009: Strength Training for Busy People With Andrea Manzone

Want to eat more, do less, and hit the gym in a way that carries through to all aspects of your life? If you ask us, we’d tell you: you can achieve all of this and more with strength training! Strength training is a great way to kickstart your metabolism, create a healthy hormone profile, burn calories, and build muscle. Additionally, it helps to reduce cortisol levels, improve posture, reduce the risk of injury, and increase bone density. Win-win-win! In this episode, our guest (and Erika’s personal trainer) Andrea Manzone dives deep into the importance of strength training and how it can help with fat loss and metabolism, as opposed to simply weight loss. She explains that nutrition is key and even offers advice on how to overcome the obstacles of mainstream media when it comes to achieving your health and fitness goals. Click PLAY on this conversation with Andrea and you’ll be eager to hit the gym in no time!

Andrea’s Nutrition Secret: Increase Calories and Protein

It’s no secret that when it comes to health and fitness, there is a lot of conflicting information out there. With so many different paths to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why it’s important to get advice from a certified personal trainer. In our conversation, Andrea explains that many people come to her with the goal of weight loss, but that this is NOT the same as fat loss. She emphasized that weight does not matter–reducing fat does. To achieve this, Andrea recommends that people increase their calories and protein intake. This is because many people are under-eating protein, and have slowed their metabolism down to almost nothing due to extreme caloric deficits. Increasing calories and protein can help to kickstart the metabolism and help with fat loss. Eating more and doing less may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a key factor in sustainable fat loss. Andrea encourages her new personal training clients to increase their calories and protein intake, and cut out excessive cardio to create a healthy hormone profile.

Andrea’s Fitness Advice: Strength Train for Life

We are passionate about strength training because we feel it’s the best way to train for real life. It’s often overlooked, however, as many people (especially women) are intimidated by the idea of getting “bulky”. This is definitely a misconception though, because it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to reach a muscular state. (Don’t worry, you’re not going to get “too big” after lifting a few weights!) When strength training, Andrea encourages her clients to use progressive overload, which means increasing the amount of weight or resistance used in a workout over time. This is important because it helps the body to adapt and become stronger, as well as preventing plateaus and boredom. Of course, all of us encourage you to have a coach to provide guidance, support, and accountability. Having a coach is especially important for those who are new to strength training, because they can provide instruction and guidance on proper form and technique.  If you’re interested in working with Andrea, apply to work with her today!

Not Sure Where to Start? Just Use Bodyweight

For those just starting out on their fitness journey, bodyweight exercises are a great place to begin. Bodyweight exercises are exercises that use your own bodyweight as resistance and do not require any equipment. They are simple, convenient, and can be done anywhere. Examples of bodyweight exercises include:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Wall sits
• Planks
• Push-ups
• Burpees

Bodyweight exercises can be tailored to any fitness level, and they’re a great way to build strength and endurance. They can be used to target specific muscle groups and can be combined in various ways to create a full-body workout. Furthermore, bodyweight exercises can be used to develop muscular control and coordination, which is important for any athlete. Of course, bodyweight exercises alone may not be enough to reach certain fitness goals, which is why we’re big advocates of working with a coach to begin strength training. But if you’re listening to Trust Issues and just want to start moving your body, bodyweight exercises are a perfect place to start!

Connect with Andrea

Originally from Massachusetts, Andrea Manzone now resides in South Nashville, TN with her fiancé Matt and their Pitbull Blue. She has been in the fitness profession for over 9 years ranging from group fitness, in person training, online coaching, nutrition coaching, and studio management. She is also certified in orthopedic exercise. Andrea has a huge passion for helping people post-injury get back into the weight room. More recently, Andrea has also taken courses through BirthFit and BriannaBattles to better assist with her pre/post-natal clients and to further help my female clients. She is primarily a mobile personal training business and offers online coaching as well. Andrea uses a functional strength-style approach designed to increase mobility, develop strength, improve body composition, and move pain- free to help make daily life easier and more enjoyable! Follow Andrea on Instagram and apply to work with her today!