AMA: Megan Gallagher AKA MegSquats, creator of Stronger By The Day and Before The Barbell!

[susanedgar37]

Welcome to today's AMA post with Megan Gallagher, AKA MegSquats!

Megan Gallagher (Megsquats):

Certifications: ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, Precision Nutrition L1 Coach, Certified Pre- & Postnatal Coach, USAPL Certified Club Coach, Safe Sport Certified

After playing basketball and running cross country at the collegiate level, Meg eventually found crossfit and strength training. The competitive spark of crossfit ignited an interest to lead her to compete in crossfit, bodybuilding, weightlifting, strongman, and powerlifting. Meg has gone on to compete in powerlifting at the Arnold Pro Raw Challenge, USAPL Nationals 2015-2018, and has been invited to participate in lifting exhibitions and seminars throughout the United States.

Her most recent performance at the 2018 USAPL Nationals resulted in a 7/9 performance in the -63kg class, hitting 140kg (308lb) squat, 77.5kg (171lb) bench, 185kg (409lb) deadlift, and a 437 wilks score.

Meg has successfully coached hundreds of powerlifters through either their first squat, first meet, or first national-level competition. Through her YouTube channel and professional passion for the sport of powerlifting, she has studied under and interviewed the strongest strength athletes in the world. Meg has spearheaded SSF's company mission of getting a barbell in every woman's hands, and is working to make barbell training approachable for the masses.

She's the creator of Stronger by the Day, Before the Barbell, and Plus +1, owner of Buff Chick Supplements, Strong Strong Friends, and Strong Strong Supply, as well as recently becoming a mom. She's Meg Squats!

Meg (/@kentuckyblue) has made it her mission to get a barbell in every woman's hands and with how frequently she is referenced here, I'd say she's well on her way to accomplishing that goal.

She will be joining us today from 12-3pm EDT to answer your questions about lifting, supplements, entrepreneurship, staying fit through pregnancy and post-partum, and anything else you may throw at her!

Verification on Meg's Instagram.

 

[cbaumgardner]

@susanedgar37 Just popped in to say I’m a big fan of SBTB and have learned so much from your channel. I’m a 39/F couch-potato-cum-novice powerlifter — 1 year in and psyched to have just hit a 250lb PR (at 147 lbs body weight) on my deadlift despite months of major health setbacks. But seeing your progress is one of the reasons I caught the fever and stuck with it through everything from surgery to shingles to Covid!

 

[michelerd]

@susanedgar37 I just wanna say that I love you, ok bye.

 

[brojaque]

@susanedgar37 Just wanna say that your old, old video about running GZCLP was one of the first resources I found regarding lifting and it was so inspiring and affirming to see a woman being excited about getting strong in a sustainable way. I've just started SBTD in October and I loved it more than I ever thought I would!

Do you have thoughts on when body image issues(other than obvious disordered eating patterns) are better fit to be addressed in professional therapy versus through just internal searching and working on yourself and ways to be accepting of how you currently are?

What is an exercise that you think is under or over utilized in the mainstream fitness space?

How do you feel about influencers who provide fitness advice/training on social media who don't have any real credentials but aren't technically providing incorrect or harmful info?

Do you have any thoughts on how your approach to training has changed since or changes when you train Emerick? I really enjoyed watching him on your channel because it was nice to see that even though his form or shoes may not have been "perfect" you were still willing to work with him and find ways he could make progress.

 

[kentuckyblue]

@brojaque

Do you have thoughts on when body image issues(other than obvious disordered eating patterns) are better fit to be addressed in professional therapy versus through just internal searching and working on yourself and ways to be accepting of how you currently are?

If someone has the resources, I think professional therapy is probably always the quickest way to overcome some of these hurdles. Internal searching and working on yourself are hard instructions to follow, without concrete advice, so when someone doesn't have the resource of therapy, I usually suggest a few things:

1. Stop body checking
2. Write down the things you value about loved ones and note whether or not you write their weight, attractiveness, bodyfat %
3. Reevaluate who you follow online. Try to make this more diverse in size, ethnicity, race, age fitness interests, etc.
4. Set more process goals and fewer outcome goals

 

[kentuckyblue]

@brojaque

Just wanna say that your old, old video about running GZCLP was one of the first resources I found regarding lifting and it was so inspiring and affirming to see a woman being excited about getting strong in a sustainable way. I've just started SBTD in October and I loved it more than I ever thought I would!

Thank you! I loved the way Cody Lefever breaks things down, and he was one of the first people who helped me understand programming concepts when I first got started.

 

[mikehu]

@susanedgar37 Hi Meg,

I watched your videos a lot before getting the courage to start lifting at the gym. My favorite piece of advice was when you taught us which way the plates are supposed to be re-racked because I was definitely clueless

So I have lost 50 lb and have gained a lot of strength (took almost three years). I would still like to lose the last 10 lb. I’m wondering if you have any advice or philosophies on trying to lose weight while maintaining a lifting regimen.

 

[kentuckyblue]

@susanedgar37 Thank you everyone for your thoughtful questions and kind words! I've got to go workout and record this afternoon, but I'll try to get to more questions tonight.

If you haven't already checked it out, my program Before the Barbell is now 100% free, and hosted on Instagram. This program is ideal for beginners and those who don't feel ready to hop into barbell training yet. We’ll guide and progress you so you're training barbell squat, bench, deadlift, OHP, and more by the end of 8 weeks. I know a ton of you are more advanced, so I'd love for you to share it when you get those inevitable questions about lifting

 

[toimhzie]

@kentuckyblue Thank you!

 

[chrissyloveslemons]

@susanedgar37 Hi, Meg! I've been running SBtD for a few months and love it. I appreciate the programming you've put out as well as your YouTube channel - they've really helped me to progress in strength training!

Would you ever hold a women in strength conference, either as part of a powerlifting meet or as a seminar/ training camp? I would love to come learn and lift with others in the SBtD group.

Do you have any tips on improving squat depth? Unloaded, I can squat well below parallel, but once the barbell is heavy I find myself doing 3/4 depth squats.

 

[lukesallen]

@susanedgar37 Hi Meg! Would the Plus+1 program be good for a relatively new lifter? Inspired by you and other strong strong women on the internet, I have been lifting for about about 3 months now (following Casey Johnston's Couch to Barbell program) and am really enjoying it, but definitely still feeling like a beginner--progressing pretty quickly, working a lot on form, and figuring out what feels like too much weight vs. not enough. My husband and I are talking about starting a family and I'm wondering, I guess, how much lifting experience you need to have under your belt to be a good fit for Plus+1.

Thanks for everything you do!

 

[kentuckyblue]

@lukesallen Plus+1 is written for people who feel comfortable with a barbell. The program does include an at-home program as well. I'd recommend checking out my story highlight so you can see some of the workouts as a sample. You can also check out our discord, where we have a Plus+1 channel

 

[lukesallen]

@kentuckyblue Awesome, thanks so much!

 

[elijahtocome]

@susanedgar37 Hi Meg!

I am new to SBTD (started 2 weeks ago) and it is seriously kicking my butt, in the best sort of way. I wanted to hear your perspective on rest days.

I am still new to lifting (before starting your program, I did a push pull leg split, but much shorter lifts and only had access to dumbbells so not as heavy weights) and now that I am in SBTD I have been so sore and fatigued. With striving for the 4 days/week, is it okay to do a heavy lift (DL, squat) if my muscles aren’t fully recovered? I want to do the program right but I’ve been so exhausted and don’t want to accidentally injure myself from overuse. Thanks in advance for any advice you have on this!!

 

[kentuckyblue]

@elijahtocome Welcome!! And definitely -- lifting with some moderate degree of soreness & fatigue can 1) help reduce near-term acute soreness, 2) improve overall work capacity & lactate thresholds, and 3) reduce longer term susceptibility to soreness. It is worth noting that there is a difference between exercise-induced general muscle soreness and acute pain, joint pain, muscular strains, and more. This would be the difference between soreness & pain, and is something that you will certainly develop a better sense of with more experience (think here when people discuss the "good kind of sore"). If you feel sharp or acute discomfort, our best suggestion is to check with a physical therapist or clinician who is familiar with lifting and strength training.

 

[elijahtocome]

@kentuckyblue Thanks Meg!!

 

[pastorpowerpoints]

@susanedgar37 Hi Meg! Are there plans for more workshops in the future? That looked so cool!

 

[kentuckyblue]

@pastorpowerpoints Absolutely! We're in Fort Worth and planning for more events and workshops like that in the future.

 

[mlenadc]

@susanedgar37 Congratulations on the new motherhood! How's that baby sleeping?

 

[kentuckyblue]

@mlenadc She does alright lol. For awhile I was able to go to the gym at 5AM, but then she started waking up at 5AM. I think she knew I was leaving her LOL