Build Phase 101

Training for a marathon, a Hyrox, or a big mountain goal? This week on The Beyond Body Show, I'm getting nerdy about how to train for performance. We cover the mindset behind a big goal, the shift from "make my body look a certain way" to "seeing what my body can do", how to build a training timeline that actually works, and how to fuel it. I also talk about the part almost nobody warns you about: what happens after you cross the finish line. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

If you've been through years of on-and-off dieting, "just find balance" can feel like useless advice, because nobody tells you how. Knowing what to eat is one thing. Sitting with the discomfort of a deficit without spiralling into guilt or quitting is another. This week on The Beyond Body Show, I'm getting into what balance actually looks like in a way you can live with, why short-term discomfort in a deficit isn't a sign something's wrong, and how to build enough flexibility into your approach that one meal or one off day doesn't feel like a catastrophe. We'll also look at how to plan for your triggers and how to take the moral charge off food, so you can stop starting over every Monday. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

In this episode of the Beyond Body Show, Jen shares her eight favorite healthy habits for everyday life to get through busy seasons. These are the simple, evidence-based habits she relies on when her schedule is packed, her energy is low, and she doesn't have time for elaborate planning. They're designed to keep you consistent with your health and fitness, whatever your life looks like right now. High Protein Take-Out Dupes: https://colossal-innovator-6326.kit.com/takeoutdupes Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

In this episode of the Beyond Body Show, Jen explains what a build phase is and why staying in a calorie deficit may be the thing keeping you from the physique you want. She breaks down why you can't optimally build muscle in a sustained deficit, how chronic dieting slows your metabolism and costs you muscle, and how to tell whether you need less body fat or more muscle. She covers who benefits most from a build, the difference between a dirty bulk and a lean build, and how to measure progress when the scale stops being the main goal. She also walks through double progression and how food, steps, cardio, HIIT and recovery should shift during a build. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

In this episode of the Beyond Body Show, Jen breaks down what alcohol actually does to your fat loss, recovery and body composition, without telling you what to do with your weekends. She explains why your body puts fat burning and muscle protein synthesis on pause while the liver processes alcohol, why alcohol calories are easy to underestimate, and how even low doses disrupt the deep sleep where your body repairs muscle. She covers what the research says about drinking after resistance training, why the damage is cumulative rather than one bad night, and how to track your real patterns. She also shares five practical strategies for making smarter choices around alcohol, and why she hasn't had a drink in almost two years. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

Jen breaks down the four phases of the menstrual cycle and why the luteal phase in particular tends to derail consistency for so many women. She explains the real physiology behind luteal-phase hunger, cravings, and mood shifts (rising BMR, dropping serotonin), covers PMDD and why under-eating makes it worse, and debunks popular cycle-syncing advice by looking at what the research actually says about training and performance across your cycle. She closes with a practical luteal-phase nutrition protocol she uses with her own clients. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

In this episode, Jen breaks down progressive overload (the single most important principle for actually changing your physique), and why so many consistent gym-goers still don't see results. She explains why group fitness classes and unstructured workouts often fail to build real strength (no consistent movements, minimal rest, constantly varying stimulus), and walks through the specific levers you can pull to progress: adding load, reps, sets, improving technique, tempo, and reducing rest time. She also shares her own experience of training hard for years without properly tracking or applying these principles, and how getting honest about it finally changed her physique. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

Hard seasons are inevitable. Losing your training routine because of them doesn't have to be. In this episode Jen breaks down one of the most undervalued conversations in fitness — what to actually do with your training when life takes everything you have. Whether you're in the middle of grief, burnout, a relationship falling apart, or a season where just getting through the day feels like enough — this episode is for you. Jen covers the concept of auto-regulation — learning to adjust your training to what you actually have available rather than rigidly following a plan your body cannot absorb right now — and why that skill is one of the most powerful things you can build for long term consistency. She also gets into the belief that quietly destroys most people's training during hard times: the idea that you can only show up one way. And why a hard season is actually one of the most valuable opportunities you will ever have to rewire that. Plus the actual science behind why movement matters so much when life is hard — what it does to your cortisol, your sleep, your mood, your energy, and the positive feedback loop that all of those create together. In this episode: — What stress actually does to your capacity and why reduced output is physiology not failure — Auto-regulation and how to adjust your training without losing the habit entirely — The one belief that makes women quit during hard seasons — and how to rewire it — What exercise does to your brain and body under stress — endorphins, cortisol, sleep, energy — The sense of pride and self-support you build by showing up imperfectly — What all of this looks like in practice this week Showing up imperfectly still counts. This episode is proof. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

In this episode, Jen tackles the tension between wanting aesthetic results and not wanting your body to run your life. She breaks down the "values ladder," a framework for structuring your health and fitness goals so your physique isn't the thing driving the bus. She covers why negativity bias skews how you see your own progress, why daily wins matter more than daily mirror checks, and how to build a sustainable system around strength, energy, and food freedom, with aesthetics as the natural byproduct, not the focus.  Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/

Ever wonder why you can plan the "perfect" week every Sunday and still end up off track a few days later? Jen tackles that exact question in this episode, names the "behavior-intention gap" and explains why it has nothing to do with willpower. This one's for the woman who's already healed her relationship with food and fitness and is ready to chase the next 20%: more strength, more definition, more consistency without falling back into old all-or-nothing patterns. Jen walks through the neuroscience of why intentions fail, why discomfort during growth isn't a red flag, and the one psychological tool (implementation intentions) that actually closes the gap between wanting change and living it. Want to know more about 1:1 Coaching? Apply here: https://form.typeform.com/to/IZKyzd62 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrudyfitness/ Website: https://www.beyondbodycoaching.com/