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

[jackster]

@susanedgar37 hey Meg! love your content and how you always keep it real, you're a true gem in this vast field of scammy fitness influencers

just wondering, now that you have a kid (she is ADORABLE btw), would you be introducing her to strength training as well and at what age?

 

[kentuckyblue]

@jackster My typical response "She will be at the gym with us, and she must move her body in some way when we are at the gym." I don't care if she decides to walk laps or ride a bike, but I'd like to have a weekend gym routine as part of our lives - especially because we train with my brothers and dad on a regular basis. It's bonding time for our extended family.

I've been able to learn quite a bit about strength training with kids from general CPT certifications and training with my little brother (he's 10 and lifting at age 8). The guidelines when training with minors is to introduce them when:

1. They can follow directions
2. The space is hazard free
3. They can train with constant supervision

I'll let her choose from a few different activities during gym time, and then gauge her interest on what everyone else is doing. If I think she can successfully follow directions, then I'll start teaching her some strength training fundamentals.

 

[jackster]

@kentuckyblue thank you for the detailed reply i'll incorporate this advice in getting my overweight cousin to exercise more... he's only 8 and already 80lbs...

have a lovely week ahead!

 

[dawn16]

@susanedgar37 Hey Meg! I'm a big fan of your YouTube channel and am so impressed by you. Thanks for doing so much to encourage women in strength training and power lifting!

What do you think are the biggest challenges women have to overcome to get shredded, and what advice do you have from your experiences over the years to overcome them?

Also, what would you suggest to help balance out uneven leg strength while squatting? Is it normal for one leg to be a bit more dominant, and how big of an issue is that?

Finally, are distance running and hypertrophy goals from lifting possible together, or are they always in competition?

Thanks so much for doing what you do!

 

[kentuckyblue]

@dawn16

Finally, are distance running and hypertrophy goals from lifting possible together, or are they always in competition?

While concurrent training isn't optimal for either, I think trainees can excel in both with some smart programming choices. I suggest following Alex Viada, and his book The Hybrid Athlete. This book helped me a ton when I programmed for a runner/lifter client.

There are several runner's who are on Stronger by the Day and discuss in our Discord. The Discord is a free community, no need to be a member to check out some of those convos!

 

[dawn16]

@kentuckyblue That's an awesome suggestion. I'll check the book out. Thanks!!

 

[kentuckyblue]

@dawn16

What do you think are the biggest challenges women have to overcome to get shredded, and what advice do you have from your experiences over the years to overcome them?

I don't specifically help women get shredded, so my answer isn't around the shredee's habits, hormones, physical roadblocks etc. I think the biggest challenge to overcome is that when women's bodies change, it seems like it's always up for discussion.

I don't think men are immune to comments about their bodies, but the topic of how womens bodies look is heavily discussed, and that discussion is often acceptable in social circles or in the media.

Usually when people are aiming for bodybuilder-level shreds, theyre somewhat immune to comments because they're hyper focused and sometimes have a specific kind of social support from other athletes or coaches. When not in that type of situation, but dealing with a lot of comments around your body, I'd suggest:

1. Finding social circles in person or online of people on a similar journey to you
2. When others' bodies are being discussed negatively (not yours) shut it down, or respond with nothing.

 

[dawn16]

@kentuckyblue Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, Meg!

I completely agree with shutting down discussions when there are negative comments on women's bodies. It's so bizarre that that type of behavior is so commonplace and socially acceptable. I'm optimistic that it is beginning to change.

All the best to you!

 

[nicole1997]

@dawn16 So interested in this question about different leg strength! I can totally feel my right leg doing more sometimes

 

[joseph28]

@nicole1997 Same. I broke my right ankle the year before the panini and only had a few months to walk and heal before lockdown. When I’m running I can feel how much weaker that calf is for sure.

 

[dawn16]

@joseph28

before the panini

BTP (the before times)

 

[aviari]

@joseph28

before the panini

I knew what you meant but that still made me LOL. I imagined you slipping on a panini Loony Tunes-style.

(hope your recovery is going well so far!)

 

[pinkyandthebrain]

@susanedgar37 Hey Meg, I'm getting married in ten weeks. Although my fitness is pretty good, I still have stubborn fat I'd rather not walk down the aisle with. I jog, slowly, 3 times a week and lift weights 4 - 5 times with a couple of sessions of yoga thrown in. My diet is 1500 - 1800 cals per day consisting of 100g minimum of protein. I'm working on lowering my calories to a consistent 1500 and upping my protein to 120g.

Further info: I'm 38, female, 5'5 & 145lbs w/estimated 25% body fat (based on DEXA scan in 2020 at 151lbs). I'm aiming for 132lbs or 20% body fat by June, but I'm wondering if you have any advice on how to get there? I think body recomp is out as I'm a seasoned gym user. I'm also quad dominant, so lots of training programmes fail me. I'm currently running my own programme which has 2 glute days concentrating on weighted glute bridges, cable pull-throughs, etc. The other two days are back & chest and I've introduced an arms & abs day for the next four weeks.

Any advice/criticism would be appreciated. I'm hoping your experience with competitions can give me some pointers on what I can tweak in the two months before a show!

 

[kentuckyblue]

@pinkyandthebrain Congrats on the upcoming wedding! What an exciting time. I can only imagine how much you have on your plate right now. If you're already lifting, performing cardio, and following macros/cals with some degree of consistency, my best suggestion would be to consider hiring a coach, nutritionist, or registered dietitian. Someone with both expertise and experience can really help tailor a personalized plan for you that meets your timeline, goals, and and individual needs while making adjustments on a weekly basis as needed.

Hope this helps, and good luck!!

 

[pinkyandthebrain]

@kentuckyblue Thanks for the response! And for opening such a downvoted comment!! I have been looking into trainers but those in my area are typically "certified in 2 weeks" by the gyms. I'm confident in my programme so I'll just need to work harder on my calories.

Once this is done I'm going for a long recomp/bulk and maxing out my lifts!

 

[maria37]

@pinkyandthebrain You're most likely getting downvoted because of the short time frame, the "shredding for the wedding" mindset, and the use of muffin-top. Meg isn't really known for this kind of thing.

 

[christseekingstudent]

@maria37 That and some of your questions are addressed on a weekly basis here. The usual tweaks reccomended for someone with your question is to stop using your own program and use one written by an expert unless you have the qualifications yourself because of the risks of imbalances and low quality exercise selection, and to use the TDEE spreadsheet to check the size of your deficit.

Not saying you shouldn't ask, I get it wanting someone you respect to give you advice and this is an awesome opportunity, but it is not likely to be a highly upvoted question because many people do not share your interest in the answer.

 

[pinkyandthebrain]

@christseekingstudent The problem with following an expert programme is that they aren't written for people who are quad dominant. I've run through Bret Contreras' "grow your glutes without growing the legs" but I was so bored as there were very few heavy lifts spread over 3 days and it ignored upper body. I kept leaving the gym feeling like I'd wasted my time. I used what I learned as a basis for my own programme so I can lift heavy with progressive overload.

 

[pinkyandthebrain]

@maria37 Thanks for your response, I might edit my original question.

I wanted her advice as I know she's done competitions in the past. I would consider this similar. I've put in the work but I'm looking for some advice for getting over the final hurdle.

The stubborn belly fat is a motivation but I think I look great in my dress. I don't want to walk down the aisle and think of what else I could have done to improve things. My runner's mentality for racing has always been "leave it all on the road". In June I want to have full confidence that I'm the best version of me I can be that day, not thinking "if only I had another few weeks!"

 

[ecar322]

@pinkyandthebrain Why is this post getting downvoted?