Episode 45: Getting Uplifted through Lifting with Meg Squats

Join powerlifter, Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel Search winner, and YouTube fitness stalwart Meg Squats in this wide-ranging conversation. She shares her strong, strong story (it involves even more squatting than you might imagine) and gives crucial tips for thriving on her new program, Uplifted. Plus, there's a lot of screaming and alarms going off toward the end of this episode, if you like that sort of thing. Highlights: - Her early videos: "Hey, here's the lift. That's all there is. That's all you get." - Why she left the CrossFit gym on the first floor and moved up to the second floor and "bigger people." - Her most crucial transformation: 12 weeks of squat-only training after a bikini show - Her mixed feelings over her bodybuilding show experience - Powerlifting vs. Bodybuilding: "They're different kinds of suck." - Why doing a bikini show is a more advanced fitness challenge than most competitors realize - Her decision to do the legendary Smolov squat program, and why she chose it - After Smolov: high, frequency, "PR every day" training - Bodybuilding competition vs. Powerlifting: "Ah, man, I gotta go up in front of these people. Can't I just lift in front of them? That'd be better." - Why she feels it's important to be proud of her body and how it looks, even as a powerlifter - Her no-filter, no-Photoshop approach to social media - On social media posturing: "Perfection is insanely boring." - "I'm back at the body weight where I so much hated my body. And it's a combination of understanding myself more, understanding that whatever weight gain I do experience is not the end of the world, and also adjusting my goals and understanding that my value does not end with how I look. My value is not based around my body–really, at least how my body looks." - How to know if you're ready for powerlifting, and if it's a "beginner-friendly" sport - What to expect from Uplifted, and why she wishes she had this program as a beginning strength athlete - The importance of "bro stuff" - The importance of RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and auto-regulated training - Why you should definitely get some coaching and/or take videos of your big lifts - How to deal with "squat hunger" - Her secret intra-workout snack: 20g of whey and a rice crispy treat - Why this probably isn't the right program for someone trying to "diet," whatever that means - What to do if you get a week into Uplifted and nothing feels comfortable or right - Why going too heavy is a way bigger problem than going too light Be sure to follow us on social media for daily fitness updates! Twitter | https://twitter.com/bodybuildingcom Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Bodybuildingcom Snapchat | https://www.snapchat.com/add/bodybuildingcom Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bodybuildingcom/ Pinterest | https://www.pinterest.com/Bodybuildingcom/ YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/bodybuildingcomvideo Google+ | https://plus.google.com/+bodybuildingcom Spotify | http://spoti.fi/1NRebm0 Mobile Apps | http://bbcom.me/2d7tixc Bodybuilding.com | http://www.bodybuilding.com/podcast Also check out our latest articles in the Apple News and Google News mobile apps.