👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
Hi! My name is Lauren Gleisberg or “LG.” I was born and raised in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin suburb (love the Midwest!) and currently live in Houston, Texas.
My journey into fitness isn’t the typical one because I actually intended on a pretty traditional career path: Dentistry. I graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Biology, got into a wonderful dental school DDS program, and then decided to give it all up to pursue my own health and wellness brand.
Long story short, I’ve always had a passion for weight lifting even when I was the only woman in my high school gym training that way.
In college, I started a blog (LaurenGleisberg.com) “for fun” to share my daily workouts. A few years later, I found a way to monetize it. Eventually, I took the leap of faith to go at it full time and I’ve never looked back.
Fast forward quite a few years and I’m a proud wife and mom to two little boys: Leo (2 1/2 years old) and Beckham (1 year old). I have several employees on my team who help run my business at LaurenGleisberg.com where I share workout programs, cookbooks and promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
My personal training reflects this balance. I workout for 30ish minutes, five days per week. I do traditional weight training workouts and follow the 80/20 principle for nutrition because I love my sweets and treats just as much as I love a healthy dish.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
I am a big believer in aligning your workouts with your training goals.
I drop my son of at school at 8 a.m. and I drive right to the gym. I try to workout five days/week. I train alone and I actually follow my own programs. I’m either testing out a new plan launching soon or using one of my current programs.
I am a big believer in aligning your workouts with your training goals. I love that fit, strong and lean body, so I do traditional weight training workouts. I include staple movements like deadlifts, squats and presses because I find those WORK best for putting on muscle.
I also love to sneak in core and cardio movements for a maximum calorie burn; favorite moves to include are mountain climbers, hands to forearm plank and my pelvic floor and core workouts, which are the deepest core workouts I’ve ever done.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
I know that motivation comes and goes and it is habits that keep us committed. So, I make my healthy lifestyle as habitual as possible. For example, dropping my son off at school and going right to the gym is basically on auto-pilot. There are mornings where I don’t want to go but I do it because it’s part of my routine.
Also, I used to workout for an hour or more. Switching to a 30-minute workouts was a game changer. I maximize my time by training just two to three muscle groups per workout, taking short rests and including supersets and circuits.
I find myself saying, “Oh, I can squeeze in a 30-minute workout” and because of that, I stayed more consistent and saw even better results.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
The best plan out there is the one you can stick to long-term.
I love where I am at in my fitness journey. I feel an amazing amount of balance, working out Monday through Friday and taking off on the weekends. I’ve been weight training for over a decade, so I’ve know how to make a 30 minute workout highly effective and am seeing great results.
Also, I have goals in the gym and so many more outside of the gym. If I could go back and start my journey over, I would focus on making my plans (whether that’s workouts or the way I eat) as maintainable as possible.
The best plan out there is the one you can stick to long-term. I look forward to taking this balanced mindset into my future and seeing how everything evolves as I continue to evolve as a person.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
Pregnancy and motherhood has taught me some of the greatest lessons in resting, recovering and listening to your body. I had two babies in two years. This taught me to look at my body in terms of all it can do and not just how it looks. This phase of life forces you to “rest” and I learned to appreciate it.
My goal is to be leading an active, healthy lifestyle for decades to come and I know a huge part of that is embracing rest and days off from the gym. Personally, I really enjoy taking off Saturday and Sunday.
By the time Monday rolls around, I am excited to get into the gym and workout. Also, I know that recovery is a critical part of how our bodies build muscle; it’s where the results become real, so I embrace it.
I thankfully have not had injuries so I can’t speak to that.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
For me, nutrition is the “tougher” component. I can more easily fit in a daily workout than I can stick to healthy eating. I have learned to get creative in my approach so that I don’t feel deprived but so that I’m hitting my daily protein and overall macro goals.
I may be one of the most “unhealthy” healthy eaters out there. I eat cookies, chips and treats daily, but I’m smart about it. I follow a macro-based approach but do so in way that I don’t ever count anything (counting is too time-consuming for me to stick to on a daily basis).
I also follow Intermittent Fasting. I’ve seen great results following IF and I’ve seen great results not fasting. I am snacker, so having “start” and “stop” times helps curtail my late night cravings and snacking.
I wrote about my entire IF experience here.
As far as supplements, I am pretty basic and believe less is more. My staples are protein powder, Vital Proteins collagen, pre-workouts and an occasional BCAA.
Preworkout: vitalproteins.com/pages/vital-performance
Collagen: vitalproteins.com/products/collagen-peptides
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
I am a big believer in finding your “why.” Of course, I have things like an upcoming beach vacation or a wedding that help spark a fire underneath me. On most days, I know that my “why” and my reason for leading an active lifestyle has a lot more to do with mental health.
I’ve had some darker times in my life, and I’ve thankfully seen brighter days because of my healthy lifestyle. Exercise releases endorphins, which are also known as the happy hormone. It’s science and I so strongly believe in that power.
I also find a lot of inspiration in being a part of a fitness community. The women who follow my programs all connect as part of a community: #LGAccountability #LGSister #LGCommunity on Instagram. We proudly have over 1 MILLION uploads across all of our community hashtags.
As a community, we follow the same workouts in real time. We try the same recipes. We celebrate each other’s wins and support one another in hard times.
It’s a sisterhood that is rooted in health and fitness but becomes about so much more than that. It’s definitely something that keeps me going on a daily basis just as any group of friends does.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
A series of small steps leads to big progress that lasts.
Start small. So often, we want to dive into health and fitness, but it becomes unrealistic to maintain and that’s why I see so many individuals quitting. Start with committing to workouts three days/week for 30 minutes. Don’t even worry about nutrition at this point.
When those workouts become a habit, take another small step like committing to healthy smoothies or some sort of healthy breakfast each day. Once that becomes habitual, take another baby step. A series of small steps leads to big progress that lasts.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
Yes! Always! I have PDF workout programs as well as a meal plan/cookbooks available on my website that you can instantly download and begin.
I am very active on social media and within our community groups so you always feel like you have someone right there with you. The LG Community is thriving and made up of genuine, supportive women. I love being a part of it.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
You can find me at LaurenGleisberg.com and on Instagram @laurengleisberg
I have so many resources on my blog from free weight training workouts to recipes that are so delicious you won’t believe they’re healthy and all the hacks to help you hit your goals.
I am incredibly passionate about a balanced, healthy life as well as effective programs, and I hope to connect with even more women.
