EP 34: 5 Gym Mistakes That Kept Me Skinny Fat (and What I Changed to Get Strong + Sculpted at 46)

0:00Welcome back to Becoming Her, Fitter, Better, and Stronger Over 40. I'm your host and coach, Shauna. I am 46, a wife, a boy mom, and a fitness and nutrition coach helping women over 40 become their best. In today's episode, I want to share a little bit of a personal story, something that I wish I had known sooner and something that I think is going to help you, especially if you feel stuck on your fit over 40 journey. So for 10 years or so, probably more, I chased a look that I thought I wanted. I wanted toned arms. I wanted a tight core. I wanted lean legs. So I followed advice that I saw everywhere, which was to burn more calories, to keep my heart rate high, not to rest too long.

0:39And if I was dripping sweat by the end of the workout, then that meant it was a good workout. So all I really focused on was HIIT classes, circuit style training, supersets, lots of high reps, not a lot of rest in between sets. In fact, between my sets, I would often do things like jump rope or plyos. And then I would also kind of change up my program pretty often. I did things like Insanity, P90X, bootcamp classes, thinking that if I just kept moving and sweating and burning calories, eventually I would earn the body that I wanted. What I didn't realize was that I was doing too much of the wrong thing.

1:16I was putting in the time, I had the consistency, I wasn't afraid of effort, but I wasn't training in a way that would actually change my body composition. And that's what I want to unpack today is the five biggest gym mistakes I made in those 10 plus years that kept me stuck working hard, but actually not seeing the changes that I wanted with my body, which was to look lean and strong and more defined. So if that's you, this is the perfect episode to listen to. I'm going to break down exactly how I changed my approach, how I train now at 46, and how it helped me build the strongest, fittest body I have ever had, all while spending less time in the gym and getting better results.

1:56So grab your favorite drink and let's dive right in. So back in my 20s and 30s, I thought I was doing everything right. I was in the gym all the time. I was putting in real work, you know, six days a week for one to two hours at a time. I was following programs and workouts that promised to burn fat, to tone up my muscle and to give rapid results. And I stayed committed. I really believe the answer to changing my body was just to go harder and to do more, to burn more calories and to sweat a ton. But despite all of that effort, my body never really reflected the work that I was putting in. And I didn't have more visible muscle.

2:36I didn't look strong or feel strong. In fact, I felt puffy a lot of times or flat or skinny fat. I kind of looked fit, but not really. You know, I looked sort of fit in clothes, but then once those clothes came off, there was no muscle tone there that I thought I should have for everything that I was doing. And the biggest missing piece there was that I was not doing anything that was really optimizing muscle growth. Muscle is the very thing that gives our body that shape, that structure, and that tone. So without it, we can lose weight, we'll get smaller, but we'll never really have that sculpted and toned or athletic look that a lot of us are striving for.

3:18Muscle is not just about aesthetics either. It truly is foundational for a healthy metabolism, especially over 40. It helps to improve your insulin sensitivity. It helps to support your brain function. It protects your joints and your bones, and it enhances mobility.

3:33Shauna:It makes everyday life easier now and then for the future years ahead. So muscle is the difference between having a flat, sluggish metabolism and one that actually works in your favor. And I was not building it because my workouts were not designed to. So if you can relate to that story and you're thinking to yourself, okay, yes, I totally get that. I am in the gym. I'm putting in the effort, but maybe my approach is not designed to build muscle in the right way so that I can have a better metabolism and a better sculpted body and longevity and health. Then I'm going to tell you the five things that I changed that have truly been transformative with how I train in the gym.

4:13So here's the five core mistakes that I kept making that kept me stuck in that cycle of working hard without seeing change. These are some of the same patterns that I also help my clients now break free from so that they can unlock their best bodies. Number one is mistaking sweat, soreness, and calories burned for progress. So like I mentioned, I believed that fatigue after a workout was a sign of how effective it was. I I would leave the gym drenched and exhausted thinking, wow, that was a great workout. But I wasn't measuring muscle tension. I wasn't paying attention to mechanical load. I wasn't progressing with strength.

4:50I was just measuring fatigue. And that's not the true measure of a successful strength training workout. What I do now is completely different. So I focus on creating a stimulus, not necessarily just exhaustion. I train for muscle growth, not just for movement. So my goal is to create controlled tension on the muscle, work with weight that's challenging for me, get close to failure so that the body is forced to adapt and grow more lean muscle tissue. It's completely different in how it looks and feels in the gym, but it's so much more effective. Number two is that I was always training with higher reps and lower weight.

5:26So I was stuck in the mindset of I tone my body if I just do low weights and high reps. everything was like 15 plus reps with small weights. I thought heavy weights were for bulking and I thought low weights, high reps would tighten and tone me. But high reps and light weights aren't enough to stimulate that muscle growth, especially as we age. The body becomes more resistant to change. And as you're lifting and getting stronger, you need to add intensity so that you're challenging your muscles and giving them a reason to grow. So now I train with moderate to heavy weights, something that I can work with that gives me challenge within that 6 to 12 rep range,

6:06Shauna:and I'm getting within 1 to 2 reps of failure. And that is where muscle is challenged, that is where change happens, and that's when you start to see your body really transform. Number three is that I relied on cardio-based workouts that included dumbbells. So this is a big one because I think a lot of times we see a workout program and if it includes using weights, We think that that is going to help us build muscle. So I did workouts that used dumbbells, but they were a part of like a fast paced circuit. So they're more or less cardio with weights. They're not actual resistance training. Now, if you are brand new to lifting up a weight, you will initially get some muscle growth with this.

6:47But over time, your body will adapt. And if you are not continuing to challenge it, you're going to plateau and you're just not going to continue to make progress. If your goal is just to move and kind of get in some activity, burn a little bit of calories, then you can do circuit classes or bootcamp classes.

7:05Shauna:But they are not optimal if your goal is to grow more muscle, change the aesthetics of your body, look toned, and improve your metabolism. Because a dumbbell in your hand does not equate to building muscle. So what I do now is I structure my training around strength principles. So I use things like progressive overload, which only means that over time you are striving to lift with more reps, add more weight, slow down your tempo, improve your form. I really make sure the muscle is working and not necessarily just going through the motions. This shift took me from just being active to actually really transforming my physique and my body.

7:47Shauna:Number four was believing that more was more. I used to train almost every single day. I was in the gym for one to two hours. I didn't allow a lot of rest days and believed that if I wasn't constantly doing something, I would fall behind. But more volume doesn't equal more results. Without proper recovery, especially over 40, your body cannot rebuild the muscle. You break it down while you're training and in your recovery time is where it rebuilds. So I was stuck in this constant cycle of breaking down without giving myself time to build back up. Now I train three to four days a week, but I train with intention.

8:24My workouts are shorter than they used to be, but they're more focused and they're more effective. I spend less time in the gym, but I'm getting better results because I'm working smarter, not harder. Because more doesn't equal more, better equals more. And it's all about working smarter, not harder, especially after 40. And lastly, what I stopped doing was constantly changing my workouts. I used to think that I needed to confuse my body for it to respond. So I used to bounce from one program to the next, always thinking that I needed to mix it up and shock my body. But that approach, again, only led to me spinning my wheels.

9:02I never really got strong with any particular movement. I never really gave my body time to adapt. And that is the true way for you to grow muscle. It's repeating the same type of exercises week after week, allowing your body to adapt to the stimulus, and then forcing it to get stronger. Without sticking with one program for a set amount of time, you're never really giving your body a chance to do that. And unfortunately, that's what happens when we're following or copying a workout we see on Instagram or just going to classes that change up the program week after week. The truth is your body doesn't need to be confused.

9:35It needs consistency. It needs progressive stimulus that's going to force it to grow muscle and change. So now what I do is follow structured phases that last anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks, sometimes even longer. And I repeat the same key lifts. I track my reps. I track the weight that I use. I track my effort. And I work to progress with all of that. That's how you build lean, strong muscle that changes your body, changes how you look, and changes how you feel. The way I train now at 46 looks so different than when I was in my 20s and 30s, but it is so much more effective. I train with focus on the muscle, not just movement.

10:17Shauna:I program my workouts with intention, structure, and recovery in mind, and I use tools that are designed to help me build and not just burn out. I've built the strongest and leanest body of my life at age 46. I feel more energized, more capable, more mobile. And I don't feel that pressure or need to spend hours in the gym anymore and punish myself. I train with purpose and I rest with purpose. And by the way, the changes that I've made haven't just transformed my body. They've actually really helped my metabolism. They've stabilized my energy and they've supported my hormonal health. They've given me a sense of true control over my body for the first time ever.

10:59Shauna:More muscle on your body really just unlocks so many amazing things. It really allows you to become so confident when you go into the gym and you're working with a particular exercise and you see yourself get stronger. You start to see that little muscle tone come through. I'm telling you right now, that feeling is one of the best feelings in the world. It's better than seeing the scale drop. I promise you. Not to mention, when you have more muscle on your frame, again, it's going to help your metabolism. Years ago, I was maintaining my weight at 1 ,800 calories. And now I maintain closer to 22 to 2300 calories.

11:35Shauna:That's the true beauty of more muscle is that it really lights your metabolism on fire. And that's what we want. We want to stay youthful with muscle. Muscle is the organ of youth. If you want to know the true secret to staying young, it is with more muscle. I really implore you not to be afraid of growing that muscle. It is truly one of the most transformative things I have ever experienced. And that's why I'm so passionate to help other women lean into getting stronger because you have no idea how amazing it feels and how much it can really positively impact not just your confidence and the way you look, but how you feel for the years to come.

12:18So I hope this inspires you to really lean into growing more muscle. And I want to give you some final tips that you can take with you into your workouts so that you can start to see progression and see the changes that you want. So here are some clear takeaways that you can implement so that you can start to train smarter, not harder. Number one, I want you to base your workouts around compound movements. So things like squats, hinges, presses, rows, there's tons of different variations of those, but focus on those four movements. And then you can add in some accessory things. Like if you have specific goals for your triceps or your biceps or your calves.

12:54You can add in some accessory movements, but those four movements, squats, hinges, presses, and rows, you cannot go wrong with those.

13:00Shauna:If you get really strong with those four movements, you're going to have a banging body. I promise. Number two, train three to four days a week with full focus and intensity. So I don't mean going all out. I really mean making sure that you are focused and dialed in on the movements and using intensity, meaning you're using weights that are challenging for you. And this is going to be relative to us all. I don't mean you go in and you lift the heaviest thing possible. I mean you find weights that are challenging you and that are going to bring you close to failure within the top rep range. Number three, I want you to make sure that you're actually resting between your sets.

13:35Shauna:You want to allow enough recovery so that your next set you're able to give it all. Again, this is about intention, not just going through the motions, moving more, sweating more. This is about really allowing your muscle to work to its capacity. So make sure during your rest periods, you are actually just resting. Number four, keep your exercises consistent for a set amount of time, six to 12 weeks at minimum, and track your progress. Write down your reps, the weight you used, make some notes about your form. Amazon has a really great little notebook you can take to the gym. There's tons of free apps that you can use to start to track your progress, but keep track of those things and really strive to get better week after week.

14:17Shauna:And you're going to see that in itself is going to unlock a ton of transformation for your body. Where are we at? Number five, aim for weights that challenge you in the rep range that you're using. So your last few reps should be almost impossible for you to do. So if you're working out at home and you have minimal equipment, there's ways around this, there's workarounds, like you'll have to work in a higher rep range, but slow down your tempo. Really get intentional with connecting with the muscle you're trying to use and make sure that your last two to three reps are challenging. Now, if you start working out at home, you'll make some progress, but eventually you may need to add to your home equipment and or you might have to go to a gym.

14:57Shauna:And if you're already in a gym, make sure you're choosing weights that are challenging you. Your first rep and your last rep should look pretty different. So one quick way to know if you are close to failure is that naturally your tempo is going to slow down. Like as you're pressing up for that last two to three reps, it's going to feel heavier and it's going to feel harder. That's how you know you're in that sweet spot. But that is where you want to aim to be with every single exercise. Those last two to three reps should be close to failure. That is a sweet spot that you know you are actually building muscle and changing your body.

15:32Shauna:And lastly, I want you to focus on muscle tension. It's not just how fast you move or feeling the burn in the muscle or how much you sweat. It's actually feeling that tension in the muscle. So you want to connect with the muscle you're trying to focus on and grow. You want to use controlled tempo. You want to make sure you're getting full range of motion and getting close to failure. If you take these tips into your next training session, I promise it's going to feel so much different. You're going to walk out maybe not as sweaty, but 100 % it's going to be more effective when it comes to building more muscle and changing and transforming what you see in the mirror.

16:09Shauna:Remember, progress is not going to come from doing more. It's going to come from doing better. And if you have been stuck in the cycle of doing more, burning yourself out and not seeing results, I get it. I have been there. But I'm also on the other side of that and I understand now what works and that's exactly what I'm teaching inside my new workout membership. It's called Strong by Shauna. So this is a membership for women over 40 who are ready to stop spinning their wheels and finally train in a way that builds muscle, that transforms their body, that works with them and not against them. So inside the membership, you'll get access to any workout programs that I have, any challenges that I run.

16:48Shauna:I'll have tons of resources that are going to help you just understand how to actually change your body over 40. Again, it's not about doing more. It's about doing what works. And this program is going to show you how. You can learn all about it in the show notes. I will leave some details down there. I appreciate you so much for tuning in today. And if this episode was helpful, or if you enjoy the show, I would be so thankful if you left a rating or review. It really does help the show grow. And remember, you are not too old to transform your body. You just need the right plan. And you need to keep showing up, training with intention and just keep becoming her.

17:25Shauna:I hope you enjoyed this episode. I can't wait to see you next week. Until then, keep getting stronger.