strength training Archives - Fit Bottomed Girls

How to Do Squats: Beginner-Friendly Variations to Build Lower Body Strength

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:58 +0000

Let’s talk about squats! Love them or hate them, squats are an essential exercise for building strength in your lower body. Why Squats Are a Powerful Lower Body Strength Exercise Squats are a compound strength exercise. This means that unlike isolation exercises, which target one muscle group, like biceps curls, squats engage multiple muscle groups and two or more joints simultaneously. What makes compound exercises so great is that they are incredibly efficient, both in terms of muscular engagement and use of time. Compound exercises allow for heavier lifting because you’re spreading the work across muscle groups and joints. This…

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How Lifting Weights After 40 Changed My Relationship With Food and My Body

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:00:39 +0000

Note: The point below includes discussion of disordered eating and an unhealthy relationship with exercise. Please take care while reading if these topics are sensitive for you. When I was in my twenties, I worked out a lot. I ran several days a week, pushing myself to be a little faster every time. I not only took several high-intensity yoga classes each week, but my own home practices were much the same. Although I did belong to a gym when I was in my early twenties living in NYC, I mostly used the cardio equipment — the treadmill, the elliptical…

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Functional Fitness for Real Life: The Case for Everyday Athleticism

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:00:27 +0000

Most people think athletes are those who train for a sport. But what if you’re already training—just without meaning to? Why Most People Don’t See Themselves as Athletes When I was younger, I believed that strength training—or even training hard—was only for athletes: people preparing for a competition or a race of some kind. If you played a sport, I could see how it might be useful. But I wasn’t doing any of that. I didn’t really understand why a “regular” person who studied or worked a 9–5 job would benefit from spending time training. What would they even need…

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Protein and Menopause: How Much Do Women Really Need?

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 10:00:51 +0000

Protein is everywhere lately. Whether it’s a fitness pro telling you to beef up your protein intake, a women’s health expert warning you about the dangers of muscle loss in perimenopause, or a perimenopausal influencer making a comedy reel about all the overwhelming recommendations for better health in middle age (more protein included), it feels as though protein is having a moment. Because menopause is becoming big business—and perimenopause along with it—those voices encouraging us to consume more protein as we go through the menopause transition are louder than ever. Before we get into whether women in perimenopause or post-menopause…

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Does Perimenopause Change How We Should Exercise?

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:00:44 +0000

When I was younger, I assumed that by the time I got to my 40s, I wouldn’t be as strong or fit or capable. In some ways, I don’t think it really crossed my mind at all—what my body would be able to do in my 40s. Like so many people in their twenties, thinking that far ahead wasn’t something I did often. My Movement Journey: From Yoga to Strength Training I was 24 when I started teaching yoga in 2005. It became the central focus of my life, as well as my primary movement practice. I was also a…

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Does Lifting Weights Stunt Growth in Kids? What Parents Need to Know

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 09:00:31 +0000

A few weeks ago, I shared a short video of me deadlifting in my home gym with my 3-year-old toddler next to me, copying me with his own little barbell. It was one of those sweet moments I can’t help but share—I just love those bonding moments. Soon after, a parent messaged me: “Is that actually safe? I’ve always heard that weight training can stunt a child’s growth.” And you know what? It’s a valid concern. Because as parents, we want our kids to be active and healthy—but we also want them to be safe. So let’s talk about that…

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How I Made Strength Training Sustainable For Me As a Mom

Guest Writer — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 09:00:54 +0000

For a long time, I was scared to strength train. As a former Division 1 athlete, it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. For me, strength training had always been something that led me to burnout. But I after I became a mom, I changed my approach to strength training to make it more sustainable for me and it was easily one of the best decisions of my life. How My Fear of Lifting Started I started running in 2008 as a high school freshman and then went on to run cross country and track in college while earning a B.S.…

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Age Strong: Why Strength Training Is Non-Negotiable for Women After 40

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 09:00:07 +0000

Ask most women how they want to age, and you’ll likely hear something like, “I just want to stay healthy and independent for as long as possible.” That desire often stems from wanting to feel confident, capable, and good in their bodies—even as those bodies change with age. Nothing will put a damper on your ability to age strong than having weak bones. Bone density can literally make or break your quality of life postmenopause. So a key element of aging strong is having a strong bones in your skeleton. But when it comes to supporting women through perimenopause and postmenopause, the…

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What Does Lifting Heavy Mean for Women? A No-BS Guide to Getting Stronger

Alison Heilig — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 09:00:52 +0000

“Lift heavy shit.” It’s more than a slogan—it’s a call to arms. A challenge. A permission slip. And for many women, it’s the missing piece in their training. For generations, we’ve been fed a watered-down version of strength: tiny pink dumbbells, endless reps, and workouts that are only “worth it” if they leave us sweaty, sore, and exhausted. It’s time to change that. It’s time for workouts that make us stronger and more empowered. To do that, we need to lift heavy a few times per week. So let’s break down what that actually means—and why it matters so much.…

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Diet Culture Will F*ck You Up: How Chasing Skinny Steals Your Health and Sanity

Alison Heilig — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 09:00:05 +0000

There’s a reason you might feel like you’re constantly failing at this whole “health and fitness” thing. And no, it’s not because you lack willpower, discipline, or knowledge. It’s not because you’re “doing it wrong” or because you haven’t found the right workout, meal plan, or supplement stack. It’s because the system is designed for you to fail. And keep failing. Diet culture, a tool of the patriarchy, was never built to make you healthy, strong, or thriving. It was designed to keep you exhausted, hating your body, and endlessly distracted from what actually works. Why? Because the worse your…

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