time and all your help !!
Coming off creatine and missing days
Hello! After listening to Monday's episode I had a question about what happens 1. when you don't take creatine consistently, is it a huge deal if you miss a day here and there? 2. If you take creatine for a long time and then stop taking it, are there any side effects? Will you likely lose water weight and/or muscle throughout time?
Does walking speed matter?
Hello, long time listener, first time asker :) I know you often talk about the importance of getting steps in, and how it can help for health/digestion/increasing caloric deficit/etc. I get in 10,000+ steps most days, but much of that happens very slow as I’m walking my dog, who stops to sniff everything. And I mean, EVERYTHING. Is there research about how walking speed affects benefits?
Protein Powders for Cooking
I'm wondering what Marianna's go to protein powder is for cooking? If you had to pick just 1 or 2, what brand and flavor is the most versatile in your opinion? I prefer not to have a whole cupboard of protein powders but would like to make more of your high protein sweet treats. I currently have Legion's Dutch Chocolate.
Legion's Clear Whey Protein
I saw that Legion released a fruit punch flavored clear whey protein isolate. I'm intrigued since I tend to go for sweeter flavors and lately the Dutch Chocolate flavor that I usually drink has sounded unappealing. Have either of you tried Legion's Clear Whey and if so what are your thoughts? Are there other brands and flavors of clear whey protein isolate that you also enjoy?
Cooking with wine?
Hi guys!! Ive been obsessed with a bolognese meal prep lately. I make it with very lean beef, no oils and pack it with veggies. Its yummy, filling and satisfies every craving on my cut. I do use about 8oz of red wine in the recipe (which yields 5 servings) but cook it down for an hour. Does the alcohol in the wine cook off completely or should i maybe try to remove it from the recipe? If it was something i had once in a while i wouldn’t worry about it but right now its pretty solid in my meal prep rotation and i don't wanna be consuming wine on the regular. For context i rarely drink, only on special occasions. Also im a female if that changes anything. Thank you love the pod!!
Is salt actually bad for you?
Hii guys!! In the last couple of weeks i had a friend comment that my food is usually saltier that how they cook and that i should probably use less salt bc it can clog arteries and affect blood pressure. I know that i heavily season my food, not just with salt, but thats how i avoid using oils, butter and other high cal ingredients. Also i was raised by a chef. Anyways, as an active individual who is pretty good about drinking water, should i be worried about my salt intake? Or does it come down to: you crave it more cus your body is telling you you need it? Its also confusing cus then you have marketing for stuff like LMNT which is straight up salt but no one bats an eye about that. Can you shed some light on the topic? Thanks! Love what you do!
Less RPE and/or caloric deficit?
Hey, I want to burn fat to get a more lean look without getting larger or bulkier. I like the muscles that I have but I want to still fit in my clothes and look feminine. Would I change my RPE and still do a progressive overload or should I just focus on a caloric deficit? I haven’t been able to do as much cardio in the last year due to a hip injury that I’m trying to fix and Ive gained about 7 lbs since. Two of those pounds may be muscle but my clothes fit a little tighter. I don’t care so much about the scale but more on how I feel and how I fit into my clothes. The pounds are just easily quantifiable to give you a reference. I’ve been working out for about 12 years, currently about 6 days a week, and have a busy work day as an ER nurse- 3 12-hr shifts per week that affects my sleep.
Gym etiquette
Hey guys I’ve been going to the gym for a while and recently while I’m waiting in between sets I had someone take a machine and they acted like this was totally normal and said I shouldn’t walk away which I had walked away all my stuff was there still and I was just gettting some steps in he saw me. Anyway I was just wondering if you could go over some normal gym etiquette and what you may say to someone if this happened to you
Losing weight pretty fast, is my muscle gonna be ok
Hi guys! Love the pod! Im currently on week 3 of a 12 week cut, ive been losing weight faster that ive ever seen (bc i finally understood where my maintenance cals are and the impact walking has). I’m currently dropping about a pound and a half a week according to daily weigh-ins with happy scale. I started at 188 lbs (female, 5’3” and about 32% bf) so im losing around 0.8% a week. I know Tony has said that this is still a conservative approach but im wondering if i sustain this level of weight loss for 12 weeks, will my muscle be ok? Ive worked very hard hard to gain it and really want to protect it. Ps: im still strength training 3x week and hitting my protein goal ever day.