Sought after coach Erika Gasztonyi shares timeless strength training and nutrition tips to help push your limits to reach your fitness and body composition goals.
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Episode Time Stamps:
- Dispelling Myths about Weight Training: At 01:30, the podcast discusses the common misconception that weight training will make women look bulky like men, emphasizing the need to challenge this belief.
- Glute Training for Back Health: The podcast reveals at 03:40 that working on glutes can be a secret solution to many back problems, underlining the importance of targeted training.
- Erika's Journey and Nutrition: Erika, dealing with a rare bone disease, shifted from handstands to hypertrophy and strength training. Her nutrition, detailed at 13:10, includes 2800 total calories with a focus on carbs, resulting in improved digestion and gym performance.
- Importance of Eating Adequately: The podcast stresses at 15:30 that undereating is common and can hinder training results. Erika's experience supports the idea that eating more can help individuals reach their training potential.
- Fueling Before Workouts: At 20:30, the podcast highlights the benefits of fueling before a workout, contributing to better fat loss and muscle building during the fitness journey.
- Creatine and Muscle Performance: Creatine's positive impact on muscle fullness, training, and recovery is discussed at 24:17, emphasizing its safety and dispelling misconceptions about puffiness.
- Muscle Tension and Myokines: Muscle tension, discussed at 37:05, is linked to the release of myokines, aiding memory and cognition. Pushing to failure triggers fat cells to release more fat.
- Glute Exercises and Sciatica: Erika's experience at 44:10 reveals that heavy weight lifting, not yoga, helped alleviate her sciatica. Core engagement and specific exercises, like hip thrusts and deadlifts, contributed to her recovery.
- Glute Development: The podcast recommends key exercises like hip thrusts, squats, and deadlifts for glute development. Progressive overload is crucial for the best results.
- CNS Stimulation and Back Problems: Notably, at 52:40, the podcast suggests that men often have back problems due to neglecting glute development, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive training.
- Alternative for Back Problems: For those with back problems, the podcast recommends belt squats at 54:00 as an effective alternative, allowing for heavy lifting without straining the back.
I’m a 50 year old male. I ruptured a disc at age 29. I ended i up having the microdiscectomy surgery in my 30’s. It failed, and I herniated 2 discs – L4,5, which are now both “black”. My “only option” was to live with it or get a fusion. And of course I was told to not squat or deadlift ever.
Then, thank God I started getting into health and nutrition on my own. Once I realized that most of what I’ve been told about nutrition was wrong, I questioned my back advice too. I started serious strength training at age 45. Now I’m 50 and stronger and leaner than ever. I try to never miss squat or deadlift day, and my back issues are a thing of the past! Moreover, if life ever gets such that I do stop lifting for a little while, that’s specifically when my back/leg pain will start again!
I wish more people could hear advice like this podcast!!