The Importance of Sleep for Your Health and Fitness Goals

Sleep is often underrated in our busy lives, but it plays a crucial role in achieving our health and fitness goals. As a former personal trainer and someone who has always been described as a “good sleeper”, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of quality sleep. In this blog post, we’ll explore why sleep is essential for both your overall well-being and your fitness aspiration

What is Quality Sleep?

Quality sleep goes beyond simply the duration of time spent in bed. It encompasses the depth and restfulness of the sleep cycles that occur throughout the night. Understanding the different sleep stages and their significance is key to achieving quality sleep.

One crucial stage of sleep is called REM sleep, which stands for rapid eye movement. REM sleep is characterized by vivid dreams, and during this stage, brain activity increases, resembling that of wakefulness. This phase typically occurs multiple times throughout the night, with each REM stage becoming longer as the night progresses. During REM sleep, the body undergoes various physiological changes. Heart rate and blood pressure increase, while breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. This stage is essential for cognitive function, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation.

Another vital sleep stage is deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep. This stage is often referred to as the restorative phase, as it plays a crucial role in physical recovery. Deep sleep is characterized by slow brain waves, reduced muscle activity, and difficult awakening. It is during this stage that energy is replenished, tissue repair occurs, and the body releases important hormones for growth and development. It is important to move through these sleep stages in a cyclical pattern known as sleep cycles.

On average, a complete sleep cycle lasts around 90-110 minutes and includes both REM and deep sleep stages. Throughout the night, multiple sleep cycles occur, allowing the body and mind to experience the benefits of each stage.

The first half of the night usually consists of longer periods of deep sleep, while the second half becomes dominated by REM sleep. This distribution helps ensure both physical and mental rejuvenation. Disruptions or disturbances during any stage of the sleep cycle can have a significant impact on the overall quality of sleep.

Physical Benefits of Sleep

Sleep provides numerous physical advantages, including:

  • Muscle recovery: During deep sleep, your body repairs and rebuilds muscle tissues, essential for fitness progress.
  • Hormone regulation: Sleep helps balance hormones like cortisol and growth hormone, influencing metabolism and muscle growth.
  • Energy levels: A good night’s sleep ensures you wake up refreshed and ready for your workouts.

Mental and Cognitive Benefits

Sleep is vital for mental health and cognitive function:

  • Improved focus and concentration: A well-rested mind performs better in both work and workouts.
  • Mood regulation: Sleep helps manage stress and reduces the risk of mood disorders.
  • Decision-making: Adequate sleep enhances your ability to make healthy choices regarding nutrition and exercise.

Sleep and Recovery

Quality sleep is a key component of recovery for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. It allows the body to:

  • Repair and regenerate cells and tissues.
  • Replenish energy stores for the day ahead.
  • Reduce inflammation, aiding in post-workout recovery.

Sleep and Weight Management

Sleep plays a significant role in weight management:

  • Appetite regulation: Poor sleep disrupts hormones that control appetite, leading to overeating.
  • Metabolic impact: Sleep deprivation can slow down metabolism and hinder weight loss efforts.
  • Insulin sensitivity: Quality sleep improves insulin sensitivity, which is crucial for managing blood sugar and body composition.

Relevant Article: Benefits of Strength Training for Women

Tips for Improving Sleep

If you want to get the most out of your sleep, here are a few tips and tricks that I use to help me get a more restful, revitalizing sleep.

  • Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Our bodies operate on cycles. The more consistent the cycle, the more efficient the cycle becomes. If you can, try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. I go to bed between 8:30 – 9:30 most nights and wake up at 5:10 most mornings. I do still have a life, so I stray from this schedule, but I do have my best sleep when I am able to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time.
  • Create a relaxing bedtime routine: This will be different for everyone, but the key is to start signaling to your body about an hour before you plan to sleep that it is time to wind down. It all starts with my evening skincare routine, brushing my teeth, and turning off the lights. Then I try to read before bed, instead of scrolling TikTok or Instagram. On the nights that I just want to scroll though, I’ll bring my blue-light-blocking glasses to bed to make sure I am not disrupting the natural production of melatonin.
  • Keep your sleep environment comfortable and dark: This really makes a big difference. I have black-out curtains, a fan that allows me to turn off the light, and an alarm clock that allows me to turn off the glowing numbers of the digital clock. I also set my FitBit to do not disturb so it doesn’t randomly glow in the night. This makes my room pitch black at night and makes such a difference. If you can’t create this environment, I recommend getting an eye mask that you can wear comfortably at night. Even the smallest amount of light can disrupt your sleep cycles, so make sure you find strategies to create a dark sleeping environment.
  • Limit caffeine and electronic device use before bedtime: Caffeine has a half-life of 6 hours. This means that after 6 hours, you still have the amount of caffeine you originally drank in your system. So if you are drinking caffeine after about 2 PM, there is a good chance it is impacting the quality of your sleep. If you know you are sensitive to caffeine, try not to drink it past noon.

Conclusion

In conclusion, sleep is a cornerstone of both your health and fitness journey. It’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity. By ensuring you get enough quality sleep, you’ll support your muscle growth, cognitive function, mood, and overall well-being. As I always say, do something good for your body today.

The Benefits of Strength Training for Women: Building Confidence and Muscle

Introduction
Strength training isn’t just about lifting weights; it’s a transformative journey that empowers women physically and mentally. With over two decades of experience dedicated to health and fitness, I’ve witnessed countless women discover the remarkable benefits of strength training. In this blog post, we’ll explore how this form of exercise can help women build confidence, muscle, and overall well-being.

What is Strength Training?
Strength training is a type of exercise that focuses on improving muscle strength, endurance, and power. Contrary to the misconception that it leads to a bulky physique, it sculpts lean, toned muscles and enhances overall fitness.

Strength training can include exercises with, or without equipment. As long as you are loading the muscles and increasing the load on the muscles every workout, you will be building strength. Within strength training you can both increase muscle mass, developing more visible musculature and increasing how much weight you can lift in a session. There is also strength training that uses the neuro-muscular connections of the body to increase how much weight you can lift without building as much physical mass. And finally there is power lifting. This requires both strength and elasticity, but less endurance as you’ll only be performing an exercise 1-3 times.

Common Misconceptions
Many women fear that strength training will make them look too muscular. However, this isn’t the case. Women typically lack the testosterone levels required for significant muscle bulk. Instead, strength training enhances their curves, providing a lean and athletic appearance.

When I was working as a personal trainer this was the most common fear of the women that I trained. They would see women in fitness magazines and the fitness influencers online that had rippling muscles and very low body fat.

The truth of this is that most of those women are enhancing their training with additional substances. For the average woman lifting weights, it is very difficult to get down to a body fat percentage that shows the vascularity of your muscles. Muscles also require a lot of calories/energy to maintain. From an evolutionary standpoint, women’s bodies require energy to do a lot more than just maintain muscles. Our body prefers giving energy to our brains, maintaining enough fat stores to potentially provide for a child, and keeping our reproductive system working so that we have the optimal physical environment should one of our eggs become fertilized.

I have been lifting weights consistently since my teens and I am almost 30 now. Although my shoulders are broad because that’s the shape I have inherited from my potato-farming, Viking ancestors, I wouldn’t say I am “bulky”. So if the fear of getting bulky is what is holding you back from trying strength training, don’t worry – it is very difficult to get bulky without adding performance-enhancing substances to your routine.

Physical Benefits
Strength training offers numerous physical advantages, including:

  • Increased muscle mass, which boosts metabolism and helps with weight management.
  • Improved bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Enhanced functional strength, making daily activities easier and reducing the risk of injuries.

Mental and Emotional Benefits
Strength training goes beyond the physical. It can:

  • Boost self-confidence and improve body image.
  • Alleviate stress and promote a positive mood.
  • Empower women to achieve goals and overcome challenges.

Tailoring Strength Training to Women
To get started:

  • Begin with a well-rounded routine that includes compound exercises.
  • Set achievable goals and progressively increase weights and repetitions.
  • Focus on proper form and technique to prevent injuries.
  • Pay attention to nutrition and allow time for adequate recovery.

Safety and Concerns
Safety is paramount. Always consult with a certified professional to design a personalized strength training program. Address common concerns, such as fears of bulking up or injuring oneself. Hiring a qualified personal trainer will also give you the tips and tricks that are relevant to you and your current fitness level.

The number of times. I have seen trainers online giving one or two cues for a complex exercise – it is so limiting and doesn’t reflect the real world of training. When I was studying to become a personal trainer, the teachers were always giving us exercises to practice teaching the same movement 3, 4 sometimes 5 ways. Different types of cueing will resonate more with clients than others.

For example: some clients require a physical cue. So I would have to physically guide them through a movement, poking at muscles and adjusting as they attempt the movement. Some clients required environment markers to get the movement right, such as looking in mirrors or using a wall as a target. Some clients just needed to be able to visualize the muscles involved in an exercise, receive a few creative verbal cues, and they’d nail the technique.

Relevant Article: 3 Ways to Modify an Exercise

That type of information is difficult to access and takes a lot of trial and error if you don’t have a coach working with you. Choosing the right coach is also a critical part of this process, so I recommend checking out this article to learn more about choosing the right personal trainer for your lifestyle and goals.

Getting Started
Starting is easier than you think:

  • Choose exercises that align with your goals.
  • Find a suitable gym or create a home workout space.
  • Invest is a coach is you’re just starting out. Or ask a qualified friend to help you get started.
  • Establish a workout schedule that fits your lifestyle.

Conclusion
In conclusion, strength training is a powerful tool for women seeking confidence, muscle tone, and improved well-being. It defies misconceptions and empowers women to embrace their strength, both physically and mentally. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, the journey of strength training is one filled with transformative benefits.

Closing Thoughts
Embrace the empowerment that strength training offers. Remember, it’s not about becoming someone else; it’s about becoming the best version of yourself. And remember. -it doesn’t have to be complicated. As. I always say, something good for your body today.

Cardio Finishers: What Are They, When Should You Do Them, and How to Add Them to Your Next Workout

young woman doing exercises on cycling machine
Photo by Andres Ayrton on Pexels.com

One of my secret weapons in my training is cardio finishers. These are high intensity exercises that drain every last drop of energy from my body at the end of my workout – hence cardio finisher.

But there is a subtle art to the cardio finisher, which I will explain in this article so that you can start adding in these workout weapons into your gym routine 🔥

What is a cardio finisher

As I mentioned above, a cardio finisher is an exercise, or a set of exercises that is placed at the end of your workout.

The exercise/set of exercises needs to be high intensity, with little to no break, so you get every last ounce of energy out before your cool down.

When you should do a cardio finisher

A common theme on my blog is safety when working out. We want to minimize risk of injury so that you never miss a workout.

Cardio finishers are not for the faint of heart and should be approached with some caution (although they are meant to be fun). If you are feeling really worn down and faint at the end of a workout, don’t try and squeeze in a cardio finisher.

A cardio finisher should only be added to the end of a workout where you feel like you still have something left in the tank. Your workout playlist is strong, the pre workout is still buzzing through your body and you want to answer the question “am I as awesome as a I think I am?”

The answer is always yes, you are in fact awesome, but the cardio finisher will confirm this.

So let’s get into how you put together a cardio finisher.

How to add a cardio finisher to your next workout

I am going to give you 3 of my favourite cardio finishers that you can try, or modify, for your next workout.

1. The cardio machine cardio finisher:

Pick a cardio machine of your choosing. You’ll do a quick warm-up to get the body used to the machine, 1-2 minutes will do. Then I want you to pick an interval, either a 1:1 or a 2:1 work to rest interval.

From there you choose how hard your working set is and your rest set is. For example, I like to do an 11.5kph sprint for 1min, and then stand on the side of the treadmill for my 30s rest. If I need it, I’ll take a full minute rest, or switch it up to 30s on, 30s off.

2. The killer countdown

I’ll be honest, this one is my favourite. It is both very challenging, but I also find it is the most effective at achieving that drained-of-energy feeling.

Set your timer for 12 mins. Then grab an EZ Bar or a 15lbs barbell. Press start on your timer and do 3 overhead presses. Put the bar down, and do 1 burpee, hop over the bar, drop down do another burpee, hop over the bar and do a third burpee.

You’ll then repeat this overhead press, burpee combo, increasing reps by 3 every time.

The goal is to get to 21 reps of each or get to the end of the timer. at my absolute fittest, when I would do this at the end of most workouts, I got up to 18 burpees.

Trust me it is killer, but SO good.

3. HIIT Circuit

Last, but certainly not least, the HIIT circuit. Ol’ faithful. When I use a HIIT circuit for a cardio finisher I like to combine complex movements. They’ll be full-body exercises that use equipment I wouldn’t normally use, like a stepper and a medicine ball.

If you want it to be a true cardio finisher, make you keep those rests short. Try EMOM, or every minute on the minute.

Recommended Reading: 3 Ways to Modify an Exercise

3 Ways to Modify an Exercise

Did you know that it can be very easy to modify an exercise to make it work for YOU and YOUR fitness level? That’s right – all of those cool exercises that you see your favourite fitness influencer doing online can be modified slightly so that you, no matter where you are in your fitness journey, can spice up your workout routine.

In this article, I’ll give you 3 basic ways to modify an exercise. The modifications can be used to either make it more appropriate for beginners or to make it more challenging for advanced gym girlies.

1. Modify the joints involved

I love to use this modification technique to really isolate the movement and make sure I am generating all of the power through the targeted muscle.

To do this, you’ll either fix (make immobile) your joint – as you would with a seated row vs. a standing cable row, or you can free up your joints, which would be like going from a push-up from the knees to a push-up from the toes.

What this does is introduce a new potential point of leverage. When we go from a standing position to a seated position, we fix the hips. This means that we eliminate the opportunity to swing at the hips, or generate power from the hips.

This is a great way to ensure that you’re only using either the upper half or the lower half of your body. Just remember to brace your core if you’re doing an upper body movement, and to try not to curve your lower back when you’re doing lower body movements, like a leg press. The moment your low back is curved, you risk generating power through the tiny muscles in your lower back, which is why some people experience back pain when they use the leg press machine.

The flip side of this is to free up a joint. So when you move from knee pushups to toe push-ups, you freed up the knees. If you aren’t perfectly tense and rigid from the base of your skull down to your heels, you risk feeling pressure in your low back. This makes push-ups more challenging as you need to have full-body awareness to be able to contract all of the muscles in your torso and lower body in order to make it (slightly) easier for your chest and arms.

You can also see this when you do a plank on an exercise ball. This actually frees up all of the joints because now your shoulders are not fixed in position. They have to react to the unstable surface (the exercise ball).

This leads me to tip number 2!

2. Switch up the equipment

This is a pretty common way to modify an exercise. However, it takes some playing around with each of the different types of equipment to be able to understand how to do a squat, overhead press, or row.

To help you decide the progression for equipment and how you can scale the exercise up or down for difficulty, here’s how I approach it:

  • Bodyweight: learn how to do every exercise with your own body weight. With the exception of vertical push and pull exercises (think the overhead press and lay pull down), most exercises can be done easily with your own body weight.
  • Bands: bands are a great next step because you can modify the intensity of the movement based on the band size. They also work with your body to achieve an exercise and are great for making exercises like the overhead press and pull-up more accessible.
  • Cable machines: these are great because you get consistent tension throughout the movement. For example, when you do a dumbbell curl, the lift is harder (going against gravity) than the lowering portion (with gravity). If you just let the cable drop you’ll smash the weights and nobody wants that at the gym!
  • EZ-bar: these are those bars that you see at the gym with fixed weights. These are a great next step because you can start small and work your way up as you get stronger. Additionally, you’re working muscles bilaterally, meaning both sides of the body are working to move the weight.
  • Free weights/dumbbells: although the range of weights with these can be much lower than the EZ bars and cable machines, you are able to work unilaterally, so you’ll be able to develop each side of the body on its own. However, this also requires more balance and core stability, especially if you’re going from seated to standing.
  • Barbell: these typically start at 45lbs. and require a lot of technique to be able to use properly and with minimum risk for injury. I recommend working with a coach or a very experienced friend before you get into barbell work.
  • Unstable equipment: this includes exercise balls, balance boards, body balls, etc. Although all great for rehab, you want to make sure you only incorporate unstable surfaces when you’ve developed good core strength and musculature around your hips and shoulders. This will protect these joints from injury, which the risk is at an all-time high on unstable surfaces.

Recommended Read: Top 3 Tips to Improve Your Deadlift Technique

3. Tempo

The last way to modify an exercise is with tempo. Again, as you get stronger and your technique improves you can either speed up or slow down or completely stop exercises to make them more challenging.

The best tempo to start with is 2:1:2:1, which means 2 seconds up, 1 second hold, 2 seconds down, 1 second hold. This keeps it balanced and you won’t be rushing and risking doing the movement incorrectly.

If you’re a beginner, feel free to slow down any part of the movement to give yourself more time to focus on the technique and to really feel the muscles working. If you can’t do a movement slowly, then you’re probably using a weight that is too heavy.

Additionally, if you find a move to easy, you can mix up fast, slow, and holds. For example, a great way to train for a pull-up is to try and take as long as you can to lower yourself down. So you would pull yourself up to the bar quickly, hold for a moment, then slooooooooooooowwllyyy lower yourself down, then pop right back up and repeat.

By playing around with tempo you’ll develop the muscles in a more balanced way, making you stronger throughout the movement.

In summary, if your workouts are getting tired and boring, or you’re looking to take your workouts to the next level, you can do so by modifying the exercise. The 3 ways that I recommend are:

  1. Modify the joints involved: try fixing a joint to a point to ensure the muscles and joints at work are the only ones moving. This include taking an exercise from seated to standing (freeing up more joints). Or, you can take a movement from standing to half-kneeling.
  2. Switch up the equipment: Finding dumbbells too easy? Try the same exercise on a cable machine. The different weight distribution and the pulley system will add a new element of difficulty to the movement.
  3. Tempo: Lastly, if you want to really build well-round, resilient muscles, change of the tempo of your exercise. Remember there is a start – move – stop – move count to keep in mind and going 1-2-1-2 is the most basic tempo for exercises.

I hope you found this helpful! If so, leave a comment below and let me know how you like to spice up your workouts.

7 Tips for Miami Music Week

These 7 tips for Miami music week are specifically for those traveling alone, however some of them can be useful for groups as well. And with Ultra Miami starting in just a few days (and the waitlist for 2025 already open!), I figured this was a great time to update these tips and tricks to help you survive and enjoy your time in Miami.

Tip 1 – Get to know the city

Prior to arriving to Miami, I had looked up Miami Beach and Bayfront park. I had heard of both so I figured that would be enough. However, when I arrived, I did not realize just how far these were from each other. Additionally, I did not realize how each of these locations served the broader groups of parties and the events that take place during Miami music week.

For example, the airport is about 20mins from the 17th ave on Miami Beach, which is around the mid-way point of the beach. This was $25-$35USD by Uber.

However, when I took an Uber from south beach to the Intercontinental Hotel, which is the hotel that looks at the Ultra Miami MainStage, it took another 25-30mins and cost around $45USD.

And finally, from the intercontinental hotel to Factory Town, one of the primary party locations for Miami music week, it was another 20 mins and another $35USD (depending on when you call an Uber. It was around this price to go from Factory Town back to the beach as well.

So when you are planning your Miami music week experience, search the different party locations you anticipate you’ll be visiting and then try to find accommodations that keep you close enough to all the events so you’re not spending a pretty penny on Ubers.

Tip 2 – Save, Save, Save

Speaking of pretty pennies – this is definitely a city where you want to save your money. Especially when you travel alone, you’re on the hook for the full bill, whereas if you travelled with friends, you could be splitting the bill.

Here’s a budget for when you’re in Miami (this excludes all the tickets, flights, and accommodations you’ll book before Miami music week).

  • Ubers: $100/day. This should give you more than enough to go from the beach to any of the party locations and back to the beach. Add another $50 if you plan to stop in at a friends hotel, AirBnb, restaurant etc.
  • Food: if you’re keeping things cheap and getting just the essentials from snack shops, you could probably survive on ~$40-$50/day. If you want to try a restaurant or two and not survive on crackers and Gatorade, add another $50 to that total.
  • Drinks: $100-$150/day. This was the most shocking cost for me. In Canada, when you go out, you’re spending ~$12/drink. So even for a full day at a festival, you might spend around $80 (~6 drinks or 1/hr, assuming to skip the first few artists). But oh my god – I checked my bank statement and spent $45 on a single drink. I have no idea how, but here I was, spending 3X what I would normally spend on 1 drink on a small vodka red bull.
  • Tourist fees: there are tourist fees when you books hostels and hotels. I arrived at my hostel, where I thought I had prepaid for everything, but was asked to pay a $20 deposit and 4% tourist charge for every day I was there. When you think you’ve brought enough, this can mean 1 less drink or 1 less Uber ride if you haven’t budgeted for it.

Tip 3 – Learn basic Spanish

I knew before going that the US is a mix of English and Spanish. It is similar to Canada where you’ll encounter English and French speakers. What I failed to realize was spanish-speaking folks will make up a good portion of the staff you’ll meet during your stay. Whether it is the people checking you in to your hotel/hostel, or your Uber driver, knowing some Spanish will help you get around the city and connect with the those who will be taking care of your travel, accommodations, food and drink.

To help you get started, I’d recommend trying Duolingo or Babbel. Duolingo has free options, but Babbel is the more comprehensive language learning tool and follows linguistics science to teach you how to speak spanish.

Tip 4 – Buy Tickets as Early as Possible

If you’ve ever gone to any type of event you know that the early bird tickets are the best price, but for Miami Music Week, the tickets prices really jump.

I took a look at the Ultra 2024 ticket prices and they are $299.95 USD. When I was debating going to Ultra when I arrived in Miami, they were close to $499 for the 3 days, which comes out to $700+ CAD.

So if you want to go – buy those tickets as early as possible, and use the next 12 months to save up for the rest of your experiences.

The pool parties that happen during Miami Music Week are typically announced 2-3 months ahead of Miami Music Week, which is set for March 17- March 24th, with Ultra happening on the 22nd – 24th. So keep an eye out on your favourite artists and artist labels Instagram pages in January and February so you get your ticket at the cheapest price.

Tip 5 – Check Out the Pool Parties

I actually booked my Miami music week around a pool party. I knew I had always wanted to check out the events of that week, but when a pool party from my favourite artist lined up with some cheap flights that I could buy with points, it was a match made in heaven.

The pool parties are great ways to see your favourite DJs for extended and B2B sets. You’ll also get a more intimate experience with the DJs and see them up close, instead of trying to see them from the back of the Ultra crowd.

A final bonus is that you may get to party beside some of your favourite artists. Lots of DJs will attend their friend’s pool parties and club sets. Martin Garrix, one of the biggest DJs in the world who can very difficult to see up close, showed up to a small pool party put on by Vintage Culture – which I just so happened to see! It was a really fun moment and made an already fun event even more memorable!

Pool parties are happening all over the city, but the SLS hotel chain have great spaces for these parties. I went to SLS south beach for Vintage Culture, but I also almost went to a pool party at SLS Brickell.

Most (if not all) tickets can be purchased at tixr.com

Tip 6 – Avoid South Beach

If you don’t have to go south of 15th ave, then don’t. Before Miami Music Week is Spring break for 3 weeks. All of the spring break parties happen from 5th ave to 15th ave and this year they ended in 2 shootings.

As a Canadian, I am very fortunate to not (really) have to worry about this when I am out and about on my own. I do still have to be careful, but gun violence is not really a main fear.

In response to this, Miami put in place a curfew, which meant that you can’t buy alcohol after 6PM, unless you’re in a contained event space. Although Miami Music Week brings in a more international crowd, there’s still the risk of Spring Breakers extending their vacation into MMW. So the risk still exists.

South beach (5th – 15th) includes some of the major clubs on Miami Beach, so if you buy tickets to places like Story, just make sure you have a plan to arrive and leave with people and preferably by Uber or Taxi.

I stayed around 17th avenue and was about 3 blocks from the beach (stay away from Ocean Drive), and didn’t feel unsafe. I just walk like I own the city and try to only be out when the sun is out. This area also put me close to beaches, stores, restaurants, nice hotels (the Ritz Carlton, Loews, and the Setai are all within a block) and inexpensive hostels!

You’ll also finds AirBnB’s there, but be wary about these. I heard stories about hosts accepting bookings and then cancelling a few days before Ultra just to repost for 3-4X the price.

Tip 7 – Give yourself at least 1 recovery day between coming home and returning to life

If you’re anything like me – you go all in when you’re on vacation. I prioritized activities and soaking up as much sun as possible over sleep and eating 3 complete meals. This meant that when I got back, I was running on empty.

Could I have avoided this? Yes. Do I regret how I chose to spend my time/money? Absolutely not. So the fact that I had Saturday and Sunday night to get a full night’s rest, and all day Sunday to get myself ready to return to reality was perfect.

In fact, I am writing this after a perfectly productive Monday, complete with meal prepped meals and a full night of rest.

It makes a difference and people don’t always think about the end of the trip. So I hope this final tip is the perfect ending to this article all about planning your trip to Miami Music Week.

And of course – have fun :)

Top 3 Tips to Improve Your Deadlift Technique

riley showing proper deadlift technique

Having great deadlift technique is so important, but more often than not, the tips you get to improve your deadlift technique online are complicated and are not always easy to implement. In this post I am going to go through my top 3 tips to improve your deadlift technique today!

The Best Way to Improve Your Deadlift Technique

Before we begin, I want to start off by saying that the best way to improve your deadlift technique is to hire a coach or enlist the help of a friend that has been professionally coached. Although this movement is very powerful, it can very quickly lead to injury if not done properly.

So we want to make sure you have the basics of the deadlift covered before adding in these tips to your routine. Once you feel comfortable with the hip hinge movement, come back to this post and I’ll help you master the rest!

Deadlift Technique 1: Don’t Look Up

I see this ALL THE TIME at the gym. People set-up a big deadlift, their hip hinge looks awesome, but then at the last second, they look up at themselves in the mirror.

I get it – you want to see yourself lift all of that weight. It makes sense, but it is actually hindering the strength of the movement. In the video I attached above, I explain how when you look up, you lose your neutral spine. For the majority of us who have poor T-Spine mobility, the moment we look up, we also end up pushing out our chests.

The reason we really do not want any unnecessary arching of the back is because this will actually put the majority of the load (the weight) on the joints and muscles in you spine – instead of using your glutes (booty) and hamstrings (muscles on the back of the thighs) to lift the weight.

To help you understand this, think about doing a bicep curl. From your middle knuckle to your elbow should be perfectly straight so that when you go to do your bicep curl, you’re calling on your biceps to lift the weight in your hands. However, if you tried to do a bicep curl with you wrist bent, you would feel the weight of the dumbbell in the wrist more than you would your bicep. This has to do with the physics of levers, so if you want to learn more about this, you can check out this blog.

So please, do not look up when you are doing your deadlifts. If you are going to do 1 thing from this post to improve your deadlift technique, let it be this first tip.

Deadlift Technique 2: Have Your Mirror Beside You

This tip links up with the first one nicely because if your mirror isn’t in front of you, then the temptation to look up decreases drastically.

The benefit of having the mirror beside you is that you are able to see all of the important set-up techniques with one quick look before you lift any weight off of the ground. Here’s a quick list of checks you should do when looking the mirror beside you:

  • Are your knees too far over the weight? If you have hinged properly, your shins should be almost perpendicular to the ground. If your shins are approaching a 45 degree angle with the ground, then you need to think about pushing hips further back.
  • Are your butt-bones facing the wall behind you? Those boney bits that you feel when someone sits on your lap – everyone has them! When you are setting up for a romanian deadlift (different for sumo deadlift), your butt-bones/sit-bones should be pointed directly at the wall behind you. If they aren’t, you need to correct your form
  • Is your spine neutral? Is your lower or upper back rounded? If someone were to put a flat piece of wood on your back, would there be very minimal space between your back at the board? Or would you have gaps between your lower back, mid-back and neck? If you think so, then it is time to correct that. I give a quick tip on how to set-up your back for maximum stability in the video above.
  • Lastly, are your arms straight? You’re not going to be rowing the bar up. Think about a cable on a crane – if that cable didn’t have tension, the moment they try to lift the weight below, the cables would wobble and snap into place. You do not want your wrists, elbows or shoulders doing any wobbling or snapping in a deadlift.

Deadlift Technique 3: Stack don’t Pinch

The final tip to improve your deadlift technique was kind of mentioned in the previous tip, but I want to get into more detail about this, because I see this a lot with people at the gym.

People will set-up for their deadlift and before going down to reach for the bar, or right after they reach for the bar, they pinch their shoulder blades together like you see in the image below:

Although this is a very helpful cue when you’re doing something like a row or a face pull, you don’t want to be doing this when you’re setting up for your deadlift, because, as I mentioned before, this will likely cause an arch in your back that will lead to more of the weight being lifted by smaller muscles in your back instead of your glutes and hamstrings.

To correct this, I want you to use the following technique:

  • set-up for your deadlift as you normally would. I go through it in a series of videos on one of my other TikTok accounts, which you can see here.
  • When you reach down to the bar, I want you to take a firm grip on the bar. Your hands should be just outside your knees and gripping the bar with the thumbs under the bar and fingers wrapped around.
  • Now, think about the bar as if it were a stick and you wanted to snap in half. Do that to the bar. You should feel your arms tense up all the way through your shoulders and down into your back.

By doing this, you create the necessary tension in your arms, shoulders, and back to protect your spine during the deadlift. It calls on all of the structures that should not be moving in during the deadlift so that all of the force that lifts the weight off the ground is coming from the powerful glutes and hamstrings, and not the smaller, less powerful muscles between your vertebra, shoulder joint and arms.

There you have it! These are the 3 ways you can improve your deadlift technique. Apply them all or try one at a time and see how your deadlift changes.

Let me know below if you have specific questions about the deadlift. I’d love to be able to help you get the most out of this exercise.

Top GymShark Products – February 2024

Riley's top gymshark products of february 2024. Image includes a selfie with Riley in the gymshark sports bra and shorts, an image of the orange gymshark shorts and the oversized sweater.

Now that I have access to adult money, I like to indulge in the cute gym outfits. No more wearing my old t-shirts and soccer shorts to the gym – it’s all about the coordinated outfits and gear that makes me feel strong and cute in the gym. There are so many different fitness apparel brands out there, like Alo Yoga, Famme, and Lululemon, but I tend to go to GymShark for my athletic wear. It is consistent and a reasonable price – and in this economy, that’s a perfect pairing. So I want to share my top GymShark products with you so you can feel strong (and cute!) in the gym too!

One of the brands I keep going back to is GymShark – and can you blame me? They are always dropping new products, the quality continues to improve, and everything just looks so good on me. Sometimes its nice to put on the gym outfit and feel like my motivation to go to the gym has just grown exponentially, y’know?

So I wanted to share my recent favourites so you can try them out for yourself. Who knows, maybe a cute outfit is all you need to hit that PR you’ve been working towards!

GymShark Crew Socks

I used to shy away from these types of socks because I played soccer for 10+ years, and it was giving soccer socks without the shin pads vibes and that’s just not what I was going for. However that has all changed. There’s something about slightly scrunched crew socks with a pair of biker shorts that makes me feel like I could lift anything I want.

I especially like these socks because they work with my workout schedule. I know that I have a pair of my favourite crew socks for each workout and it even includes 2 pairs for rest day. So when I am out walking the dogs or out on my rest-day hot girl walk, I still have a pair to wear.

image of 7 gymshark crew socks. Each sock has a different workout day printed on the ankle, including leg day, chest day, shoulders, back day, arm day, and 2 rest day socks.
GymShark Crew Socks – 3pk

Sweat Seamless Sports Bra in Aerospace Orange

Listen – if a product name or colour has anything to do with space, I am going to buy it. The fact that this product came in orange (my favourite colour) AND the colour name had to do with space made it the easiest purchase I have ever made.

When I tell you I was not prepared for how soft this bra (and the matching shorts) are – I was not prepared, babe. It is so soft and the sports bra actually provides more support than I was expecting. The website labels this as a light support bra, so if you have a bigger chest than me (B-cup on my period), this sports bra may not provide the kind of support you need.

In the middle of winter, this sports bra and the matching shorts are like a regular reminder that summer is just around the corner and I want to get my butt in shape for the best season of the year.

Girl wear sweat seamless sports bra and shorts in aerospace orange
Sweat Seamless Sports Bra in Aerospace Orange

Sweat Seamless Shorts in Aerospace Orange

As I mentioned above, this set is just the perfect combo for a gloomy winter day and for the sunniest of summer days. In the winter you’ll get a bright boost, making your fake tan just pop in the dark of winter. But in the summer you’ll look like you’ve come straight from Venice Beach and are ready to have a great workout!

I also want to highlight the length of these shorts. I have another pair of biker shorts that I’m going to call out below that are a little longer, but these ones feel like just the right length. Not too short, but not too longer either. And the details swooping detail around the middle is more flattering than I anticipated. I have a standard lower belly pooch that many of us have, and I was worried this would draw attention to that area. But it actually helps to keep that area tucked and tight, creating a really nice silhouette.

Sweat Seamless Shorts in Aerospace Orange

Adapt Animal Seamless Sports Bra

If the sweat seamless sports bra isn’t going to provide support, then this sports bra is the one to take care of “the girls” throughout the whole workout. This sports bra really makes my upper body feel really secure. I also really like the high-neck look because I feel like I could just wear this to the gym and not feel like my (albeit little) ta-ta’s are going to pop out or be too in my face.

The colour is also so good on this sports bra. I went with firefly yellow and when I have a tan on, everything just pops! It’s a great sports bra for mirror selfies.

In terms of functionality and comfort level of the bra, it checks all the boxes. I almost feel like it improves my posture while I am wearing it because the support they built into it is so robust. Definitely recommend this one for your next workout.

ADAPT ANIMAL SEAMLESS SPORTS BRA IN FIREFLY YELLOW

Adapt Animal Seamless Cycling Shorts

I hope you have learned in this short time of knowing me that I love a matching set. So naturally, after getting the adapt animal sports bra (in firefly yellow and black), I had to get the matching cycling shorts. I also got them because Whitney Simmons mentioned them in a favourites video and that girl is one of the best at influencing my purchases.

I was actually a little hesitant about buying these shorts at first. When I have bought and worn cycling shorts in the past, I didn’t love the way it looked. I have a pair of thick, juicy thighs, capable of some pretty amazing feats of strength. However – as mighty as they may be, some cycling shorts sit at the wrong spot and make my proportions look way off. It hasn’t been a flattering look in the past, so I was worried.

However, when they arrived I was pleasantly surprised that they don’t look bad! I hike them right up the ol’ cheeks (as mother Whitney would want me to) and that makes them sit at just the right spot on my thighs. The elastic around the openings of the leg holes also isn’t too tight, so there isn’t any bulging there, which I really appreciate. I actually bought a couple of these and they have quickly become my favourite leg-day/lower-body workout shorts.

Adapt Animal Seamless Cycling Shorts in Reef | Cherry Brown

Training Oversized Sweatshirt

I have saved the best for last. If you are a cozy gal like me, then you love a good sweater. I probably didn’t need another crew neck sweater in my collection, but the colour of this and the oversized fit were calling my name. I do not regret this purchase for a second and honestly wish I had bought more than one.

I don’t typically workout in sweaters, so this is a crucial part of the gym preparations. It can be very cold in the mornings when I go to the gym. So even though I may feel ready to go when I initially put on my workout outfit, if I start to feel chilly at all, my motivation starts to plummet.

This sweater saves the day and it looks so cute when it is on. Definitely recommend picking up one of these on your next GymShark shopping trip!

girl wearing training oversized sweatshirt in hazy pink from gymshark
Training Oversized Sweater in Hazy Pink

There you have it! My top GymShark products from February 2024. If you’d like to see more of my workout content, you can head over to my pinterest page, or join my newsletter. I send out weekly updates with products favourites like this, workout tips and plans and give you fun updates about what I have been up to.