Dana Linn Bailey is revealing a “unique approach” to weightlifting. In a new social media post the athlete and influencer shares a training method with her followers while showing off her amazing body in a two-piece exercise set. “My favorite since 2012!!!! 😍🔥,” one of her followers commented. “Love this technique!! 💪🏽🔥,” added another. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here are her top diet and fitness tips – including her unique approach.
1. Maintain Balance and Consistency with Diet
Dana Linn is regularly asked about her diet, and she has one main piece of advice: Be balanced. “Be Consistent, But you don’t have to be restrictive,” she revealed in a Facebook post. “Find that balance in your diet, where you can eat clean but can treat yourself, not gorge yourself. I know for me when I was super strict on my diet, when I was allowed to treat myself, I feel like I would black out and just binge my face off. A cookie would turn into an entire package of cookies. Limit but don’t completely restrict. You’ll find when you allow yourself treats, you will actually crave it much less. You won’t obsess over it.”
2. Prioritize Protein
Dana Linn also stresses the importance of eating enough protein. “When I was eating seven times a day, about four ounces of protein,” she told Six Pack Bags.“With my prep, the protein has stayed the same. It’s been four ounces. The only thing that’s really been manipulated is my fats and my carbohydrates. My fats have gone up a little bit not a lot but carbohydrates, that’s what’s been crazy. You would think naturally you need more protein because you want to build muscle but my protein has been very consistent.”
3. Meal Prep
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Meal prep is another healthy eating habit, according to Dana. “Some people get fancy with it, but not me. I don't have time to be fancy. I usually do it twice a week; Sunday night and then I redo it Wednesday or Thursday. On a good night, it'll take me about two hours to cook everything. I'll bake chicken on a tray with my meat brownies while I'm doing shrimp on the stove and steam all my vegetables. I'll decide what carbs I want to eat for the next couple of days. I'll make a whole bunch of brown rice or bake a whole bunch of sweet potatoes and cut them up. Really simple and easy,” she told Six Pack Bags.
4. Find a Nutrition Plan Right for You
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There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition, per Dana. “You got to find out what works well for you. Some girls I know do better on really restricted carbs diets. Some girls do better on lower fat diets. For me, I love carbs. I eat carbs all day long, but everything else is very clean. I do more of a low-fat diet. All my meats are very clean. The only time I eat something high glycemic would be like post-workout. How does consistent dieting help your training? Staying consistent with your diet is what helps you throughout the year. That's what helped me create my body. Every year I get a little bit better and it makes my prep for shows easier. I don't have to prep very long. I usually need about 6-8 weeks to do prep instead of doing a 15-16 week prep like some people do,” she told the publication.
5. Use the 1.5 Reps Technique
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In her new post, Dana Linn reveals that she relies on 1.5 reps, “a unique approach from some other overload techniques because it emphasizes the midrange of the repetition, which is where we generate the highest possible tension. And we know that muscle tension increases hypertrophy making them a very valuable tool in improving muscle growth,” she says. “Beside increased muscle tension, these are some more great benefits:
💥increased time under tension
💥improved control and coordination
💥increased strength and help with sticking points
💥allows overload without increasing weight. Make lighter weights feel heavier. So better for your joints...I incorporate 1.5 reps in my training all the time. You can incorporate this on generally any movement. I love all the added benefits you get from them and they are a great way to overload with having to add more weight, add time under tension, and really focus on control and stabilizing.”