March 29, 2024 • 33 mins
Join me on a journey of empowerment and defiance as we delve into the world of women’s strength training, challenging societal norms one lift at a time. In this podcast, we celebrate the resilience and determination of women who dare to defy stereotypes and embrace their strength. From debunking myths to sharing personal stories of triumph, we explore the transformative power of strength training for women, both physically and mentally. Join the movement and be a part of the revolution that’s reshaping perceptions and redefining what it means to be strong.
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5536OnOTy_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
You're at a point where you wantto transform your life.
You want to sculpt that awesomebody that's in there.
From never lifting a weight inher life, she started from the
beginning at the age of 40.
She knows what it's like tostart something new.
Welcome to Strength in Numbers.
(00:22):
Unbreakable Mind.
Unstoppable Strength.
Inspiring listeners to liftheavy, push boundaries, and
embrace the power within.
We all have an unbreakablepotential of our minds and
bodies.
We just need to find it.
As a die hard tonal gym fan andadvocate for training at home,
Katie has witnessed first handthe incredible transformations
(00:44):
that can occur when we commit toour fitness goals.
She knows what it's like to getjacked.
All with dedication anddetermination.
Plus nutrition.
It's so important.
One word, tacos.
Together we'll embrace themantra of being stronger, not
smaller.
(01:05):
This is strength in numbers,unbreakable mind, unstoppable
strength.
And now your host, KatieDunford.
Hello and welcome to episodefive.
Uh, today we're going to betalking about breaking
stereotypes, especially withwomen, with gaining muscle mass,
(01:25):
and we're also going to get intosome tonal.
updates on things that are goingon in the community and with the
coaches.
So grab yourself your coffee.
I have my, I have mine righthere.
My iced coffee with thornprotein.
Yum.
If you haven't tried thorn thevanilla protein is my absolute
(01:46):
favorite and I added in with mycoffee and it acts as a creamer.
So there's no need for creamer.
So a little coffee, thornprotein, mix it up.
Yum.
All right.
So first off what's going on intonal.
So a Keem's program is wrappingup the ultimate arms.
That's finishing up now.
A lot of people have alreadyfinished in going into deload
(02:06):
weeks, getting ready for eitherthe April challenge with coach
Ash.
She had a live Facebook group.
The other day talking about theprogram like the German body
comp, which we covered on lastweek, uh, podcast.
So it's going to be a greatgroup.
(02:27):
There's a lot of people.
It's a lot of people loved theGerman body comp from, uh, from
Tim's program.
So I'm excited that they broughtit into another program.
And coach Ash is going to, she'sgoing to slay it.
She's totally going to slay it.
I am quite concerned of when theroom will go red.
If the room will go red.
When coach Ash does those likeburnout hit moments, I get so
(02:52):
fired up.
I absolutely love when Ash getsso fired up.
So that's going on in April, uh,for coach Ash, that challenge.
And what else has been going on?
Oh, my coach Joe is going to bestarting a podcast.
I cannot wait for all thisamazing brain food.
(03:16):
Like I have learned so much fromhim, so I'm excited to just.
Hear more and be able to revisitstuff because I do try to, I do
go back and listen to a lot of,uh, coach Joe's lives from
programs to refresh things thathe covered on things we should
be focusing more on.
(03:36):
So I'm excited that we're goingto have like a space where it's,
we're going to have the podcastthere and.
to keep, learning and, uh,building on, stuff that Joe can
teach us.
So I'm excited.
I am really this is going to begreat.
I'm sure I posted about it, Ithink last week or this week.
I posted it on my Instagramabout his podcast.
(03:58):
So I think that's about it withtonal stuff.
Oh no.
Coach Casey.
She definitely has more mobilitycoming.
I keep, I am so excited.
I think I have left likenumerous notes on tonal after
programs about how I want moremobility.
(04:20):
Like there was one class, Iforget, I think it was Joe's.
It was a live class and you canleave feedback on tonal and I
think I left a paragraph.
Like I was like, I want morelive format programs, four week
programs, more mobility withcoach Casey, more tag team.
(04:41):
And I just looked at myInstagram memories and just so
you know, tonal April was themonth for the tag team classes.
So just throwing it out there, acoach T and coach Akeem tag
team.
Can we bring those back forApril again?
But just letting you know, justletting you know, just in case
(05:02):
you forgot it, it is the monthof April.
That was the tag team.
So I literally leave sometimesparagraphs in those comment
sections.
Cause I'm like, they have to seeit.
Like, like it's bound to happen.
I'm excited for the mobility.
So that's one thing.
(05:23):
So hopefully we'll be gettingsome more, uh, four week live
format programs and more stuffcoming out of the coaches.
So I just love when we get.
More of the, uh, coachesprograms that they have done
themselves.
Cause it always gives like alittle touch of how they trained
and because they're allcertified trainers, they all
(05:46):
come with amazing experiencesand stuff that they've learned.
So I'm excited about that.
All right.
So let's get into today'spodcast.
It is all about breaking thestereotypes with strength and
sharing those society norms onerep at a time.
We're going to dive deep intothe world of women, muscle and
(06:09):
strength training.
So picture this, you're a momjuggling a thousand tasks a day
from carpool to conferencecalls, society tells you that
your main focus should be onnurturing.
and caregiving, not buildingmuscle and strength.
But guess what?
That is just not true.
(06:31):
So let's break it down.
So for centuries, women haveconfined to narrow definitions
of feminine femininity.
I can't say that word oftenassociated with fragility and
delicacy.
Like that has that is how womenare perceived like how we're
supposed to be the weaker sexand there's this that we're
(06:56):
there was this real that likeNobody like goes out in the
ocean and sees a white shark andit's a female white great white
shark and they're like that'sthat shark is weaker because
it's a female it's I, I do haveto say, I do believe I am not a
marine biologist, but I dobelieve the great white sharks
(07:18):
that are female are the largestand strongest.
So I could be wrong on that, butI'm going to go with that.
And because I've watched enoughshark weeks with Abigail to say,
just like Jaws, Jaws wasprobably a female.
Just saying! For recent years,there has been a change, a shift
(07:44):
taking place, where women arereclaiming their power, stepping
into gyms, and picking upweights with determination.
Like, we're not lost in theweight room anymore.
We're not lost picking upweights.
Like I can tell you numeroustimes where I've gotten messages
from men talking about how I'veinspired them or how they want
(08:07):
to train, like how I train or,talking about like my muscle,
uh, my arm muscle gains, it isincredible how we can teach each
other.
And I think sometimes we putblinders on thinking that, the
opposite sex.
Is weaker and the other sex isstronger.
Sure.
(08:28):
There's going to be some thingsthat men can do a lot quicker.
There's going to be things thatit's going to take a lot more
work for women to do.
Ladies, we get like one week outof the month where we can
totally go boss mode, liftingweights.
Just remember that.
So when you're thinking thatyou're not doing enough and you
(08:51):
think I'm not where I want to beand I'm not lifting as much as
that, that guy is, or, justtrying to compare, cause, cause
comparing is just awful.
You shouldn't do it.
Don't do it.
Don't think about it.
Don't do it because I've beenthere.
So we have one, that one week togo boss mode out of a whole
(09:13):
month and all those other weekswe either have to adjust, we
have to listen to our bodies,cause some of us like me, I have
with leg days, it's just astruggle.
Some I've heard from some womenthat like chest day and overhead
presses that the weight is justbrutal on those days when it's,
(09:38):
your time of the month.
So for us women, we truly havewith adding muscle mass strength
training, give yourself a pat.
On the back for every lit everyamount of muscle you gain,
because let me tell you how muchwork that takes to do.
(09:58):
And I think sometimes, whenpeople look, I get that now
where people forget where youstarted from and what you had to
do to get there because it isnot easy.
It wasn't easy for me to dothis.
It takes the training, you'regoing to miss out on certain
things.
(10:18):
You're not going to be able todo certain challenges.
You're not going to be be ableto do all the cardio or your,
you have to take a step back andreally think about what you
want.
And gaining that muscle, thenutrition, the sleep, it takes a
lot of work to put on the muscleand I'm still trying and it is
(10:43):
very hard because there are somemonths where I get on the scale
and I'm like, why am I losingweight?
Why am I losing weight?
Because I put on the weight andthen all of a sudden it goes and
I freak out a little bit andthen, I'd talk to, my coach or
I'll talk to, somebody andthey'll be like your muscle is
(11:03):
burning.
You're like a machine.
So when you put that weight onyour muscle mass is just eating
away at everything because youjust have so much more in the
tank and I think that Joe talkedabout this in the live in New
York, talking about how you'regoing to lose weight.
(11:26):
Everybody, talks about losingfat and, the scale going down,
but like he said, there's goingto come a point where you're
going to have to change themindset to how much muscle can I
build, how much muscle can I puton and that muscle is going to
act as an energizer battery foryour body.
(11:48):
But it is that it's not allsmooth sailing, we have to go
through battles and we fight,stigmas to break down Some
people still cling to thatoutdated beliefs of insisting
that lifting weights will makewomen bulky or unfeminine I get
that a lot still and I hear thata lot because I've lost a lot of
(12:09):
my chest fat I was never achesty person to begin with, but
now I have a lot more muscles.
So instead of having, I have achest, I still have a chest, but
I don't, it's muscle.
So instead of flexing mycleavage with, what I guess fat
(12:29):
or whatever, it's muscle.
So women can have muscularchest.
It doesn't, there is no defininga woman by, chest size.
Like I just, I can't like womenare, women can have strong
chest.
Women can have strong arms,strong back.
(12:50):
Let's change that.
Let me tell you something.
Muscle is not the enemy.
It's a symbol of strength,resilience, and empowerment.
That is a fact.
Building muscle and strengthtraining builds confidence.
It helps, like it has helpedwith my mental health, my
(13:14):
anxiety.
It has made me stop dealing withbullshit.
Like focusing on My health andwhat I need for my body because
it can't be just cookie cutter.
You can't just do what everybodyelse is doing.
(13:34):
Because if your goal is addingmuscle mass, you can't be doing
all that cardio.
You can't be out, drinking and,partying all the time, you have
to dial it back, life changes.
We adapt.
And we, we do stuff that bringsus joy.
So this is the next part aboutthis.
(13:57):
This is where I get a little, Iguess I get a little heated, so
I'm going to try to keep itcalm.
The opinions don't even get mestarted.
Some women face judgment fromtheir peers who can't wrap their
heads around The idea of amuscular mom.
(14:21):
Shouldn't you just be focusingon, looking pretty, putting the
makeup on, being, this, uh, whatwe say, Pinterest, being a
Pinterest mom and they aretotally missing the point.
They are completely missing thepoint.
But you know what?
(14:42):
We are not here to conform toanyone else's standards of
beauty.
We are here to do what brings usjoy, what makes us feel powerful
and alive.
And if that means deadliftingmore than our body weight or
flexing our biceps that couldrival Hercules.
(15:06):
Hercules.
Like flex them muscles.
Then so be it.
So to all the women out therewho are tired of being told to
shrink themselves down, bothphysically and mentally, I say
this.
Embrace your strength.
Own your power and neverapologizing for being exactly
(15:31):
who you are, because beingexactly who you are is going to
inspire people, you're going tomove mountains, you are going
to, like I said, inspiresomebody that to do something
that they never thought theycould.
(15:52):
Because that's what the wholechange is that once you change
and you start to inspire peopleor somebody inspired you, that's
a chain reaction.
That's what we all should bedoing.
It shouldn't be about, I, itshould be about us.
It's about we, it's about team.
(16:12):
There is no I in team.
You can't succeed alone.
And I've found that out.
You can't do things alone.
You need a support system thatis going to be there when you're
thinking about giving up becauseadding muscle mass as a woman is
(16:32):
not easy.
It is very frustrating at timesbecause I get frustrated with
myself when I can't lift theweight that I normally lift.
Or my form goes to shit and I'mlike, why I get so mad at my
body.
Like, why isn't my brain and mybody talking to each other?
Can we all get on the same page?
(16:53):
And that's hard to do becausethen the doubts come in and then
you're like why am I doing this?
I'm not seeing results rightaway.
I'm not seeing, the definitionthat I want to see right now.
You know what?
I'm just going to give up.
I'm just going to go back todoing random stuff, and just
exercising.
(17:14):
It takes time.
It takes a lot of time and ittakes a lot of effort and to
check your ego at the door.
Because you want to get betterand you have to do the same
things over and over to, to dothat.
Yes, random and difference andstuff keeps you, intrigued and
interested.
(17:35):
And it's exciting when thingschange, but you have to stick
to, to get that progressiveoverload or to see that
difference in volume andstrength.
You have to do the same thingsover and over again.
To see a difference and you haveto push yourself out of your
comfort zone.
(17:55):
It's not gonna look pretty It'snot gonna be perfect.
It's never going to be perfectSo you have to take a step back
and realize you know what I amgoing to fail I Am and I tell
myself that all the time I amgoing to fail there is gonna
come a time Where I'm not gonnabe able to do it But you know
(18:17):
what?
I will be able to do it.
You may not be able to do itnow, but you will.
I can remember talking to Joeabout a 75 pound bench press.
I can remember talking to Joeabout hip, a barbell hip thrust.
About, finally getting to ahundred pounds and Joe be like
(18:39):
in, in a year, you're going tobe doing 200 pounds.
And I did, we hit that 75 poundbenchmark for my barbell.
We hit that 200 pounds for myhip thrust today.
I just maxed out at two hundredsfor RDL, a hundred pounds each
hand.
(19:01):
So next week, what's going tohappen.
I'm going to max out the barbellfor RDL and doing an RDL barbell
for 200 pounds.
It is possible and I've always,I always didn't have people that
believed in me.
And when I started this whole,like, I'm going to just dial in.
(19:28):
I'm just going to put theblinders on, put my head down
and just do the work.
I'm going to put the work in andthen I'm going to show everybody
that they can do it.
Because we are so much morepowerful than we give ourselves
credit for.
Like, I think you all can do it.
(19:49):
I've told so many women, don'tsay you can't, say you will.
I used to say I can't, and youknow who I had behind me saying
yes you can?
Was Joe.
You So I am without that personin my ear telling me, you can,
(20:14):
and it got louder and louder towhich now I tell him to bring it
on.
I'm like, make it harder.
What you got?
And, it's, you get to a pointwhere you thrive on the
challenge and you thrive onlearning and you thrive on the
failing and then learning andthen succeeding and then looking
(20:38):
back, being like, I did thatshit.
So I just want you all to knowthat I am extremely thankful and
proud and, that it means so muchto me when I get messages about
how you're wanting to dostrength training.
And how much should you stepback from cardio?
(20:58):
What do I do that you want toput on muscle mass?
I am here for you.
I don't care what platform,what, who coach, who, whatever.
Like, I don't care.
Like, I want to see more womenbeing like, you know what?
(21:20):
I'm tired.
I don't want to be smallanymore.
I don't want to use smallanymore.
Stop putting out in society thatbeing smaller is better because
it's not as women, as we getolder, building that muscle mass
is going to protect our bones.
It's going to keep us playingwith our kids than playing with
our grandkids.
You can't think of right now.
(21:42):
I'm, I'm a part of this rightnow because this is the fun part
for right now.
Think of your future.
Think of your kids.
When you're outside playing, youwant to be able to run, you want
to be able to pick yourgrandkids up.
So strength training is so muchmore than just picking up the
weight and moving it around.
(22:06):
It is keeping us young.
It is the fountain of youth.
Yes, you can add in cardio.
I still run.
I run maybe once a week.
But that is the first thing togo.
My body is fatigued because yes,there are going to be times when
you are in certain programs thatyou're not going to be able to,
(22:28):
you're going to have to dial itback and running.
We'll just have to go on theside for the point being, but
then you can pick it back upagain.
You're not going to lose it.
I can still sprint at 12.
5.
I could still run a 5k.
I could probably still run a 10K.
Now.
Half marathon.
(22:48):
I would probably need a littlebit more miles on my feet to do
it, but I'm still a runner likethat hasn't gone away.
And I think sometimes people getin this, like they have to do
everything.
So there's still everything.
Just because you your yourseasons change with training
(23:09):
doesn't make whatever you dobefore.
minute that you can't do itanymore.
That's not true.
You can keep up with running.
You just have to dial it back alittle bit because you're more
focused on strength trainingbecause you want to build muscle
mass.
So I hope you guys take a littlebit away from like my story and,
(23:33):
stereotyping and how sometimes,people can.
Say judgmental things,especially on the internet and
social media can be brutal, Ican remember reading something
about like how when some, I sawsomething on Instagram about how
women shouldn't have muscularchests and that, women shouldn't
(23:54):
want to look, having muscular,and I'm just like, I was like,
why not?
Like the whole defining offemininity has changed, like
being feminine, you know, and Ithink sometimes the hardest
critics actually come from otherwomen when it comes to our
(24:15):
bodies and, you know, stuff likethat, you know, it's, you know,
it's just like when you were ingrade school, I don't know about
some of y'all, but I was alwaysconsidered one of the guys in,
in, school.
I was never the foo foo girl.
Um, I really never fit in withthe girls because I kind of was,
you know, I was kind of like atown boy and I think that
(24:38):
sometimes that, women are, youknow, they say, oh, you know,
together, support women and, youknow, all this other stuff, you
know, but also on the other endof the spectrum, sometimes women
can be the harshest critics ofanother woman and I don't get
that.
Like we should all be supportingeach other.
(24:59):
And you can still be feminine.
You are feminine.
No matter what, if you'reskinny, whether you're muscular,
whatever, the definition offemininity is limitless.
Just because when I flex, Ilook, I, you can see the muscle,
(25:21):
but when a body is just standingthere and not flexing, you can't
stop.
Like, I'm not Joe, and I thinksometimes when people think of
like muscular and bulkiness andI'm like, bring it, I'm going
(25:43):
to, I want to make jaws drop.
Like I have a goal to do everykind of pushup that there is
every kind of pushup that thereis.
That is a huge, like a goal ofmine.
I just want to be known forpushups.
Like.
It's just pushups for me werethe gateway.
(26:05):
It was a confidence builder.
And I truly believe that if morewomen took on pushups, focused
on pushups, that is going tobuild your confidence up so high
that you're going to be like,shit, now I can do it all.
(26:27):
Now I'm going to lift heavier.
Now I'm going to get a barbell.
Now I'm going to be, deadlifting a hundred pounds.
I need heavier weights.
I can, yes, you can.
So breaking stereotypes, let'sbreak them all.
Show them what's up.
Something that we have to do aswomen is put that number that
(26:49):
you see on the scale at a lowerlevel.
Like how much does it reallymatter?
I weigh 141, 143 pounds, give ortake, depending on the time of
the month, because the scale'sgoing to, it's, it's going to
adjust.
Um, we're going to feel fluffiersome weeks than we do others.
(27:12):
We're going to feel snatchedmore in some weeks than others.
Um, you're going to see absevery once in a while.
I can like see my abs certainparts of the day and then they
go away because your girl likesto eat carbs.
I like to eat food.
I like to enjoy life.
I weighed my heaviest afterhaving Abigail at 140 pounds.
(27:36):
So I weigh the same now as I didthen, but now it's, I have
muscle.
Um, I, I look a lot healthier.
Um, I'm not, so my body isn't soinflamed from, you know, cause.
Drinking a lot, drinking, youknow, wine and going out to
dinner and having, you know,when you go out to restaurants,
(27:59):
sometimes there's more sodium infood, a lot more salt.
So you kind of retain water alot more, so you look a little
bit more fluffy.
Um, but that, that number on thescale does not, you have to put
it somewhere closer to thebottom.
It's kind of like how I kind oflook at with like electronics in
(28:21):
our house as a parent.
I kind of feel like if you giveit so much credit or you put it
up on this pedestal It is goingto mean so much.
It's going to be the holy grail.
It is going to be The come tojesus.
It's not It's really not thatbig of a deal.
So when you don't put so mucharound a number on a scale You
(28:45):
Making you feel bad about, well,what I'm doing isn't working.
Um, I'm not losing weight.
At some point you have to thinkI'm gaining muscle.
I'm doing strength training.
I'm doing all this stuff.
I'm, I'm sleeping better.
There's so many more things thatadd up than that number on the
(29:07):
scale.
So you may note that scale maymean the biggest thing to you.
But look at all the littlethings that have changed in your
life for the better.
And I think if we take thatscale out and kind of look at it
as a guide, a tool in ourtoolbox that we can use to kind
(29:28):
of gauge, like I use the scaleto gauge how my training is
going.
I want to make sure that I'mfueling enough that I'm not
burning muscle that I'm gainingweight that Um, i'm staying on
track with putting on weightbecause that is a goal for me is
to put on weight So so the thenumber on the scale for me means
(29:51):
power it means strength it meansi'm dead lifting 200 pounds It
means i'm my rdls are 200pounds.
That means my hip thrusts are200 pounds.
That means i'm a push upgangster That's what that number
means.
It, it shouldn't, it shouldn'tmean so much.
And, like, clothing sizes, it'sall bullshit.
(30:15):
Because we all know we go todifferent retailers and women's
sizing is all over the place.
Don't get me on women's clothingbecause I have been on a high
horse with women's clothing.
Like, totally, wear the tall,tall shit, okay?
Like we're not waiting for aflood.
There is no flood coming anytimesoon.
There are people that are overLike what five seven five six,
(30:40):
but most of the shit is for fivefive people.
I love you shorties, you know,no hate But you just have to you
just have to put it where it Isat the bottom don't give it so
much credit It doesn't deservethe credit.
What deserves the credit is yourhard work, your determination,
(31:01):
your discipline, yourconsistency, all of that, that
is what matters.
I am so excited for this podcastbecause it has just, it means a
lot to me hearing people'sstories.
And I'm excited to share mystory and hopefully give a lot
more people that nudge torealize that gaining muscle,
(31:25):
looking strong, upper body,lower body, the whole shebang is
such, it is such a gift.
It can't be given.
It is hard work.
So I'm gonna leave with thisquote.
I've read it a couple of timesthis week and I was like, you
know what, I'm going to close mypodcast out with this because it
(31:47):
resonated and it'll give yousomething to think about.
You don't need to be the mosttalented.
You just need to be prepared towork really hard and learning to
keep going.
So until next time, keeplifting, keep smashing barriers
(32:07):
and keep being unapologeticallyyou.
See you next week for episodesix.
You've been listening toStrength in Numbers.
Unbreakable mind, unstoppablestrength.
Your mind and your body can doanything and our passion is to
show you the unbreakablepotential.
(32:29):
Katie is a diehard tonal gym fanand she's all about training at
home.
She's proven that anything ispossible with dedication and
determination.
Thanks for listening to theshow.
Make sure to like, rate, andreview.
Find Katie on Instagram.
Instagram at katie underscore Hunderscore Dunford and on tonal
(32:50):
at strength underscore nunderscore numbers questions or
comments hit that email strengthunderscore n underscore numbers
82 at yahoo.
com see you next time
You're at a point where you wantto transform your life.
You want to sculpt that awesomebody that's in there.
From never lifting a weight inher life, she started from the
beginning at the age of 40.
She knows what it's like tostart something new.
Welcome to Strength in Numbers.
(00:22):
Unbreakable Mind.
Unstoppable Strength.
Inspiring listeners to liftheavy, push boundaries, and
embrace the power within.
We all have an unbreakablepotential of our minds and
bodies.
We just need to find it.
As a die hard tonal gym fan andadvocate for training at home,
Katie has witnessed first handthe incredible transformations
(00:44):
that can occur when we commit toour fitness goals.
She knows what it's like to getjacked.
All with dedication anddetermination.
Plus nutrition.
It's so important.
One word, tacos.
Together we'll embrace themantra of being stronger, not
smaller.
(01:05):
This is strength in numbers,unbreakable mind, unstoppable
strength.
And now your host, KatieDunford.
Hello and welcome to episodefive.
Uh, today we're going to betalking about breaking
stereotypes, especially withwomen, with gaining muscle mass,
(01:25):
and we're also going to get intosome tonal.
updates on things that are goingon in the community and with the
coaches.
So grab yourself your coffee.
I have my, I have mine righthere.
My iced coffee with thornprotein.
Yum.
If you haven't tried thorn thevanilla protein is my absolute
(01:46):
favorite and I added in with mycoffee and it acts as a creamer.
So there's no need for creamer.
So a little coffee, thornprotein, mix it up.
Yum.
All right.
So first off what's going on intonal.
So a Keem's program is wrappingup the ultimate arms.
That's finishing up now.
A lot of people have alreadyfinished in going into deload
(02:06):
weeks, getting ready for eitherthe April challenge with coach
Ash.
She had a live Facebook group.
The other day talking about theprogram like the German body
comp, which we covered on lastweek, uh, podcast.
So it's going to be a greatgroup.
(02:27):
There's a lot of people.
It's a lot of people loved theGerman body comp from, uh, from
Tim's program.
So I'm excited that they broughtit into another program.
And coach Ash is going to, she'sgoing to slay it.
She's totally going to slay it.
I am quite concerned of when theroom will go red.
If the room will go red.
When coach Ash does those likeburnout hit moments, I get so
(02:52):
fired up.
I absolutely love when Ash getsso fired up.
So that's going on in April, uh,for coach Ash, that challenge.
And what else has been going on?
Oh, my coach Joe is going to bestarting a podcast.
I cannot wait for all thisamazing brain food.
(03:16):
Like I have learned so much fromhim, so I'm excited to just.
Hear more and be able to revisitstuff because I do try to, I do
go back and listen to a lot of,uh, coach Joe's lives from
programs to refresh things thathe covered on things we should
be focusing more on.
(03:36):
So I'm excited that we're goingto have like a space where it's,
we're going to have the podcastthere and.
to keep, learning and, uh,building on, stuff that Joe can
teach us.
So I'm excited.
I am really this is going to begreat.
I'm sure I posted about it, Ithink last week or this week.
I posted it on my Instagramabout his podcast.
(03:58):
So I think that's about it withtonal stuff.
Oh no.
Coach Casey.
She definitely has more mobilitycoming.
I keep, I am so excited.
I think I have left likenumerous notes on tonal after
programs about how I want moremobility.
(04:20):
Like there was one class, Iforget, I think it was Joe's.
It was a live class and you canleave feedback on tonal and I
think I left a paragraph.
Like I was like, I want morelive format programs, four week
programs, more mobility withcoach Casey, more tag team.
(04:41):
And I just looked at myInstagram memories and just so
you know, tonal April was themonth for the tag team classes.
So just throwing it out there, acoach T and coach Akeem tag
team.
Can we bring those back forApril again?
But just letting you know, justletting you know, just in case
(05:02):
you forgot it, it is the monthof April.
That was the tag team.
So I literally leave sometimesparagraphs in those comment
sections.
Cause I'm like, they have to seeit.
Like, like it's bound to happen.
I'm excited for the mobility.
So that's one thing.
(05:23):
So hopefully we'll be gettingsome more, uh, four week live
format programs and more stuffcoming out of the coaches.
So I just love when we get.
More of the, uh, coachesprograms that they have done
themselves.
Cause it always gives like alittle touch of how they trained
and because they're allcertified trainers, they all
(05:46):
come with amazing experiencesand stuff that they've learned.
So I'm excited about that.
All right.
So let's get into today'spodcast.
It is all about breaking thestereotypes with strength and
sharing those society norms onerep at a time.
We're going to dive deep intothe world of women, muscle and
(06:09):
strength training.
So picture this, you're a momjuggling a thousand tasks a day
from carpool to conferencecalls, society tells you that
your main focus should be onnurturing.
and caregiving, not buildingmuscle and strength.
But guess what?
That is just not true.
(06:31):
So let's break it down.
So for centuries, women haveconfined to narrow definitions
of feminine femininity.
I can't say that word oftenassociated with fragility and
delicacy.
Like that has that is how womenare perceived like how we're
supposed to be the weaker sexand there's this that we're
(06:56):
there was this real that likeNobody like goes out in the
ocean and sees a white shark andit's a female white great white
shark and they're like that'sthat shark is weaker because
it's a female it's I, I do haveto say, I do believe I am not a
marine biologist, but I dobelieve the great white sharks
(07:18):
that are female are the largestand strongest.
So I could be wrong on that, butI'm going to go with that.
And because I've watched enoughshark weeks with Abigail to say,
just like Jaws, Jaws wasprobably a female.
Just saying! For recent years,there has been a change, a shift
(07:44):
taking place, where women arereclaiming their power, stepping
into gyms, and picking upweights with determination.
Like, we're not lost in theweight room anymore.
We're not lost picking upweights.
Like I can tell you numeroustimes where I've gotten messages
from men talking about how I'veinspired them or how they want
(08:07):
to train, like how I train or,talking about like my muscle,
uh, my arm muscle gains, it isincredible how we can teach each
other.
And I think sometimes we putblinders on thinking that, the
opposite sex.
Is weaker and the other sex isstronger.
Sure.
(08:28):
There's going to be some thingsthat men can do a lot quicker.
There's going to be things thatit's going to take a lot more
work for women to do.
Ladies, we get like one week outof the month where we can
totally go boss mode, liftingweights.
Just remember that.
So when you're thinking thatyou're not doing enough and you
(08:51):
think I'm not where I want to beand I'm not lifting as much as
that, that guy is, or, justtrying to compare, cause, cause
comparing is just awful.
You shouldn't do it.
Don't do it.
Don't think about it.
Don't do it because I've beenthere.
So we have one, that one week togo boss mode out of a whole
(09:13):
month and all those other weekswe either have to adjust, we
have to listen to our bodies,cause some of us like me, I have
with leg days, it's just astruggle.
Some I've heard from some womenthat like chest day and overhead
presses that the weight is justbrutal on those days when it's,
(09:38):
your time of the month.
So for us women, we truly havewith adding muscle mass strength
training, give yourself a pat.
On the back for every lit everyamount of muscle you gain,
because let me tell you how muchwork that takes to do.
(09:58):
And I think sometimes, whenpeople look, I get that now
where people forget where youstarted from and what you had to
do to get there because it isnot easy.
It wasn't easy for me to dothis.
It takes the training, you'regoing to miss out on certain
things.
(10:18):
You're not going to be able todo certain challenges.
You're not going to be be ableto do all the cardio or your,
you have to take a step back andreally think about what you
want.
And gaining that muscle, thenutrition, the sleep, it takes a
lot of work to put on the muscleand I'm still trying and it is
(10:43):
very hard because there are somemonths where I get on the scale
and I'm like, why am I losingweight?
Why am I losing weight?
Because I put on the weight andthen all of a sudden it goes and
I freak out a little bit andthen, I'd talk to, my coach or
I'll talk to, somebody andthey'll be like your muscle is
(11:03):
burning.
You're like a machine.
So when you put that weight onyour muscle mass is just eating
away at everything because youjust have so much more in the
tank and I think that Joe talkedabout this in the live in New
York, talking about how you'regoing to lose weight.
(11:26):
Everybody, talks about losingfat and, the scale going down,
but like he said, there's goingto come a point where you're
going to have to change themindset to how much muscle can I
build, how much muscle can I puton and that muscle is going to
act as an energizer battery foryour body.
(11:48):
But it is that it's not allsmooth sailing, we have to go
through battles and we fight,stigmas to break down Some
people still cling to thatoutdated beliefs of insisting
that lifting weights will makewomen bulky or unfeminine I get
that a lot still and I hear thata lot because I've lost a lot of
(12:09):
my chest fat I was never achesty person to begin with, but
now I have a lot more muscles.
So instead of having, I have achest, I still have a chest, but
I don't, it's muscle.
So instead of flexing mycleavage with, what I guess fat
(12:29):
or whatever, it's muscle.
So women can have muscularchest.
It doesn't, there is no defininga woman by, chest size.
Like I just, I can't like womenare, women can have strong
chest.
Women can have strong arms,strong back.
(12:50):
Let's change that.
Let me tell you something.
Muscle is not the enemy.
It's a symbol of strength,resilience, and empowerment.
That is a fact.
Building muscle and strengthtraining builds confidence.
It helps, like it has helpedwith my mental health, my
(13:14):
anxiety.
It has made me stop dealing withbullshit.
Like focusing on My health andwhat I need for my body because
it can't be just cookie cutter.
You can't just do what everybodyelse is doing.
(13:34):
Because if your goal is addingmuscle mass, you can't be doing
all that cardio.
You can't be out, drinking and,partying all the time, you have
to dial it back, life changes.
We adapt.
And we, we do stuff that bringsus joy.
So this is the next part aboutthis.
(13:57):
This is where I get a little, Iguess I get a little heated, so
I'm going to try to keep itcalm.
The opinions don't even get mestarted.
Some women face judgment fromtheir peers who can't wrap their
heads around The idea of amuscular mom.
(14:21):
Shouldn't you just be focusingon, looking pretty, putting the
makeup on, being, this, uh, whatwe say, Pinterest, being a
Pinterest mom and they aretotally missing the point.
They are completely missing thepoint.
But you know what?
(14:42):
We are not here to conform toanyone else's standards of
beauty.
We are here to do what brings usjoy, what makes us feel powerful
and alive.
And if that means deadliftingmore than our body weight or
flexing our biceps that couldrival Hercules.
(15:06):
Hercules.
Like flex them muscles.
Then so be it.
So to all the women out therewho are tired of being told to
shrink themselves down, bothphysically and mentally, I say
this.
Embrace your strength.
Own your power and neverapologizing for being exactly
(15:31):
who you are, because beingexactly who you are is going to
inspire people, you're going tomove mountains, you are going
to, like I said, inspiresomebody that to do something
that they never thought theycould.
(15:52):
Because that's what the wholechange is that once you change
and you start to inspire peopleor somebody inspired you, that's
a chain reaction.
That's what we all should bedoing.
It shouldn't be about, I, itshould be about us.
It's about we, it's about team.
(16:12):
There is no I in team.
You can't succeed alone.
And I've found that out.
You can't do things alone.
You need a support system thatis going to be there when you're
thinking about giving up becauseadding muscle mass as a woman is
(16:32):
not easy.
It is very frustrating at timesbecause I get frustrated with
myself when I can't lift theweight that I normally lift.
Or my form goes to shit and I'mlike, why I get so mad at my
body.
Like, why isn't my brain and mybody talking to each other?
Can we all get on the same page?
(16:53):
And that's hard to do becausethen the doubts come in and then
you're like why am I doing this?
I'm not seeing results rightaway.
I'm not seeing, the definitionthat I want to see right now.
You know what?
I'm just going to give up.
I'm just going to go back todoing random stuff, and just
exercising.
(17:14):
It takes time.
It takes a lot of time and ittakes a lot of effort and to
check your ego at the door.
Because you want to get betterand you have to do the same
things over and over to, to dothat.
Yes, random and difference andstuff keeps you, intrigued and
interested.
(17:35):
And it's exciting when thingschange, but you have to stick
to, to get that progressiveoverload or to see that
difference in volume andstrength.
You have to do the same thingsover and over again.
To see a difference and you haveto push yourself out of your
comfort zone.
(17:55):
It's not gonna look pretty It'snot gonna be perfect.
It's never going to be perfectSo you have to take a step back
and realize you know what I amgoing to fail I Am and I tell
myself that all the time I amgoing to fail there is gonna
come a time Where I'm not gonnabe able to do it But you know
(18:17):
what?
I will be able to do it.
You may not be able to do itnow, but you will.
I can remember talking to Joeabout a 75 pound bench press.
I can remember talking to Joeabout hip, a barbell hip thrust.
About, finally getting to ahundred pounds and Joe be like
(18:39):
in, in a year, you're going tobe doing 200 pounds.
And I did, we hit that 75 poundbenchmark for my barbell.
We hit that 200 pounds for myhip thrust today.
I just maxed out at two hundredsfor RDL, a hundred pounds each
hand.
(19:01):
So next week, what's going tohappen.
I'm going to max out the barbellfor RDL and doing an RDL barbell
for 200 pounds.
It is possible and I've always,I always didn't have people that
believed in me.
And when I started this whole,like, I'm going to just dial in.
(19:28):
I'm just going to put theblinders on, put my head down
and just do the work.
I'm going to put the work in andthen I'm going to show everybody
that they can do it.
Because we are so much morepowerful than we give ourselves
credit for.
Like, I think you all can do it.
(19:49):
I've told so many women, don'tsay you can't, say you will.
I used to say I can't, and youknow who I had behind me saying
yes you can?
Was Joe.
You So I am without that personin my ear telling me, you can,
(20:14):
and it got louder and louder towhich now I tell him to bring it
on.
I'm like, make it harder.
What you got?
And, it's, you get to a pointwhere you thrive on the
challenge and you thrive onlearning and you thrive on the
failing and then learning andthen succeeding and then looking
(20:38):
back, being like, I did thatshit.
So I just want you all to knowthat I am extremely thankful and
proud and, that it means so muchto me when I get messages about
how you're wanting to dostrength training.
And how much should you stepback from cardio?
(20:58):
What do I do that you want toput on muscle mass?
I am here for you.
I don't care what platform,what, who coach, who, whatever.
Like, I don't care.
Like, I want to see more womenbeing like, you know what?
(21:20):
I'm tired.
I don't want to be smallanymore.
I don't want to use smallanymore.
Stop putting out in society thatbeing smaller is better because
it's not as women, as we getolder, building that muscle mass
is going to protect our bones.
It's going to keep us playingwith our kids than playing with
our grandkids.
You can't think of right now.
(21:42):
I'm, I'm a part of this rightnow because this is the fun part
for right now.
Think of your future.
Think of your kids.
When you're outside playing, youwant to be able to run, you want
to be able to pick yourgrandkids up.
So strength training is so muchmore than just picking up the
weight and moving it around.
(22:06):
It is keeping us young.
It is the fountain of youth.
Yes, you can add in cardio.
I still run.
I run maybe once a week.
But that is the first thing togo.
My body is fatigued because yes,there are going to be times when
you are in certain programs thatyou're not going to be able to,
(22:28):
you're going to have to dial itback and running.
We'll just have to go on theside for the point being, but
then you can pick it back upagain.
You're not going to lose it.
I can still sprint at 12.
5.
I could still run a 5k.
I could probably still run a 10K.
Now.
Half marathon.
(22:48):
I would probably need a littlebit more miles on my feet to do
it, but I'm still a runner likethat hasn't gone away.
And I think sometimes people getin this, like they have to do
everything.
So there's still everything.
Just because you your yourseasons change with training
(23:09):
doesn't make whatever you dobefore.
minute that you can't do itanymore.
That's not true.
You can keep up with running.
You just have to dial it back alittle bit because you're more
focused on strength trainingbecause you want to build muscle
mass.
So I hope you guys take a littlebit away from like my story and,
(23:33):
stereotyping and how sometimes,people can.
Say judgmental things,especially on the internet and
social media can be brutal, Ican remember reading something
about like how when some, I sawsomething on Instagram about how
women shouldn't have muscularchests and that, women shouldn't
(23:54):
want to look, having muscular,and I'm just like, I was like,
why not?
Like the whole defining offemininity has changed, like
being feminine, you know, and Ithink sometimes the hardest
critics actually come from otherwomen when it comes to our
(24:15):
bodies and, you know, stuff likethat, you know, it's, you know,
it's just like when you were ingrade school, I don't know about
some of y'all, but I was alwaysconsidered one of the guys in,
in, school.
I was never the foo foo girl.
Um, I really never fit in withthe girls because I kind of was,
you know, I was kind of like atown boy and I think that
(24:38):
sometimes that, women are, youknow, they say, oh, you know,
together, support women and, youknow, all this other stuff, you
know, but also on the other endof the spectrum, sometimes women
can be the harshest critics ofanother woman and I don't get
that.
Like we should all be supportingeach other.
(24:59):
And you can still be feminine.
You are feminine.
No matter what, if you'reskinny, whether you're muscular,
whatever, the definition offemininity is limitless.
Just because when I flex, Ilook, I, you can see the muscle,
(25:21):
but when a body is just standingthere and not flexing, you can't
stop.
Like, I'm not Joe, and I thinksometimes when people think of
like muscular and bulkiness andI'm like, bring it, I'm going
(25:43):
to, I want to make jaws drop.
Like I have a goal to do everykind of pushup that there is
every kind of pushup that thereis.
That is a huge, like a goal ofmine.
I just want to be known forpushups.
Like.
It's just pushups for me werethe gateway.
(26:05):
It was a confidence builder.
And I truly believe that if morewomen took on pushups, focused
on pushups, that is going tobuild your confidence up so high
that you're going to be like,shit, now I can do it all.
(26:27):
Now I'm going to lift heavier.
Now I'm going to get a barbell.
Now I'm going to be, deadlifting a hundred pounds.
I need heavier weights.
I can, yes, you can.
So breaking stereotypes, let'sbreak them all.
Show them what's up.
Something that we have to do aswomen is put that number that
(26:49):
you see on the scale at a lowerlevel.
Like how much does it reallymatter?
I weigh 141, 143 pounds, give ortake, depending on the time of
the month, because the scale'sgoing to, it's, it's going to
adjust.
Um, we're going to feel fluffiersome weeks than we do others.
(27:12):
We're going to feel snatchedmore in some weeks than others.
Um, you're going to see absevery once in a while.
I can like see my abs certainparts of the day and then they
go away because your girl likesto eat carbs.
I like to eat food.
I like to enjoy life.
I weighed my heaviest afterhaving Abigail at 140 pounds.
(27:36):
So I weigh the same now as I didthen, but now it's, I have
muscle.
Um, I, I look a lot healthier.
Um, I'm not, so my body isn't soinflamed from, you know, cause.
Drinking a lot, drinking, youknow, wine and going out to
dinner and having, you know,when you go out to restaurants,
(27:59):
sometimes there's more sodium infood, a lot more salt.
So you kind of retain water alot more, so you look a little
bit more fluffy.
Um, but that, that number on thescale does not, you have to put
it somewhere closer to thebottom.
It's kind of like how I kind oflook at with like electronics in
(28:21):
our house as a parent.
I kind of feel like if you giveit so much credit or you put it
up on this pedestal It is goingto mean so much.
It's going to be the holy grail.
It is going to be The come tojesus.
It's not It's really not thatbig of a deal.
So when you don't put so mucharound a number on a scale You
(28:45):
Making you feel bad about, well,what I'm doing isn't working.
Um, I'm not losing weight.
At some point you have to thinkI'm gaining muscle.
I'm doing strength training.
I'm doing all this stuff.
I'm, I'm sleeping better.
There's so many more things thatadd up than that number on the
(29:07):
scale.
So you may note that scale maymean the biggest thing to you.
But look at all the littlethings that have changed in your
life for the better.
And I think if we take thatscale out and kind of look at it
as a guide, a tool in ourtoolbox that we can use to kind
(29:28):
of gauge, like I use the scaleto gauge how my training is
going.
I want to make sure that I'mfueling enough that I'm not
burning muscle that I'm gainingweight that Um, i'm staying on
track with putting on weightbecause that is a goal for me is
to put on weight So so the thenumber on the scale for me means
(29:51):
power it means strength it meansi'm dead lifting 200 pounds It
means i'm my rdls are 200pounds.
That means my hip thrusts are200 pounds.
That means i'm a push upgangster That's what that number
means.
It, it shouldn't, it shouldn'tmean so much.
And, like, clothing sizes, it'sall bullshit.
(30:15):
Because we all know we go todifferent retailers and women's
sizing is all over the place.
Don't get me on women's clothingbecause I have been on a high
horse with women's clothing.
Like, totally, wear the tall,tall shit, okay?
Like we're not waiting for aflood.
There is no flood coming anytimesoon.
There are people that are overLike what five seven five six,
(30:40):
but most of the shit is for fivefive people.
I love you shorties, you know,no hate But you just have to you
just have to put it where it Isat the bottom don't give it so
much credit It doesn't deservethe credit.
What deserves the credit is yourhard work, your determination,
(31:01):
your discipline, yourconsistency, all of that, that
is what matters.
I am so excited for this podcastbecause it has just, it means a
lot to me hearing people'sstories.
And I'm excited to share mystory and hopefully give a lot
more people that nudge torealize that gaining muscle,
(31:25):
looking strong, upper body,lower body, the whole shebang is
such, it is such a gift.
It can't be given.
It is hard work.
So I'm gonna leave with thisquote.
I've read it a couple of timesthis week and I was like, you
know what, I'm going to close mypodcast out with this because it
(31:47):
resonated and it'll give yousomething to think about.
You don't need to be the mosttalented.
You just need to be prepared towork really hard and learning to
keep going.
So until next time, keeplifting, keep smashing barriers
(32:07):
and keep being unapologeticallyyou.
See you next week for episodesix.
You've been listening toStrength in Numbers.
Unbreakable mind, unstoppablestrength.
Your mind and your body can doanything and our passion is to
show you the unbreakablepotential.
(32:29):
Katie is a diehard tonal gym fanand she's all about training at
home.
She's proven that anything ispossible with dedication and
determination.
Thanks for listening to theshow.
Make sure to like, rate, andreview.
Find Katie on Instagram.
Instagram at katie underscore Hunderscore Dunford and on tonal
(32:50):
at strength underscore nunderscore numbers questions or
comments hit that email strengthunderscore n underscore numbers
82 at yahoo.
com see you next time
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.