Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about quality over quantity! Learn about why systemic inflammation is known as the silent killer, why inflammation creates a vicious cycle that very few people escape as they get older, and how you can be one of the few who do. Brian Cygan and Amy Hudson reveal why muscle quality matters more than movement quantity and how strength training for 20 minutes at a time will transform your life, no matter how old you are. Muscle quality matters...
May 08, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about starting and sticking with the right exercise program! Brian and Amy dig into the top five reasons why people can’t begin or stick with the average fitness program and why those barriers don’t exist over at the Exercise Coach. Learn what’s holding you back from making strength training a regular part of your life and why the Exercise Coach paradigm may be right for you no matter how old you are or what fitness level you bring to the ...
May 01, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about our optimal exercise program... Brian and Amy break down some of the most common misconceptions around exercise and reveal how Exercise Coach clients are getting maximal results from only a couple 20-minute workouts each week. Learn the three most important aspects of exercise and why you need to think about exercise completely differently if you want to achieve the health and fitness results you want. The manner in which we exercise...
Apr 24, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 179
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about our origin story... Brian Cygan and Amy Hudson reveal the origin story of the Exercise Coach and the one book that completely changed the trajectory of Brian’s life by transforming his understanding of what strength training can do in your life and how quickly you can see results. Find out how the Exercise Coach is changing lives 20 minutes at a time. The goal of the Strength Changes Everything podcast is to inspire and empower peopl...
Apr 17, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about your energy systems and how effective strength training is in how they work... Brian recently had a friend come into the Exercise Coach and he was shocked to find how quickly his heart rate went up after only 60 seconds of properly calibrated strength training exercise, despite being an avid runner. Discover how the three energy systems of the body work, and why high-intensity strength training is definitively the best way to renovate...
Apr 10, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about myths involving fitness... Brian and Amy explore a couple of articles talking about the impacts of weight loss vs. exercise on longevity, and discuss the myths surrounding losing weight and achieving optimal physical health. Learn why focusing on losing weight is the wrong goal, and why a proper strength training program is the best way to maintain fitness as we age. There is a ton of information regarding health and fitness out there...
Apr 03, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about dose-response and what it means for your fitness... Learn how a little-known principle in exercise determines whether you get the fitness results you are looking for, or you just spend some time moving weights up and down at the gym. Find out why the dose-response to exercise is what you should really be paying attention to, and how it can guide you to easier fitness gains in a shorter amount of time. More exercise is not necessarily ...
Mar 27, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about how strength training should complement dieting for weight loss... Dr. James Fisher answers the question “Why does muscle really matter for weight loss?” Find out why muscle mass should be a vital component of your weight loss strategy and why dieting without strength training is a recipe for long term disaster for your body. There is a direct connection between your body’s muscle mass and its metabolic effectiveness, the ability to l...
Mar 20, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about effective exercise for your lower back and what can surprisingly make lower back pain worse... In part two of the interview with Dr. James Fisher, we explore what it takes to actually strengthen the lower back and why exercises like the deadlift are not effective in targeting your lower back muscles. Find out how some people can experience significant lower back strength gain in as little as ten weeks with only 15 total minutes of mus...
Mar 13, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 173
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about solving the problems causing lower back pain... Brian Cygan and Dr. James Fisher discuss the origins of lower back pain and why the vast majority of Americans will experience some form of lower back pain in their lives. Learn about the root cause of lower back pain and why most treatments only deal with the symptoms and the pain instead of solving the problem, which often leads to even worse issues down the road. Fisher is an academic...
Mar 06, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about the importance of muscle burn... Amy Hudson and Brian Cygan explain why that feeling of your muscles burning is exactly what you want to feel every time you go to the gym. Learn why muscle burn is one of the best indications that you’re exercising at the right intensity and without it, you won’t get the fitness results you’re looking for. The intensity of an exercise is crucial to achieving the fitness results you want, and the feelin...
Feb 28, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 171
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about life-changing advice and details about pre-diabetes... Amy and Brian break down the science behind pre-diabetes and how strength training is the most efficient and effective way to escape the negative feedback loop of insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and weight gain. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, this information could change your life. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans are pre-diabetic, which i...
Feb 21, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 170
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about the Exercise Coach's strong business model... Amy and Jesse Hudson explore the reasons the Exercise Coach saw phenomenal growth over the past 18 months while other fitness brands struggled to stay open. Learn about the key differences in the business model that make the Exercise Coach a great franchise to open, and why the community of franchisees that support one another is the secret ingredient to franchise success. Jesse is the Nat...
Feb 14, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about misconceptions about machines and if free weights or machines are better... Amy and Brian settle the age-old debate of which one is better: free weights or machines? Learn about some common misconceptions about machines that prevent people from getting the fitness results they want in the timeframe they want, and why free weights can lead to reduced strength gains and a higher risk of injury. Spoiler alert: You’re not going to find an...
Feb 07, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 168
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about how you can use more effort in less time... Amy and Brian go into the science behind eccentric overload and why this little-understood movement is responsible for the incredible gains in strength Exercise Coach clients experience in their first six sessions. Find out what eccentric overload is and how to optimize your exercise so you can use more effort in less time, and see greater results. Eccentric training is well understood by re...
Jan 31, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about the science and principles behind strength training... Brian and Amy explore the scientific research that shows that strength training is the ultimate exercise for combatting the aging process, getting into the best shape of your life, and how those principles are applied to every workout session at the Exercise Coach. Over the past few months, Brian has been working on the Strength Changes Everything Scientific Support Paper. It has ...
Jan 24, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about the benefits of strength training in a fun manner... In the midst of preparing for the upcoming National Exercise Coach Conference, Brian and Amy play a game of trying to name as many benefits of strength as they possibly can without repeating themselves. As you would expect of something as important to your long-term health and performance as strength training, the ensuing list is ridiculously long and comprehensive. With the Nationa...
Jan 17, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about what is accepted versus what is truth... In part 2 of this interview, Brian Cygan and Dr. James Fisher discuss the science of strength and why the accepted wisdom of exercise may actually be causing more harm than good. Learn how many exercises you really need during a session, why “cardio” exercises aren’t necessary if you use the right level of effort, and how to keep yourself from getting injured by reducing the range of motion whi...
Jan 10, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Join us for this replay from the archives to learn more about the science of strength and how it may affect your fitness plans and goals... Brian Cygan and Dr. James Fisher break down the science of strength and discuss what the proper level of resistance during training is, the threshold for the effort that you need to achieve to see results, and why some exercises are best avoided if you want to see optimal fitness benefits. Fisher is an exercise scientist in the UK and was a personal trainer ...
Jan 03, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about why supervision is key to effective workouts... When it comes to fitness results, the key to rapid, positive changes is having a coach who can give you the accountability and motivation you need to work harder and more effectively while still being safe. Brian Cygan and Amy Hudson discuss why supervision is the key to effective strength training, and how when that’s combined with the digital feedback at the Exercise Coach, you can ac...
Dec 27, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 162
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about isolation vs compound exercises... Amy and Brian explore the question “Should you pre-exhaust your muscles with isolation exercises before taking on compound movements?” Find out why the idea of the pre-exhaustion sequence is actually hurting your fitness progress and why putting compound exercises at the very beginning of your exercise program is the key to getting the most results in the shortest amount of time. Pre-exhaustion is t...
Dec 20, 2023•7 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about the right movements and how they may give you more time... Discover the secret to amplifying your total-body fitness results while also spending less time at the gym. Find out why multi-joint movements can have a serious positive impact on your strength and physical fitness while taking less time to perform, as well as which exercise is the most effective movement in The Exercise Coach program. The aim of The Exercise Coach is to des...
Dec 13, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn the truth about stretching before and after exercise... Before you jump into your next exercise session, learn why what you’ve been told about stretching is completely wrong and how it can actually increase the odds of you getting injured. Brian and Amy explore some common myths regarding stretching before and after exercise and discuss whether or not stretching is a necessary component of strength training. Do you need to stretch before you wo...
Dec 06, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about oxygen intake and masks... Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not wearing a mask during exercise is a safe thing to do. Amy and Brian breakdown the studies and science behind wearing a mask and oxygen intake, and reveal why The Exercise Coach program makes wearing a mask a minor detail in the pursuit of fitness results. Covid has made wearing a mask much more common but a lot of people ...
Nov 29, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 158
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about how smart scales can be important to your fitness journey... Brian and Amy discuss the pros and cons of a smart scale and how using one properly can help you stay motivated and on track to hit your fitness goals. You will also learn how to avoid one of the most common mistakes people make with a smart scale that can derail them in the first few weeks of their fitness journey. What is a smart scale and how are they different? The majo...
Nov 22, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about how strength training can help people with osteoporosis... Learn why strength training is the foundation to rebuilding bone strength and bone density and why osteoporosis isn’t a permanent sentence. Amy and Brian break down the research around bone density and strength training, what exercises you should do to strengthen the most vulnerable parts of your body, and what exercises you should avoid completely. Many people are recommende...
Nov 15, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 156
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about the optimal amount of exercise... One of the most common questions we get at the Exercise Coach is “Is exercising twice a week really often enough?” Listen in as Brian Cygan and Amy Hudson explore why whole effort exercise twice a week is not only enough, it’s the optimal amount you need to achieve the best fitness results for your body in the shortest amount of time possible. Exercising twice a week is more than enough. In fact, exe...
Nov 08, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 155
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about muscle vs fat while on the road to improved health... Brian Cygan and Amy Hudson break down the age-old question of whether muscle really weighs more than fat and why the number on the scale can be very misleading when you’re trying to improve your health and fitness. When many people start a strength training program, they look at their body composition and may wonder whether muscle is heavier than fat. The accurate answer is that m...
Nov 01, 2023•7 min•Season 1Ep. 154
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about the benefits of doing the right workout... Amy Hudson and Brian Cygan reveal the truth behind the fitness industry and why you don’t need to spend hours at the gym every week in order to stay fit and healthy. Learn the science behind the 20-minute workout and how you can achieve optimal health benefits by doing the right workout, for the right length of time, just twice a week. Is 20 minutes long enough to have a great workout? Simpl...
Oct 25, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 153
Join us for this replay from the archives and learn more about the truth to losing belly fat... Six-pack abs are what most people think of when they think fitness goals, but how hard is it really to get that washboard stomach and lose the stubborn belly fat? Brian and Amy bust the most common myths around losing belly fat and talk about the incredible results that Exercise Coach clients can get, including reducing their belly fat, by joining the Metabolic Comeback Challenge. A common goal for ma...
Oct 18, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 152