Hello Reader

I did my quarterly body composition and have been doing the happy dance all week.

I have put on almost 3 pounds of muscle mass (2.7 lbs) between June and September.

These are great gains and today, I am going to share with you exactly how I did it: 3 keys to build up strength for increased quality of life if you're over 40.

I would love for you to experience the same.
I'm not holding anything back, I share it all with you so you can go and do this on your own.

Not only because building muscle is raising capital for the quality of your life.
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But also for all the other benefits you can get from it:

- My sleep is so good: I have no difficulty falling asleep by 9:30pm, and I don't wake up during the night (except if my kids do!)
- My confidence is boosted: when you do the hard thing repeatedly every week, you walk through life feeling like you've got this
- My capacity is increasing: looking at my training journal, I see that I'm lifting heavier and heavier, it's addictive
- My libido is better: building muscle is probably raising my testosterone levels and I experience a revival of my sexual desire (It had taken a hit after giving birth and breastfeeding), which has greatly improved this aspect of my relationship
- My stress doesn't get the best of me: I have more patience with my kids, I'm more grounded when life is going fast
- My thinking is sharper: I've been writing more and working more efficiently
- My energy is sustained: I am not struggling to keep up with a 4 year old and 1 year old while my husband works away

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How I added 2.7 lbs of muscle between June and September: 3 keys to success and mistakes to avoid
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1.Start low and slow, then build up incrementally

About 8 months ago, I was 5 months post-partum and 41 years-old.
I had been more sedentary during my pregnancy than I would have liked, and felt quite out of shape.
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When I started, I went to one group fitness class per week. Just one.
I was so sore and tired, and with all that I had going on (my daughter in the hospital, waking up at night to express milk), this was the most I could handle at first.

The beauty of this, is that your capacity increases: our body adapts.
With the proper rest, you can add more: go to the gym more frequently, lift heavier, feel less sore.

With this first step, I overcame my biggest hurdle: I had found a gym where I could take my kids.

That's all you need at first: find the conditions that will make it possible to be consistent. ​
Once a week is consistent.
It's not enough to put on muscle, but it's consistent.

When things felt easier, I went twice a week.
It still wasn't enough: I lost some weight in the first quarter, but did not add on muscle mass.
I know that, because I have measured my body composition every three months.

If my goal was to increase muscle mass, this would have been a fail by May.
​> But my goal was not to increase muscle mass.

My goal was to build the habit, to become the kind of person who works out regularly.
​Muscle is the byproduct of the goal.

It's not until June that I was able to go from twice a week to 3 times per week.
The again, I went from 3 to 4 times per week in August.
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And it's between June and September that I was able to increase my muscle mass.
But that wouldn't have been possible if I had not spent the first 6 months of the year slow and steady.

And this is key Reader: I didn't go from 0 to 4 times per week. I only went 1UP each time.

Finding 2 hours per week in your schedule from scratch: that's challenging. But finding 30 minutes per week, that's doable.

First times are always hard. But once you've done it, it becomes easier to do it again.

The same goes for how heavy you lift. At first, 10 Lbs is all you can push. It takes a lot out of you.
After a while, the weight you once had to work so hard to lift, feels like nothing at all.
And before you know it, you're pushing 25 lbs.

This is the principle of progressive overload.

That's how we build up muscle.

That's how we build up anything.

= Mistake #1: Trying to go too hard too fast

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2. Keep your timeline open

I gave myself one year to see some results with strength and VO2 max.

I was not in a rush, again because my goal was not the results, but my goal was to be consistent.

My goal was to become the kind of person who can build muscle, the kind of person for whom working out is normal.

One year can seem like a long time for achievers who are goal oriented.

But when you're not focused on the number, but on building the habit,

the reward can be found in enjoying the process more than the outcome.

When it comes to health, why expect to rewire lifetime patterns,

or reverse the damage or neglect of decades,

in only a few weeks?

= Mistake #2: Looking for get-healthy-quick-schemes

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3. Raise your floor

To build muscle, we need 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

My goal was then 120 grams of protein per day: this was my ceiling.

I was inconsistent with the amount of proteins I was eating. One time 90 grams a day, the next 140.
I was stuck at my current floor, exhausting myself to reach a ceiling too high.

Things changed when my coach suggested I raise my floor.
There is nothing like having a coach to help you see what you may be missing.

First I aimed for 90 grams per day.
​I focused on this like it's the only thing that mattered, until it became my new floor.

Then I kept raising my floor.

Until 120 grams per day became my floor.

The floor represents the bottom of our commitment.
Thinking about it in those terms - another concept I have learned from Dr. Ben Hardy - changed my approach.

= Mistake #3: Focusing on reaching the ceiling instead of raising the floor

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I measure progress in 3 ways:
- at the gym tracking weight, reps and sets
- progress picture once per month
- body composition (Inbody Scan) every 3 months

I also have a coach to keep me accountable. This has made a huge difference in my journey.

I love the way I feel, the strength and energy. I love the way I look. But most of all, I love the person I am becoming in the process.

To get the cheat codes and achieve the same results without making my mistakes, I will be opening 1UP the Extra Life Program in 2025.
​You can join the wait list to get first in line, and receive an invitation to an exclusive masterclass.

In the meantime, I am offering a self-paced minicourse for high achievers like you to reclaim up to 2 hours of personal time per day to make space for your health in your schedule: Better Day Blueprint.

Available October 4th, 2024

$57.00 Better Day Blueprint A mini-course for busy high achievers to find 2 hours of personal time per day for their health, without adding to their... Read more Yes! I want 2 hours per day

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See you on the other side!

Jihane

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