The breakdown is an integral part of the method in both cardio and sculpting. I consider it active fitness vs passive fitness because it really challenges your mind. Whether the process excites you or trips you up I recommend allowing yourself to really get lost in it. The process is messy but there’s something so beautiful about sticking with it and working through it. Allow the forward momentum of the breakdown to empower you and propel you forward in your practice.
PUSHING YOUR LIMITS
Think you’ve hit your ceiling? You haven’t, I promise. I know that many of you are completing the January Program this week...congrats! Have you noticed that you've pushed yourself and have become stronger, or maybe you're still modifying and doing your push-ups on your knees after 3-4 reps? If you have pushed, have you noticed that your body has changed?
Most women come to SLB with the desire to change their body and become the best version of themselves. When developing new workouts, my main goal is to increase your lean muscle mass, keep you interested and make you happy so that you can push yourself to become your most powerful.
We focus on increasing your lean muscle mass because that is a major catalyst in decreasing overall fat. We achieve this through cardiovascular resistance training via Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting. And boy, does it hurt at times. Have you ever heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger?” At SLB, most of you learn how to push through your (good) pain and allow it to help you gain strength and earn the physical and mental results that you're striving for.
Many of you become frustrated, or stop when an exercise becomes painful – not injury pain, but the burn that occurs when you are fatiguing your muscles. Tbh, you can’t find your limits without testing them, and you can’t test them unless you’re willing to push through the good pain. If you can breathe and you’re not injured, then you’re absolutely fine to keep going. Don’t have heart rate anxiety. Breathe through the uncomfortable, because it's at that exact moment when you're creating changes in your body.
If you never change your diet for the better and do the same workout everyday (with the same modifications) and never push through the burn or leave your “comfort zone," you will never see change. So, in light of completing the January Program this week, make it your goal to channel that pain and strive to get in that near perfect breakdown, one more set, OR - hold that half plank for one more rep.
Here are some simple mental tips that work help you push through your workout:
Break it up. Think about tackling the workout in smaller increments. Cutting the full length into two, 25-minute halves is a lot less daunting and you won’t have that pit of dread that usually starts brewing long before you press play.
Stop watching the numbers Be present! It isn’t all about the numbers. Just like a watched pot never boils, staying fixated on reps, how many minutes you have left or how many calories your burning will only make the time pass more slowly, and will keep you from ever getting fully mentally “in the zone.” If it’s a hard habit to break, put a piece of tape over the time counter on your screen or your HR monitor.
Go beyond aesthetics Sure, having a killer bod is an incredible side effect of SLB, but for a lot people, “wanting to look amazing” isn’t something that they’re actually emotionally connected to. I’ve found that thinking about strength is more powerful when you’re trying to power through a plateau.
Know your why I say it all the time, but it’s so important to know and connect with your true north and set goals.
Really feel it Find something you enjoy about what you’re doing. I always like to feel like I’m punching above my weight. You’re doing SLB because on some (sick, masochistic) level, you enjoy it, right? Remember what you “like” about it so you enjoy the sensation of building muscle rather than just thinking of it as just a painful experience.
Be grateful for the body and mind that allows you to move When I teach live and our hearts are in our throats I always remind people what a privilege it is that they can move. It’s easy to forget that working out is a gift. Some people have physical limitations that prevent them from being able to move so be mindful that you are lucky you get to do 100 squats and lunges today!
👟
👟 A few current faves: Nike Women’s Air Max 97, Hender Scheme Model 15, New Balance 327, Nike Labron VIII QS, New Balance x Aries 327, Adidas x Pharrell NMD HU & Asics x Smeaker LAH Gel-Lyte III
JANUARY PROGRAM: COMING IN HOT
2021 coming in hot! Feel that good energy? I’ve followed so many of your personal journeys this year in regards to health and wellness. For some, healthy habits took a back seat to new responsibilities that came with the pandemic while others used the extra time to at home to create new healthy habits. Regardless of how you’re feeling today, it’s time to get into a new mindset and start 2021 on the right foot.
You know how you accomplish more of your health goals during a week if you get your workouts in early in the week and meal prep over the weekend? The same is true for the year. Starting the year off on the right foot, will set you up for success all year long.
So many of us need a catalyst to stay committed to fitness. Every year, I hear from many of you that your goals include looking and feeling your best for a certain event, or in a bikini, or your favorite pair of shorts, etc. With herd immunity or getting round one of the vaccine still a ways away, you may feel like you’re lacking motivation rn.
It’s time to change your motivation mindset. Yes, fitness gives you confidence, but it also gives you so much more than that. It gives you energy, it boosts your mood, it helps you sleep better, helps you control your weight, it helps you age well, and reduces your risk of chronic disease.
It’s time to turn Netflix off, and SLB On. Throw the sugar and processed foods out and stock up on whole foods. We’re starting this year right. Make yourself feel good now, and your future self will thank you for years to come.
The SLB Jan Program begins on Monday. Sign up and commit by texting us on the SLB Connect hotline: 424-327-5470. Plant some seeds today for what you want to be, what you want to see, and where you want to be in the near future. Do it with intention and love and believe that it’s all coming together, because it is!
LB'S GLOW
BTS of me tapping in-between shots. You guys ask me all the time how I get a lit from within glow. I work from the inside out by sweating everyday with SLB and I follow a low glycemic, whole foods diet but I also take my skincare really seriously. A few key products that I swear by:
Shani Darden Retinol Reform is key to keeping my skin glowing and exfoliated without irritation or dryness.
Adipeau Fat Balance Activator plumps. I use it as a sleeping mask nightly.
Deesse Pro Mask Next Generation (via Shani Darden) - I rely on red + blue light therapy daily for anti-aging and treating acne rosacea.
Lauren’s results after 3 months of Adipeau
Lauren using the Deesse Pro Next Generation
SLB BOOTY
Are you squeezing your butt while you lean fwd during standing abs? Your glutes are your powerhouse! We train the chain all the time at SLB for so many reasons beyond aesthetics:
Athletic Performance: Ideal hip extension means improved propulsion for CCS, etc.
Muscle Balance & Pain Reduction: A strong booty supports the core, lower back and spine and changes the way your body reacts to gravitational force by taking pressure off the joints.
Great Posture: Sitting all day with poor posture can cause tight hip flexors, dormant glutes and a weak core.
Accelerates Fat Loss: Your glutes are the strongest and largest group of muscles in the body (they’re our “fat burners”). Because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, increasing lean muscle mass via glute training can accelerate fat loss and keep it off.
💭 this week
The second time (or third, or fourth) is ALWAYS better than the first. This week we’re revisiting some of our fave SLB workouts. They’re familiar to many of you, which means you don’t have to expend energy learning the choreography and can jump right in at 110%. You’ll be able to work harder and get more out of each session. Practice makes perfect. Keep working towards those goals, or the opportunity you missed to nail the Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting choreo the first time around. There’s nothing more exciting then a comeback! Let’s keep this can-do positive attitude going all week long. And, if you’re new to SLB, don’t worry about nailing every move. Just keep moving and have fun with it. We all have to start somewhere!
SLB CARDIO TIPS
I think that one of the toughest aspects of SLB is “getting” the feel for our cardio technique initially, or getting your cardiovascular stamina up to par or back up to par after some time off. You may find yourself feeling really defeated trying to finish our full length workouts and having to devote some time to learning some of our Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting cardio choreography. Here are some tips for safe and efficient cardio:
Not feeling confident? CCS cardio stems from cheer choreography-The confident and sexy, shake your hips kind. Think you're not sexy? I disagree! If I break out a move that makes you feel awkward, don't panic. You know how I'm always telling you to shake your hair? One easy way to bring out the sexiness inside of you is to let your hair down—as in, literally remove your ponytail. Shaking your hair around will help you feel free.
Smile! Smiling is the fastest way to boost your mood.
Two left feet? Learning CCS choreography requires training your body and your mind. We build our sequences by doing each move for 10-20 reps and then breakdown 10 times. Still don’t have it? You’ll have it the second time you do the workout that week, I promise! Another tip is to take it one extremity at a time. Start with the footwork, and then add in the arms when you feel you have the footwork.
Posture matters. Keep you shoulders open, depressed and lift from the heart. This instantly engages and elongates your abs.
Activate your arms. Think about how you punch out those perfect sharp high v's and low v's...Do this with every movement and feel your heart-rate climb!
Don't stop as soon as your heart rate starts to really climb. Try not to have heart rate anxiety. So many people get nervous once their heart-rate gets in the zone.
SLB August Program: High Summer
It’s high summer and we’re in high maintenance mode, rn. Historically, August can be a challenge—We work hard throughout spring and early summer to feel our best, then summer peaks and we tend to loosen the reigns a bit. Although we may not be partying as much in 2020, the mindset is still there. Our August Program is designed to keep you motivated and your results maintained.
LB'S BONUS WEEK CARDIO + SCULPT RECS
LAUREN BOGGI'S AT-HOME FITNESS STORY
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my mom and I exercising in our basement. Everyday she would head down the steps to break a sweat and I would follow her. If I close my eyes and focus I can still recall the smell of the room, feel the cool humidity in the air and the way the thick striped exercise mat felt against my back. After a few minutes of stretching, These Dreams would quickly become interrupted by Jane Fonda opening with, "Are you ready for a workout!?"
From the time I was six until about nine, I would mostly watch, and make my mom laugh by repeating every word of Jane's Original Workout, Tamilee Webb's Buns of Steel and all of the Aerobisize videos (obsessed), while she pushed herself to the absolute limit. By the time I was fifteen, I was down there on my own and that's when my love affair with fitness really began to take shape.
Fast forward to the summer before my freshman year of college. I was scouted and received an invite to tryout for the SEC Division 1A University of South Carolina coed cheer team (and would win a full scholarship if I made it). I had six weeks to get into the best shape of my life. I needed: The body, serious athletic endurance, a six minute mile at minimim, a back handspring, a back tuck, a layout, stellar jumps, to stunt really well as a flyer (I was always a base) and dance really, really well. And you know, the ‘it’ factor. Sure, I was captain of my high school squad, and an NCA All Star so I was far better than most, but I needed to be better than 600 or so other young athletes from the south who had spent their entire lives training for this and working at a much higher level than I had for the past ten years in the northeast.
So I did what I knew always worked. I headed down to my basement studio and sweat my ass off everyday. I danced, did circuit training, lifted weights, and did exercise videos. I measured myself, and studied my movements in the mirror in my sports bra and underwear. As I gained strength and confidence, I watched lean muscle take the place of fat. I never once thought that what I was doing was inferior, less effective, or an "at-home exercise program." I was training, and I was training HARD.
Back then fitness studios didn't exist and gyms were filled with "weird" weight lifters and cheesy group step classes. Home was where I broke a sweat; where I could focus on me and work as hard as I possibly could without anyone watching.
Even long after my cheer career ended, and I ran fitness studios (Lithe Method) for eleven years, I never stopped training at home. In fact, I worked out entirely at home throughout my pregnancy and about three quarters of my workouts were at home while I operated Lithe.
I'm a fitness expert and I love a really great studio experience, but there are many advantages to sweating at home. The hardest part is getting started. You really don't need to go anywhere or pay a lot of money to get an amazing, top-notch workout. A few benefits of at-home fitness and Studio LB:
Home = habit
You're already there. You can create consistency and habit without going anywhere. There's a real honest truth to training at home. It's you against you. You're stripped of excuses, so the only thing that's stopping you is YOU. Find your strength and become stronger than your strongest excuse.
Studio LB = quality over quantity
Studio LB Streaming gives you two new 50-minute workouts and two, Under 30 minute Quick Burns every week. My expert programming is indispensable for achieving an athletes body and is next to impossible to imitate or achieve in a studio setting (I tried for years).
I'm a big believer in quality over quantity. I train you rather than have you be in charge of programming your weekly workouts. Why? Because you'll end up doing what you like vs. what you really need and may create muscle imbalances. Many people think that they want access to hundreds of workouts all the time vs. three-four new workouts each week, but the reality is, most people will become comfortable and do the same three workouts on repeat.
Home = fits your life
Group exercise is fun and can be performative for some, but 99% of people tend to hold back in a group setting without even realizing it. They often hide out in the back row (trainer can't see you), workout in layers of baggy clothing (same, and you can't see you), rarely look at themselves in a mirror (zero connection), or grunt (break through and push it!). Studios certainly have a more social quality than your home can offer, but hear me loud and clear... Being social does not make your workout effective. Often, the opposite is true!
Home = freedom
In a group setting, your time spent resting or doing is largely determined by what I call the middle (other people) in class as is your choice of exercises. Unless you're taking a private session, your instructor is also teaching to the middle. At home, you're free to work at your level without group water breaks. And, you can take Studio LB wherever you go.
Home = the results you truly desire
To get the results you really want, fitness must not be taken lightly. Most studio members are not in that mindset. They focus on the fun, social aspects of exercising with other people, rather than focusing on their own body and the effectiveness of the workout.
Home = safe space
When you're in your home, magic can happen if you allow it to. You're in your safest space, so push yourself as hard and as much as you want to. Nobody is watching. I think that you'll find that it leads to your most productive workout.
Xx
Lauren