Every time you do a coach-led workout on Tonal, you’re completing a specific series of exercises in a particular order designed by world-class fitness experts and credentialed coaches to maximize your results. In this series, The Why Behind the Workout, we break down the science behind a particular workout or program. 

Here, we go deep on Cycle Sync Strength, a four-week program developed in collaboration with leading female physiology expert Stacy Sims, PhD, and led by four female Tonal coaches: Ash Wilking, Kendall Wood, Tanysha Renee, and Kristina Centenari.

Who It’s For

Cycle Sync Strength is designed for people with periods looking to make the most of their training. Whether you ovulate naturally, use oral contraceptives, or have an IUD, you can make this program work for you. 

This is an advanced-level program, and you should have some lifting experience before starting. 

The Goal

During your menstrual cycle, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuate. In addition to their reproductive functions, these hormones affect numerous aspects of training including muscle protein synthesis, stress resilience, recovery, and strength and power development. 

By aligning your workouts to these hormonal changes, the Cycle Sync Strength program is designed to optimize your training by working with your cycle—not against it. You’ll push for strength and power PRs when your body is most resilient and primed for muscle development, and focus on endurance and recovery on the days when you’re lower on energy and less capable of handling stress. 

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As a result, you’ll be able to make bigger gains in your training and lower your risk of injury. It’s important to note, though, that training is different from performance. You can give your best performance in a race or competition at any point in your cycle. Training with your cycle is simply a way to get more out of your training by taking advantage of hormonal changes.

How It Works

To train with your menstrual cycle, you’ll need a brief understanding of its different phases and how hormone levels change. The first day of your period marks the start of your cycle and the beginning of the follicular phase. During this time, hormone levels are relatively low. 

In the days leading up to ovulation (the release of an egg from your ovary, typically on day 14 of your cycle), estrogen levels begin to climb and reach a peak. After ovulation, the luteal phase begins. In this phase, levels of both hormones rise before dropping off for the cycle to begin again.

Weeks one and two of Cycle Sync Strength coincide with the follicular phase when estrogen and progesterone levels are both low, and you’re most primed for stress, recovery, and adaptation. “From a physiological standpoint, when those hormones are low, we are able to really hit high intensities,” says Sims. “We have more carbohydrates available for hitting those high intensities, and we have more water available for sweating so we have better thermal regulation.” 

To take advantage of those benefits, you’ll concentrate on strength and power in these workouts with an emphasis on low-rep/heavy-resistance sets, high-intensity intervals, and plyometrics. Now’s the time to max out the power meter and give your 10 out of 10 effort in intervals. According to Jenna Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach and Programming Specialist at Tonal, these are the “hardest-hitting weeks” of the program. 

If you feel fatigued or achy at the start of your period, don’t hesitate to turn on recovery weights in the first couple of workouts. Sims explains, though, that high-intensity work actually boosts anti-inflammatory and antioxidative responses, which can reduce cramping and pain. 

Although estrogen begins to rise toward the end of the follicular phase, estrogen on its own is anabolic (meaning it promotes muscle growth) according to Sims, so you’ll see a decrease in reps and an increase in load during week two for more strength gains. 

The training focus switches in week three following ovulation as you enter the luteal phase. “The body starts to shift from relying primarily on carbohydrates for fuel to relying on fat,” says Moore. She explains that while carbohydrates are excellent a fueling short bursts of high-intensity activity, fat takes longer to break down and, therefore, is best suited for sub-maximal effort activities. 

Therefore, these workouts emphasize endurance and stamina instead of all-out efforts that are more stressful and difficult to recover from. That means higher reps, lighter load, and longer but less intense intervals. Progesterone, which Sims explains is catabolic, meaning it breaks down lean muscle mass, also rises during this phase making strength adaptations more difficult. She says that keeping the intensity moderate this week lowers cortisol levels, inhibiting muscle breakdown. 

In the final week of the program, hormone levels peak and then begin to drop, which can make you feel sluggish and cause PMS symptoms. Since your stress resilience is at its lowest and your inflammation levels are high, this week serves as a deload with workouts that include mobility exercises, unilateral moves for building symmetry, and lifts with recovery weights. Light movement during this week can help you feel better without putting unnecessary stress on your body. 

The work you do in improving your range of motion, joint mobility, and balance during this phase will benefit your performance in heavy lifts later on. “There’s some skill acquisition you’ll do this week which is great because it’s not as taxing from a strength perspective,” says Moore, “but then you can take those new skills into your next phase.” You’ll finish the week feeling rested, recovered, and ready to push hard when your cycle begins again.  

If you still feel like you can hit big PRs during weeks three and four, go for it. Everyone responds differently to hormonal fluctuations, and ultimately you’re the one in charge. “There’s power in knowing your cycle and knowing the [typical] reaction to those phases, but there’s also power in being attuned to your body, listening to your body, and paying attention to the symptoms that you have,” says Moore.

The Key Moves

Week 1: Barbell Sumo Deadlift

Big, heavy compound lifts are a staple of week one, which is led by Coach Ash Wilking, and the barbell sumo deadlift (her personal favorite) is no exception. 

Since you’re primed for serious strength and power gains during this week, you’ll do this move with Chains mode activated to emphasize acceleration and power generation. It’s part of a power block full of other challenging lower-body moves that’ll fire up your legs and glutes. 

Week 2: Barbell Squat to Press

Coach Kendall Wood leads the workouts in week two, and she says this “powerhouse” move is perfect for tapping into your capacity for high-intensity work in the mid-follicular, low-hormone phase of your cycle. It’s also done with Chains mode for maximum power development. 

“It’s a great exercise for drilling the connection between the lower and upper body, generating power from the legs to transfer it to the core and arms,” she says. “The barbell squat to press not only makes you more aware of the kinetic chain and the power it holds but also makes you feel like a badass.” 

Week 3: Resisted DNS Star

The workouts in week three, led by Coach Tanysha Renee, are slightly less intense than in weeks one and two, but the movements are still challenging. She loves this exercise that trains hip abduction, which is essential for moving your legs away from the midline of your body. 

“Say hello to healthy hips and knees for greater ease of walking, running, and getting out of bed,” says Renee. “You also activate the core and the muscles that support the spine for improved posture.” 

Week 4: Single-Arm Rotational Punch

During the high-hormone luteal phase when you’re least resilient to stress, week four is all about movement quality and mobility. While you won’t be lifting as much resistance in these workouts, which are led by Coach Kristina Centenari, you’ll be priming your body to go heavy again once hormone levels drop. 

“It’s a move that’s not going to be loaded too heavily–perfect for my deload week–but still allows you to work through some sort of loaded spinal rotation,” she says. “This is so important for the overall health of our spine, and we don’t do it enough.”

When to Do It

With this program, timing is crucial for lining up the workouts with the phases of your cycle. Tracking your period and estimating when you ovulate will help with scheduling your workouts. 

Cycle Sync Strength consists of 16 workouts meant to be completed over the course of four weeks (four workouts per week) or 28 days, the length of an average menstrual cycle. Generally, you’ll start the program on the first day of your period. If you are on oral contraceptives, you’ll start with Week 2 Day 1 (Workout 5) on the first day of your pill pack and complete the weeks in this order: 2, 3, 4, 1.

If you ovulate naturally (that is, you’re not on oral contraceptives), you’ll want to complete the last workout of week 2 (Workout 8) 24-48 hours before ovulation. Because most cycle length variation occurs during the follicular phase, you may have to spread out or compress the workouts in the first two weeks of the program if you have an especially long or short cycle. That might mean taking an extra rest day if you have a longer cycle, or skipping a workout if you have a shorter cycle. 

As for what to do on your program off-days, Moore says it’s best to rest or consider gentle recovery sessions since these workouts are demanding. If you’re experiencing any PMS symptoms, try Yoga for PMS. With light movement and focused breathing, this session is designed to ease cramps, bloating, and lower back pain.  

Refer to the two calendars below to see how to fit these workouts into your schedule. 

Cycle Sync Strength Calendar Option 1

Use this calendar if any of the following apply: 

• You ovulate naturally.
• You’re not on combination oral contraceptives (pills that contain estrogen and progestin).
• You’re on a progestin-only oral contraceptive.  
• You have a copper or non-hormonal IUD.
• You’ve started ovulating naturally with a progestin-only IUD (typically 8 months after insertion). 

In this calendar, Day 1 represents the first day of your period. Aim to complete Workout 8 24-48 hours before ovulation.

Cycle Sync Strength Calendar Option 2

Use this calendar if you are on combination oral contraceptives (pills with estrogen and progestin). The main difference with this calendar is you will start the program with Week 2 Day 1 (Workout 5). 

In this calendar, Day 1 represents the first day of your pill pack.

What’s Next

Continue reaping the benefits of training with your cycle by selecting workouts and programs that align with your hormones. Moore recommends stacking these two two-week programs, the first focuses on power (good for weeks one and two of your cycle) and the second emphasizes movement quality (for weeks three and four). 

Power Gains – Coach Tim Landicho 

Ideal for the first two weeks of your cycle, this program will help you push through plateaus and hit new PRs in your heavy lifts. In these workouts, you’ll perform the same movement with Eccentric mode to build strength and Chains mode to develop power. 

Fun and Functional Strength – Coach Kristina Centenari

Similar to the final two weeks of Cycle Sync Strength, this program stresses endurance and movement quality over high-intensity work. Centenari guides you through foundational strength training exercises (including squatting, hinging, pushing, and pulling) so you can improve your technique, and then challenges you with more complex variations.

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No matter your fitness goals, if you’re following a well-designed exercise program, you’ll likely find that squats are a regular part of your routine—and that’s no accident. The squat is an incredibly effective compound movement that engages your entire body but only when performed with proper form. That can be tough if you’ve never done one before. A squat progression, in which you move from easier to more difficult variations, will set you up for success. 

“Most people are going to benefit from having the meat and potatoes of their program be compound movements,” says Tim Landicho, a certified personal trainer and Tonal coach. In these lifts, multiple joints and muscle groups work together at the same time, allowing you to build muscle more efficiently. Compound moves, including squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, are also more metabolically demanding than isolation moves, such as biceps curls or calf raises, meaning they elevate your heart rate and burn fat. 

According to Landicho, the squat is a unique compound move as it strengthens your quads and glutes, and works your ankle, knee, and hip joint mobility, all while challenging you to maintain a strong core and upright torso. 

Following the squat progression below will safely and effectively introduce your body to the movement.

First, Find Your Form

To get the most out of your squats, it’s important to learn the proper form before proceeding to more advanced variations. Here’s Landicho’s form checklist, which applies to most bilateral (two-legged) squat variations, whether you’re lifting a heavy bar or just your body weight. 

Starting Position 

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and toes pointed forward or out at an angle no more than 30 degrees. Try standing with your feet wider if that’s more comfortable. 
• Keep your weight distributed evenly through your feet from heels to toes. 
• Unlock your knees, standing with a soft bend. 
• Keep your pelvis upright. Think of it as a bowl you’re trying not to spill forward. 
• Engage your core by pulling your ribs toward your hip points. 
• Keep your head stacked over your body and draw your shoulders back and down.

Squat Movement

• Send your hips back and bend your knees, tracking over your toes, while keeping your feet pressed into the floor, as if you’re sitting into a chair behind you.
• Your knees should track over the second or third toe, not collapse inward toward the big toe. 
• Lower your hips as deeply as you can while keeping the ribcage stacked over your pelvis as you did at the start. 
• Push through your feet to stand up tall and return to the starting position.

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How Fast Should You Progress Your Squat?

Form and movement quality are key in progressing your squat, whether you’re adding resistance or moving on to a more challenging variation. Pay attention to how confident you feel going through the squatting motion and if you’re able to keep your form and full range of motion the whole way through. 

On Tonal, features such as Form Feedback and Smart View will keep an eye on your form and offer corrections as needed. If you’re able to consistently maintain good form in a movement—and you’re getting fewer form feedback cues—you’re likely ready to add weight or progress to the next variation. 

There’s also no rush in progressing in squat variations or weight. Studies show a minimum of 10 sets per week for each muscle group is ideal for gaining muscle, but that doesn’t mean you need to do 10 sets of squats every week. A well-rounded routine will include other moves for your legs and glutes, including lunges and deadlifts, which will also contribute to your squatting strength.

What’s the Best Way to Increase Your Squat?

Limited mobility and motor control may hinder your form and slow down your progress. You can improve motor control by simply practicing your squat form with bodyweight variations or doing core moves, such as the dead bug or pillar bridge, that will help you to stay upright in your squat. 

“Play with these to bring sensory awareness to proper engagement throughout the day or immediately before the workout or squat progression,” says Landicho. 

Mobility issues that limit squat form tend to come from the hips or ankles. Test your hip and ankle mobility and practice some drills that will build up your range of motion. 

If you’re still struggling to lift heavier, try adding unilateral (single-leg) squat variations (detailed below). “People who mainly only do bilateral squats would really benefit from throwing in some unilateral training,” says Landicho. He explains that single-sided moves will reduce asymmetries between your two legs, ultimately making you stronger when you go back to a bilateral variation.

Squat Progression: From Beginner to Advanced

As you work through the squat progression below, keep the form checklist in mind. Start at the beginning if you’ve never squatted before, or jump in where you feel confident.

Beginner Squat Progression

If you’re squatting for the first time, start with these exercises to lock in the movement pattern you’ll use in all your squats. 

Assisted Squat

Why it Works: Using Tonal or a wall for assistance, this movement will help you get used to the feeling of keeping your torso upright as you lower yourself down. Landicho says he’ll often use this bodyweight move as a warm-up before more complex squat variations. 

How to Do it: With arms straight, grip each side of Tonal. Reach your hips back like you’re sitting into a chair behind you. Press the floor away from you and squeeze the glutes to stand tall.

Bodyweight Squat

Why it Works: Practice your squat form before adding weight with a basic bodyweight squat. Learning to keep your core engaged and your chest upright will help when you start squatting with resistance.

How to Do it: Keeping your chest open to Tonal, reach your hips back like you’re sitting into a chair. Press the floor away from you and squeeze your glutes to power the hips forward toward Tonal and stand tall.

Goblet Squat to Bench

Why it Works: When you’re ready to add resistance, Landicho recommends this variation, in which you’ll use the bench to find the lowest point in your squat. Focus on just tapping your glutes on the bench—not fully sitting down—and then quickly standing back up. 

“The bench gives you a little bit of feedback [to see] if you’re getting consistent depth each time,” he says. “Having that quick touchpoint really helps drill that pattern into your head until you can do it without the bench.” 

How to Do it: Hold the handle strap with your thumbs wrapped around the top and place it in front of your chest. Stand over the end of Tonal’s arm with feet hip-width apart. Reach your hips back and bend your knees, as if someone is pulling you from behind, to tap your glutes on the bench. Stand by squeezing your glutes and pushing the floor away from you.

Bodyweight Split Squat

Why it Works: As you learn how to squat, you’ll want to include unilateral variations in your training as well. These single-sided moves improve balance, coordination, and stability. 

“In the split squat, where your feet are staying in place the whole time and you’re just moving up and down, that’s going to provide you the most stability,” he says, explaining why this exercise is a great introduction to unilateral squats. 

How to Do it: Lower your back knee to the mat creating 90-degree angles with both knees. Keeping your front heel down like it’s glued to the floor, push the floor away from you to power yourself up, and repeat on the same side.

Intermediate Squat Progression

Once the moves above feel like second nature, try these variations. See if you’re able to maintain the same form and muscle engagement when you remove the assistance of holding on to Tonal or using the bench as a guide. 

Goblet Squat

Why it Works: After mastering the goblet squat to bench, this movement should feel familiar. Try to reach the same depth as before while keeping your upper body upright. “When the weight is in front, it forces you to engage your core a lot more,” says Landicho.

How to Do it: Hold the handle strap with your thumbs wrapped around the top and position it in front of your chest. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly turned out. Reach your hips down and back like you’re sitting into a chair behind you. Push the floor away from you and stand tall powering the hips toward Tonal and repeat.

Racked Squat

Why it Works: Similar to the goblet squat, this position keeps the weight in front of your body to help with core activation. It’ll prepare you for adding in the barbell as you progress.

How to Do it: Facing Tonal, take a handle in each hand and bring them to your shoulders with palms facing each other. Stand with feet hip-width apart at the end of Tonal’s arms.  Reach your hips back as your knees bend like you’re sitting back into a chair. Stand by squeezing your glutes and pushing the floor away from you.

Goblet Split Squat

Why it Works: Keep up your unilateral training with this single-leg version of the goblet squat. You’ll maintain the same base of stability as in the bodyweight split squat but with added resistance for more of a challenge. 

How to Do it: Hold the handle at the strap with thumbs wrapped around the top, place it in front of the chest, and position yourself in a split stance over your mat, feet about hip-width apart. Drop your back knee to the mat, creating 90-degree angles with the knees. Press your front heel down like it’s glued to the floor and power up. Bend the knees to drop down to the mat, allowing the back knee to graze the floor, and repeat on the same side.

Advanced Squat Progression 

While the beginner and intermediate squat variations are very effective at strengthening your glutes and legs, to break through plateaus and keep the gains coming, you’ll want to take your squats to the next level with these more challenging moves. 

Barbell Front Squat

Why it Works: The barbell front squat may take some time to feel comfortable, but when you pin down the technique, you’ll be able to drive major strength and hypertrophy gains. “If you’re going to be pushing your strength and going for very heavy weight, then having one implement is going to provide you with more stability than two handles,” says Landicho. 

This move does have more of a learning curve as you find the correct positioning of the barbell on your shoulders. Landicho recommends first practicing balancing the bar without any weight and your arms extended. Once you’re able to keep the bar in position through the squat movement, add your hands for support and start loading the weight.

How to Do it: Place the barbell on top of the shoulders until it is just barely touching the front of the neck. Cross your arms and lift the elbows to keep the bar in place. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Reach the hips back and down like you’re into a chair behind you. Press the floor away from you by squeezing your glutes, powering your hips toward Tonal, and standing tall.

Barbell Back Squat

Why it Works: “A back squat will also allow someone to lift more overall weight [than a front squat] due to a more stable placement,” says Landicho. While this positioning may be more comfortable than the front squat, Landicho explains that keeping your core engaged is more challenging in a back squat. 

How to Do it: Load the barbell in a squat rack and stand facing away. Place the barbell across your back, gripping it with your hands wider than shoulder-width. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Reach your hips back and down like you’re into a chair behind you. Press the floor away from you by squeezing your glutes, powering your hips forward as you stand tall. 

Bulgarian Split Squat

Why it Works: One of the more difficult single-leg squat variations, the Bulgarian split squat requires both strength and balance. With your rear foot elevated, you’re shrinking your base of stability from two feet to one. 

How to Do it: Place one foot between Tonal’s arms and reach your opposite leg back, placing the top of the foot on the bench. Hold the handles and stand tall. Keeping your front heel down like it’s glued to the floor, bend both knees to drop your hips down until your front thigh is parallel with the floor. Press the floor away from you to stand and repeat on the same side.

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A challenging workout can push your limits and leave your muscles sore, but it shouldn’t cause you any unnecessary pain or discomfort. Yet, during the course of your fitness journey, you might encounter some common workout aches and pains including calluses, cable burns, or sore shoulders in barbell front squats. Fortunately, most of these have easy solutions that will make your workouts more enjoyable. 

Here’s a rundown of some of the most common workout aches and pains, and how you can fix them so you can keep your training momentum going.

Cable Burn 

When working out with cables, it’s not unusual to develop red spots or light brush burns where the cables rub against your skin. It often occurs during movements such as bench presses, overhead presses, and incline chest presses. According to Tonal movement specialist Shelby Hicks, this is especially common if you have broader shoulders. 

When this happens during pressing exercises, you might be flaring your elbows out too much, says Troy Taylor, Senior Director of Performance at Tonal. “If you tuck your elbows in, that actually pushes your shoulders into a stronger and safer position, then you’ll tend to get less burn,” he says. 

With Tonal’s adjustable arms, you can change the position of the cables to find one that won’t rub if tucking in your elbows doesn’t provide relief. During pressing exercises, Hicks recommends rotating the arms outward one click (using the round button). Tonal coach and certified personal trainer Tim Landicho agrees that “one click makes a difference.” If the cables are rubbing your arms in triceps kickbacks, resisted dead bugs, or pullover crunches, Hicks says to rotate the arms inward an extra click instead. 

If you experience cable rubbing with the standing alternating push-pull exercise, Hicks recommends standing one step closer to Tonal, while leaving the arms in the recommended position. When all else fails, you can always throw on a long-sleeve shirt or arm sleeves for an extra layer of protection.

Calluses

For some, developing calluses from lifting heavy weights is a rite of passage and a symbol of accomplishment. Calluses thicken the skin on your hand and ultimately protect it as you keep lifting heavy. “Once they develop, it actually leads to less pain down the line,” says Landicho. 

However, calluses can be painful or unsightly annoyances. In that case, Landicho says you can use a pumice stone to soften calluses. Soak your hands in water first and then gently rub the pumice stone over your calluses to remove dead skin. 

In general, Landicho recommends lifting bare-handed as it enhances grip strength. However, if calluses are becoming a significant issue that’s preventing you from lifting, you can use fingerless gloves. “I would rather have you deadlift and wear gloves than not deadlift at all,” he says. 

Some weightlifters use chalk to get a secure grip without risking calluses. For a less messy option, Taylor recommends liquid chalk, one of his own home gym essentials. “It stops the bar from slipping and rubbing against [your hands] quite as much,” he says. 

Hand Pain from Heavy Lifting

In lower-body exercises such as goblet squats and deadlifts, it’s typical for your glute and leg strength to progress faster than your grip strength. Even if you have the strength to deadlift 100 pounds, a weak grip could make the movement more challenging. 

For barbell deadlifts, Hicks and Landicho both suggest trying an alternate grip on the bar, with one palm facing you and one facing away. 

If that doesn’t work, or if you’re focusing on handle moves, there are two paths you can take: working on your grip strength or using lifting straps that connect your hand and wrist to the weights to ease the pressure on your grip. Which one you choose will depend on your goals. As Landicho says, “It’s not just about the exercise in a vacuum. It’s what’s the intention of this exercise in this program.” 

For example, if you’re doing a hypertrophy program where the goal is to lift as much volume as possible and build bigger lower-body muscles, Landicho says, “I would want someone’s legs to still be able to receive the stimulus and not have grip be an issue.” Therefore, he’d have no problem if you want to use lifting straps since grip strength is not your primary goal. 

Taylor agrees, noting that some of the world’s top lifters use straps when doing extremely heavy deadlifts. “By using straps, you’re essentially taking away the limit of your grip strength, but allowing your glutes and legs to work,” he says.

That said, if you’re in a get lean or improve fitness program where you’re not trying to accumulate as much weight as possible, Landicho says, “I would actually be more in favor of letting your grip catch up to your legs.” In these workouts, it’s often important to maintain a certain pace to stimulate metabolic adaptations or improvements in endurance and work capacity. The time spent putting on and taking off lifting straps could slow you down to the point where you’re missing out on those benefits. You might also be lifting lighter weights for more reps in these workouts, so grip strength may be less of a limiting factor. 

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Additionally, Taylor says if you want to gain functional fitness and improve your ability to lift heavy objects off the ground in everyday life, you’ll need that grip strength. To build it up, Landicho recommends practicing the farmer’s march or suitcase march exercises that take out the lower body factor and emphasis working on your grip.

Shoulder Pain During Barbell Front Squats 

Finding a comfortable position for the barbell front squat can be a little challenging, especially if you’ve never done this exercise before. Part of the issue could simply be getting used to the movement. “Even if you are doing this as correctly as possible, there is a little bit of a learning window where there will still be some discomfort,” says Landicho.  

Your first step, though, should be locking down the correct form. To do so, Landicho suggests trying to balance the barbell (without any resistance) on the top of your shoulders with your arms extended. “You want to find a position where, even if your hands weren’t helping, you could still keep it balanced,” he says. “We want to create a shelf, and the shelf is going to be on the [shoulder] muscle.” Hicks adds to look for “the meaty part of the front of the shoulder.” 

Once you’re able to balance the barbell on your shoulders standing up straight, try descending through the squat movement, still with your arms extended, to see if you can keep your chest upright and the bar balanced. “Without that ‘chest up’ accountability, people will start to dip forward or start to lean forward too much and it’s that rolling forward of the bar that causes a lot of pain,” says Landicho. “Once you find that [balance], then it’s just a matter of placing the hands in for support and letting them be an extra guardrail as you descend.”

As an additional check, Hicks suggests activating Smart View in workouts with this exercise. Positioning the barbell too far forward or backward can throw off your form, so if Smart View confirms your form is on point, you’re likely holding the bar correctly. 

If you still can’t find a comfortable position, Taylor says there’s nothing wrong with using Tonal’s movement replacement feature to swap in a move you feel more confident with, such as the racked squat.

Hip or Back Pain During Bulgarian Split Squats

The Bulgarian split squat is notorious among Tonal members for challenging lower-body strength and balance. While this movement should get your muscles burning, it shouldn’t cause any pain in your knees or back. 

Similar to the barbell front squat, this is another exercise where finding the right starting position can make a big difference. Often, Landicho says, people position the bench too far back, which leads to arching in the back and too big of a stretch in the back hip. 

“You want to find a distance from the bench that allows you to keep your front foot planted while keeping your hips tucked,” he says. To quickly find your starting spot, he says to sit on your bench with your legs extended straight out on the floor in front of you. Then, simply start with your front foot on the spot on the floor where your feet land. 

This is also another move you can try with Smart View activated to check your form. Once you’re positioned correctly, you’ll be able to rep out your squats without any pain—except for some healthy fire in your quads.

Wrist Pain During Pushups

Pushups can be difficult, but wrist pain can make the movement even more challenging than necessary. It’s one of the most common workout aches and pains lifters experience. Landicho explains that this is typically a result of a limited range of motion in your wrist joints or overloading the wrist joint with more volume than you’re ready for. 

First, check your form. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders, with your weight evenly distributed between your palms and all 10 fingers. “It’s almost like you’re suctioning the floor to your hand,” says Landicho. This creates a stable base for your pushups. 

To build range of motion in your wrists, you’ll want to practice positions that put your wrist into extension (in which you bend at the wrist, moving the back of your hand toward your forearm). You can do a simple wrist extension by using your opposite hand to pull your fingers back toward your forearm, or practice on the ground in a quadruped position with your fingers pointed toward your knees.

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As you work up to doing full pushups, try modifications that are easier on your wrists. Pushups on your fists keep your wrists in a neutral position, while pushups with a thin towel under your palms decrease the degree of wrist flexion.

The Bottom Line

Don’t panic if you’re experiencing any of these common workout aches and pains. These are very typical when lifting weights and aren’t a sign that you’re doing anything wrong. Instead of giving up your exercise habit completely, try the fixes above to find one that works for you. Keep in mind that you should feel the burn in your muscles when you lift, but you shouldn’t be in actual pain. Don’t hesitate to modify an exercise or take a step back if it doesn’t feel right. 

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By Jonathan Flicker

Every time you do a coach-led workout on Tonal, you’re completing a specific series of exercises in a particular order designed to maximize your results. In this series, The Why Behind the Workout, we break down the science behind a particular workout or program. 

Here, we go deep on Lean, Mean, Athletic Strength with Tonal coach and certified personal trainer Kendall “Woody” Wood.

Who It’s For

Lean, Mean, Athletic Strength is an intermediate-level program designed for the everyday athlete who wants to build foundational strength and muscle while losing fat and shifting their body composition.

Getting all of these results in just one program isn’t easy, but Wood explains, “we’re doing that by way of foundational compound lifts and movement patterns in higher rep schemes with lighter weights, then weaving in plyometric bursts and off-Tonal intervals.”

This program is a great choice for someone who used to play sports and still loves to challenge their athleticism, the weekend warrior who dabbles in recreational activities with friends, or anyone who wants to bring out their inner athlete.

“Lean, Mean, Athletic Strength, is a great program to tap into for people who want to push their limits and have the goals of getting lean and shaping up,” Wood says.

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How It Works

In this program, Wood uses a combination of traditional strength training and plyometrics over four workouts per week: an upper-body day targeting chest and back, a lower-body day, a second upper-body day working the shoulders and core, and then a full-body day. 

In weeks one and two, you’re establishing proficiency in the movement patterns before you progress in terms of level and complexity in weeks three and four. The idea is to progressively overload the muscles and stimulate adaptation.

“To move the needle, we need to have novel stimulus of progressive overload every couple of weeks,” says Jenna Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach and Programming Specialist at Tonal. “The plyometric nature of the program stimulates fast-twitch muscle fibers to create the bigger, faster, stronger aesthetic and mentality.” She adds that the compound lifts are done at a moderate rep range of 8-10 reps to build muscle. 

In each workout, the purpose of the first block is preparation, with movement variations that are slightly less intense to prime your body for the bigger, more technical movements you’re going to see later on. Think of it as an extended warmup.

The moves in the second (primary) block feature big compound lifts. In the first two weeks, those main movements are accompanied by active recovery exercises to give you additional time to rest, but in weeks three and four, it’s game on; they’re paired with explosive plyometrics with similar mechanics creating what is known as contrast sets. “Super-setting two movements of the same muscle group in this manner increases our force production and subsequent muscle growth,” says Wood.   

The third and final block of each workout is all about cranking up your metabolism with more cardio and conditioning movements to improve agility, coordination, and explosiveness. This is when you really challenge your inner athlete, build resiliency, and strengthen the stabilizing muscles around the joints creating a more durable body.

The Key Moves

Rotational Row

Wood is a huge fan of this move along with the rotational lift and chop because, as she says, “they train the body how to transfer power and force.” These moves help you become familiar with how your kinetic chain—the interrelated group of segments within your body that work together to perform moves—functions. 

Bird Dog with Row

This is a challenging move that combines two exercises, the bird dog and the single-arm row, and taps into your back, glutes, core, and shoulders. “This is a move where you need to self-correct, a term I use a lot because it empowers you and helps you notice any inconsistency in your movement pattern without me pointing it out,” explains Wood.

Barbell Hip Thrust

The barbell hip thrust is one of Wood’s all-time favorite moves because of how it isolates and strengthens the glutes from a shortened position. “Stronger glutes equals a stronger body. The stronger the glutes, the more support for the spine and the entire trunk,” she says. 

Barbell Sumo Deadlift

This lower-body compound move targets the quads, glutes, hamstrings, core, and back. “We’re really tapping into the hips here,” she says, “and asking a lot from the glutes especially the glute medius,” a key muscle that stabilizes the pelvis and helps keep your trunk upright when walking or running.

When to Do it

Lean, Mean, Athletic Strength has 16 workouts designed to be completed in four weeks, with four workouts per week. “The cadence of this workout is set as on, on, off, on, off, on, off. People should fit them in when they can, but minimally getting in one or two rest days in the cycle is ideal to get full recovery,” says Moore. Wood agrees about the importance of the scheduled rest days. “You don’t want to run the risk of burning out by skipping rest days,” she says. “Listen to your body.”  A typical week might look like this:

Moore says that the most important thing is consistency and setting your intentions for each day.“You will get out what you put in. If you’re looking to maximize your results, show up every workout ready to give it your all,” she says.

What to Do Next

Power Hour 2 – Coach Kendall Wood

“If your momentum is high after completing this program, you should tap into my recently released Power Hour 2,” says Wood. It uses the same general idea of incorporating the most fundamental compound lifts and maximizing your power by pairing them with off-Tonal plyometrics. “It will be a fun test of how far you’ve come and how strong you’ve gotten, but it’s not for the faint of heart,” she says.

Power Gains – Coach Tim Landicho

In this program, “The rep ranges are in the 6 to 8 range, which makes it a perfect progression from the 8 to 10 we used in Lean, Mean, Athletic Strength,” says Moore. It utilizes the Bulgarian Method to build strength and power. This method uses Eccentric and Chains mode to vary between slower, more controlled, and faster, more dynamic reps of the same movement.

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In the vast sea of supplements and vitamins promising to enhance your performance and boost your workout results, there are few that have been as extensively researched as creatine—and even fewer that live up to their claims. 

According to a position paper by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine has been the subject of over 1,000 studies, with findings indicating it provides myriad benefits and few side effects. In the same paper, researchers conclude, “creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes with the intent of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.” In other words, there’s a lot of scientific evidence showing creatine can help you push harder to make bigger gains. 

Tonal coach and certified personal trainer Joe Rodonis experienced this firsthand when he started taking creatine a few years ago at the recommendation of his dietitian. 

“When I went on it, my muscles felt fuller,” he says. “My recovery was a little bit better, too, but the main thing was—and it’s not dramatic—you feel like you have a bit more in the tank during  your workout session.” 

For Rodonis, that meant feeling strong through the last rep of a long workout. “Without it, I felt like I kept hitting a wall. I would literally hit failure,” he says. “You can imagine that if you’re just doing a couple more reps, a few more movements, or a couple more minutes in a workout, you can improve your training and performance capacity over time.” 

Here’s a breakdown of creatine pros and cons, how it works, and how to know if this supplement is right for you.

First, What Even is Creatine?

Creatine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein, explains John Christie, registered dietitian and Tonal’s Director of Applied Training Science. It’s stored in skeletal muscle and aids in the resynthesis of adenosine triphosphate (or ATP), which provides energy for short-term, maximum-effort muscle contractions. It’s this process that gives Rodonis the extra boost he needs for cranking out those last tough reps. 

“Creatine can be used as an energy source for the highest-intensity efforts,” says Christie. “Having additional creatine on hand, it will be more readily available to use in those moments when it’s needed most, like with a max-effort bench press under near maximal load.” By being able to do 9 reps instead of 8 or 6 in a given exercise, you’ll accumulate more volume and better resistance to fatigue, he explains. 

You can get creatine through animal proteins in your diet or as a supplement, typically in powder form that you mix with water and drink. Creatine comes in many forms, but Christie recommends looking for creatine monohydrate as it’s considered the “gold standard” in terms of bioavailability, research-backed efficacy, and safety.

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When choosing a creatine supplement, look for certification from the NSF (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation, now NSF International). Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, but NSF certification indicates a product has been third-party tested and meets basic safety standards. Professional sports leagues including MLB, NFL, and NHL recommend products that are certified by sport by the NSF.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Creatine?

As the subject of hundreds of studies on athletes across multiple sports, the creatine pros and cons are well-established—and overall the pros outweigh the cons.

Pros:

By giving you the energy to push harder in your workouts, you’re able to make greater strength, power, and hypertrophy gains. Additionally, studies have shown that creatine can speed up recovery by reducing inflammation and increasing glycogen storage in muscles. Since intense exercise depletes stores of glycogen—your body’s main source of energy—rebuilding these stores quickly promotes recovery. In another study, creatine was shown to enhance performance during periods of increased training intensity that could otherwise lead to overtraining. 

The benefits of creatine go beyond fitness, too. In aging populations, creatine has actually been shown to improve cognitive function and, when combined with resistance training, reduce bone loss. 

Cons:

In the hundreds of studies conducted on creatine over the years, the only significant side effect that’s been reported is a small amount of weight gain. Because creatine increases water retention and pulls water into muscles, some of this weight gain is due to an increase in water weight while some may be due to increases in lean muscle mass. 

Christie explains that this weight gain is not harmful, but could be discouraging if you’re measuring your progress by pounds or inches lost. One study has demonstrated that taking a smaller dose of creatine (around 2 grams per day) can improve fatigue resistance during high-intensity exercise without leading to weight gain. 

While early studies linked creatine with kidney damage, more recent research has shown that creatine does not cause kidney dysfunction in healthy individuals. However, if you have pre-existing kidney disease or take any medication that affects your kidneys, consult your doctor before taking creatine or any other supplement.

When Should You Take Creatine?

Some supplements and nutrients are most effective when taken at a specific time–like beta-alanine before your workout or protein afterward—but timing is less important when it comes to creatine. According to a review of studies from 2021, there currently isn’t enough evidence to suggest that it’s better to take creatine before or after exercise. Instead, focus on consistency—simply taking creatine every day. 

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Studies have shown that, with the recommended dosage of 3 to 5 grams per day, it takes roughly four weeks to achieve peak creatine saturation in both men and women, after which that saturation can be maintained by the same dosage. The benefits of creatine aren’t often felt until creatine levels are raised following long-term supplementation, so you likely won’t see an immediate effect after a single daily dose. The creatine pros and cons remain the same no matter what time of day you take it.  

“It’s more important that you’re taking it than it is when you’re taking it,” says Christie. “It’s fine to maintain reserves of creatine so you have it on board when you need it for intense training.” 

How Long Should You Take Creatine?

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition position statement, creatine has been shown to be safe and effective when taken for up to five years. That doesn’t necessarily mean there are risks beyond five years, but rather that most studies don’t follow subjects for a longer duration. However, over the course of several years, your goals and workout routine will likely change, so you may naturally take time off of creatine supplementation. 

Can You Mix Creatine with Protein?

Optimal protein intake is essential for building muscle, but protein and creatine work in different ways. Creatine helps with generating the energy you need to perform in your workouts, while protein assists with post-exercise recovery and repairing damaged muscles. 

It’s not surprising then that a lot of athletes who take creatine for muscle gains also supplement with protein. If you want to take both supplements, it’s considered safe to take them together for the sake of convenience. Rodonis, for example, mixes creatine into his daily protein shake. Research suggests that combining creatine with carbohydrates and protein actually increases creatine retention.

Do You Need a Creatine Loading Phase?

In the early 1990s when creatine began gaining popularity among recreational athletes, researchers believed that a creatine loading phase was necessary to build creatine stores and achieve the best results. In a creatine loading phase, athletes take a high dose of creatine, typically 20 to 25 grams daily, for 5 to 7 days. This loading phase was then followed by a standard dose of 3 to 5 grams per day for maintenance. 

While a creatine loading phase can be used to boost reserves quickly, taking the maintenance dose has been shown to ultimately raise creatine levels by the same amount (over four weeks instead of one) without the gastrointestinal side effects sometimes seen when taking larger doses.

This is Rodonis’s strategy, too. He simply takes 5mg of creatine daily. “I think people overcomplicate this,” he says of regimented creatine loading phases. “It’s more about the consistency of having it every single day.” 

The Bottom Line:

There’s ample research to support taking creatine as a nutritional supplement to power your workouts and give you the energy for high-intensity training. Along with protein, creatine promotes lean muscle development and muscle recovery. For most, it’s safe to take a moderate dose (3 to 5 grams) of creatine daily. Staying consistent with your creatine intake is key to seeing results.

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Turn Your Cycle into a Superpower

Shifting levels of estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle affect muscle protein synthesis, energy levels, strength development, and other factors that influence athletic performance. That’s why the new four-week program, Cycle Sync Strength, was designed specifically for athletes with periods and includes cycle-syncing workouts that complement the hormonal phases of your menstrual cycle for optimal training.

Launching on Tonal Monday, April 3, each workout is led by one of four female coaches, Ash Wilking, Kendall Wood, Tanysha Renee, and Kristina Centenari, and focuses on playing up your strengths during that particular week.

Taking advantage of these hormonal shifts by aligning your workouts with your cycle will help you break through plateaus and crush your goals. 

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Cycle Sync Strength was created in collaboration with female physiology expert Stacy Sims, PhD. Sims is a leading global expert on exercise nutrition and performance for women, and the author of Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness To Your Female Physiology For Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body For Life. She’s a senior research associate at Auckland University of Technology, has directed research programs at Stanford and the University of Waikato, and has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers on athletic performance.

An advocate for training with your physiology, not against it, Sims helped design these workouts so you can lift heavy and push for PRs when your body’s most resilient against stress, then focus on recovery and mobility on days when you’re more fatigued. It’s a smarter way to train that’ll help you perform at your best every day of the month.

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Break through plateaus, reach new PRs, and reduce injury risk by training with your menstrual cycle.

Shifting levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones during your menstrual cycle affect training variables including muscle protein synthesis, strength and power development, and the ability to recover from hard efforts. Cycle Sync Strength is a new four-week training program designed in collaboration with female physiology expert Stacy Sims, PhD, that aligns your workouts with your cycle, so you can train more effectively and reach your goals faster. The program launches on Tonal on April 3, 2023. 

Athletes who menstruate know that exercise can feel different depending on the phase of their cycles. As hormones fluctuate during the month, an easy workout might seem more challenging on one day, and on another day, you might be surprised by how strong and powerful you feel. When you learn how to track your period and harness the power of your cycle, though, you can actually use these shifts to boost your training. 

Understanding your cycle and the changing hormone levels that come with it can unlock a new level of potential in your training. By tracking your cycle, you’ll understand which days you’re feeling more resilient and can push for big PRs and which days you should focus on recovery. 

Ultimately, you can give your best performance at any point in your cycle, so there’s no need to panic if your big race or competition falls during a week when you typically train lighter or expect to have your period. Instead of letting your cycle dictate what you can or can’t do, use this information to empower you to work with your hormones—not against them. 

Here, female physiology expert and Tonal Advisory Board member Stacy Sims, PhD, breaks down the different phases of the menstrual cycle, how to use your hormones to your advantage, and how to track your period.

How Your Menstrual Cycle Can Inform Your Training 

During your menstrual cycle, your levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone rise and fall, triggering ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary) and the growth and shedding of the uterine lining. A typical menstrual cycle lasts 28 days (although yours may be longer or shorter), and breaks down into the following phases: 

Week One: Menstruation/Early-Follicular Phase

Starting on the first day of your period, the follicular phase is typically the longest phase of your cycle. It’s also when the most variation occurs, so if your cycle isn’t exactly 28 days, it’s likely because of a longer or shorter follicular phase. During this time, your estrogen and progesterone levels are the lowest they’ll be all month, making you more resilient and primed to take on the stress of hard training. It’s a good time to lift heavy, sprint, or do high-intensity workouts.

“From a physiological standpoint, when those hormones are low, we are able to really hit high intensities,” says Sims. “We have more carbohydrates available for hitting those high intensities, and we have more water available for sweating so we have better thermal regulation.” 

Sims explains that pushing yourself during the first few days of your period may actually help ease menstrual symptoms, too. “A little bit of high intensity actually feeds forward into giving a boost of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative responses, which then helps to reduce cramping and pain,” she says. 

Week Two: Mid-Follicular Phase 

The follicular phase continues as estrogen and progesterone levels are still relatively low, so you can continue hitting hard workouts and going for strength and power PRs. Toward the end of this phase, though, estrogen levels begin to rise in preparation for ovulation. Because estrogen on its own is anabolic and promotes muscle building, take this opportunity to push hard in your workouts, Sims says. 

Ovulation

Typically occurring around day 14 of your cycle, ovulation is marked by the release of an egg from your ovary. Signs of ovulation include a slight rise in body temperature and increased discharge. Estrogen spikes right before ovulation and progesterone starts increasing so Sims advises completing your more difficult workouts 24 to 48 hours before ovulation, as rising hormone levels make it harder to recover from challenging efforts.

Week Three: Early-Luteal Phase

Rising levels of estrogen and progesterone following ovulation may leave you feeling less resilient to stress, more prone to inflammation, and less explosive than you were the previous two weeks. 

“Estrogen and progesterone together inhibit the body’s ability to access carbohydrates, so it becomes harder to do those top intensities,” says Sims. “We also know that progesterone is catabolic, so it breaks down lean mass.” 

You’re still capable of training hard, but if you want to take advantage of your unique strengths during this phase of your cycle, focus on steady-state aerobic work as your body is more efficient at burning fat as fuel. 

Week Four: Mid-Luteal Phase

If you suffer from symptoms of PMS including bloating, cramping, or fatigue, they’ll start to pop up in the week leading up to menstruation as estrogen and progesterone levels peak and then start to fall. 

“It’s very individual as to when these hormones start to drop, but as they start to drop, we have a significant shift in increased inflammation and an increase in our baseline cortisol,” says Sims. “From that physiological perspective, this is the point where your body is least resilient to stress so we look to deload.” 

Now’s the time to focus on recovery and mobility. You’ll prime your body so it’s ready to work hard again next week when hormone levels are low and the cycle begins again. 

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How to Track Your Period

Tracking your cycle can be as simple as noting down the first day of your period on a calendar each month. Eventually, you’ll be able to gauge your typical cycle length and predict when your next period will begin. 

For a more detailed understanding of your cycle and the length of your follicular phase, take your temperature each day, as body temperature can indicate when you’re ovulating. According to Sims, the estrogen surge right before ovulation lowers your temperature slightly. After ovulation, rising progesterone levels cause an increase in temperature. 

“Once you see that upsurge in temperature, you know you’re in the luteal phase. When you see a dip and then a rise, you know you’re around ovulation,” she writes. 

There are also apps available for logging your cycle. Once you log your period a few times, some apps will start telling you what phase you’re in and predicting your next period, taking the guesswork out of tracking. 

You can also log additional information such as your daily mood, energy level, or any symptoms including cramping or fatigue. Over time, you might see patterns appear. For example, you may feel more tired than usual on the days leading up to your period or feel a surge in energy the week after you finish menstruating. Use these data points to inform your training, scheduling more demanding workouts on the days you typically feel your best. 

If you use oral contraceptives, it’s still worth tracking your energy, mood, and symptoms to understand changes in your body during each week of your pill pack. If you have a non-hormonal copper IUD, you’ll still experience ovulation and can use the same method for tracking natural cycles. With progestin-only IUDs, Sims notes that ovulation typically resumes about eight months after insertion. 

Just like dialing in your nutrition and getting plenty of sleep, tracking your cycle is another strategy for getting the most out of your training. Just remember that you can perform your best at any point, but when you learn to work with your cycles, your period can become a superpower for you.

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Although extensive research has linked hours spent sitting with increased all-cause mortality, for many of us, a sedentary lifestyle may be unavoidable due to our jobs or other responsibilities. 

It’s not surprising then that a recent study has been attracting a lot of attention for showing the major health benefits of a simple exercise called the soleus pushup that you can do while sitting at your desk or on the couch. 

“Soleus pushup” is a term coined by the study’s authors to describe what’s essentially a seated calf raise. In the study, researchers compared sedentary participants to those who continually performed soleus pushups. They found that the soleus pushup group experienced an increase in oxidative metabolic rate (the rate at which the body uses oxygen to convert fat or carbohydrates into energy) and a quicker decrease in blood glucose after ingesting a glucose drink. 

While it’s an intriguing discovery, it doesn’t mean you should start replacing all your workouts with seated calf raises. Here’s what you need to know about soleus pushups and whether they deserve a spot in your routine.

What Is a Soleus Pushup?

Your calf is made up of two major muscles, the soleus and the gastrocnemius, with the soleus being the smaller of the two. Jenna Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach and Programming Specialist at Tonal, explains that the gastrocnemius, which is composed mainly of fast-twitch muscle fibers, assists in explosive movements such as sprinting, jumping, and plyometrics. In contrast, the soleus consists of fatigue-resistant, slow-twitch muscle fibers that allow you to stand, walk, and run for long periods of time. 

While standing calf raises target the gastrocnemius, seated calf raises, or soleus pushups, are more effective at isolating the soleus. 

Here’s how to do a soleus pushup: Sit in a chair with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Push your toes into the ground as you raise your heels. Lower your heels and repeat. 

Can Soleus Pushups Really Boost Your Metabolism?

Because the soleus pushup has a relatively low energy expenditure—it uses a muscle that makes up only one percent of your total body mass and burns half as many calories per minute as walking—researchers were impressed by how much it boosted metabolism and improved glucose regulation. 

In the study, participants who continually performed soleus pushups saw elevated whole-body metabolism levels and a 52 percent improvement in blood sugar regulation after drinking a glucose drink. 

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It sounds like a quick fix, but the participants were doing a lot of soleus pushups. In the study, they spent up to 270 minutes (that’s 4.5 hours) raising and lowering their heels with only brief breaks. While the participants didn’t experience any muscle soreness during the experiment—likely due to the slow-twitch, fatigue-resistant nature of the soleus muscle. 

“The soleus’ lower-than-normal reliance on glycogen helps it work for hours effortlessly without fatiguing during this type of muscle activity, because there is a definite limit to muscular endurance caused by glycogen depletion,” the study’s lead author Marc Hamilton, professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston, said in a press release. 

In other words, while you’ll burn out your energy stores more quickly running or lifting weights, the soleus pushup requires less energy to do consistently. That’s good news if you’re looking for a very low-intensity, low-impact activity that’ll increase your metabolism and benefit your health, as long as you’re willing to do it for hours at a time. The study did show an improvement in glucose response after one hour of soleus pushups, but it’s unclear what the effect would be if you stopped after 10 or 30 minutes. 

For those who are unable to exercise due to illness or injury, though, Moore explains that committing to the soleus pushup may be a solid option for boosting metabolism and regulating glucose. If you’re stuck sitting for an extended period of time in a work meeting or long plane ride, she says doing a few minutes of soleus pushups every hour could improve circulation and potentially prevent blood clots.

Do Soleus Pushups Build Calf Strength? 

While soleus pushups may be effective in increasing metabolism and improving glucose regulation, they’re not the most efficient strategy for building stronger calves. “You don’t have overload, and you don’t have external load,” explains Tonal coach Kristina Centenari, a certified personal trainer and accomplished runner and triathlete. “So it’s probably not going to be the most optimal strength-training tool.”  

If you’re looking to build bigger calf muscles or improve your performance in activities like running or plyometrics, Centenari recommends trying these exercises instead.

Resisted Calf Raise

Why it Works: When you’re working a fast-twitch muscle like the gastrocnemius that’s used for pushing off the ground, lifting heavier resistance helps build power and speed.

How to Do it: Stand facing Tonal and take a handle in each hand with your arms at your sides. Keeping your arms relaxed, press the balls of your feet into the floor, lifting up your heels and squeezing your calves. With control, lower yourself to the floor and repeat.

Bent Knee Calf Raise

Why it Works: Like a seated calf raise, this bodyweight move targets the soleus because it’s done with knees bent. Because you’re doing the exercise while holding an isometric squat, you’re also getting the benefit of burning out your glutes, hamstrings, and quads in the process. 

How to Do it: With control, lift your heels off the floor, staying in the squat position and pressing the balls of the feet into the floor as if you’re about to walk on your tippy toes. Lower the heels to the floor and repeat.

The Bottom Line

Early research indicates that soleus pushups, or seated calf raises, can have a big impact on metabolism and glucose regulation—if you’re willing to do them for hours each day. It’s a low-risk, low-cost exercise that could counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. 

The soleus pushup routine in this study may be a promising option for those who are unable to do traditional exercise, but it doesn’t offer the other benefits of a standard workout including increased muscle strength, fat loss, or improvements in overall fitness and athletic performance.

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One of the best ways to stay motivated, remain consistent, and have fun with fitness is to sweat it out with a buddy or loved one.  Along with keeping you accountable, working out with a partner can actually help you enjoy exercise more, according to one study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology. As for couples who work out at home together, a 2021 study found that people who exercised with their romantic partners felt more satisfied with their workouts and their relationships. 

Partner workouts on Tonal make it easy to work out side-by-side with a friend or family member and get stronger together. Since one membership gives you unlimited accounts, you’ll each be able to get personalized weight recommendations and track your progress.

How to Start a Partner Workout

Training partners and accountability buddies can be key to pushing past plateaus or achieving your next goal. From strength training and HIIT to recovery and mobility, almost any Tonal workout can be done as a partner workout (with the exception of your initial strength assessment and workouts streaming live). Once you pick the session you want to do together, it’s easy to get set up. 

1. Select a workout on Tonal. On the bottom left of your screen, you’ll see an option to select Partner if that workout is available as a partner workout.

2. Sign in your workout buddy. If they don’t have a Tonal account, they’ll be prompted to create one.

3. You’ll start with a warmup. After the first person completes the first lifting set, we’ll prompt the next person. While you wait for your turn, cheer each other on, rest, or do some active recovery. You’ll perform off-Tonal moves at the same time. 

Note: Because partner workouts include time for both of you to do all the sets, they will take longer than the stated completion time on Tonal. This will vary based on the number of on- and off-Tonal moves, but members say to expect a workout to last 1.5 times longer than the allotted time. Once you start the session, the time remaining will reflect an estimate of the length of the workout with both partners.

Benefits of Partner Workouts on Tonal

Convenience

When you’re working out at the gym with a friend or family member of a different ability level, you’ll spend a lot of time re-racking a barbell or grabbing multiple dumbbells to accommodate both of your needs. During Tonal’s partner workouts, you’ll each get personalized weight recommendations for every exercise, all on one piece of equipment. Digital weight automatically adjusts from person to person, so there’s no need to waste time changing weights.

John Wikman, a Tonal member from Indianapolis, says adaptive digital weight is a “great equalizer” for doing partner workouts with his wife Kelly. “We can both do the exact same workout, even at the same time, and know that we’re getting the same [level of] intensity,” he says. 

Amanda Gee, of Omaha, Nebraska, agrees that not struggling to swap weights between sets makes Tonal partner workouts a “game changer” for her and her husband John. “It takes so much less time, effort and frustration,” she says, compared to a similar workout with traditional equipment. 

Variety

Tonal offers workouts beyond strength training—including high-intensity interval training, cardio, mobility, and recovery workouts—and many of these can also be performed as partner workouts. If you’re stuck in a rut of doing the same type of exercise, having a partner who usually does a different modality can encourage you to try something new or push you harder than you do on your own. 

For example, Faith West, a Tonal member from Saratoga Springs, Utah, convinced her husband Wesley to try a mobility workout with her. He was hesitant at first, but now he’s hooked, and the couple does a session together every night. 

“He will say ‘not everyone does [mobility] because it doesn’t seem important, but it’s the most important part of fitness,’” says West. “Every time he says it, I chuckle and say ‘you were that person.’”

Individual Progress Tracking

Even though you’re doing the workout together, you’ll still get all your individual metrics so you can track your progress and your Strength Score. Your stats, including total volume lifted and any new PRs, will be saved to your own Tonal profile. 

A bit of healthy competition with your partner can even motivate you to work harder. Cindy Redman of Yucca Valley, California, loves doing partner strength workouts with her husband Mike and jokes, “I like when I get more PRs than him and my Strength Score goes up more points than his.” 

Houston-based pals Jhon Cuthbertson and Josh Gill use metrics in their partner workouts to spark a light-hearted battle over who can lift more. In one workout, Cuthbertson saw Gill going for additional reps in each set, so she decided to add a few of his own. “This created this competition dynamic, and I think we ended up both lifting over 40,000 pounds that day,” he says. “At the end, we couldn’t get off the ground laughing.”

Try These Partner Workouts

If you’re looking for some fun partner workouts and programs to try, check out below that Tonal members love doing together.

20-in-20: Ignite – Coach Tony Horton
Jonathan Borders and his wife Jami, Tonal members from Springboro, Ohio, are currently working through this four-week program, the latest of several they’ve completed together. Jonathan likes how the workouts are still relatively quick even with the additional time for two partners. 

Go Big or Go Home 3- Coach Jackson Bloore
Since the workouts in this muscle-building program emphasize heavy lifting with long rest periods in between, Wikman says they’re a great option for partner workouts. “It’s easier to take the rest time while the other [partner] is doing the lift,” he adds. 

Quick Fit: Back and Biceps – Coach Tim Landicho
Working through high-volume sets of upper-body pulling exercises is more fun when you have a partner cheering you along. This short workout is popular among members looking to build strength and improve their posture with a pal. 

Push-Pull: Max Variety – Coach Joe Rodonis
With a mix of rep ranges and a variety of different exercises, this program offers something for partners who love building strength and those who want to work on their endurance at the same time.

How to See Your Results After Partner Workouts

You’ll see a workout summary after you and your partner finish the session, just like in an individual workout. Tap your name at the top of the screen to toggle back and forth between your results. You can also access the workout summary from your partner workout in the activity tab of your Tonal mobile app profile.

Partner workouts aren’t the only way to make fitness social on Tonal. Try a live workout to get shout-outs from your coach and cheer on fellow members in real-time, or organize a virtual group workout to exercise with your friends from the comfort of home.

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When it comes to strength training, it’s easy to focus on “mirror muscles,” the ones we can see in our own reflections. But it’s essential to also train the muscles you can’t see like the ones along your back if you’re serious about building well-rounded strength. 

“People love doing chest day, and that’s great, but you have to be equally attentive to the backside of your upper body to maintain muscular balance,” says Jenna Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach and Programming Specialist at Tonal. “That’s going to play a role in your overall posture and your overall strength.” 

One way to do that: adding vertical pull exercises, which work your major back muscles, to your weekly routine. Here’s everything you need to know about vertical pull exercises and how to put them to use to unlock bigger back gains. 

What Are Vertical Pull Exercises?

Moore defines a vertical pull exercise as any movement in which you’re pulling resistance in a vertical path from the overhead position. They’re usually done with your arms extended overhead as you pull weight up or down toward your chest using both the shoulder and elbow joints. Classic vertical pull exercise examples include lat pulldowns and pullups. 

While the weight in a deadlift follows a similar movement pattern, Moore explains that the lower-body exercise is technically a hinge, not a vertical pull. What about biceps curls? While biceps curls are a pulling move, Moore says they don’t fit the definition because they only involve movement at one joint—the elbows—not the elbows and shoulders.

What Are the Benefits of Vertical Pull Exercises?

Vertical pull exercises primarily work the large muscles of the back—the latissimus dorsi (or lats) the trapezius (or traps)—so if you’re looking to build a stronger back, you should be regularly doing these moves. 

Depending on the specific move, Moore says vertical pull exercises can also strengthen smaller muscles including the posterior deltoids (or the back of your shoulders), rhomboids, and biceps. “We always try to switch up the different types of variations we do so that we can target not only those bigger muscle groups but also some of those small, assistant muscle groups,” she says. 

These exercises mirror activities you might do outside your workouts, such as climbing a ladder, pulling yourself up to clean the gutters on your roof, rock climbing, racing your kids across the monkey bars, or scaling a cargo net in an obstacle race. Building a strong upper body through vertical pull exercises will make those movements feel easier in your daily life.

How Often Should You Do Vertical Pull Exercises?

Vertical pull exercises are just one element of a well-rounded strength training routine, so you don’t need to spend hours on these movements to enjoy the benefits. 

“The bare minimum is making sure that we’re working all of our major muscle groups at least twice a week,” says Moore. Your back muscles are also used in horizontal pulling exercises, such as rows, so if those are already included in your workouts, you may only need to add vertical pulling once a week. 

For optimal strength and hypertrophy gains, Moore says to aim for 10 to 20 sets of back exercises (which can include horizontal and vertical pulling moves) each week. If you’re just getting started with resistance training, don’t stress if that seems like a lot. Start with just a couple of sets and gradually increase your volume over time.

Vertical Pull Exercises with No Equipment

Because you’re pulling weight down from overhead in vertical pull exercises, these moves are especially difficult to do with just your body weight or even with dumbbells. Try these exercises to work your back without added weight. 

Pullup

Why it Works: Moore likes how the basic pullup is a very functional exercise that addresses both grip strength and your back muscles. She says pullups—and chinups, a variation in which you use an underhand grip for more biceps and chest engagement—are the “gold standard” for vertical pull exercises you can do with just your body weight. 

How to Do it: Grip the bar with your palms facing away from you, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Engaging the muscles of your arms and back, bend your elbows and pull your body up until your chin is above the bar. Lower to the starting position and repeat. 

Prone Lat Pulldown

Why it Works: If you don’t have access to a pullup bar, Moore recommends this bodyweight exercise that targets similar muscles without any equipment. 

How to Do it: Lie face down on your mat. Lift your head and chest off the ground and extend your arms overhead. Bend your elbows, pulling them toward your torso,  as you bring your shoulder blades together. Extend your arms and repeat. To make it more challenging, loop a resistance band around an anchor point directly in front of you just above floor level. Take one end of the band in each hand and pull it back toward your torso.

Vertical Pull Exercises on Tonal

Tonal’s adaptive digital weight makes it uniquely suited to performing vertical pull exercises at home. With Tonal’s adjustable arms, you can easily do a variety of moves that work your upper body through this movement pattern. Here are Moore’s top picks. 

Neutral Lat Pulldown

Why it Works: The lat pulldown is a classic example of a vertical pull exercise that isolates the back muscles for strength gains. 

How to Do it: Start with arms extended overhead, palms facing Tonal. Drive the elbows down toward the floor and pull the handles to the outside of your shoulders, rotating your hands to face your body. Control the weight back up to starting position, straightening the elbows.

Barbell Seated Lat Pulldown

Why it Works: Since you’re using the strength of both your arms and both sides of your back in this barbell variation, Moore says it’s an excellent option for loading up the resistance to build maximum strength in your back.

How to Do it: Facing Tonal, sit straddling the bench slightly behind the end of the arms and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width. Using your back, pull the bar toward your collar bones by bending your elbows and drawing them down like there are magnets on your elbow and rib cage. Let the weight back up with control, straightening at the elbows, and repeat.

Barbell Chinup

Why it Works: While the lat pulldown works the upper portion of your lats, Moore says this exercise puts the focus on your lower lats. “Because of your grip, you also get more biceps activation in a barbell chinup than in a regular lat pulldown,” she says. 

How to Do it: Grip the bar shoulder-width apart with palms facing your body. Get into a tall kneeling position with your toes tucked on the floor. Using your back, pull the bar toward your collar bones by bending your elbows and drawing them down and back away from Tonal. Control the weight back up, straightening at the elbows, and repeat.

Alternating Neutral Lat Pulldown

Why it Works: “Alternating exercises are great for maintaining muscular balance,” says Moore. By addressing any strength imbalances in this single-sided exercise, you’ll ultimately be able to lift more in your standard lat pulldown. 

How to Do it: Start with arms extended overhead, palms facing Tonal. Using your back, pull one handle to the outside of your shoulder, rotating it to face inward, and bend your elbow like there are magnets on your elbow and rib cage. Slowly control the weight back up and alternate sides.

Tonal Workouts with Vertical Pull Exercises

You’ll find vertical pull exercises in several coach-led workouts on Tonal because they’re so effective at strengthening the lats and traps. Moore recommends these programs that include vertical pull exercises as part of a full-body strength routine. 

Mini Sets, Major Gains – Multiple Coaches

This muscle-building program is all about breaking through plateaus by utilizing cluster sets—or repeated sets of the same movement with very short breaks in between to spark new growth. The third workout of each week is dedicated to back and biceps work and features cluster sets of both the barbell seated lat pulldown and the barbell chinup.  

Drop Set Strength – Coach Joe Rodonis

The workouts in this program aim to stimulate hypertrophy by using drop sets. As you approach failure in these sets, Burnout mode will kick in so you can keep repping out and accumulating volume. “You’re going to get those benefits of hypertrophy in a time-efficient way,” says Moore. You’ll spend two days each week focusing on your upper body in this program, with one session emphasizing back exercises including the barbell lat pulldown and barbell chinup with Burnout mode.

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