It’s still about functional fitness—and a whole lot more  When Pvolve first launched in 2017, it quickly gained a reputation for being the workout for high-profile models that was especially sculpting the glutes, thanks in part to our first piece of equipment, the innovative p.ball. Built by entrepreneur Rachel Katzman and trainer Stephen Pasterino as the antidote to burpee-laden high-impact HIIT workouts, our method started with a lot of talk about elongating the body while lifting the butt without the boot camp-style “no pain, no gain” attitude.   The Pvolve of today can still give you a great rear view and all-over definition you won't believe and it's still a favorite with high-profile models and celebs (see: Jennifer Aniston's latest "obsession"). But it looks quite different than it did five years ago. While our foundation remains the same, our focus has shifted. We pair functional fitness with resistance equipment to sculpt in a way that's efficient and effective, yet gentle on the body. Pvolve now has more class types, a stronger emphasis on wellness, and even more sculpting, shaping, and strengthening benefits. Here's why—and how—it's changed. Redefining functional   The catalyst for the changes to Pvolve’s approach was Rachel’s own personal wellness journey. As her needs and priorities shifted over the years, she began asking for more. “I started Pvolve because I knew by moving this way I looked good, and I felt good. But in my early 20s, I wasn’t yet thinking about what the things that were making me feel good— balance, stability, mobility, flexibility—would mean throughout my life.”   Then when she was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2020, she had another ah-ha moment that deepened her appreciation for what a workout that fuels the body could truly mean. In turn, she explains, “My vision of what we can offer expanded.”   The heart is still unquestionably functional fitness that moves you through all planes of motion. “When Pvolve started, it was based on sculpting your body with movement that works on strength, stability, and mobility all in one,” says Pvolve VP of Talent and Training Antonietta Vicario. “And it’s brilliant, and it works. It’s smart fitness, and that won’t change.”   However, as Rachel challenged the team to put even more emphasis on how movement could make you feel, diversified our training staff, and grew our Clinical Advisory Board, an idea began to take shape: that for a workout to be truly functional, it needs to function for you and where you are today. So we took on the mission of offering practical solutions that sculpt (of course) but do it in a way that truly works for the individual.  "What does a woman need? It is not a one-size-fits-all answer," explains Antonietta. “It can change day to day. And what a woman needs at 45 is different from when she was 25. That's what the science tells us. So we've expanded our programming to be able to use smart fitness to meet members’ goals.”  Embracing workout variety  All these revelations spurred the team to expand our workout library. Pvolve started with our signature Strength & Sculpt classes, which feature low-impact functional exercises and incorporate light hand weights and a variety of other equipment. Since then, we’ve added everything from Cardio Burn to Pilates-based mat classes to sessions that incorporate heavy weights called Progressive Weight Training—all with the Pvolve twist of functional movement.   The variety allows every member to create their ideal workout mix. We still believe everyone can benefit from our signature Strength & Sculpt class (and it’s usually where we suggest you start), but depending on your goals, your week may incorporate other class types. For example, anyone looking to up metabolism may want to try more Cardio Burn and Progressive Weight Training classes. Or someone looking to get back into a routine may want to focus on our slower Flow State series before starting with the rest of our content. And we also offer restorative and meditation classes for a totally holistic approach.  Lead Trainer & Director of Programming Maeve McEwen explains that diversity can also help you avoid plateaus. “The body adapts to movement, so you want to give people new challenges. We want to help them keep moving and growing,” she explains. As Rachel puts it: “You know it’s not good for your gut to eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. You need variety. And when it comes to exercise, it’s the same.”  We’ve also gone a step more with a category called Movement Therapy, created with guidance from members of our Clinical Advisory Board to help you work through sensitive areas like aching shoulders and ankles. We’ve also added Women’s Wellness content to help keep you moving with everything from syncing with your menstrual-cycle to pre- and post-natal workouts. “We’re serving women in ways no other fitness brand ever has,” insists Rachel.   If all this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. We have series tailored to specific goals and needs to get you started. And we offer 1:1 consultations to every member to find you craft a more personalized plan. (You can schedule one here.)  Your one and only workout—or not  Because the original vision for Pvolve was to replace go-harder-more-more-more classes with one unique workout that could get you all the results you want, this led to some talk in the beginning about Pvolve being designed to be your only workout for best results. That’s not our philosophy today.   Yes, Pvolve has been crafted with enough variety to be your sole fitness approach if you choose, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix it into your current routine. If you love doing yoga, want to keep up your HIIT habit, or have no intention of ever giving up your barre classes, no problem. In those cases, we encourage you to think of Pvolve as an amazing complement to your current go-tos. Antonietta insists, “Whatever you do that inspires you to move your body, that’s great. I would never tell somebody to give up something that they love doing if it was working for them!”  And, in fact, Pvolve may even help you up your game in sports or other fitness classes. Explains Maeve, “If you’ve been spinning or running on a treadmill, you may be overusing certain muscles and underusing others. When you start exploring rotations and training in all planes of motion with Pvolve, you can open up a whole new level of possibilities for your body and improve performance.”  Rachel’s take: “At the end of the day, there’s always room for a workout that strengthens and sculpts your body and makes you feel better than when you started.”   Oh, and it’ll still give you the booty of your dream while doing it.   Not a member yet? Start your free trial for access to our library of on-demand classes and start working out with us today.

No matter your destination, these carry-on-friendly fitness accessories and sculpting moves will help you stay on top of your workout routine while out of town.  If you’ve ever pressed pause on your workouts while away thanks to a lack of travel-friendly workout equipment or space in your hotel room, you know that getting back into it can feel like starting from scratch. It can take some effort to find your old groove, and you may even discover that moves you powered through pre-vacay have become surprisingly challenging. Indeed, research that looked at people who typically walk more than 10,000 steps a day found that 14 days of being mostly inactive led to a 4 percent drop in fitness levels and an increase in waist circumference and total body fat.  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break from your p.sits to focus on the pool and piña coladas (and—happy news!—the same study found that fitness levels bounced back to baseline after two weeks of resuming exercise). But if you’re one of the 53% of Americans who feel it’s very (or at least somewhat) important to work out while traveling, consider making some room in your suitcase for portable exercise equipment, like the four easy-to-pack products below.  Whether you’re traveling for work or pleasure, Pvolve’s Method makes it simple to stick with your exercise routine, especially with the new On-the-Go series. These five 30-minute-or-less workouts can be done in a cramped hotel room (or better yet, on the beach!). All you need are a few pieces of fitness accessories that can fit into even the smallest carry-on case. Consider it your first-class ticket to staying in shape while you’re OOO.  4 Moves That Keep You Toned While Traveling  Check out a sampling of the exercises from Pvolve’s On-the-Go series, all featuring packable workout gear that will change the way you travel.  Step Back & Pull with the P.band  Start in a hip hinge position (feet hip-distance, slightly hinged at hips with a soft bend in knees, and abdominals engaged) with thumbs hooked under the p.band. Extend your arms out in front of you about hip height with palms facing down and fingers elongated, then pull out to the sides slightly to engage your shoulder blades. Step your right foot back behind you, landing on the ball of the foot, while simultaneously extending arms upward. Pull the p.band apart until your hands are just above the hairline, keeping palms facing out and right knee above right ankle. Step right foot forward while lowering the p.band to return to start position. That’s one rep. Do 8-10 reps, then switch sides.   Shop the p.band  Outer & Inner Thigh Cross with the Light Ankle Band  Start with feet hip-distance, then step right foot back, keeping a soft bend in your left knee. Keeping a flat back, lean chest forward slightly and pull arms back into a T with elbows out. Keeping your heel high off the ground, step your right foot out to the right so that it’s on a back diagonal, then pause to engage your outer thighs. Lift the right foot and cross it back behind your left leg to engage inner thighs. That’s one rep. Do 8-10 reps, then switch sides.   Shop the Light Ankle Band  Glider Inner Thigh Cross with Gliders  Start with feet wider than hip distance, arms extended upward, and glider under the ball of your right foot. Shift your weight into your left leg and bend your left knee. Sit your hips back while reaching down toward your left foot, then return to standing while extending arms upward and to your right side and simultaneously crossing the glider in front of your left leg. Return to start position. That’s one rep. Do 8-10 reps, then switch sides.     Shop the Gliders Forward Step with the Heavy Ankle Band (and optional hand weights or hotel water bottles)  Start with feet hip-distance and arms against your body with elbows tucked in and bent at a 90-degree angle (optional: hold weights or water bottles in hands). Keeping the left heel on the ground, step your right foot forward while simultaneously pressing bent arms up until elbows are at shoulder height. Lower hands and push off of your right foot to step back and return to start position. That’s one rep. Do 8-10 reps, then switch sides.     Shop the Heavy Ankle Band  Not a member yet? Start your free trial for access to our library of on-demand classes and start working out with us today.

Menopause has a lot of negative connotations, including menopause weight gain—especially menopause belly fat. If you believe the messaging we see out the world, it’s the time when a woman’s body dries up, she puts on weight, and she’s on her way to becoming old and frail. If you’ve had those thoughts yourself, it’s time to reframe what this experience can look like. While menopause does signal a shift into a different stage of life (hormonally speaking) there is a lot to embrace about this time—and exercise can play a pivotal role in helping you look and feel strong and happy.   That’s why we’ve created our new fitness series, for women in perimenopause and menopause. Made in partnership with Elektra Health, it’s designed to help women combat menopause symptoms with movement and mindfulness, and includes short cardio HIIT workouts, resistance and weight training, and meditation. It’s just another way Pvolve supports women throughout all stages of their lives with evidence-based fitness workouts designed for where you are now—and where you want to be.   Table of Contents Menopause and Exercise Menopause: Understand What Your Body is Going Through Menopause Exercise Plan with Pvolve Resistance & Weight Training HIIT Workouts Pelvic Floor Strengthening Meditation Menopause and Exercise: Full Body Benefits Menopause and Exercise At the core of our menopause exercise plan is functional movement, which helps you move better in the world outside your workout, either by mimicking the movements you do in everyday activity, or by strengthening the muscles necessary to do them—and, often, by simultaneously sharpening your mind-to-muscle connection so you can move more freely and feel more open in your body all day, every day. The Pvolve Method uses sequencing that weaves in all these elements to unlock your body so it can move the way it was designed to.   Menopause: Understand what your body is going through  As your body enters perimenopause leading up to menopause—defined as going 12 months without a period—there are lots of changes happening. “We currently recognize that there are at least 34 possible menopause symptoms,” says Jackie Giannelli, FNP-BC, NCMPFNP-BC, NCMP, founding nurse practitioner of Elektra Health, our partner in the Moving with Menopause series. “And around 80 percent of women will experience at least a few of them.”  Some of the more commonly discussed symptoms include menopause weight gain/redistribution, hot flashes, night sweats, “brain fog,” mood swings, and vaginal dryness. And much of that can be blamed on hormonal shifts.  “Menopause often involves a change in body composition as estrogen levels decline and our body becomes more insulin resistant,” explains Antonietta Vicario, VP Talent & Training for Pvolve. “Many women experience weight redistribution from the thighs and hips to the waist and abdomen, often referred to as belly fat.”   Estrogen decline impacts many systems within the body, resulting in less lubrication of muscles, ligaments, and joints. Of particular concern, notes Vicario, is the pelvic floor. Estrogen helps maintain elasticity and hydration within all the connective tissue of the pelvic floor which supports our sex organs, the bladder, and the rectum. “The pelvic floor is another essential muscle we address to help prevent pelvic prolapse, hypertonicity, incontinence and constipation due to the ever changing environment of the connective tissue. These exercises may even improve one’s comfort during sex,” she says.   Estrogen also plays a protective role for our bones, which are susceptible to losing density with estrogens decline during perimenopause and menopause.   But it’s not the only area women can see a decline. “In addition to the decline in estrogen, we lose muscle mass as we age, sometimes as much as 2 percent year over year after the age of 40!” Vicario says. “That muscle is often replaced by fat tissue which is less metabolically active so one’s resting metabolic rate diminishes.”  A combination of cardiovascular movement, strength training, and meditation works with your changing body to build strength and retain the flexibility and functionality you don’t want to lose.   Menopause Exercise Plan with Pvolve  “There are so many things we can do to support the body through menopause and help potentially manage some of these changes in body composition,” Vicario says. She and Pvolve expert trainers Maeve McEwen, Cecily McCullough, and Reneé Settle lead the Moving with Menopause workouts.   “First, I’d say to prioritize heavy weight training at least 2-3 times per week. The more muscle on the body, the higher your resting metabolic rate so you want to keep that ratio optimized as muscle burns fat,” she says. “A big component of this at Pvolve is both our strength-based movement exercises and our resistance-based equipment.”  Cardiovascular exercise helps keep a woman’s heart, bones, and brain strong while also keeping cortisol levels in check, Vicario says, making it a perfect complement to weight training. “Shorter intervals of cardio—think 20-25 minutes incorporating 20-30 seconds of all-out movement—balanced with strength training is protective without spiking cortisol, a stress hormone that when triggered repeatedly can create a signal in the body to hold onto fat tissue,” she says. “Keeping these workouts short works out perfectly, since women in this life stage are often juggling career, family, and prioritizing their own needs.”   Meditation for menopause is another tool to try. “Arming yourself with breathing techniques to reduce cortisol in the body can help offset the negative effects of this hormone that can lead to weight gain, disrupted sleep, even shrinking the size of our brain!” Vicario says. And the mind-body connection can also be harnessed during pelvic floor exercises. “By working to be able to both strengthen and release these muscles through mindful activation, we can help keep the pelvic floor functioning well,” she says.   Each workout in this series will help you reach your goals, move better, and feel stronger.  Resistance & Weight Training  “Building lean muscle mass is one of the best and most effective ways to mitigate the changes that happen when we begin to lose estrogen,” Giannelli says. “Muscle is a more metabolically active tissue, and therefore more regular exercise—specifically strength training—will help with weight maintenance as well as strength, endurance, stability, and balance, in order to slow down muscle loss.”   During perimenopause and into menopause, it becomes critical to create muscle with resistance training to help burn fat, she explains. In our menopause series, you’ll notice the workouts call for heavier weights and less reps. “We specifically created workouts for menopause that lean on lifting the heaviest weight load one can manage while maintaining proper alignment, breaking down our muscle fibers to stimulate muscle growth,” Vicario explains.  “This is intentional in order to take the muscle to its point of failing,” says Amy Hoover, DPT, member of Pvolve Clinical Advisory Board. “That is what ultimately builds lean muscle mass.”   HIIT Workouts  While the Pvolve Method emphasizes lower impact movement, for this series, we took the intensity up a notch with short cardio pushes. High intensity interval workouts can improve blood sugar levels, as well as improve cognition and memory. This type of workout may also improve blood vessel function, burn fat and lead to better cardiovascular health, Hoover says. And the benefits don’t stop there. “Cardiovascular exercise is not only good for the heart, but also helps to reset and maintain circadian rhythm or our sleep cycle,” she adds.   As women get older and start to worry about bone density loss, these strategic cardio pushes can play a role in staying strong. “Multidirectional stresses on the body stimulate bone growth,” she explains. “Pvolve has functional, multidirectional movements as a foundation and now we are adding more stress through the body.”  Plyometrics, or jumping movements, is another key component in increasing bone density and heart health overall. And with the PVolve workouts, it’s something anyone can incorporate into their movements when done with good form. “Plyometrics helps stimulate bone as well as muscle power,” she says. “We include stresses through the upper body as well as the lower body, so if you can’t jump because of joint issues you can still practice plyometrics or even light impact to get this benefit.”    Pelvic Floor Strengthening  Strengthening the pelvic floor can help support sexual health and combat urinary and/or fecal incontinence, and pelvic prolapse. And while pelvic floor health is essential in all phases of a woman’s adult life, once a woman enters perimenopause and menopause, it is more important than ever to address this muscle group specifically.  “Sixty percent of women will experience urogenital symptoms like urinary or fecal incontinence, bladder dysfunction, constipation, or pelvic organ prolapse,” Hoover says. “Keeping the connection to the pelvic floor and practicing both good relaxation and strengthening of these muscles will help you mitigate these changes and can compensate for the tissue changes.”    As estrogen levels drop, there is thinning of the connective tissues and structures around the pelvis including urethra, vaginal wall, and rectum, she explains. This may have a negative effect on the way the pelvic floor functions, contributing to pelvic floor weakness, tightness, or both.    Pelvic floor exercises are another key component of PVolve’s workout series for menopause. And they have whole-body benefits. “Once you know how to incorporate the pelvic floor in your movements, you can integrate this muscle into all of your workouts when you need stability and when lifting heavy weights by contracting or when you are opening all the muscles in the hips and abdomen during recovery through release,” Vicario says.   Meditation  Our meditation sessions—which include both breathwork and stretching—are essential for improved mindset, sleep, and recovery. They help regulate cortisol spikes (which can lead to belly fat), encourages recovery through mindful movement and helps your body maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, which is especially important at a time when many women report disrupted sleep.  “The breath is such a powerful tool that we can tap into anytime and anywhere that has a dramatic and immediate effect on lowering our stress hormone to help us with insomnia, sleeplessness and stress,” Vicario says. “Prioritizing recovery and breath work as needed is a great way to ensure you feel good in both mind and body during what can feel like a chaotic time.   Menopause and Exercise: Full Body Benefits  Incorporating all these movement and mindfulness tools can help you manage the menopause transition with greater ease, says Vicario. “We are so excited to arm you with all this knowledge and these specific interventions and work with the body during this natural process,” she says.   And she and the other experts tapped for this menopause series emphasize other lifestyle tweaks you can make for optimal overall mental and physical wellness.   “Dehydration is more common during menopause, and without estrogen it’s a lot easier for our muscles, tendons, and ligaments to become dehydrated,” Giannelli says. “This can make weight training more difficult and even lead to injury. Hydration is key!”   Vicario has a favorite way to stay hydrated. “We have our Recover 9 supplement that blends pomegranate fruit extract and 9 essential amino acid compounds to help speed your recovery, reduce soreness and inflammation, and build muscle,” she explains. “It’s my personal strategy for hydration and optimizing muscle gain after lifting!”  What’s more, Giannelli says, it’s important to listen to your body’s cues. “Push yourself on the days you feel well and have more energy, but also be kind to yourself on the days you feel more tired,” she says.   Nutrition is also important to feeling your best through menopause and beyond. “Making sure we get enough protein in our diet and choosing whole grains and complex carbohydrates (over simple sugars) will ensure that the energy and building blocks we need to maintain muscle mass are available to us,” she says.   And as with most things in life, having the right mindset going into this phase of life can have a huge positive impact on your overall wellness. “Being brave and approaching menopause with an open mind is key,” Giannelli says. “We may not always be capable of doing all the things we did in our younger years, but we do have the chance to rediscover our changing bodies and explore all the new possibilities out there for us. When we view menopause through this lens, it becomes a period of opportunity.”   Ready to get started with the workouts?  Because everyone’s menopause journey and specific mix of symptoms are different, this program is designed for you to choose the classes that best work for you. That means there’s no prescribed path to follow in terms of what workouts to do on what days—but there are a few guidelines we recommend: To build muscle you want to lift heavy two to three times per week, alternated with two cardio and strength circuit classes. Mix in pelvic floor exercises to strengthen and release this key area and add in restorative classes to help lower cortisol. Get started with this Full Body Heavy Weight Training Workout for Improved Body Composition right now. Learn more and sign up today. 

Fuming after a fight with your sister or frustrated about being stuck in gridlock traffic? Guided meditation and other mindfulness practices can be a comforting handhold for when life gets stressful, hectic, or plain unpleasant. The exercises help you slow down, relax, and focus being present to help ease an overwhelmed or anxious mind—and you can do them whenever, wherever. Find out how mindfulness can benefit you and learn how to incorporate mindful meditation into your life.   15-Minute Guided Meditation    What is Mindfulness?  Mindfulness is the practice of tuning into your senses and how you feel in the moment without labeling or judging those emotions and feelings. Simply put, it’s about being fully present.  You may have already experienced moments of mindfulness—perhaps when out to dinner with friends, when you took the time to intentionally slow down and savor each bite of pasta, appreciating the buttered aroma and perfectly al dente texture. Or you may have felt it on a walk where you were able to let go of stress about an upcoming work deadline and instead focus on the now: the refreshing breeze against your skin, the soft squish of your sneakers against the pavement.   Once you learn how to practice mindfulness, you’ll realize that the opportunities to put it into action are everywhere. And here’s why you’ll want to: The mind and body benefits of mindfulness include reduced anxiety, improved memory, sharpened attention, improved immunity, and even boosted cardiovascular health.  If you’re new to mindfulness, meditations like the ones included this seven-part series (available to all our members) are a good place to start, and they pair perfectly with the rest of your Pvolve practice. Just like our functional movement-based Method strengthens the muscles used in everyday activities so that you can move more freely, research shows that mindfulness practices actually change the structure of the brain to help you feel less stressed and think more clearly.  The Basics of Meditation  One great way to practice mindfulness is with meditation. But calming your mind can be difficult at first. “Most of us spend our time keeping the mind busy, entertained, or distracted,” says mindfulness expert Jessica Li Phillips. “Meditation techniques help you become more curious about what your mind is actually doing as you settle down and get a little calmer and quieter.”  There are multiple different ways to meditate. Find one that works for you with Pvolve’s seven-part Meditation & Mindfulness series or follow these steps to get started.   Set a timer for how long you want to meditate. It could be two minutes or 20—any amount is beneficial. If you’re new to meditation, start with just a few minutes.   Find a calm, quiet place. You could sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor or even lie down—whatever feels most comfortable to you.   Close your eyes or lower your gaze to the ground in front of you and focus on your breath, following it as you inhale and exhale.   If your mind wanders, don’t let that stop you. Instead, acknowledge the thought, then return your attention to your breath.  “Meditation isn’t about completely quieting the mind or getting rid of thoughts, but instead of becoming aware of what our minds are actually doing,” says Phillips.   Continue until your timer goes off. Then, gently open your eyes.   That’s it—you meditated! How do you feel? What thoughts and emotions surfaced during your meditation, and were you able to help return your focus to your breathing? Don’t stress if this practice was difficult or if you couldn’t stop the loud chatter in your mind. Like with anything, meditation takes practice. And starting with guided sessions can be make the process easier!   Body Scan Meditation in Mindfulness Practices  You have days where you feel like the act of living itself just causes tension in the body, but, well, it’s kind of true. Your excitement, stress, or concentration could cause tightness between your brows, in your upper shoulders, or along your lower back, for example.    Body scan meditation is a foundational meditative practice that allows you to identify any physical tension throughout your body. “It can be a wonderful tool for guiding your awareness to your body, noticing where tension is being held and softening it without trying to fix it,” says Phillips. “It invites you to have a gentler, kinder, moment-to-moment relationship with your body.”  To try a body scan meditation, follow these steps:  Lie on your back with eyes closed, legs extended, and arms at your sides.  As you breathe in and out, bring your focus to each part of your body, starting from your toes and moving up toward your head.   As you zero in on each body part, pay attention to the sensations—pain, warmth, tension, relaxation, etc.   If you notice an unpleasant sensation, you can breathe into it. Imagine your breath helping to loosen and release that tightness.  Keep in mind that you’re not trying to change or solve for these sensations but rather bring awareness to them. And when combined with the Pvolve Method, body scan meditation can help further sharpen your mind-body connection. Taking the time to regularly scan from head to toe can help you become more in tune with your body, allowing you to I.D. aches or injuries before they become problematic.   What to Do When Your Mind Wanders During Meditation  You’re mid-meditation when you find yourself thinking about what to cook for dinner or worrying about a medical bill. Totally normal (your mind doesn’t have an “off” switch, after all!).   A wandering mind isn’t a sign that you’ve ruined your mindfulness session. “Don’t think of this as a hindrance to your meditation,” says Phillips, explaining that you can get yourself back on track with a method called mental noting. “When you notice that you have drifted into dreaming, thinking, or worrying, simply note, ‘ah, thinking’ and then guide your awareness back to the meditation with care and intention,” she says.  The key is to label the distraction or disruptive thought without analyzing or judging it (or, ahem, yourself), and then—poof!—let it go. This will help prevent you from ruminating on the thought for too long. You can also use this same method if the sound of a honking car interrupts your meditation (you may think something like “hearing” or “loud”) or you’re distracted by the scratchy tag of your tee-shirt (think “feeling” or “itch”).    Meditation Benefits  Whether you opt for mindfulness meditation, body scan meditation, or another form of meditation, it’s a win for your body and mind. The benefits of meditation include:  Better stress management   Increased self-awareness  Reduced negative emotions  Lowered resting heart rate and blood pressure  Improved quality of sleep  An added advantage: Meditation could help you get more out of your Pvolve sessions. By nurturing your mind and body through meditation, you may find that you feel more present during your Pv  olve workouts too. The result: A stronger, calmer, more focused you that’s ready to take on whatever the day throws your way.  Not a member yet? Start your free trial for access to our library of on-demand classes and start working out with us today.

When it comes to strengthening and stretching workouts, chances are that you focus on your arms, legs, back, and glutes—but your ankles? They’re likely to fall off your radar. While they’re easily overlooked, if you’ve ever sprained an ankle, you know that injuring this small area of the body can be hugely painful.  To the rescue: Moves that improve ankle mobility and strength—which in the Pvolve Method often means functional movement-based strength-training exercises that incorporate balance. Exercises like these don’t just reduce the chance of injury by keeping the joint stable and flexible—they can also help take unnecessary stress off other areas of the body like the knees and hips. That’s because the ankles and feet, which are made up of several small bones and joints, are designed to absorb shock. “They need to be both mobile and strong to absorb much of that force so as not to overload the joints above the ankle,” says Dr. Amy Hoover Doctor of Physical Therapy and member of Pvolve’s Clinical Advisory Board. “When our feet and ankles are functioning properly, this allows the rest of the lower body to work the way it is designed and can allow better biomechanics and correct movement patterns.” Have we talked you into starting an ankle routine? We’ve got a few moves that can help you strengthen your ankles and improve ankle mobility.   3 Moves to Strengthen Your Ankles  Strengthening the muscles that surround the ankles, foot, and lower leg can help stabilize the ankle joint, reducing the chance of ankle pain or injuries. Use these three Pvolve exercises to help strengthen your ankles (light ankle weights optional). An added benefit: These ankle workouts double as leg strengthening exercises.  Soccer Kicks  Stand with hips square, right foot slightly in front of left, arms above the head with light weights in hands. Lengthen the right leg and tap toes forward while leaning slightly back create one long diagonal line through the body from your right toes out the crown of your head, avoiding arching in your lower back, angling the hip bones up toward the ceiling and squeezing the glutes. Lower arms to shoulder height, keeping them straight, while straightening back to neutral and raising the right knee toward ceiling. Then extend the arms up and lean slightly back while tapping the right foot forward. Do 10-12 reps, then switch sides.   Leg Extension on the Slant Board    Stand on the slant board (toes pointing down) with elbows bent and hands at the hips and find a p.sit with your torso in a long diagonal line. Lift the right leg up so the knees touch and then extend the right leg straight back behind you while reaching arms out in front. Hold for a moment, then pull the right leg in so that knees touch while bringing the arms back to start position. Be sure your back isn’t overarching and that your abs stay tightly pulled in. Do 8-10 reps, then switch sides.   Inner Thigh Sweep on the Slant Board  Stand with the left foot on the slant board, right leg extended straight back behind you with heel raised high, left hand on left hip, and right arm extended up. Step the right leg a few inches across your midline as you squeeze the top of the inner thighs, then step foot back to start position. Do 8-10 reps, then switch sides.   3 Ankle Mobility Exercises  The next time you stretch, don’t forget about your ankles. Stretching the surrounding muscles there will help increase the range of motion in the joint and reduce the chance of injury. Plus, these three ankle mobility exercises from Pvolve trainers just feel good!     Ankle pumps    Stand tall with feet hip-distance apart. Lift up onto the balls of the feet as you squeeze the calf muscles, focusing on pushing into the inner edges of the feet (big toe area). Lower heels to return to the starting position. Do 10-12 reps.    Ankle Mobility with the P.ball     Sit with legs extended in front of you. Place the p.ball under the right calf, bring the ball of the right foot into the p.ball strap, holding the strap in the right hand, and gently rest the left hand on the right thigh to hold the leg in alignment. Articulate through the right foot by slowly pointing it and pushing into the band, then flex back (pulling strap if needed).  Do 8 reps, then switch sides.   Ankle Circles    Stand with feet hip-distance apart, using a chair for hand support if needed. Lift the right heel and gently circle through the ankle. Do 10-12 reps, reversing direction halfway through, then switch sides.   Not a member yet? Start your free trial for access to our library of on-demand classes and start working out with us today.

If you’re a wellness junkie, you’ve probably heard a thing or two – or 20 – about supplements. There’s vitamin C for immunity, magnesium for sleep and digestion, probiotics for gut health, vitamin B for energy and brain function – the list goes on for miles.   With so many supplements on the market formulated to address and prevent an endless list of concerns, it can be tricky to find what works best for your body’s unique needs.   Supplements and the Wellness Industry  The wellness industry is self-regulated in the U.S., meaning supplement companies are not directly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration. Instead, they are required to comply with a list of standards published by the FDA. While this may sound like it makes the supplement hunt all the more complicated, it can actually help streamline the process if you think about it this way: you should only be sourcing your vitamins and supplements from trustworthy, clinically-backed sources that pride themselves on their standards and adhere to strict testing and manufacturing protocols.   When we kicked off the creation of our first-ever supplement, we collaborated with members of our Clinical Advisory Board to ensure its efficacy and safety was up to par. After years of research, testing, clinical studies and more, Recover 9 was born. It's a new-to-market supplement that works to reduce soreness, restore muscle function, and build lean muscle to help you bounce back to your best workout.    Why did Pvolve make a supplement to aid post-workout recovery? Recovery is a key element of Pvolve. Our method teaches you how to tune into your body, and, in doing so, notice the signs that you might be overdoing it.   How can I benefit from rest and muscle recovery?  Time for a quick lesson on muscle growth! When you work out, you typically break down muscle fibers. After exercise, the body repairs these damaged fibers by fusing them together to form new muscle protein strands called myofibrils. When the rate of muscle protein synthesis is greater than the rate of muscle protein breakdown, the myofibrils increase in thickness and number, which is a process known as hypertrophy. Hypertrophy equals muscle growth!   Rest is critical for muscle repair because it prevents overuse of muscle groups, which can lead to injury and dysfunction. If you want to keep progressing in your workouts, you need to be sure you’re taking time to recover so you can keep moving properly and prevent any joint strain.   Is my workout routine too intense?  If you aren’t able to maintain proper form while you’re working out, then the answer may be yes.   According to Antonietta Vicario, Chief Training Officer, "Your workout routine and approach to fitness should be driven by the goals you’re trying to achieve as well as the stage of life you’re in. Ideally, your workouts won’t spike cortisol (your stress hormone) and leave you feeling totally depleted, That’s why high-intensity workouts often leave you feeling so exhausted—getting up to your max throughout the class can cause those hormonal shifts that can make you feel drained.   But that doesn’t mean you always need to take it easy either. Vicario explains that challenging yourself is also part of balanced workout plan. She says, “Our bodies adapt quickly, so as you build strength and endurance you can safely increase intensity and continue to build on your fitness regimen.” That’s what our new Progressive Weight Training Series is all about—pushing yourself while still moving functionally at the right intensity to keep your body feeling great afterwards.   How does Recover 9 work?   Recover 9 is made with a blend of clinically-backed ingredients that help you move better and feel stronger every day: all 9 of the essential amino acids and pomegranate fruit extract.  What are Amino Acids? Not sure what amino acids are? Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are critical to proper function. They improve muscle recovery, build lean muscle, and, in our formula, provide the same benefits of 40 grams of protein. And you get all that for a fraction of the calories in Recover 9.  What is pomegranate fruit extract? Pomegranate fruit extract is rich in ellagic acid, an antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation. Inflammation is one of the body's natural responses after a good workout and a sign that you're building muscle, but it can also lead to soreness. Consuming pomegranate after exercise, especially when combined with all 9 essential amino acids, can help with this post-workout pain by restoring muscle function. More About Recover 9 Recover 9 is sourced from best-in-class ingredients and manufacturers, plus it’s vegan, sugar-free, non-GMO, contains no artificial flavors, and is free of gluten and all major allergens. That means you’ll get everything you need to get back to your best performance without any unnecessary, hard-to-pronounce additives.   Of course, anytime you’re thinking of trying a new supplement, it's important to consult with your physician to determine what will work best for you.  We care just as much about what you put in your body as how you move your body, and with Recover 9 in your Pvolve routine, you’ll get the best of both.   Ready to take your recovery routine to the next level? Get your 30-day supply of Recover 9 now!

When your back hurts, even everyday movement can feel impossible. And while you may have your own ways to get through the pain—heat, rest, medication, stretching—one way to prevent lower back pain is to strengthen your body, particularly your core.“Exercise is essential in improving lower back pain, since the vast majority of lower back pain is caused by improper movement and muscle patterns,” says Dr. Amy Hoover, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Chief Physical Therapist, and member of Pvolve’s Clinical Advisory Board. “If we teach our bodies how to move correctly and support proper muscle patterns, we protect our joints (including the spine) and prevent injury.” Pvolve’s 15 Minute Lower Back Strengthening workout video features lower back pain exercises to help you realign your spine, and strengthen your core, back muscles, hamstrings, and glutes while also stretching your hip flexors. It's a workout built for all-over strength and conditioning that may help anyone with lower back pain feel stronger. Best Lower Back Exercises The best exercises for lower back pain are ones that not only strengthen your back and surrounding musculature, but also feel good while doing them. These moves target key areas including back, core, glutes, hamstrings, and hips, building strength while also providing a nice stretch. You can do these lower back pain exercises at home or the gym, as part of your daily routine or as an add-on to another favorite workout. These exercises focus on functional movement, which helps you move better in the world outside your workout, either by mimicking the movements you do in everyday activity, or by strengthening the muscles necessary to do them—and, often, by simultaneously sharpening your mind-to-muscle connection so you can move more freely and feel more open in your body all day, every day. Functional movement is at the heart of the Pvolve Method. Pvolve uses sequencing that weaves in all these elements to unlock your body so it can move the way it was designed to.Our Method takes you through your full range of motion, calling on internal and external rotations and all three planes of motion—forward, backward, and side to side—to create more strength and length in your body. With these five lower back pain exercises, we’ll help you find neutral spine for proper alignment, show you how to do a proper articulated bridge, strengthen and stabilize your core, unlock back and hip tightness, and strengthen all the muscles in the back, improving balance at the same time. You won’t need any special equipment for these five best exercises for lower back pain, just a mat (if you’ve got one) or a rug for a little bit of padding.  Neutral Spine To effectively work your core to keep your lower back healthy, it’s important to identify. Working in neutral will train all the muscles of the back in an anatomical correct position to best support low back health. While there is a natural S-curve to the spine, it’s important not to be too arched or tucked under through the lower back. Neutral spine is right in the middle. To do: While standing—preferably in front of a mirror—try arching your back so that your backside sticks out, then tucking your pelvis to straighten your spine. Repeat a few times, making the movements more subtle until you’ve split the difference to find your neutral spine position.  Bridge Strengthening the hamstrings and glutes may be helpful to those with lower back pain, especially if you have an anterior pelvic tilt and tend to stand with a hyper-arch to your lower back, as many of us do. To do: Laying on the ground, with knees bent and feet flat on floor near backside, hip-width apart, press into your feet and roll up through your spine, beginning with the tailbone and extending up your back to create space and length through your vertebrae. As you drive your hips into the air without arching your back, actively press your heels into the floor and reach your knees forward to activate your glutes and hamstring muscles. Then roll gently back down to the floor, starting with upper back and slowly lowering until your tailbone touches the ground. Modification: If you have any disc herniations, lift and lower back in one move, rather than articulating through the spine one vertebra at a time.  Toe Taps Toe taps work your abdominals, which are an important part of core strength and protecting the lower back. To do: Lying on your back on the floor, knees bent and feet flat on floor near backside, keep bend in one leg as you raise it up so the shin is horizontal, then lower to tap the floor with toes. As that leg lowers to ground, raise opposite leg in same way, alternating toe taps on floor so that both feet are never on floor at same time. Keep a neutral spine throughout the move, feeling your abdominals brace together and create a corset-like feeling through the front of the abdominal wall to strengthen your abdominals.Modification: Return one foot completely to ground before raising opposite leg. Hip Flexor Stretch Tight hip flexors from sitting at a desk for prolonged periods of time could be one reason for lower back pain. Opening up the front of the hips can help alleviate back tightness and should be part of anyone’s routine if they suffer from lower back pain.To do: Get down on all fours, palms down and arms beneath shoulders, knees on floor beneath hips, feet flexed or neutral. Bring one leg straight out to back of mat, toes on ground, then shift back so that pelvis is slightly behind knee, and hands are now in front of shoulders rather than directly beneath. Then shift your pelvis forward to feel a long stretch through the front of the hip, squeezing your glutes to deepen the stretch. Bird Dog You are engaging the posterior chain of the body and strengthening all the muscles of the back body with this move.To do: Get on all fours, palms down and arms beneath shoulders, knees on floor beneath hips, feet flexed or neutral. Maintaining a neutral spine, extend one leg straight back behind you while raising the opposite arm out in front of you, lifting and lowering each limb in sync. Focus more on lengthening raised leg and arm away from your body, rather than focusing on how high you can go. Return to floor and raise and lift opposite leg and arm.Modification: Keep hands on floor, alternating lifting and lowering legs only. Back Strengthening Series Pvolve's Back Strengthening Series is the first workout collection clinically proven to treat lower back pain.* Our 6-class series featuring low-intensity lower back pain exercises was created by Dr. Amy Hoover, Doctor of Physical Therapy and member of Pvolve’s Clinical Advisory Board and Antonietta Vicario, Chief Training Officer for maximum results and safety. Preliminary results in a University of Minnesota clinical study of adults with chronic lower back pain showed that 12 weeks of the series : Significantly reduced pain Improved body awareness and strength Reduced fearful avoidance of movement Enabled a return to everyday activities with less disability *Although the study has not yet been peer reviewed or published, the University of Minnesota has released a public statement about its main findings available here. Learn more and sign up today.

The pelvic floor is a bowl or sling-shaped group of skeletal muscles at the bottom of the pelvis. It plays an important role in supporting the pelvic organs, including the bladder, uterus and rectum in women. It also helps support the functions of these organs, specifically bowel, bladder and sexual function. In short, it’s pretty important! And keeping it strong can help maintain these functions and prevent things like pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.  How can a woman strengthen her pelvic floor? Consistent pelvic floor-focused workouts can help strengthen these muscles, but follow below for real-time engagement: Draw your lower abs in and contract your pelvic floor, and then go into your p.sit. This will help maintain good pelvic and lumbar alignment during class and help to take the stress off of your lower back so that you can perform the moves more effectively.  How long does it take to strengthen the pelvic floor? Building pelvic floor strength depends on a variety of factors including fitness level and level of engagement. Focus on starting slow and increase intensity as you develop a deeper mind-body connection in workouts.  Get started with three moves below: Pelvic Floor Exercise #1: Begin in an all fours position. Bend one elbow to the mat and lift the opposite side leg. Squeeze inner thighs on each return. Scoop in your core for full abdominal activation. Pelvic Floor Exercise #2: In an all-fours position, hover your knees above the mat. Load your weight towards your rear. Shift your weight forward, pressing through your legs and abdominals. Maintain a flat back by scooping in your core and pressing through the hands and toes. Squeeze your glutes to activate your pelvic floor. Pelvic Floor Exercise #3: With your p.ball on, tap your toe out and reach your arms overhead. Lift your foot and squeeze your p.ball while returning your arms to center. Feel the p.ball engaging with the pelvic floor on each squeeze. Reach your arms up high to activate your upper abdominals. How and why is it relevant to the Pvolve Method? The method involves core activation which includes the pelvic floor. Since your pelvic floor is involved in stabilizing your core, it is also important for maintaining good posture and form during your Pvolve workouts. How can I make sure I’m properly activating these areas? When you hear the trainers cue for the core, include your pelvic floor. Draw your lower abs in and contract your pelvic floor, and then go into your p.sit.  This will help maintain good pelvic and lumbar alignment during class and help to take the stress off of your lower back so that you can perform the moves more effectively.  What about kegels? A kegel is simply a pelvic floor contraction. If you are doing true isolated kegels, you should not be using your gluteals, abdominals or other hip or thigh muscles. You are tightening the muscles between the sit bones that run from pubic bone to tailbone. As stated above, you need to kegel WITH your abdominal activation and keep your breath moving for ALL core and abdominal work. Work on kegels alone, but include the kegel with your abdominal work. As always, Dr. Amy suggests starting slow and paying close attention to the tiny details in every Pvolve movement. "Pvolve offers many opportunities to engage your pelvic floor," she says. "Listen to when trainers cue for the core, and do this together with kegels!"

No matter your stage of life, there are changes – physically, hormonally, or otherwise – that can leave you with questions. Figuring out what is happening in your body and how to adjust your routines to account for these changes can be daunting.    Perhaps one of the biggest and most well-known changes in a woman’s life happens during perimenopause  and menopause, the time during which your body transitions to the end of your reproductive years.   As metabolism slows and bone density begins to decline, the Pvolve Method can be especially helpful. Our resistance-based equipment and functional movements can help build muscle to keep your metabolism working optimally, support cardiovascular health, combat menopause belly, and maintain bone density.   We tapped into our experts, Dr. Amy  Hoover, Chief Physical Therapist and member of the Clinical Advisory Board and Antonietta Vicario, VP of Talent and Training,  to learn more about what happens to our bodies during menopause, and how Pvolve can help.   Q: What are some of the changes someone might experience when going through menopause?  A: Dr. Amy: Menopause is defined as the time when a woman stops menstruating for 12 months. The time surrounding this, which can be several years, is called perimenopause. It is a normal and natural part of a woman’s life. The changing hormone levels during this time cause changes in our bodies. During this period women may experience a variety of symptoms, which vary woman to woman and vary in intensity. Some of the most common symptoms are hot flashes, sleep disturbance, constipation, mood changes, bladder changes, hair thinning, dry skin and vaginal dryness. Some of the other changes that occur may not necessarily cause symptoms but are things to be aware of which include loss of bone density, postural changes and loss of muscle mass.    The good news is that we can help mitigate many of these symptoms and enhance quality of life with movement. Women in this age bracket may have a gradual loss of muscle mass and increased incidence of gluteal tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis and rotator cuff tendinopathy. Targeted hip, gluteal and abdominal/core strengthening as well as shoulder and postural exercises can help combat some of these gradual changes that occur as our hormone levels shift.    Pelvic floor strengthening is essential to help the changing environment in the vaginal tissue due to lower levels of progesterone and estrogen surrounding menopause, which can affect pelvic organ support and function. Bone density loss is an important topic for perimenopause. Menopausal women should get bone density scans and monitor risk factors to ensure they are maintaining good bone health to help reduce risk of fracture. Weight bearing, plyometrics and higher resistance exercise is essential for maintaining and improving bone density and stimulating strong, healthy bones. Balance exercises are also essential to help maintain functional mobility and reduce fall risk.    Q: How can Pvolve help someone who may be experiencing side-effects of menopause?   A: Dr. Amy: Pvolve is a movement solution for women in this stage of life, because this method offers all categories of movement including strength training, cardiovascular, and recovery/flexibility. All the workouts incorporate mindful movement and connection to the body. The Pvolve method focuses on whole body strength, balance and mobility, with specific programming solutions for women in this stage of life. Movement and mindfulness go a long way to help reduce stress, and improve mood and sleep. Pvolve programs also offer specific solutions for women in this stage of life, including heavy weight training to maintain and build muscles, cardio for bone and heart health, and pelvic floor programming which may help with improved bowel and bladder function.   Antonietta: Someone who is going through menopause will find value in focusing on strength training to counteract the 2% loss of muscle mass that women experience over 40, often amplified by the drop in estrogen which redistributes body fat and can cause weight gain throughout menopause. Muscle mass boosts one’s metabolism which in turn allows for more caloric burn at rest, and so maintaining and building muscle after 40 and during perimenopause and menopause can help counteract some of that weight gain.    Spending time in weight-bearing positions like on all four’s and single leg balances can help stimulate bones which is important as menopause can create bone density loss. Single leg balances also help with building stability and strengthening the core, responsible for balance.    As people age, stability becomes important to help prevent falls which can be more debilitating if bones are more brittle. Lastly, joint stiffness is often associated with menopause, so mobility exercises are important to keep your body moving with ease. Working the body through its full range of motion like we do at Pvolve is very beneficial for joint health overall.   Q: What equipment and series would you recommend to someone going through menopause who wants to get started with Pvolve?  A: Antonietta: If someone is new to Pvolve and going through menopause, we definitely advise starting off with equipment so they get the benefit of moving with resistance. Starting off with our Essentials Kit will give you the P.band, heavy ankle band, light ankle weights, P.ball and gliders which will all impact creating lean muscle on the body to keep one’s metabolism strong. This should be paired with purchasing heavy sets of weights that add load to drive muscle mass gains. You can pair the equipment with Moving With Menopause for optimal benefits by alternating through class types that support this phase in life, namely heavy weight training like Progressive Weight Training to build and maintain muscle, Cardio Burn to stimulate bone density through light impact and Recovery & Stretch to help reduce joint stiffness and improve mobility overall!   Learn more and sign up today. 

The more you start to work with your menstrual cycle, the more you’ll learn the ins and outs of each phase. Towards the end of the luteal phase, before the menstrual phase, many people experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS), or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). While these symptoms manifest differently in every body, they tend to be inflammatory responses—bloating, cramping, headaches, tiredness, and feelings of depression, moodiness, or irritability. The mere thought of working out might be too strenuous during times of PMS or PMDD symptoms. But once you get a better sense of your own phases, you can work with them more effectively, too. P.volve trainers Alexia Acebo, Maeve McEwan and Antonietta Vicario talk below about how to think about movement and exercise when you’re dealing with PMS or PMDD.  Exercise and PMS Symptoms “The more that you cultivate the skill of understanding your body, working with your hormones, really not overdoing it, allowing that rest, allowing that recovery, [you might find] that you are able to manage PMS with so much more ease,” says Antonietta. Gentler exercises are one way of honoring your body’s need to rest and recover, but the way you eat and sleep will also support this part of your cycle.  In Phase & Function, the workouts at the end of the luteal phase are designed to wring out your body with reaches and rotations to promote circulation, which can help you feel good whether or not you have PMS symptoms. PMS and exercise fatigue It’s important to give yourself the grace to listen to your body and know when not to workout. When you’re forcing a workout, hormones like cortisol and adrenaline start spiking, says Antonietta. That’s where the mind-body connection comes in—if your body isn’t feeling good, and you judge yourself for not feeling good, you can actually make yourself feel worse. “If we were just more gentle and kind and generous to ourselves, maybe then we would be managing and not creating this undue stress, which is leading to inflammation,” says Antonietta. As you move through your cycle, you’ll experience energy shifts that may affect your exercise routine. In the first half, you have energy to spend, but after ovulation, you start winding down. The bloating, cramping, and joint aches are all inflammation, and learning what works for you is part of the journey. A workout program to help manage PMS For more on how to work with your menstrual cycle to help manage PMS and PMDD, check out our new exercise program Phase & Function. You’ll receive a personalized plan with phase-specific workouts, meal plans, and mindset shifts that work with each phase of your cycle.

Has this ever happened to you? You do your favorite Cardio Burn class one week, and you feel amazing. You’re strong, you’re powerful, you’re flooded with endorphins after. You’re psyched to do the same class again at the same time next week, but… it’s like you’ve lost your energy level mojo. You feel sluggish, like you can barely do the class, even though you swear you were crushing it just the week before. What gives? The answer may lie in where you are in your menstrual cycle. Learn more from our experts before reading on.   Stages of the menstrual cycle When we talk about cycles that the body goes through, most people know about circadian rhythm—a cycle that lasts about a day. But the body also has infradian rhythms, meaning, cycles that last longer than a day. One of the body’s infradian rhythms is the menstrual cycle, which breaks down into four phases: the menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulatory phase, and luteal phase. Energy levels during your cycle At different times in your cycle, your body will have a different capacity for what it can do. The Pvolve Method has a workout for every stage of your cycle, some days, you’ll feel geared up for an intense Cardio Burn class while others you'll be aching for a Recover & Stretch class. Ideal menstrual cycle workouts The more you work with your body’s internal rhythms, the more you’ll be able to figure out what your body needs, and learn how to give yourself permission to listen to those cues. That’s what Antonietta sees as one of the big takeaways. “[Energy] ebbs and flows, so allowing time for that recuperative, restorative time for yourself [is important]. It’s really about this holistic picture of what you need, because it’s not just one thing,” says Vicario. What does exercise do to your menstrual cycle? We turned to our experts Alexia Acebo, Contributing Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Maeve McEwen, Director of Programming & Head Trainer and Antonietta Vicario, Chief Training Officer to break down how to work with your cycle to cultivate a better fitness routine.    The Menstrual Phase The menstrual phase is when the uterine lining is shed, AKA your period, which usually lasts from days one to six of your cycle. At this point, hormones are at their lowest. How this manifests looks different for everyone—you might have cramps, you might not—but Maeve says that no matter how your body responds, the menstrual phase is a time to connect mindset to movement. “This is your chance to really release and get rid of anything that’s not serving you,” says Maeve.  Exercise in this phase looks like gentle movement: spinal rotations and subtle ab activation that can speak to lower back pain, a common complaint during the menstrual phase. Try a Recover & Stretch class to lean into that reflective, restorative energy. The Follicular Phase Once the uterine lining has been shed and hormones start to rise, your body moves into the follicular phase, usually lasting from days seven to 12. You’ve got energy to spare—this time is like an internal spring. Hormones are rising and there’s newness in the body, so this is a great time to connect with that increase in energy with regular exercise. For this phase, Alexia recommends Cardio Burn classes.  “It is a time where, if you want to move with friends, it’s great, if you want to try something new… maybe that’s a great time to try it,” Alexia says.  Since Phase and Function is designed to mimic every facet of your life, Alexia recommends using the energy in the follicular phase to focus not just on fitness goals, but on career and relationship goals, too. For Maeve, that’s what makes the program so unique. “It’s not just about the workout, it’s about your entire life, and overall health and wellness,” Maeve says. The Ovulatory Phase Ovulation is when the ovaries release an egg to be fertilized. It lasts one day, but for Phase and Function, it’s treated as about a week-long phase, around days 13 to 16. All sorts of processes are happening in the body in preparation for releasing an egg. There’s a spike in testosterone, and this can make you feel like grabbing life by the balls—or in this case, by the ovaries. That’s why Pvolve introduced Cardio Burn circuits. Think: a condensed Cardio Burn class, using the framing of functional movement, that’s low-impact and super high-intensity exercise. Since every body is different, there are other options for the ovulatory phase, like more intense Strength & Sculpt classes.  The Luteal Phase As the body gears up to shed the uterine lining again, it moves into the luteal phase, which lasts from approximately day 17 to 28. Think of this as your internal autumn, with a rise in estrogen and progesterone. You’ll want to be aware of inflammatory responses in this phase as you are exercising and get into potential PMS territory. From a movement perspective, you can stay with the Cardio Burn and Strength & Sculpt classes, and use Recover & Stretch as inflammation flares up. The way you move can have a direct impact on inflammation, so the goal is to not encourage any more than there already is with heightened stress or spikes in cortisol.  “Know that this is a process and this takes time,” says Alexia. “You’re not going to know you’re entire cycle in a day, it’s just about building awareness. A menstrual cycle workout program for better energy For more on how to work with your menstrual cycle to optimize your fitness goals and overall wellbeing, check out the Phase & Function menstrual phase-syncing workout program. You’ll receive a personalized plan with phase-specific workouts, meal plans and mindset shifts that work with each phase of your cycle.

We ask a lot of our knees every day. Whether you’re an avid Pvolver, a busy mom, an over-booked student or a professional glued to your at-home workstation, you’re probably putting more pressure on your knees than you realize. In fact, the US National Library of Medicine reports that approximately 25% of adults experience severe knee pain. Fortunately, this pain can be prevented or minimized through exercise.   Experts Maeve McEwen, Director of Programming and Lead Trainer, and Dr. Amy Hoover, Chief Physical Therapist  PT, DPT break down the importance of knee stabilization and how the Pvolve Method can help strengthen your knees.  Keep reading to learn from the experts, and stay tuned for three specific exercises from our Knee Stability Series that can help strengthen your knees. Knee Stabilizing Benefits  Almost every motion in the lower body involves the knee, from walking, running and jumping to simple movements like standing, getting out of bed and going up stairs. So whether you are looking to reduce everyday pain or improve athletic performance, it is important to strengthen and stabilize your knees.  How Can I Improve My Knee Stability?  You can improve your knee stability by strengthening the surrounding muscles of your legs — specifically the quads and hamstrings — as well as increasing mobility and stability in your foot, ankle and hips.  Exercises that can improve knee stability include things like knee extensions, hamstring curls, leg lifts, wall squats, and straight leg raises. What Muscles Stabilize Knees?  The knee joint is made up of three joints: the medial joint, the lateral tibiofemormoral joints and the patellofemoral joint.   The medial and lateral tibiofemoral joint is the part of the knee joint where your thigh meets your lower leg. It is a primary hinge joint with a small amount of rotation and is moved by the hamstring and quadriceps muscles. The patellofemoral joint is the kneecap that glides along the femur or thigh bone — it’s moved by the quadriceps muscle.  The knee joints are stabilized by the attached muscles, including the quadriceps, which are a group of four separate muscles, and the hamstrings, which are a group of three muscles. The quadriceps primarily extend or straighten the knee, whereas the hamstrings primarily flex or bend the knee. Above and below the knee is influenced by the stability of the hip and the ankle; the knees rely on strength in both of these areas to function and stabilize properly. The stability of the knee joints depends heavily on strength and proper function of all of these muscles, so weakness or decreased mobility in any of these areas can negatively influence the knee joint.  Our Best Knee Stabilization Exercises  Check out the video below for three moves from our Knee Stability Series to help stabilize your knees. Bent single leg raise Start with your hands behind your head and your feet hips distance apart. Tap your left foot a few inches in front of the right and pressing through your standing heel and thigh pull your left leg up to hip height with a bend in the knee. Return your left toe to the floor in front of your right foot. Repeat 10 times on each side. Lower Body Hip Hinge & Reach Start with your left foot stable on the ground and your right foot out to the side on a glider. Slowly move into a hip hinge, reaching in front of you and sliding your right foot to the side as far as you can. Return to start position. Repeat 8 times on each side. Glute Kick Back Start on all fours, extend your left leg back until your thigh is parallel with the floor. Squeezing your glute, bend at the knee as you pull your leg toward the ground. Return to starting position.Repeat 10 times on each side.

Stretching the right way can help you feel good, perform better, and stay healthy. That’s why it’s always been an integral part of the Pvolve Method, and why we have series like Sculpt & Release featuring Licensed Massage Therapist and Recovery Expert Joe Yoon and Head Trainer & Director of Programming Maeve McEwen in our library. The Sculpt & Release series includes 10 targeted Strength & Sculpt workouts followed by 10 minutes of stretching to set the foundation for you to achieve better overall performance in your everyday life.  The Benefits of Stretching Below, Joe shares why recovery through stretching should be just as important to your routine as the workout itself.  Benefit #1: Stretching helps improve your workouts  Stretching can help performance in your workout through the use of dynamic warmups. Dynamic warmups are stretching and mobility exercises that mimic some of the movements you will see in your workout so you body is fully prepared for it. Stretches before a work out also prepare your nervous system as well as prep muscles to handle what's ahead better, allowing yourself to perform at full throttle from beginning till end!  Benefit #2: Increased range of motion  One of the main reasons why people stretch is to increase mobility and flexibility. Your body can be seen as a master of compensation, meaning if one muscle or joint is "tight," your body will try and find the path of least resistance to achieve certain positions. This could lead to increased fatigue on other muscles that are over-compensating for these tight joints/muscles.  Benefit #3: Reduced stress and anxiety  Another reason why stretching is essential; it can be a way of calming your body down after an intense workout. Stretching combined with deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, decreasing your heart rate, decreasing stress, and sometimes helping to reduce anxiety.  Sculpt & Release takes this approach, utilizing self-massage with massage balls and other tools and stretches to optimize recovery at the end of each workout.  This program is going to give you a total body workout. You'll be strengthening your hips and shoulders with the p.band and ankle bands, keeping those joints mobile using the slant board and cooling down post-workout by rolling out those tense muscles on the foam roller. As you progress through each session you begin to understand why Sculpt & Release is the perfect blend of strength and stability and elevating your recovery like the athlete you are!  For more info, sign up for a free-trial and check out the Sculpt & Release. MEET JOE Joe Yoon is a certified personal trainer, licensed massage therapist, author of the book Better Stretching, and founder of the fitness training business Joetherapy. His clients and followers include Olympic Gold Medalists, NFL Pro Bowl players, championship bodybuilders, Hall of Fame golfers and basketball players, Hollywood celebrities, and people from every walk of life and age group. He lives in Orlando, Florida. 

Your menstrual cycle, like most things, is not one dimensional. It requires that you work with it in all ways, including in the kitchen.  And when you focus on eating the right foods at the right time of the month, you’ll be able to see endless benefits: less PMS, more energy, better mood and so much more.  This Q&A with Registered Dietician Vanessa Rissetto addresses all the benefits of a menstrual cycle diet and how the Pvolve Method and Phase & Function help guide what’s on your plate throughout every phase of your cycle.  Table of Contents Menstrual Cycle Diet Tips How to Eat for Each Stage of Your Menstrual Cycle Foods to Eat During the Menstrual Phase Foods to Eat During the Follicular Phase Foods to Eat During the Ovulatory Phase Foods to Eat During the Luteal Phase Menstrual Cycle Diet Tips  Q: Let's start at the beginning: How are food and hormones connected?   A: Food affects how hormones are secreted. For example, overeating sugar will cause a release of insulin and perhaps an over production which, if constant, can lead to weight gain.  Q: Why is it important to eat according to your cycle?   A: Eating according to your cycle can help to mitigate symptoms that cause bloating, discomfort, fatigue and distress. The magic of Phase & Function is that it helps you navigate your cycle and eat foods that can help nourish you and give you energy during a time when many women don't necessarily feel their best.  Q: How come so many women don't know about the benefits of eating according to your cycle?   A: Likely because women don't often complain. I find that women are superheroes and take a lot in stride. I hear stories of women telling their doctors about symptoms and are often told “it is what it is”. We normalize feeling bad and that shouldn't be the case.  How to eat for each stage of your menstrual cycle  Q: If someone were to make one small nutritional change that has the biggest impact, what would you recommend?  A: Try not to make big changes all at once. Small changes can have long lasting effects and help you feel motivated. If you drink juice everyday, try every other day, and once you can do that, build upon it.  Q: Can you still eat according to your cycle if you have dietary restrictions or follow another diet?   A: Of course! First off, this is a guide—it's loaded with science, ideas and behavior changes. Take what resonates with you and leave the rest. This program is personalized for you. You know your body best.  Q: How does movement play a role in eating for your cycle, and why is doing both so important?   A: When we exercise we deplete the muscles of glycogen which naturally brings our hunger levels up. Moving in a way that works best for you and how you feel is key, while also making sure you are nourishing yourself and repleting what you need.   Q: What is the connection between the two?  A: Never try to restrict yourself because you've eaten something you don't deem as "good". We want to honor our food choices and our movement choices. It's the best way for us to have success.  Q: What's the biggest misconception about cravings and PMS? (Also, should we really eat chocolate on our periods?)  A: Of course you can eat chocolate during your period! If you're following Phase & Function, you'll see that certain foods can help you feel better throughout the phases and also be more understanding of your cravings which will help you navigate the best options for you.  Foods to eat during the menstrual phase  During your bleed, foods should help mitigate inflammation, replenish nutrients and encourage balance as your hormones reach their lowest levels.   Each meal should include a protein to get you sufficient amino acids necessary for hormone production. Focus on energizing carbs, healthy fats and low glycemic fruits and veggies. You might find that you’re craving more warm foods like soups and stews this week. As always, pay attention to your appetite. You may feel less hungry, but it’s still important to properly fuel.   Foods to eat during the follicular phase  After your bleed, prioritize foods that match the energy of your rising hormone levels. Estrogen and insulin sensitivity are increasing, so keep fueling with carbohydrate-forward foods (grains, potatoes, fruit) while your body is able to utilize them properly and maintain blood sugar stability.   Fresh, steamed and sautéed ingredients will feel best during this phase. It’s also crucial to support gut health with fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi and detox the body with cruciferous greens like broccoli.  Foods to eat during the ovulatory phase  During ovulation, be sure to eat foods that set you up for success as energy and workout intensity hits its peak. As estrogen drops after ovulation and progesterone begins to rise, so will insulin resistance which means your body is less able to metabolize carbohydrates well.   Replace some of those simple carbohydrates from the follicular phase with healthy fat such as fatty fish, nuts and seeds. Make sure you take in enough nutrients for workout recovery here, especially protein. Focusing on non-starchy carbohydrates like veggies and lean protein are great for weight loss if that’s a goal. As always, keep that water bottle nearby and prioritize hydration.  Foods to eat during the luteal phase  Prioritize foods that satisfy cravings and provide essential nutrients to prepare the body for what’s to come with the menstrual phase. As progesterone continues its rise, continue to focus on fat for fuel, giving the body what it can use best and setting yourself up for fewer PMS symptoms and a cramp-free period.  Listen to what your body is asking for, like magnesium-rich foods. Focus on sweet root vegetables and healthy fats to curb the desire for sugary desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, try some dark chocolate and a couple of dates and see how satisfied you feel. 

Month after month, 75% of people with periods suffer from PMS symptoms. That’s 63 million people dealing with unwanted cramps, mood swings, fatigue and so much more.  And despite it all, we’re conditioned to work against our bodies — to ignore the negative thoughts, eat the wrong foods and force the wrong workouts throughout the month, causing more harm than good.   It's time to flip the script on all of that with Phase & Function, the series that matches your movement and mindset to the ebb and flow of your menstrual cycle and hormones.  In this series, you’ll learn how to pair your body's own power with the Pvolve Method to impact how you feel and act each month by learning how to give your body what it needs, when it needs it. This groundbreaking, clinically backed approach was designed to reduce PMS symptoms, help with weight loss, improve energy, and offer phase-specific mindset shifts for better productivity, communication, relationships and personal development.  Learn more about how Phase & Function will help you take control of your body and optimize the way that you live.   Get to know the phases of your cycle During every menstrual cycle, your body undergoes hormonal shifts characterized by four distinct phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal. Each phase calls for different workout formats, levels of intensity and durations, as well as specific approaches to nutrition and mindset according to the balance of hormones present.  No matter what phase you’re in, we’ll equip you with the knowledge and tools to work with your body to look better, feel better and move better in everyday life.  We've based the below timing on a 28-day cycle, but everyone's cycle is unique. Use these timeframes as a guide to keep track of your phases: Menstrual: 4-7 days Follicular: 7-10 days Ovulatory: 3-5 daysLuteal: 10-14 days   Your energy levels are the biggest indicator for a change in phase, so look out for subtle shifts and allow your workouts to match how you feel. Menstrual Phase:  You're on your period. Prepare to take a pause, move gently and eat to replenish your body with the nutrients that are lost during your bleed.  Follicular Phase:  Get ready to match your hormone shift with max creativity, faster-paced movements and fresh, vibrant eats.  Ovulatory Phase:  Time to amp it all up! Take advantage of your max estrogen levels by speaking up, challenging your body and fueling for detoxification.  Luteal Phase:  Lean into the progesterone high of this phase with an organized mind, shorter workouts and satisfying, nutrient-dense foods.  Meet the experts  Phase & Function was created by our team of expert trainers in conjunction with members of our Clinical Advisory Board. Each brings their expertise to one—or more—of the three areas of focus for our holistic approach: mind (to find the best way to approach your career, sex and more), movement (to optimize your body’s energy and strength at every phase) and meals (to properly fuel your body according to your hormone fluctuations.)  Antonietta Vicario, Chief Training Officer   Antonietta Vicario brings 15 years of movement experience to Phase & Function. Her breadth and scope of certifications in all movement modalities including  Pilates Mat, Yoga, Pre and Post Natal, and the Gray Institute, inform all of Vicario's workouts, bringing movement science and a deep embodied knowledge forward into her teachings.  “Phase & Function is a gamechanger! Being able to track and follow workouts, meals and mindfulness recommendations that sync with my cycle has helped me understand my body, work more in tune with it, and ultimately feel more energized in my day to day!”  Maeve McEwen, Lead Trainer  Maeve McEwen uses movement as a tool for self-empowerment and discovery. As a NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, Maeve was integral in working with the team to create workouts that strengthen and enhance the body's needs within all four phases of the menstrual cycle.  “Understanding how the natural hormonal fluctuations can affect my energy levels, appetite and mood, Phase & Function has given me the tools to make choices that support and build up my body throughout the four different phases of my menstrual cycle.”  Alexia Acebo, Contributing Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Alexia Acebo uses food as the foundation to create a holistic plan based on what will work best for your body and your life. She paired her functional outlook on mindset, movement, and meals with our expert adviser Vanessa and Dr. Tewari to offer the best recommendations for all four phases of the menstrual cycle.  “This series gets rid of the confusion around the best moves, the best mindset, and the best meals to achieve your goals. Instead, you’ll find out what’s uniquely best for you- to decrease PMS symptoms, effortlessly lose and maintain weight, and learn the guidance YOUR body has always had to offer.”  Vanessa Rissetto, MS, RD, CDN, Registered Dietician   Vanessa Rissetto is a nutritionist and registered dietician who worked with Alexia to develop the entire nutrition portion of Phase & Function, ensuring that every ingredient and meal works  for each of the four phases. She has a Master’s in Nutrition from New York University and specializes in bariatric surgery, parenteral and eternal nutrition, adult weight management and infectious disease.   “To properly fuel your body in accordance with your hormones, we worked to develop phase-specific food lists and recipes. We curated nutritional options that complement the workouts in an innovative way to create one home for an empowered period.”  Dr. Suman Tewari, MD, OB-GYN  Dr. Tewari is an obstetrician-gynecologist who worked closely with our team of experts and trainers to ensure all workouts match the ebb and flow of your hormones in any given phase. Dr. Tewari has over 20 years of experience in the medical field and functional medicine. She specializes in helping women balance hormones, hot flashes, sexual pain, breast health, uterine disorders and related conditions.  “Focusing on your mind, the program will teach participants how to take advantage of hormone fluctuations throughout the month and find the best ways to approach external factors such as careers, relationships, sex, and more.” 

Want to optimize the way you move, eat and think? It all starts with learning how to track your cycle and understanding how the timing of your period is the gateway to taking control of your body and your life. Knowing the phases of your cycle—and the information each provides—will allow you to capitalize on all that your body has to offer, from making the most of the Pvolve Method and your work outs to proper nutrition and how to tackle real-life scenarios when you’re best equipped to handle them.  What are the different phases of the menstrual cycle? Menstrual Phase:  During menstruation, you’ll want to match your low hormone levels by taking a pause, moving gentle and eating to replenish your body.  Follicular Phase:  After menstruation, you’re primed to match your hormone shift with max creativity, faster-paced movements and fresh, vibrant eats.  Ovulatory Phase:  Time to amp it all up! Take advantage of your max estrogen levels during ovulation by speaking up, challenging your body and refueling properly.  Luteal Phase:  In the luteal phase, get ready to lean into the progesterone high of this phase with an organized mind, shorter workouts and satisfying, nutrient-dense foods.  How long does each phase of your cycle last?  Each phase is unique to the individual, depending on the length of your period and overall cycle. Your Phase & Function plan may look a bit different from someone else’s based on your personal info. Know that no calculation or algorithm will be 100% perfect and listening to your body and using the provided guidance is always the best indicator of shifting from one phase to the next.  We've based the below timing on a 28-day cycle, but everyone's cycle is unique. Use these timeframes as a guide to keep track of your phases: Menstrual: 4-7 days Follicular: 7-10 days Ovulatory: 3-5 days Luteal: 10-14 days   How do you know when you’re in a new phase of your menstrual cycle?  Your energy levels will be the biggest indicator here, so look out for subtle shifts and allow your workouts to match how you feel. Using the structure and guidance of Phase & Function will serve you in moving from one phase to the next, but soon you’ll realize that you’re simply giving your body the space and time to move with these shifts instead of fighting against them.  When your period begins at the start of your menstrual phase, you may feel more fatigue and crave slower, restorative movement. As your period ends and you move into the follicular phase, you may feel more energy rising, have a more positive outlook, and want to try new things. Next, the ovulatory phase is the height of your energy throughout the cycle, so you may feel slightly more confident, and ready to tackle a harder, sweatier, faster, and more intense workout. And finally, the luteal phase is characterized by PMS, fatigue, and mood swings—but not for long. We’ll match that decrease in energy with workouts of the same intensity.  How will tracking your cycle help you achieve personalized results?  The magic of Phase & Function is that it's tailored to your individual cycle and gives you every resource to set yourself up for success. By learning the ins and outs of your hormones, you’ll learn how powerful syncing with your menstrual cycle can be for your mind, body and life. 

Whether using equipment or just your own body weight, the Pvolve Method uses full body resistance training to deeply activate and strengthen your muscles.  How long should a full-body resistance workout be? Pvolve's full body resistance workouts range anywhere from 15 minutes to 55 minutes, depending on the class type. Here, we'll show you three moves using the P.3 trainer that can be done on their own for a quick, full-body boost, or added onto another workout for an extra burn. What is the P.3 trainer? If you've ever used the P.3 trainer, you already know how much variety it can add to your routine. You can use it standing for leg reaches, on all fours to target the glutes or lying down for core work. No matter how you use it, every move with this tool offers full-body resistance that leads to long lasting results. Low-Impact Full-Body Workout with the P.3 Maeve McEwen, Head Trainer and Director of Programming is here with a three move, low-impact total-body resistance workout.  Single Leg Reaches Target area: thighs, core and arms, leading to a total-body burn. Adding the weighted ball to the mix will ensure you get the greatest workout possible.  Start lying on the mat with arms overhead, P.3 ball in your hands, and legs in tabletop position. Reach arms back towards your ears as you stretch your attached leg down long. Complete rep by squeezing arms and leg back up to starting position. Repeat 8 times on each sides. Plank Shifts This plank requires full-body engagement. Keep your core engaged through every rep to get the greatest workout possible.   Start in a plank position with the P.3 handle around your wrist. Shift weight up and over 1-2 inches in front of you. Squeeze core and arms as you return to starting position. Repeat 8 times on each sides. Bicep Load & Reach This resistance-based exercise focuses on finding length through your body for  complete upper and lower body activation. For best results, keep your standing leg firmly planted into the ground. Start with a deep step back with your attached leg. Hinge at your hips as you complete a bicep curl. Squeeze back up to starting position. Repeat 8 times on each sides.

Recover, recover, recover.  We hear it time and time again, but how can we make sure we’re really doing it right? With the best equipment and attention to detail, you'll know you’re getting the most out of your recovery time.  Enter our newest piece of equipment, the Massage Ball Set. This set includes two single massage balls and one double ball to use for restorative massage, myofascial release and movements that help release tension and improve flexibility in targeted areas such as calves, thighs, lower back, spine, neck and shoulders.   We designed all three massage balls to be a crucial part of your overall wellness routine. Whether using them in your cool down at the end of a Live Virtual Studio class or during a Recover & Stretch video on demand, we’ll show you the best ways to give your muscles the TLC they deserve.  And it all starts here with three lower-body recovery moves from Zach. Watch below to get started with your Massage Ball Set. Bonus tip: Follow Zach by breathing into every pressure point of tension to really release tension in the muscles.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pvolve (@pvolve)