submit questions or topics here

Muscle mass isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s crucial for maintaining strength, energy, and a higher metabolism. But if you’re over 35 and haven’t spent at least a year focused on building muscle, there’s a reality check here: you’re likely losing up to 1% of muscle per year since the age of 30. That’s muscle loss due to aging, and if left unchecked, it can lead to weaker bones, a slower metabolism, and less functional strength.

Building muscle after 35 takes intention, planning, and dedication, but the benefits are life-changing. It can make daily activities easier, boost metabolism, and help you stay fit and healthy in the long run.

• Eat the right amount to support muscle growth while staying lean.
• Prioritize protein intake consistently every day to fuel muscle maintenance.
• Incorporate strength training with progressive overload to push your muscles and encourage growth over time.
• Work with a coach; time machine to your best results - surpass what you think possible
• you need that outside guidance for your training to maximize your results - technique and form can make a world of difference in achieving your muscle-building goals.

Building muscle isn’t just a physical shift; it’s a psychological one. Many people find it tough because the visible progress is slower and less noticeable than with weight loss. Add in factors like social expectations, the pressure to be “bikini-ready” by summer, or even fluctuations from things like PMS, and it can feel like a constant struggle to stay the course.

Here’s what you need to know to stay motivated:

• Accept that progress will be slower and less visible. It’s okay if you’re not seeing big changes every week. This is normal for muscle building.
• Remember the big picture. Building muscle is about creating a strong, resilient body—not a temporary look.
• Commit to your goals, even when they feel counter to social norms. Ignore quick-fix trends and embrace the longer-term benefits of true muscle growth.

. Building muscle is challenging not just because of the physical work but because of the mental patience it requires. You have to be okay with not seeing much progress, or at least not seeing it as fast as you might want. That’s hard. You might feel uncomfortable in your clothes for a while, you might feel bloated, especially around your PMS if you’re a woman, or just a little out of place in your own body sometimes. And those feelings are tough – they can mess with your motivation.

But that’s what it takes if you want to build a solid, muscular foundation. And yeah, it’s probably harder to stick with because it’s not what’s promoted out there.

people give up on building muscle because they’re not mentally prepared for the slower progress. But if you stick with it, if you push through the slow stages and keep doing the work, I promise, it’s worth it. You’re building something sustainable and strong – not just a quick fix.

Nikias; fuelling your body to train hard and build the muscle and strength you want. Importance of fuelling well for gains and prioritising performance for the physique you want

* hard training isnt alwayss for growth

- effective sets

- progressive stimulus, debunk it and mistakes

- EMG

** honest effort

** 8 second reps

1) short-term - peri-workout nutrition

2) long-term - the importance of being at least around maintenance caloires, if not in a surplus, in order to fuel training adaptations

Talk about me doing all the right training and training hard but then not having enough fuel there

It worked until it didn’t

The worst fate is grinding so hard but not eating enough to see the changes youre hoping for

3) pros and cons and differences between maintenance and a surplus. Thoughts?

- different sensations so things feel tight

Training is the trigger

Nutrition is permissive

* moderate surplus

The ONE thing that holds people back from seeing results

@nikias_fittotransform

the one mindset shift that will help you stay the journey for your best results

note.... its not only the scale weight that can set you off, its not only seeing yourself in progress photos either. its the constant body checks, mirrors, how your clothes feel. yes even that...

@irisdeadlifts

@transformxruby

Why time outside of a deficit is so important even if you have fat to lose.. Theres things that need to be addressed so that fat loss can be short, sharp and effective

LEARN FROM THE LESSONS - you need self awareness

When you do hard things and over come them… if its in line with the life you want to live, who you want to be, - you feel so good for it

The moment you decide to diet, fatigue can start peaking because now your mind is on “less calories” blah bloah blah FAT LOSS IS HARD when you do it right - maintenance is easy

Thats how it should be only its not

Everything in life requires effort. 😜 If anyone sells anything as “effortless,” rest assured they’re full of shit.

By nature, life in maintenance is more flexible and has more freedom than a calorie deficit. But it’s not mindless or effortless.

Too many think that “after the diet,” they can just go back to “normal” and expect to maintain their progress.

Tracking

As adults we hate being bad at things

LEAN IN to maintenance

Talk about ali….

Track to learn about how you feel with food and whats in food

Body positivity & self compassion …..

Timelines make it hard to allow yourself to get there

Also summer comes around every year and we all think hat we need to shred for it and fuck ourselves over

Youre going to mess up - relapse

HOT TAKES https://www.instagram.com/p/DAQZpZaRi5l/?img_index=1

BEING OKAY WITH NOT MUCH CHANGING

+ COGNITIVE BIASES/DISTORTIONS

Body image & neutrality even when you want to change your body

Self talk

We all have that one thing we hate but we feel great after

You don't get comfy with something new by avoiding it

Stress management

“We are a luxury” we actually arent…. We are a first line intervention

Pausing is a super power

Why People Believe It: The calorie-burning nature of cardio creates the impression that more cardio equals more fat loss. The immediate sweat and heart rate spike make it feel like the fastest way to slim down.

Why It Seems True: Cardio does burn calories and can contribute to fat loss, but it doesn’t address the bigger picture of body recomposition.

https://www.instagram.com/jace_lopez_/

@transformxruby SO much in this episode SO SO much

breathing - bracing

with progress and not much changing

This doesn’t happen linearly

Changing programs or things not working because the weight stopped going up

** this is why having lower rep hard training helps because you recruit them more

Nutrition & lifestyle factor into this fatigue too

And this is why things feel hard but aren’t effective for results

• Higher reps talking about that part jace said

• We do need more time under tension too so theres places for this. 10-

Guys see more change

Booty bands

There are no pushing muscles. Muscles pull – it helps to imagine this for muscle centric movement

• Focusing on core and bracing

• Breathing is underrated

• Its hard to get the best out of exercises if you aren’t optimizing for this

I want to talk about nutrition for results now. We did training for results

** speaking of the running

WE ALL CRAVE A GOOD AFTER PHOTO...
Social media is far from reality
And it should NOT be what you strive for..
Most of you have the most warped idea of what IS realistic, sustainable & PERCEPTION OF TIME.
Motivation doesn't last. The newbie effect doesn't last
It'll be easier for a few weeks or a couple months
Maybe see some results...
Then what? Life happens
Or you open the flood gates with icecream, wine, crisps, snacking....
Time passes and now you REGAIN FAT😰
Mostly around your midsection😰
If youre an on and off dieter, you're PRIMED to hoard fatcells
🥵 hormones & metabolism are tanked
2 ways to look at progress
1. Time to create the best garden...
Your best friend visits 2 months later
Youve hyped up the garden, All the effort into planting the best crop, finding and buying the best soil, etcetc...
But nothing... some weeds, some flowers that once existed bc you did put in some effort...
But the gardening was slack.
Wanting a garden to transform wont happen without consistent gardening. Which doesnt mean perfect, if you skip a day, garden is fine
....
2. You finally hire a finance advisor
Cool, you have someone to help your $$ issues now
A few months later you realise youre still in the same debt.. maybe more
Just because you set intentions for the end goal
and hire help, doesnt mean things fall into place.
Are you making the tradeoffs...
The daily lattes, weekend eats out, uber eats, random unnecessary spends?
Do you even check the price tag? (Calories)
Or if its a speed buy it doesnt count, its only a few dollars
It racks up
Like your snacks, licks, tastes, sips, bits and bobs
Especially as a female... even more if you have a desk job
There is so much more to progress than the scales, photos etc
Only focusing there will have you give up. What's the point...
Invest for at least a year into building your best self. To set yourself up for life
....
Instead of asking ‘how quickly can I see results?"
Ask yourself
“how can I keep them & make PERMANENT progress?”
What’s the point in getting any results
losing any weight
if you cant maintain the progress you make?🚨
there's ZERO point obsessing or stressing over your timeline
& how fast you see change
if you don’t know how to even maintain it 👀
or even learn how to enjoy making it part of your lifestyle
AIM FOR CONSISTENCY✅
Steady the ship first... then sail...✅ with PATIENCE ✅
😬If you don't have something beyond a scale
or after photo
😬If you arent making the PROCESS your focus
w/ ACTION BASED GOALS
😬if you don't become the person who can maintain
& live it...Believing you can... & enjoying life too...
❓the after photo wont matter bc it wont last.
Need some help with this?
💓I'm right here :) let's goooo!!!

Pause 10 seconds

Pause 10 minutes

Put skills into that gap

How can seeking perfectionism and beating up on ourself derail this proces

Perfectionism vs excellence

Emotional eating

- mindful eating and how to promote it in a world of busyness & distractions to be better at regulating intake

- " If you’re like most folks, this cycle continues for months, years, sometimes even decades. The pattern looks

something like this:

- What are values & why are they important

Mine:

- the truth behind willpower

Resolve to change → try to overhaul your life → follow a program or change your behavior for a short time → slip back into your old habits and behaviors → feel like a failure → give yourself further “proof” you can’t do it → rinse and repeat.

When this happens, we often get down on ourselves for being “weak,” not having enough “willpower,” or not “wanting it badly enough.”"

- can we be unaware that our actions or ambitions arent aligned with them?

how can we bridge this?

- you cant shame yourself into change; talk about this. and how getting your "goal body" and to this HAPPY CONFIDENT zones needs to come from self care

- PERFECTIONISM VERSUS SELF-COMPASSION

- skills to not snack when stressed, bored, tired, emotional, overwhelmed - HABIT

- it doesn't mean eating whatever you want, you have to also know when to say no.

- if then___

- "Also, comfort food. When carbs or sweets or whatever truly does comfort in times of stress, what can replace that habit?"

- how to use these skills at restaurants & eating away from "comfort" environments or safe environments

especially when you have a history of restriction, how to not see it as a free for all or a reason to indulge in the most tasty looking meal for fear of missing out or "not wanting to be left out" whatever