Nick Anderson is an online Nutrition and Strength Coach, with a specialty in powerlifting. He has a no-bullshit approach to nutrition and fitness as he guides people in building long-term, sustainable approaches to health and fitness. Because as we know, sustainable results require sustainable approaches.

Today, our good friend Nick joins us to chat about the empowerment all three of us have found in lifting heavy weights, his latest powerlifting meet experience, how confidence in the gym can translate in to the rest of your life. We also talk about “feeling the burn” in a workout and what it actually means, and what it doesn’t mean. We also talk about the water cut Nick executed before his last powerlifting meet, and how and why he gained a LOT of weight in the short time of 12 hours. We talk about how to gauge progress apart from the number on the scale.

We also talk about back squats. Should you ever use a bar bad for back squats? What if your shoulders pinch? What are some exercises that support strength in a back squat? How to have a more efficient squat? What if the barbell irritates the skin on your back? What does the upper back and core have to do with the back squat? Does EVERYONE have to back squat? Does everyone have to do specific exercises? What exactly is core training and will it help you get a six-pack?

We spent the second half of the episode talking about how the language we use affects us and those around us. We talk mindset around food and sustainable habits, expectations and assumptions from social media, what you don’t see, “what I eat in a day” posts, and

… And more!

“Understand that your core is so much more than your abs. Make sure that you’re really training your stability in your core and not just trying to get a six-pack. It sounds great, but it comes at such a tradeoff to get to a point where you have a visible six-pack. And if you’re trying to live an actual life outside of the gym and outside of worrying about every single macro that goes into your mouth… it makes it so much harder for you to live an actual life and enjoy your time as a human.”

- Nick Anderson

“If I can do this, why can’t I give that a shot? And sometimes adjustments need to be made and it’s not totally the right approach, but the openness to trying stuff has really changed in me since I started learning how to lift, and lift well, and lift properly, and push myself. And my bouncebackability – the ability to bounce back from something really hard or stressful.”

- Iris

“If someone’s eating around you and you’re like ‘no, I have to be good, and I’m going to eat this because I’m being good…’ What is that telling the other person if they’re not eating the same thing as you? Is that telling them that they’re bad because they’re not making the same decision as you? It’s not that your language just affects you, it affects the people around you. It affects your children!”

- Brooke

This week on Tater Talks: Two Bitches Talk Fitness:

·      How lifting weights can boost your confidence and empower you

·      How confidence in the gym translates into the rest of your life

·      Bouncebackability

·      Feeling the burn in a workout

·      Why the scale fluctuates

·      Should you ever use a bar pad when back squatting?

·      Ab Work vs Core Work

·      Does everyone have to do specific exercises?

·      Justifying food choices and judging others’ plates

·      How food choices matter in a calorie deficit

·      What you don’t see on social media

Where to find Nick Anderson:

·      Nick’s website

·      Nick’s Instagram

·      The Nick Anderson Fitness Podcast

·      The Donuts & Dumbbells Podcast with Brooke & Nick

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of Tater Talks: Two Bitches Talk Fitness, where we challenge the common understanding of what it means and what it takes to be fit and healthy! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thank you!

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