Ella Crouch

How do you ACTUALLY pull from your back? 🤔

Most of you have probably heard things like “engage your lats” and “row with your back”

So we’re talking about your dumbbell rows, bent over rows, lat pull downs (in the good old days when we could go to a gym)...

But how the hell do you ACTUALLY do that?

A lot of people don’t even know what it feels like to engage with those muscles, it’s taken me years and there’s still room for improvement!

My advice for rowing exercises where your primary focus are the lats is this:

1. include unilateral work (one side at a time) as this will help you engage with a more specific area

2. Strap up, or take a loose grip. If you grip too hard you’ll just kill your forearm and more likely engage more biceps than back

3. Pin your shoulder blades down! As soon as they start to come up you’ll probs end up shrugging more than rowing!

4. For single arm rows, lean with your resting arm on an incline so your torso isn’t parallel to the ground. At this angle it will be easier to drive your arm back without shrugging

5. Lead with your elbow. Imagine your arm is dead, elbow is slightly bent, pull backwards and pinch your elbow towards you.

6. Here’s the winning tip... imagine you’re squeezing a tennis ball between your arm and the side of your back. As you drive the elbow back, you’re rolling that tennis ball back too. As you return to the starting position, that tennis ball is still being squeezed, never let it drop on the ground!

I hope that helps you FEEL your lats actually working when you row!

Barn door backs here we come 🙌🏻

How do you socialise AND stay on your food plan?

Lockdown is being relaxed, we’ll soon be meeting up outside (2 metres apart obvs🙃) which means summer BBQs and beach trips

Which is great if burgers and pimms is on your food plan, but it probs ain’t 😂

You’ve worked hard so far, you’ve lost weight and seen results, so you don’t want to jeopardise it.... and that’s fine!

Don’t feel pressured to go ‘off plan’ just to fit in with other people for a few hours

It’s ok to say ‘no thanks I’ve brought my own food because I’m watching my cals’

NEVER feel guilty for having a goal and some willpower to commit to it!!!

The likelihood is that the other people don’t think you’re weird for bringing your own food, you just assume they do

They probs literally don’t care, more sausages for them 🤷🏽‍♀️

You will always be faced with temptations when you’re dieting, you will more than likely have friends who say “oh comeeee onnnn just one drink”

And that’s totally up to you what you want to do.

I always tell me client it’s their choice, I never want them to feel like they can’t have a life, but I also make them aware that going off plan regularly will only hinder progress.

Your coach could help you incorporate a meal off into your day, or adjust your calories or output for some ‘damage control’, so it’s always best to ask them first rather than be anxious about it!

Remember, your friends and family are there to see YOU... not to see you eat whatever they want to eat

Don’t feel you have to compromise your goals and ultimately your happiness just to satisfy other people for a few hours.

Put yourself first. And whether you choose to have a meal off or not, ENJOY yourself, that’s why you’re going!!

Do you feel guilty for taking rest days?

Too many people have the mindset that more is better, but this is NOT true when is comes to improving your physique, be it weight loss or weight gain.

In fact, I believe you should be getting the most out of as LITTLE as possible!

Why?

This gives you room to progress, helps keep stress low and ability to recover better.

When you go OTT with the cardio, the steps, the training AND hack away at your calories, you’re just asking for an overload of stress on your body. More cortisol will play havoc with your sleep, mood, digestion, performance, willpower etc. and your body will basically be trying to tell you to leave it the f**k alone.

Rest days are important.

Rest days allow you to recover from training so you’re ready to go again, so you can lift heavier and get PBs.

Rest days help promote the muscle growth you seek.

Rest days give your nervous system a little nap time.

Rest days mean you’re mentally more hyped for your next training session.

If my client is trying to lose weight, they typically have lower calories on their rest days to help promote fat loss.

So don’t look at rest days as time wasted

Rest days are helping you get CLOSER to your goal!

If that doesn’t help remove the guilt of not training, then I’d recommend finding something that to keep you busy on rest days! Prep your food, read a new book, start a new series...

Learning to chill can be hard for some people! Me included! But when it comes to my training I never miss a rest day, because otherwise I know I’m compromising my progress 🙅🏽‍♀️

If you only care about instant results, then you’ll never be able to maintain them

Yes, you could simply cut your calories in half, double your activity and hope to lose as much weight as possible in a short space of time

But is this ‘transformation’ actually going to help you after that?

Because you can’t maintain your approach

Is it teaching you how to look after your body longterm?

Is it teaching you how to create a lifestyle?

Equally importantly, is it ingraining a healthy mental relationship with food and with your body?

Noooooope

You might drop some kgs quickly...but the majority of people out there need to LEARN

Learn how to fuel your body properly, not how to starve yourself for a few weeks

Learn how to manage your activity levels

Learn the importance of rest, recovery, quality sleep, and stress management

Learn that there’s more than your scale weight

Learn to develop a mindset which overcomes setbacks, is accountable and is disciplined

Learn to build a healthier lifestyle with new daily habits

THIS

TAKES

TIME

(More than a few weeks)

If not, you’ll simply spend years chasing the same result... time which you could have invested with a coach and already achieved your goal... and more!

If you’d just had the patience

If you want some pointers in the right direction, please check out my free mini course “strong mind strong body” which you can start and implement NOW! Link is in my bio!

Or you can always message me x

OK, let’s get 2 things straight...

1. There is NO right or wrong way for you to eat

2. I know my legs are incredibly white in this photo

People will share their views on social media, there will be all sorts of reports on spiking your insulin levels, and there will ALWAYS be a new fads trying to make money out of you

As I coach I promote food for health... which includes your MENTAL health!

Stop listening to the mundane bodybuilder with an underlying eating disorder who only eats carbs pre and post workout

Stop comparing yourself to girls who swear they look how they do because they eat ‘clean’

Stop worrying about what other people say and do and focus on YOU

Your body is different to theirs, as is your lifestyle, your goal, your food preferences

Yes, be aware of what goes in ya gob

But also be aware that restriction and a mundane diet ends up in unhappiness and often binging

I’ve been there! And I don’t want you to be there too!

Ask yourself:
Am I eating a varied diet?
Am I fulfilling my nutritional needs?
Is my training progressing?
Am I free of gut issues?
Am I free from food fears or food obsessions?
Am I HAPPY?!

If the answer to the above is all yes, then you CRACK on doing you! People will always have opinions on what is a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ diet, ignore ‘em

If the answer is no, drop me a message and tell me what you struggle with- I’ll give you any advice I can do ❤️

How I’ll be dancing into the gym and eying up the equipment post lockdown.... annnnd jazz hands 👐

Absolutely nothing motivational or educational to take away from this post.

Just pure excitement for when it finalllyyyy commeeessssss

How NOT to diet...

Start taking away large chunks of calories straight away

Start adding in lots of cardio straight away

Obsess over your body weight and ignore the signals your body is giving you about its health status

Eat really boring, inflexible ‘clean’ meals so that after a few days you want to binge on whatever you can get your hands on

Sound familiar?

If you’re not sure HOW to actually start your diet, drop me a message and I’ll give you some pointers!

Or sign up to my FREE 7 day course ‘Strong mind strong body’ and learn how to take back control of your diet, training and mindset!

Link is in my bio!

*this client made her progress in less than one month on high calories and with no changes to her calories, just consistency and an increase in activity levels*

You’re sick of lockdown, your motivation to train is low, you’d rather say f**k it and eat chocolate on the sofa...?

I think we’ve all felt this way at least once this lockdown

I certainly have ✋🏼

And it’s totally ok to have the odd day like that if you want to

But if you’re working towards a goal, be it fat loss or muscle gain, you can’t stick to your plan as and when you feel

If every week you start hitting the pizza and gins Thursday night and Friday to Sunday is a write off...

Then that’s almost half of your week where you could be over/ under calories, and undoing the work you put in Monday to Thursday

You’re simply staying in the same place, stagnant, getting frustrated because in your head you think you’re giving it 100%, but it’s only for 50% of the week

Those days where you can’t be arsed, they still count

Why should you be arsed?

Because if your goal means enough to you, you’ll put in the work

Your moods will change, your motivation levels will change, but your effort needs to stay consistent to get the results

Bad moods come and go, but your goal is always there

Never let anyone tell you your goal is unachievable

Never let anyone make you feel awkward for having a diet plan or wanting a coach

Never let anyone make you feel stupid because you track you calories

I’ve experienced all the above, and yes at times I used to let it get me down, but I never let it stop me from continuing to do what made ME happy and was important to ME

When I told an eating disorder councillor that I would gain the necessary weight within a year and be well enough to continue my degree, she said I wouldn’t. From there she continued to belittle me and was the definition of unsupportive. I came out crying. I came out saying I’m going to prove that bitch wrong! (I did)

I’ve had clients who have said that family or friends have made them feel bad for having a food plan to stick to, or for going to the gym 🤷🏽‍♀️🤯

Some people won’t understand your goal

Some people have limiting self beliefs themselves, or maybe are insecure, and reflect it into others

Some people don’t respect their own bodies and health

Some people are of an older generation who never had PTs, online coaches, or even a gym membership

Some people are simply annoying and rude

Either way, if you have a goal which truly means something to you, then pursue it

Explain to them how important your goal is and working towards it makes you a happier person

Surround yourself with positive people who encourage your self growth and development

Go after your goal and think BIG

Want results but can’t be arsed to weigh your food?

Then you don’t want the results enough!

It blows my mind when someone says that weighing food is too much effort

You put the scales under the plate

And continue as normal 😂

It takes two more seconds

But it means you’re actually more likely to get the results you want

Not knowing how much of what you’re eating is like trying to drive to a destination blind folded

As soon as this gorgeous girl started weighing her foods out and following a plan her body has transformed!

This result was achieved in just over one month this lockdown

It’s honestly mind blowing

She was feeling very low about the lockdown, bored, stressed, and turned to food... before she knew it she felt even worse because she’s gained weight

Sound familiar?

It doesn’t have to be this way

Go sign up to my free 7 day course about how to take back control of your diet, training and mindset NOW! Link is in my bio!

Or feel free to message me if you’re feeling stuck and not sure where to start

✌🏼✌🏼