The Strength Academy

Are your goals really goals you are working towards or are they just wishes you’re hoping will come true? In today’s episode we discuss what it means to put in the work, letting go of other people’s expectations of you, and how to accomplish goals, you have to love the work.

• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• We’ve got shirts!! https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/clothing/shirts/strongaf-apparel/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/courses/eat-for-strength/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:

• Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.
• Bama Brick Squad - Stacy offers various coaching services and packages: all geared towards helping you reach your goals. She works with athletes of all shapes and sizes. Support BBS and check out their merch!

 

• Highlights:
  • 1:26 - So you have a goal…
  • 5:17 - Competitive vs. recreational lifter 
  • 9:50 - That one time Kristin wanted to do a Triathlon…
  • 15:04 - Love the work
  • 19:30 - Letting go of people’s expectations of you
  • 22:43 - You only fail yourself

In this week’s episode we discuss what the central nervous system (CNS) does, how lifting affects it, and how you can periodize your training to maximize neural adaptions. Get ready for another research-packed episode. Enjoy!

• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• We’ve got shirts!! https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/clothing/shirts/strongaf-apparel/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/courses/eat-for-strength/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:

• Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.
• Bama Brick Squad - Stacy offers various coaching services and packages: all geared towards helping you reach your goals. She works with athletes of all shapes and sizes. Support BBS and check out their merch!

 

• Highlights:
  • 1:00 - Hold up...what is a peer reviewed article anyway?
  • 9:00 - What is the CNS? 
  • 11:00 - CNS and lifting 
  • 23:52 - Central Fatigue  
  • 29:00 - Serotonin and Dopamine
  • 40:10 - Neuro-hormonal implications of CNS fatigue

Sleep! We all know we need it, but why? And how does a good night’s rest contribute to our massive strength gains? In today’s episode we break down what sleep is, how sleep affects your brain, sleep and strength gains, and how to get a better night’s rest. Hopefully after listening to this episode, you get to bed early tonight! 

• We’ve got shirts!! https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/clothing/shirts/strongaf-apparel/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/courses/eat-for-strength/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:

• Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.
• Bama Brick Squad - Stacy offers various coaching services and packages: all geared towards helping you reach your goals. She works with athletes of all shapes and sizes. Support BBS and check out their merch!

 

• Highlights:
  • 2:00 - What is sleep?
  • 6:32 - Two simple states of sleep: REM vs NREM
  • 12:52 - Sleep and yo brain (Cerebrospinal fluid) 
  • 19:35 - Sleep and Learning & Memory
  • 23: 55 - Sleep and yo body
  • 28:55 - Sleep and being an athlete 
  • 34:31 - Sleep deprivation and exercise performance
  • 36:57 - How to get better sleep

It’s pretty safe to say we all have bad days...both in training and life. While we can’t always control outside factors that influence our lives, we can control how we react and adapt. In this week’s episode we discuss how to recover from a bad training day so that a bad day doesn’t spiral into a bad week, month or year.

• We’ve got shirts!! https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/clothing/shirts/strongaf-apparel/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/courses/eat-for-strength/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:

• Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.
• Bama Brick Squad - Stacy offers various coaching services and packages: all geared towards helping you reach your goals. She works with athletes of all shapes and sizes. Support BBS and check out their merch!

 

• Highlights:
  • 2:45 - Kristin had a bad training day
  • 5:45 - What 23 year old Kristin would have done
  • 9:23 - What Kristin actually did
  • 14:56 - How to be a supportive person
  • 21:36 - We are all going to have bad days  

When you’re in strength sports, you have to realize you’re playing the long game. Strength gains don’t happen overnight. No matter how hard you wish them, it just won’t happen. In today’s episode we discuss newbie gains, how to optimize your strength potential through other factors (such as nutrition), factors that impede strength gains, and comparing yourself to others.

• We’ve got shirts!! https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/clothing/shirts/strongaf-apparel/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/courses/eat-for-strength/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:

• Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.
• Bama Brick Squad - Stacy offers various coaching services and packages: all geared towards helping you reach your goals. She works with athletes of all shapes and sizes. Support BBS and check out their merch!

Listen to our last episode HERE.

• Highlights:
  • 8:00 Strength gains don’t happen overnight
  • 20:25 - Optimize your strength potential
  • 35:23 - Things that impede strength gains
  • 45:18 - PEDs in strength sports and comparing yourself to others

From a farm in Ohio to an internationally competitive powerlifter, our guest today has overcome many obstacles, both in lifting and life, in order to get her where she is today. In this episode, we sit down with Becci Holcomb and discuss her journey into powerlifting, the curse of social media, and knowing your worth...and so much more. You are not going to want to miss out on this one!

 

• Where you can find Becci:
  • Instagram: @prettystrongbec
  • Coaching Website: https://corvusstrength.co/becci  
• Check out Female Strength Academy - The only online resource created by and for female strength athletes: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/nutrition-courses/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy

• Check out our sponsors:
  • Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.

Highlights:

• 6:45 - What is single-ply lifting?
• 16:30 - Mindset of training through an injury
• 26:50 - How has the barbell empowered Becci
• 36:30 - Living her authentic life
• 42:00 - Body positivity & self confidence through powerlifting
• 48:40 - What advice would you give your past self knowing what you know now?
• 56:14 - Having a significant other who lifts

We hear it all the time. You HAVE to maintain a work-life balance, a life-hobby balance, a relationship-work balance..whatever it may be, you have to be balanced, right? Well, maybe not. In today’s episode we discuss living life purposely out of balance when training to achieve big goals. You won’t want to miss this one.  

• Download our free 10 Week Strength Training Program: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/training-programs/10-week-strength-training-program/
• Check out Female Strength Academy – The only online resource created by and for female strength athletes: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength – Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/nutrition-courses/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:
  • Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching – Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander: http://www.fiercelyfueled.com/

 

• Highlights:
  • 1:50 - High achieving people have to live out of balance...sometimes
  • 10:15 - What are you willing to sacrifice?
  • 16:00 - Breaks are important for your mental health
• Miss our last episode? Listen to it here: https://empoweredbyiron.com/visualization-creates-champions-alyssa-ritchey-episode-99/

To be the best of the best requires dedication, hard work, extreme self-confidence, natural abilities, and a touch of crazy. Today we sit down with one of USA’s top Olympic Weightlifters, Alyssa Ritchey, to discuss her herstory in sports, the mindset of an athlete, and nutrition. Keep your eye on this one, she will likely be one of our next Olympians.

• Where you can find Alyssa:
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssaritchey1
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW6SPOcKENnK115TW1kG-0A
  • Bodybuilding.com Podcast ft. Alyssa Ritchey: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-63-alyssa-ritchey-from-farm-to-weightlifting/id1159921915?i=1000436937407
• Download our free 10 Week Strength Training Program: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/training-programs/10-week-strength-training-program/
• Check out Female Strength Academy – The only online resource created by and for female strength athletes: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength – Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/nutrition-courses/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:
  • Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching – Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander: http://www.fiercelyfueled.com/

Need to catch up on Empowered by Iron Episodes? Check out our latest episodes HERE

Hypertrophy Training...what is it really? Today is all about breaking down hypertrophy training. What is it? Why do we do it? And who will benefit the most from it?

• Download our free 10 Week Strength Training Program: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/shop/training-programs/10-week-strength-training-program/
• Check out Female Strength Academy - The only online resource created by and for female strength athletes: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE: https://femalestrengthacademy.com/nutrition-courses/
• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy

Check out our sponsors:

• Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.

Highlights:

• 2:23 - What is ‘hypertrophy training?’
  • Strength vs. Hypertrophy
• 18:53 - The when and why of hypertrophy
• 26:30 - Patreon Question
• 27:00 - Frequency of training

Miss last week's episode? Listen to it HERE

Intuitive eating...you’ve probably heard of it, but what is it really? Intuitive eating gets a bad rap in the strength industry simply because most people don’t understand what it is exactly. So, today we are going to break it down for you.

• A Complete Guide to Intuitive Eating (Ebook)
• Check out Female Strength Academy - The only online resource created by and for female strength athletes.
• Eat for Strength and Eat for Strength - Cut courses are now LIVE!

 

• Follow us on Instagram and tag us in your posts by using the hashtag #empoweredbyiron
• Find us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/empoweredbyiron
• Join our women’s only Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/femalestrengthacademy
• Check out our sponsors:
  • Fiercely Fueled Nutrition Coaching - Online nutrition coaching for strength and functional fitness athletes. Coached by our own Dr. Kristin Lander.
• Highlights:
  • 0:45 - Intuitive eating eBook
  • 2:00 - Intuitive eating gets a bad rap…
  • 6:25 - What is Intuitive eating?
  • 10:00 - Hunger Cues!
  • 12:00 -  Intuitive Eating is NOT the same for everyone!
  • 15:40 - Hunger cues continued…
  • 20:45 - Cravings vs. binge eating
  • 31:00 - INTRODUCING Female Strength Academy