#FBKGetSchooled IN ANATOMY

The human body is capable of amazing things. Our legs keep us moving, our hearts keep our blood pumping, and our arms help us lift heavy AF when doing a FIT By Katy challenge. 😈 Welcome to Anatomy with FBK because class is officially in session!

Before we jump into how strength training can impact our physiology, let’s go through a quick refresher of basic anatomy, and the exercises that impact each group. The image below is downloadable, and yours to keep as a handy cheat-sheet. 

At FIT by Katy, we break your upper body into the following major groups: 

• Chest
• Delts
• Back 
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Core 

Our lower body movements primarily focus on: 

• Glutes 
• Hamstrings
• Quads
• Calves 

In the diagram below you’ll see the primary muscle groups and movements we use at FBK to ensure that every bit of your anatomical structure is strong and mobile. 

Now that you know your body a little better, let’s dig into what’s happening within it. When starting a strength training program (especially if it’s your first time) your body will experience lots of changes as it grows in strength and ability. The benefits of strength training are vast, but sometimes it’s hard to see how far you’ve come when the progress isn’t as linear as it can (temporarily) be with fad diets and “quick fixes” you may have tried. Ready to gain some knowledge on how making gains affects your body? 

WHY DOES MY WEIGHT FLUCTUATE SO MUCH ON THE SCALE?

The most important thing to remember about the scale is that it’s simply a single instrument in the entire box of tools you can use to track your progress. 

Two other very important tools for gauging progress are taking measurements and photos because measurements and pics don’t lie, but your weight can fluctuate on a daily basis. 

In fact, several of our previous challenge winners didn’t lose a single pound but saw amazing results and ended the challenge with an entirely different physique. 

If you are seeing an increase on the scale, keep calm and realize that a lot of factors can cause weight fluctuations such as:

• Inflammation from strength training
• Water retention
• Not getting enough sleep
• Being on your period 
• You’ve gained muscle mass
• You ate dinner later the night before
• Alcohol intake

Even though the scale may fluctuate, keep being consistent and don’t throw in the towel because one tool isn’t showing you the progress that you think you should be seeing. Take measurements, compare progress photos each week, and recognize NSV’s such as making healthier eating choices and increasing the amount of weight you’re using!

WHAT IF I'M NOT SEEING THE PROGRESS I WANT IN MY MEASUREMENTS AND PHOTOS? 

Be honest with yourself. Are you hitting your macros consistently within 5g every day? When you’re in the gym or working out from home, are you just going through the motions? Or are you setting an intent to execute your form as flawlessly as possible and push yourself by lifting a challenging amount of weight? 

If you’re not going all-in on your workouts, it might be time to improve your mind to muscle connection. 

The mind to muscle connection is about honing in on the muscle group you’re working to make a conscious, deliberate, and emphasized muscle contraction. If you feel like your mind to muscle connection could use some improvement, the fix is quite simple. 

You’ll see and feel major changes in your workouts by just slowing down. Really concentrate on each rep and don’t rush through them. Focus on nailing down form and lean into the tension that each movement creates and you’ll be feeling the burn and seeing the gains in no time. 

There’s a lot to learn about how our bodies change and thrive with strength training, so get schooled in anatomy with some knowledge from our coaches!