Muscle Science for Women

This episode marks the first time that Rachel and Ashleigh recorded a “live” podcast, allowing listeners to attend the zoom call and participate, asking questions and giving input. It was super fun, so watch out for more of these in the future! This week, they discuss overcoming body composition plateaus, focusing on challenges with fat loss. They cover:

• How to ensure your goals align with your lifestyle and your behaviors
• How to conduct a “body composition” audit on yourself to ensure you’re actually doing the right things to meet your goals
• How to know the difference between a fat loss stall and your body just being happy where it is
• Different ways to monitor success aside from the weight on the scale
• How to know when you need to change your plan, or stick to it a little longer

We also gave away the biggest discount EVER on our Muscle Science for Women program…so make sure you sign up for our next live podcast/workshop so you don’t miss special discounts and offers. Sign up here: https://www.metflexlife.com/registration-page

Thank you to our show sponsor, Optimal Carnivore, the makers of high-quality, nutrient-dense whole food supplements. We love their grass-fed organ complex, and you'll get 10% off your first order with the discount code MUSCLESCI on their Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/optimalcarnivore  

If you want to sign up for the MSW program and have Ashleigh and Rachel as your personal coaches, along with a comprehensive 12-week training plan and hours of high-level content on nutrition, training, recovery, and much more, you can sign up now by going to this link: musclescienceforwomen.com

Email your questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected]

Rachel and Ashleigh are answering your questions today on topics like the importance of veggies when building muscle, how to add carbs intelligently to support training and muscle building, and more - but first Rachel talks about her new healthy treat obsession and Ashleigh tells a story about the strangeness of online coaching, which leads her to an idea for a "reverse Only Fans"...you have to listen to this one to hear what she's talking about! This episode is a little adult, a little funny, and educational too.

Thank you to our show sponsor, Optimal Carnivore, the makers of high-quality, nutrient-dense whole food supplements. We love their grass-fed organ complex, and you'll get 10% off your first order with the discount code MUSCLESCI on their Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/optimalcarnivore  

For Rachel's ice cream recipes, head here: https://www.metflexlife.com/blog/ninja-creami-protein-ice-cream-low-calorie 

If you want to sign up for the program and have Ashleigh and Rachel as your personal coaches, along with a comprehensive 12-week training plan and hours of high-level content on nutrition, training, recovery, and much more, you can sign up now by going to this link: musclescienceforwomen.com

Email your questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected]

This one is spicy! In this Q&A episode, Rachel and Ashleigh start out by discussing workout and exercise order selection, but then dive deep into a fun, but respectful, debate about whether or not you should “pre-exhaust” your muscles before doing your big lifts, or whether you should keep it simple and do the big, challenging lifts first and exhaust your muscles at the end.

They also get into whether more people could benefit from machine-assisted movements or if we should prioritize old-school compound lifts with barbells. Wherever you fall in this debate, it’s a good lesson that there is never a one-size-fits-all approach to fitness and that the best approach is the one that works for you.

The ladies also decide to come up with a Spotify workout playlist – if you want to send in your suggestions, email your fave songs to [email protected]

If you want to sign up for the program and have Ashleigh and Rachel as your personal coaches, along with a comprehensive 12-week training plan and hours of high-level content on nutrition, training, recovery, and much more, you can sign up now by going to this link: https://www.metflexlife.com/msw

And thank you to our show sponsor, Optimal Carnivore, the makers of high-quality, nutrient-dense whole food supplements. We love their grass-fed organ complex, and you'll get 10% off your first order with the discount code MUSCLESCI on their Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/optimalcarnivore 

In this solo episode, Ashleigh talks about some of the key elements largely missing from the strength and fitness coaching industry, especially regarding coaching women - the biggest challenge being the lack of women's focused research, study, and resources to better inform coaches programming and support. The industry as a whole needs more resources, formal scientific study, and compassionate listening in order to best understand, support, and guide our clients to their reaching their goals and finding their healthiest selves.

Ashleigh also briefly discusses her new coaching resource, the Strength Training for Women Specialist Certification offered through the Primal Health Coach Institute, designed for all coaches who work with female clients. For more information or to sign up, head here: https://nm356.isrefer.com/go/STW/themusclemaven/

In this episode Rachel and Ashleigh answer listener questions about carbs (carbs aren't bad, it's how we use-or abuse-them), talk about some upcoming trips and exciting life plans, and discuss the latest launch of their Muscle Science for Women training program!

If you want to sign up for the program and have Ashleigh and Rachel as your personal coaches, along with a comprehensive 12-week training plan and hours of high-level content on nutrition, training, recovery, and much more, you can sign up now by going to this link: https://www.metflexlife.com/msw

In this episode of Muscle Science for Women, Ashleigh and Rachel discuss Kim Kardashian's new job as "chief taste consultant" for Beyond Meat, and also talk about Rachel's experience with a doctor giving her bad nutrition advice. We dive into advocacy, misleading marketing, and why understanding and listening to your own body is so important.

Please sign up for the Muscle Science for Women e-mail list to be the first to know about our program, new launches, and more: https://www.metflexlife.com/msw

Reach out to us with questions and comments at [email protected].

And thank you to our show sponsor, Optimal Carnivore, the makers of high-quality, nutrient-dense whole food supplements. We love their grass-fed organ complex, and you'll get 10% off your first order with the discount code MUSCLESCI on their Amazon Store: amazon.com/optimalcarnivore

Follow and learn more about Rachel at metflexlife.com and on IG at @rachelgregory.cns

Follow and learn more about Ashleigh at ashleighvanhouten.com and on IG @themusclemaven

Today's podcast is a big one, and comes with an announcement: Ashleigh is officially changing the Muscle Maven Radio podcast to the Muscle Science for Women podcast!

First: please sign up for the Muscle Science for Women e-mail list to be the first to know about our program, new launches, and more: https://www.metflexlife.com/msw

Moving forward, Ashleigh and her co-host Rachel Gregory, the creators of the Muscle Science for Women program, will answer listener questions and address key elements of wellness and fitness including nutrition, training, recovery, hormonal health, and more - all with a focus on women's unique physiology, goals, and challenges. We encourage EVERYONE, male and female, to continue to listen, engage, and learn, because the more we all know about strength and fitness, the better!

Reach out to us with questions and comments at [email protected].

And thank you to our show sponsor, Optimal Carnivore, the makers of high-quality, nutrient-dense whole food supplements. We love their grass-fed organ complex, and you'll get 10% off your first order with the discount code MUSCLESCI on their Amazon Store: amazon.com/optimalcarnivore

Follow and learn more about Rachel at metflexlife.com and on IG at @rachelgregory.cns

Follow and learn more about Ashleigh at ashleighvanhouten.com and on IG @themusclemaven

In this episode Ashleigh takes a deep dive on fitness culture with Erin Power, Coaching & Curriculum Director at the Primal Health Coach Institute about the current state of fitness culture, it's impact on women specifically, and whether or not leaders in the fitness and wellness industry can hope to change or dismantle the harmful aspects of fitness culture in an increasingly digital, instant-gratification world. 

Ashleigh also reveals that she is developing a course for Primal Health Coach Institute for coaches aimed at creating a deeper understanding around strength training for women: the physiological, psychological, hormonal, and cultural aspects as well as practical knowledge that is sorely lacking in generic strength training programs. It will cover practical aspects around recovery, hormonal health, physical changes throughout a woman's lifecycle, as well as nutritional requirements, physiological differences and the impacts on training programming, and how coaches can better inform themselves about these topics to provide better support to strength-training women. 

Erin and Ashleigh cover the following topics:

• Is it naive to ask people to aim for non-esthetic goals, or will body image always be a significant part of fitness?
• How can coaches promote self-efficacy?
• How can we help determine the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic goals in our social media obsessed culture?
• Is competition (and comparison) inherently bad?
• Is #fitspo ever inspiring?
• How can we work to lessen the influence and impact of fitness culture?
• So much more!

For more information about the courses offered by Primal Health Coach Institute, visit: https://www.primalhealthcoach.com

To follow Erin, head to @eat.simple.erin on Instagram

And stay tuned for more information about Ashleigh's course, launching soon!

Muscle Maven Radio is sponsored by BiOptimizers, makers of Ashleigh's favorite probiotic, digestive enzymes, and other gut health promoting products. After using their P30M and MassZymes product for the past year and noticing a significant improvement in digestion especially during times of stress, Ashleigh has not looked back and recommends thee product to everyone (their Magnesium supplement is excellent as well). Even those of us with optimal diets can use some help now and then - check out their products here and use the code MUSCLEMAVEN for a discount.