My friends Kourtney Thomas and Jen Sinkler have put together a 14-week fitness program that if I'm honest (which I always am) makes my heart skip a beat in the very best way possible.
It's so good, you guys.
Both of these women are very good friends of mine, we share similar goals for business and life, but until I sat down and interviewed Kourtney about this program, Bigness Project, I had no idea that we also share a VERY similar story with how we fell in love with building muscle and literally wearing our fitness results. It's all about the shoulders, baby. But, it wasn't always.
See, we both have been athletes much of our lives but our goal wasn't always about building muscle. In fact, we both studied fitness magazines, trying the best we could to achieve in our sport but also to get smaller and leaner aesthetically, because that's what women are supposed to do, right?! Kourtney told me, "I’ve spent a lifetime embracing smallness – I’m a petite person, and for a long time, I subscribed to society’s standards of women and smallness."
I get her.
I can remember in college and my young 20's wishing that I had a smaller frame, avoiding any clothes that made my swimmer's shoulders look any bigger than they actually were (shoulder pads in my suits? hell no!) and doing everything I could to become smaller. Kourtney agreed saying, "I had always hated my big arms and shoulders; I thought they were out of proportion with the rest of my body".
Though I never chased sports entirely for vanity (to achieve a certain physique), I'd be lying if that thought wasn't at the forefront of why I fell so hard for the sport. Sure, there's performance and the thrill of competition and the mental game that I love so much about training and competing, but very close-by was my desire to obtain a particular physique. When I trained for my first season of triathlons, I remember thinking, "I can't wait to get super lean (read: small) like the top finishers!". It was all about getting and staying small for me.
It wasn't always this way for me. In fact, I distinctly remember watching the Olympics back in the 80's and being in awe of the female athlete's strong, athletic bodies. Swimmers, gymnasts, skaters...they were strong, confident and owned their sport like a boss. I admired their confidence. I was inspired by their physical strength. But, somewhere along the way, Teen Magazine, Cosmo and Seventeen, sunk their grip into my subconscious and I began to abhor my muscular build as I realized it wasn't feminine or "ideal".
Fortunately, this all changed when I began my fitness coaching business, Be PowerFULL, after a 10 year career in Corporate America. I felt called to help women to embrace their fitness, step into their mental power and in doing so, live full lives. I did, and still do, coach women on how to lose-fat, build muscle and trust themselves around food. But, when I first started coaching, my focus was still to help them get smaller, like I had done much my life. Confidence, consistent, educated about their bodies, but chasing lean, first.
It's so good, you guys.
Both of these women are very good friends of mine, we share similar goals for business and life, but until I sat down and interviewed Kourtney about this program, Bigness Project, I had no idea that we also share a VERY similar story with how we fell in love with building muscle and literally wearing our fitness results. It's all about the shoulders, baby. But, it wasn't always.
See, we both have been athletes much of our lives but our goal wasn't always about building muscle. In fact, we both studied fitness magazines, trying the best we could to achieve in our sport but also to get smaller and leaner aesthetically, because that's what women are supposed to do, right?! Kourtney told me, "I’ve spent a lifetime embracing smallness – I’m a petite person, and for a long time, I subscribed to society’s standards of women and smallness."
I get her.
I can remember in college and my young 20's wishing that I had a smaller frame, avoiding any clothes that made my swimmer's shoulders look any bigger than they actually were (shoulder pads in my suits? hell no!) and doing everything I could to become smaller. Kourtney agreed saying, "I had always hated my big arms and shoulders; I thought they were out of proportion with the rest of my body".
Though I never chased sports entirely for vanity (to achieve a certain physique), I'd be lying if that thought wasn't at the forefront of why I fell so hard for the sport. Sure, there's performance and the thrill of competition and the mental game that I love so much about training and competing, but very close-by was my desire to obtain a particular physique. When I trained for my first season of triathlons, I remember thinking, "I can't wait to get super lean (read: small) like the top finishers!". It was all about getting and staying small for me.
It wasn't always this way for me. In fact, I distinctly remember watching the Olympics back in the 80's and being in awe of the female athlete's strong, athletic bodies. Swimmers, gymnasts, skaters...they were strong, confident and owned their sport like a boss. I admired their confidence. I was inspired by their physical strength. But, somewhere along the way, Teen Magazine, Cosmo and Seventeen, sunk their grip into my subconscious and I began to abhor my muscular build as I realized it wasn't feminine or "ideal".
Fortunately, this all changed when I began my fitness coaching business, Be PowerFULL, after a 10 year career in Corporate America. I felt called to help women to embrace their fitness, step into their mental power and in doing so, live full lives. I did, and still do, coach women on how to lose-fat, build muscle and trust themselves around food. But, when I first started coaching, my focus was still to help them get smaller, like I had done much my life. Confidence, consistent, educated about their bodies, but chasing lean, first.
As I have built my business the past few years, I've attended some of the very best fitness conferences put on by women, for women, and in doing so, have built a tribe of close friends and mentors who inspire me to buck the system, to get bigger because strength feels good, to literally and figuratively wear the results of my work in the gym.
I've trained for hypertrophy (putting on muscle), I've trained for fat-loss, I've trained for powerlifting and I continue to follow programming that makes me feel full and proud (with zero attachment to how others feel about my results). It's liberating as I recognize that I literally don't need anyone's approval of how I'm doing. If I go up in size because my jeans can't fit my glutes or I can't buy a button down shirt because it doesn't fit my biceps, that's fine. It's wonderful even. When asked, I now tell women that my favorite part of my body are my shoulders and like Kourtney, I now want to make them even bigger.
Kourtney told me, "It hadn’t occurred to me to train specifically to increase {my shoulders} size even more. When it did? Turns out, I loved it more than I ever thought possible. And that feeling, that confidence and power that came from having control over my decision to train deliberately for a look that I chose – not anyone else, not society, or magazines, or anything else – that was a game changer. Not only did it change everything about how I thought about training and my body, but it changed a lot about the rest of my life too. I hadn’t realized just how much I deferred to societal norms. I’m kind of a loud and bold woman – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been shushed when I get excited. Embracing my physical size gave me the confidence to embrace my full being and my full voice too. My relationships changed, my business changed, everything changed. Big arms are fun, but creating the big life that I want for myself is even more fun. The two things go hand in hand, and that’s where my motto " Big Arms, Big Life" came from.
I've trained for hypertrophy (putting on muscle), I've trained for fat-loss, I've trained for powerlifting and I continue to follow programming that makes me feel full and proud (with zero attachment to how others feel about my results). It's liberating as I recognize that I literally don't need anyone's approval of how I'm doing. If I go up in size because my jeans can't fit my glutes or I can't buy a button down shirt because it doesn't fit my biceps, that's fine. It's wonderful even. When asked, I now tell women that my favorite part of my body are my shoulders and like Kourtney, I now want to make them even bigger.
Kourtney told me, "It hadn’t occurred to me to train specifically to increase {my shoulders} size even more. When it did? Turns out, I loved it more than I ever thought possible. And that feeling, that confidence and power that came from having control over my decision to train deliberately for a look that I chose – not anyone else, not society, or magazines, or anything else – that was a game changer. Not only did it change everything about how I thought about training and my body, but it changed a lot about the rest of my life too. I hadn’t realized just how much I deferred to societal norms. I’m kind of a loud and bold woman – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been shushed when I get excited. Embracing my physical size gave me the confidence to embrace my full being and my full voice too. My relationships changed, my business changed, everything changed. Big arms are fun, but creating the big life that I want for myself is even more fun. The two things go hand in hand, and that’s where my motto " Big Arms, Big Life" came from.
Are you ready to WEAR your fitness results, too?
As a personal trainer, one of the biggest things I hear from the women I work with is that they feel like they work incredibly hard at their fitness but they don't look like they work out. If you want to look like you work out, I have one answer for you: #BignessProject.
But, I get it, if you haven't trained intentionally for building muscle size, a hypertrophy program might feel intimidating, right?
This is why I asked Kourtney to break down what hypertrophy means and how this type of training can fit into YOUR current workout routine.
Me: Who is Bigness Project built for, advanced athletes or the general fitness enthusiasts? And, could you explain what hypertrophy training means?
Kourtney: The Bigness Project is built for anyone and everyone – yes, I really mean it. Whether you’re just getting into lifting or you’re seasoned, you can do this program, and you can get a lot out of it. The textbook definition of hypertrophy is “muscular enlargement resulting from training, primarily owing to an increase in the cross-sectional area of the existing fibers.” But really, all hypertrophy training means is that we’re specifically training to increase muscle size. We like muscles ‘round these parts.
Me: What would you say to the women out there who are into running, spin and/or group fitness classes who don't feel like they look like they workout, and feel a bit unfulfilled from the work they put in?
Kourtney: Ha, first, I feel you. I was in your shoes not too long ago, and I really do understand. So second, when I say that focusing on building muscle is the direction you’re looking for, I hope that you will trust me and at the very least, give it a try for a while. The misconception that cardio is the way to the physique you’re picturing in your mind (that’s different for everyone, of course, but we all like curves and cuts) has been around for decades. And don’t get me wrong – I love cardio, it’s essential for the total health picture. But for physique goals? It’s not your best bet. I’d encourage you to give hypertrophy a try and see what happens. Because I am willing to bet that you’ll love the results.
Me: Let's talk about the large population of women who have historically always trained for cardiovascular results. As a runner yourself, what does hypertrophy training mean to these women?
Kourtney: Absolutely. As I noted, aerobic training is my home base. Hypertrophy training is a definite source of controversy in the endurance running (and endurance sports) world. Tradition would say that you need to be smaller, lighter to be faster, to be good at your sport. But from personal experience, and with some newer scientific studies to back it up, packing on some lean muscle can add to your performance. The stronger you are, the more power you can generate, and the more easily you can fight off fatigue. There’s a growing number of endurance athletes who are bucking the old traditions and embracing more muscles with great results.
Me: Not all women are currently embracing muscle in the way that we now are. What would you say to women who are curious about training for more muscle but are also a bit worried about making the switch?
Kourtney: Take a deep breath and try it. Ask yourself this: has what you’ve been doing been working? Has it been providing you with the physique results that you’re looking for? If the answer isn’t a full and resounding yes, I encourage you to give something different a try. What’s the absolute worst that can happen? Because I bet something really great will happen, like maybe getting jacked and/or discovering more about your body and your mind than you ever thought possible.
If you're ready to embrace bigness, I wholeheartedly invite you to check out Bigness Project (discounted rate through this Friday), which has just opened it's doors for enrollment today. Learn more here.
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