Redefining Strength Podcast

JUST. LIFT. HEAVY. We see that all the time on social media. But is that advice actually holding you back?
In this episode, we're pushing back on the one-size-fits-all approach to strength training. While heavy compound lifts are absolutely valuable, obsessing over low reps and maximal loads means leaving serious gains on the table. We break down the three real drivers of muscle growth — mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle tissue damage — and why no single rep range or training style can hit all three on its own.
You'll learn why the "just lift heavy" mindset can actually lead to injury, why your connective tissues need time to catch up to your strength, and how to use the full spectrum of rep ranges to build muscle more effectively at any age.
Plus, three training techniques to try right now:
6-12-25 sets — a rep range trifecta that hits every driver of muscle growth
Compound burners — back-to-back moves that take a muscle fully to fatigue
Strength intervals — a powerful option whether you're training at home or the gym
Whether you're a seasoned lifter hitting a plateau or someone who's been intimidated by the weight room, this episode gives you the nuance and tools to train smarter — and see the results you actually want.

Every Woman Should Be Able To Do A Pull Up. I made that statement knowing it was going to be controversial but I was genuinely surprised by how much pushback it got. So I wanted to break down what I actually meant, because the pull-up was never really the point.

In this episode, I'm talking about why so many of us have been conditioned to write ourselves off from hard things before we ever truly try. Whether it was a gym class, a throwaway comment, or someone else's limiting belief passed down as fact — we carry these ceilings around with us and never think to test them.

I'm also making the case that building toward a pull-up pays off way beyond the gym. The work addresses posture, scapular control, grip strength, neck and shoulder aches — things that matter more and more as we get older. It's use it or lose it, and I'd rather we use it.

And if a pull-up is something you've always had that little itch to try, I walk you through exactly how to build up to it — the mobility work, the activation exercises, the vertical pulling progressions — starting right where you are.
This episode isn't about shaming anyone. It's about stopping the habit of letting doubt make our decisions for us.

You think you're being smart by eating less during the week to "save room" for the weekend. But this strategy — called calorie banking — may actually be training your body to store more fat over time.
In this video, Cori breaks down the concept of collateral fattening: why extreme weekday deficits cause muscle loss, slow your metabolism, and amplify hunger cues — so that by the time the weekend hits, you're eating in a much bigger surplus than you realize. And why this cycle gets worse with every dieting attempt.
You'll learn:
Why the math of calorie banking doesn't actually work out
How undereating changes your hunger hormones and cravings
What collateral fattening is and why it explains the "getting softer" effect
How to build in weekend flexibility without sabotaging your results
Why consistency beats restriction for long-term body recomp
If you've ever felt like you're eating less but still gaining fat — this is why.

What if strength isn't about pushing harder — but about how much you can hold? In this episode, I'm joined by mindset coach Charlotte Grimmel, and honestly, this conversation stopped me in my tracks more than once.
We dig into what it really means to be strong — not in the grind-through-it, grit-your-teeth kind of way, but in the intentional, self-aware, capacity-building kind of way. Charlotte breaks down why saying no is one of the most powerful things you can do, why chasing outcomes is keeping you stuck, and how treating your goals like experiments might be the mindset shift you didn't know you needed.
We also talk about the muscle of discomfort — why avoiding hard things is quietly teaching you that you can't handle them, how to find a compelling enough reason to keep going when it sucks, and why your values will always take you further than your goals ever will.
If you've ever felt like you're doing all the things but still spinning your wheels, or you're waiting to feel ready before you take the next step — this one's for you.
In this episode we cover:
-Why strength is about capacity, not output
-How to stop living on autopilot and get clear on what actually matters
-The experiment framework for goal setting
-Values vs. goals — and why the shift changes everything
-Building self-trust one uncomfortable step at a time

Connect with Charlotte: Instagram @themindtrend | Substack

There Are No Bad Exercises!
I'm coming in hot today because I am tired of hearing that exercises are bad. Lunges hurt your knees? Deadlifts wreck your back? No. Moves are not bad you just haven't earned them yet, and I'm going to tell you exactly what I mean by that.
In this episode I'm breaking down why demonizing exercises is actually what's holding you back, the difference between movement patterns and recruitment patterns (yes, you can have perfect-looking form and still be cheating), and why follow-along workouts might be part of the problem.
The goal is never to write a move off forever. It's to regress to progress to meet yourself where you are right now and build back toward what you want. Because the less you train a movement in the gym, the more at risk you are getting injured doing it in everyday life.
No move is bad. Every move is earned. Let's get into it.