Bikini Masters competitor Megan Ewoldsen proves that it’s attainable to be a busy mother and nonetheless win bodybuilding trophies, however the inspirational health influencer has just lately taken to Instagram to share six ideas that she wished she’d recognized sooner, as pertains to getting essentially the most from her time within the gymnasium. Thankfully, the bodybuilder has shared these hard-earned classes, so to make features with your personal physique.
Ewoldsen repeatedly units fitness-based challenges for her 335,000+ IG followers, and says that going from newbie to superior lifting is all about doing the fundamental coaching, “however with higher consciousness.” The wonder, who most just lately received the Masters 35+ Bikini class within the 2025 NPC Worldwide Caribbean Grand Prix Bahamas and got here second within the 2025 NPC Masters USA wrote, “That’s the humorous factor about lifting. The longer you do it, the extra you understand the basics aren’t one thing you ‘graduate’ from. They’re one thing you retain getting higher at.” Right here’s the right way to get higher with your personal exercises.
Megan Ewoldsen’s 6 Tricks to Stimulate Superior Muscle Progress From Primary Coaching
1) Management the decrease portion of the rep
“Most muscle progress occurs throughout he eccentric (decreasing) section,” supplied Ewoldsen. “Superior lifters don’t drop the burden… they management it.” Certainly, a scientific overview of eccentric motion the place the muscle is lengthened, versus concentric actions have been the muscle is shortened (on account of elevating the burden), confirmed that “Eccentric coaching carried out at excessive intensities was proven to be more practical in selling will increase in muscle mass measured as muscle girth.”
To get essentially the most muscle, you could take again management, stated Ewoldsen. “Once I slowed down my eccentrics, I instantly felt extra muscle engagement.”
2) Prepare nearer to failure
“Newbies usually cease when the set begins to burn,” defined Ewoldsen, encouraging her followers to push tougher for larger features. “Superior lifters cease when the muscle can’t produce one other high quality rep.” In fact, muscle constructing requires that the physique is in a state of hypertrophy, and this happens when the muscle is taxed to the purpose that it must restore itself. “It took me a very long time to appreciate the previous few reps are the place the expansion stimulus actually occurs,” shared the Bikini star.
3) Maintain the important thing workouts
Variation is necessary for exercises, and can assist to maintain the physique guessing, however you shouldn’t swap out key lifts reminiscent of squats or progress could also be misplaced. “Superior lifters repeat the identical key lifts for months or years,” defined Ewoldsen. “So, they’ll progressively overload them.”
Progressive overload is a vital observe as much as the second tip, as a result of because the muscular tissues get larger and stronger, extra drive is required to maintain that state of hypertrophy going. “The lifts that modified my physique essentially the most are those I’ve repeated for the previous few years,” she added.
4) Don’t relaxation mid-rep
“Newbies usually lock-out joints or loosen up between reps,” mirrored the coach. “Superior lifters maintain fixed rigidity on the goal muscle.” To know the idea of time below rigidity, the bodybuilder defined that working with cables gave her a wake-up name. “Cables helped me perceive this immensely, as a result of the muscle stays below rigidity all the time.”
5) Use a full vary of movement
Whereas progressive overload and time below rigidity are necessary components of the muscle constructing puzzle, they solely work accurately if an train is executed with correct kind. “Superior lifters don’t shorten the motion to make the train simpler,” challenged Ewoldsen. “They management the underside stretch and end the rep with a powerful prime contraction.” The match mother additionally supplied that “typically even an additional inch of vary of movement fully modifications how an train feels.”
6) Typically much less is extra
Making a carry with the aforementioned management and correct kind implies that you could maintain a cautious examine of the burden. If you’re failing earlier than you’ve obtained midway by the set, it is likely to be time to examine your ego on the door. “Superior lifters are keen to cut back the burden to enhance execution,” suggested Ewoldsen. “Higher tempo, deeper vary, and pauses usually require much less weight,” she defined. “Many instances I’ve lowered by weight and really felt the goal muscle working extra.”
So, whether or not you’re a full gymnasium beginner, or simply want a reminder, the following tips will stand you in good stead for muscle features. “Even essentially the most superior lifters are nonetheless working to grasp the fundamentals,” stated the match feminine.
To observe Megan Ewoldsen on Instagram, click on right here.
