Episode 472: Zarina Del Mar: Why Your Body Weight is Better Than Heavy Weights (Movement Over Muscle)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Habits and Hustle
Episode 472: Zarina Del Mar: Why Your Body Weight is Better Than Heavy Weights (Movement Over Muscle)
Release Date: August 1, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 472 of Habits and Hustle, host Jennifer Cohen engages in a deep and insightful conversation with fitness expert Zarina Del Mar. The episode, titled "Why Your Body Weight is Better Than Heavy Weights (Movement Over Muscle)", delves into the nuances of effective fitness routines, emphasizing movement quality over the sheer amount of weight lifted. Zarina shares her unique approach to fitness, blending various disciplines to promote holistic health and prevent injuries.

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1. The Misconception of "Lift Heavy"

The episode begins with a discussion on the prevalent fitness mantra: "Lift heavy." Zarina challenges this notion, highlighting the potential risks of heavy lifting without proper preparation.

• Zarina Del Mar ([00:38]):
  "We're always hearing on social media, lift heavy. If someone's body is not prepared and prepped for lifting heavy, all you're going to get is injury."

Zarina emphasizes the importance of progressive training, suggesting that even bodyweight exercises can offer significant benefits when performed correctly.

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2. Emphasizing Bodyweight and Functional Movements

Zarina advocates for bodyweight exercises, arguing that they can often be more challenging and beneficial than using external weights.

• Zarina Del Mar ([01:05]):
  "Don't think just because you're not doing 100 pounds of deadlifts that you're not getting any benefit by at least even doing 10 pounds or your body weight. Your body weight can be actually harder sometimes than doing like actual free weight."

She introduces her movement routines, which incorporate elements from yoga, Pilates, and martial arts to enhance mobility, strength, and flexibility without relying heavily on external weights.

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3. Personal Fitness Routine and Research Initiatives

Zarina shares insights into her personal fitness regimen and ongoing research efforts aimed at understanding the impact of her methods on a diverse subscriber base.

• Zarina Del Mar ([03:00]):
  "We're making research, conducting research. We're talking to them. We are asking them about their menopausal status, about their age, physical activity, etc., and we are looking how my method helps them with their physical activity, with their mental health."

Her approach is personalized, taking into account factors such as age and menopausal status to tailor fitness programs that promote overall well-being.

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4. Rethinking Cardio and Its Role in Fitness

The conversation shifts to cardiovascular training, where Zarina critiques the conventional emphasis on sprinting and heavy weights, especially for older populations.

• Zarina Del Mar ([04:40]):
  "Maybe you don't need these long run sessions for 30 minutes or even longer."

She advocates for shorter, more meaningful cardio sessions that align with individual capabilities and lifestyle constraints, especially for those navigating perimenopause or menopause.

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5. Integrating Movement Flows for Enhanced Mobility

Zarina elaborates on her movement flows, which are designed to engage multiple muscle groups and improve joint mobility without the need for extensive equipment.

• Zarina Del Mar ([06:40]):
  "I'm doing movement sequences for five minutes in a row. And it is really hard."

These sequences blend movements resembling yoga, Pilates, and martial arts, focusing on dynamic planks, push-ups, pull-ups, and complex squats like pistol and shrimp squats. This approach ensures comprehensive muscle engagement and enhances functional strength.

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6. Balancing Upper and Lower Body Training

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the often-overlooked importance of upper body training, especially for women who might predominantly focus on lower body workouts.

• Speaker B ([12:36]):
  "I think women are overtraining their lower body and they're not training their upper body."

Zarina concurs, emphasizing that a balanced workout regime not only promotes proportional muscle development but also enhances overall physique aesthetics.

• Zarina Del Mar ([13:16]):
  "Push-ups, pull-ups... it's not about arms, it's about your core. It's about your spine and your shoulder blades."

She underscores the interconnectedness of upper body strength with core stability and spinal health, advocating for exercises that simultaneously target these areas.

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7. Core Strength Beyond Traditional Crunches

The conversation delves into effective methods for core strengthening, with Zarina advocating for dynamic and functional approaches over traditional exercises like crunches.

• Zarina Del Mar ([16:23]):
  "The best way to get a strong core is first of all to work on your breath, to understand how you breathe, to get connected with your rib cage and your pelvis."

She introduces her 3D Core program, which integrates breathing techniques, dynamic planks, push-ups, and pull-ups to engage the core more effectively without isolating it through repetitive movements.

• Zarina Del Mar ([18:24]):
  "Your core, but the engagement of your core depends on the position of your pelvis and your thoracic spine."

Zarina highlights the importance of pelvic and spinal alignment in optimizing core engagement during exercises.

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8. Practical Applications and Takeaways

Towards the end of the episode, Zarina offers actionable advice for listeners looking to enhance their fitness routines without relying heavily on heavy weights or traditional core exercises.

• Zarina Del Mar ([19:08]):
  "Do everything you want. As long as you understand how to control the position of your lumbar spine."

Her holistic approach encourages listeners to prioritize movement quality, joint mobility, and balanced strength training to achieve sustainable and injury-free fitness goals.

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Conclusion

Episode 472 of Habits and Hustle with Zarina Del Mar provides a refreshing perspective on fitness, challenging conventional wisdom centered around heavy lifting and traditional cardio. By emphasizing functional movements, bodyweight exercises, and balanced training, Zarina offers listeners a pathway to achieving strength, mobility, and overall well-being without the pitfalls of overtraining or injury. Her insights are particularly valuable for individuals navigating mid-life fitness challenges, advocating for personalized and sustainable approaches to health and fitness.

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Notable Quotes:

• Zarina Del Mar ([00:38]):
  "If someone's body is not prepared and prepped for lifting heavy, all you're going to get is injury."

• Zarina Del Mar ([05:00]):
  "There's always these, like, crazy, you know, floods of information. Like, eat so much protein and you gotta wear a weighted vest and you gotta do this."

• Zarina Del Mar ([13:16]):
  "Push-ups, pull-ups... it's not about arms, it's about your core."

• Zarina Del Mar ([18:24]):
  "The engagement of your core depends on the position of your pelvis and your thoracic spine."

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to refine their fitness regimen through intelligent movement and balanced strength training. Zarina Del Mar's expertise offers a blend of practicality and innovation, making fitness both effective and enjoyable.

Transcript

[A]

Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

[B]

Hey, friends. You're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle podcast where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up. Before we dive into today's ep, I want to thank our sponsor, Momentous. When your goal is healthspan living better and longer, there are very few non negotiables. One of them quality. And when it comes to supplements designed for high performers, nobody does it better than Momentous. Momentous goes all in on NSF certification, which means every single batch is tested for heavy metals, harmful additives and label accuracy. And that's why they're trusted by all 32 NFL teams and top collegiate sports dietitians across the country. Here's the thing, they don't sell every supplement under the sun because they believe in nailing the basics with rock solid consistency. And those basics are protein and creatine. Momentous sources. Creapure, the purest form of creatine monohydrate available and an absolute must for both men and women who want peak physical and cognitive performance. So if you're serious about leveling up, go to livemomentous.com and use code Jen for 20% off. Just act now. Start today. Jen for 20% off livemomentous.com now we're always hearing on social media, lift heavy. Lift heavy. Lift heavy. If someone's body is not prepared and prepped for lifting heavy, all you're going to get is injury. Right. So you have to be somebody who, you do have to be progressive. But don't think just because you're not doing 100 pounds of deadlifts that you're not getting any benefit by at least even doing 10 pounds or your body weight. Your body weight is, can be actually harder sometimes than doing like actual free weight.

[A]

Even, even hip hinge. Yeah, it's hard for a lot of people. It is like let's say glute dominant.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You're not just putting your torso forward without feeling anything in your glutes. I like every work with single leg. Single leg.

[B]

Single leg is very, that's my favorite.

[A]

Yeah. And we, we are making, now my team is making a research because subscribers and let's say students from more than 55 countries like we are presented in all over the world. And one research team, they approached me and told me that it's a huge thing because usually researchers are made Within USA or within Europe. And we have subscribers from all over the world, women from all over the world. And we are now making a research, conducting research. We're talking to them. We are asking them about their menopausal status, about their age, physical activity, et cetera, et cetera. And we are looking how. My method, because they are my subscribers, they have purchased my programs, helps them with their physical activity, with their mental health, with all the problems they may have because they're 40 plus with their perimenopause status or even menopause.

[B]

But what are you giving them? Like, what is your key? So because you were saying that, are you someone who believes in, in cardio? Because you're saying all the soft and fluid motions of healing your body and all these things, movement, mobility, what is your, like, so what is your thing? You don't. Do you believe in cardio? Do you believe in running? Do you believe in. What's your, what's your take on cardio?

[A]

On cardio. So now many scientists and longevity experts telling us that we need to do this intervals, sprint training.

[B]

Like, well, by the way, intervals have been around for forever. Yeah. Training, by the way, has been around forever.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But now they are, they are telling that. So you need to make heavy lifting two times per week and sprints like two or three times per week. And, and you, you'll be fine. Maybe you don't need this long run if you're in a perimenopause. You don't, you don't, you don't need these long run sessions for 30 minutes or even longer.

[B]

Just, just what they say is like, what they say for perimenopause or menopause is sprint and do heavy weight. Right. And do your walking. Yeah. Do you know how many people if, if that I know who are, let's say 45 or 50. I can't even imagine them doing a sprint.

[A]

The same for me. I, I was making VO2 max test.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I was like a little above average. And I was wondering how. So I'm training every. And that's me. And then I, I, I, I look at my community. I think about my mom, who is 65. Like, how she can.

[B]

My mom's not my mom. My mom's 80. She's not sprinting. Okay. There's not a chance. Like, to me, a lot of this stuff is like, there's always something that people say, and then people are like, protein. Unless you're eating 5,000 grams of protein a day, you know, you might as well Be eating zero grams of protein. Like, there's just always these, like, crazy, like, you know, floods of information. Like, eat so much protein and you gotta wear a weighted vest and you gotta do this. Like, a lot of this stuff is, like, do it. If you don't like it, number one, you're never gonna do it. And also, whatever happened to common sense, right? Like, whatever happened to eating, like a moderate meal? Like having a piece of chicken and.

[A]

Some salad and some feel fullness and feel comfortable. So about cardio. Now I'm walking or running every morning, but it's my soul food for my mental health. I want to be alone. And I live by the Ocean. Finally, I'm 39 years old. I live by the ocean. I like this morning, 5:30 or 6:00am Time for myself.

[B]

How long are you running for or walking?

[A]

Just 30, 40 minutes maximum. Because I need to come back to prepare breakfast and all this stuff. Yeah, we have obligations, we have kids. And I don't think about burning calories and making a certain amount of steps. I just walking or running. Then I'm coming back, I'm doing my movement stuff. I really have a lot of videos. I'm recording myself. Five minutes, literally five minutes and I'm done. Because I'm doing it very precisely, without any breaks between my. So I'm making a movement, like a movement flow. Movement sequences for five minutes in a row. And it is really hard.

[B]

What kind of movement? I'm so. I'm sorry. Don't hate me.

[A]

You didn't try.

[B]

I didn't try it because I don't. I don't. So you. Is it more like a yoga flow? Like, what are you doing?

[A]

It may look. It may look like a yoga or Pilates or martial arts. Let's say I am blending because I have martial arts experience, dance experience. I have never tried professionally yoga, but of course I have tried it during the course of my life. So I am just blending and it becomes a movement stuff. Like you're working with the weight of your body. For example, you start from plank position. You have three points of support. Then you shift to the next position. You're making push ups. Then you're, I don't know, coming into deep squat. Then you're stretching your spine. You make rotations with your thoracic spine. You're using your arm line to just extend your chest. So it may look even like a dance. And that's what I'm doing during five minutes or a little bit more. And the same stuff I'm doing before I'M going to bed. It really helps with your mobility. With every joint in my body, so I don't feel any pain, any stiffness. And what I've noticed when I wake up again, I need to prepare my joints for my everyday routine because I don't know about you, but in the morning I'm not as flexible as I'm flexible during the day. That's why I need my, I need my movement routine. I need this fluidity in my spine. Like five years ago, I was not able to make spinal waves, so I was not able to move my thoracic spine than to feel how my thoracic spine engages my lumbar spine and the pelvis. And all this stuff like fluidity in your spine and waves, I was not able to do because I was teached to keep this anatomical neutral position. Position in which you're making deadlifts and squats and that's it. But you need to move, you need to move your shoulder blades. You need to move every part of your body in three dimensions. Not only linear movements, not just linear movements. Yeah, yeah. And you've asked about yoga or Pilates. As I have taken courses at Laban Rodolphe Laban Institute of Movement Studies in New York, I realized finally that for example, Laban, he had his own system of description of movement and yoga. Pilates is just the way you can describe and structure the movement. But yoga and Pilates, these types of physical activity doesn't have full rights on particular movements because all the movements are coming from our body. So in many cases I'm doing something, I don't know the name of these poses or physical forms. And someone may tell, oh, it's a yoga asana, maybe, but you're doing.

[B]

So wait, so you're doing a lot of movements? Like it could be looking like yoga. It's like more flow of some kind. Are you not training then like Monday, Wednesday, I'm just making this up. Monday, Wednesday, Friday you're not doing upper body lifts. Or Tuesday, Thursday legs, and you don't train that anymore. It's all either you're walking the run in the morning and then you do these movement flows.

[A]

But my movement flows may include pistol squats.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Shrimp squats.

[B]

Right. It includes all these body weight. But you're not using, you're not using weights.

[A]

I may use weights because I am like on the level where I need to put more pressure on my joint.

[B]

How joint is each session.

[A]

So it may take 15, 20 minutes, like the session precisely to develop certain skill because I'm still developing and I'm still finding out what I can grab from my body and how I can present the movement for my people. Because I am like I'm telling my best book on anatomy and biomechanics is my body and now the bodies of all of my subscribers. Because we're making research and I'm just looking at them, giving different tests to them and we are analyzing what's happening within a week or a month. And my main lab is my own body, how it moves, what's happening with my shoulder joints. The basis of many of my movements is gait, biomechanics and motor development of a human during first, let's say two years of our life. Like crawling position. All the position when you're lying on your back and you are taking your limbs to the center, how you feel your center of gravity, how a human starts crawl, sit and then walk.

[B]

Right. So you're doing a lot of movements.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Not so much strength training as the literal form of it. Yeah.

[A]

As the classic.

[B]

As the classic form of it. But as we get older. Right. What don't you think it's important for us to do resistant training in its real form?

[A]

Yeah, of course.

[B]

Or Arlene muscle mass like that. What you're saying sounds great.

[A]

Like, like I've told you I can do pistol squats with dumbbells in my hands.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But it's the next level.

[B]

Most people can't even do a business.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. With additional weights. So I add some weights. But the basis I'm providing is just deal with your own ways, understand how you're right. And as you get stronger you can add more. Of course I, I do squats. I do like RDls. Like every girl. We love our deals.

[B]

Yes. I'm telling you, I think women are over training their lower body and they're not training their upper body.

[A]

It is when you feel your strength and you're training on like your legs or glutes because you feel them and upper body is so hot. Like again, push ups, pull ups. They say I have very weak arms and I'm telling them pull ups. It's not about arms, it's about your core. It's about your spine and your shoulder blades, how you control the position of your scapula. When you're making these pull ups, I.

[B]

Think you're making it even too complicated. I think women want to look good. I think, I think that's the bottom line. That's why they're doing it.

[A]

I agree.

[B]

I agree. And they're Doing what's, like, the easy thing, right? Yeah, they want easy, but they want easy. It's too hard to pull your body up. So they're like, forget it. I'll just do another hip thrust. I could do that. Or I'll just do another squat. I can do that. But what's happening is their bodies now are, I believe, out of proportion. Number one, you're strong on one side, but you're not proportioned. So it doesn't even look good. So, like, if they want to look good. Ladies, if you want to look good, start training your upper body, because you will look better, like, proportionally, like, visually, right? Like, you will get the body type that will, like, accentuate your bum and will make your waist look thinner and da, da, da, da, da. And, like, I don't think there's anything hotter than a girl who has, like, a strong upper body. You can see a girl, and you could be like, Or a guy, whatever. Well, now I'm talking about a girl. I'll be like. I'll be like, you know what? Like, you can tell that they're fit because they have strong arms, strong back, A strong. You know, the biggest compliment people can give me is like, wow, you look really fit. Look at your arms, look at your back. You know, I'm just saying. But, like, wow, look at those glutes. I'll be like, all right, whatever. Like, that's like, an easy way to.

[A]

Be fit, you know, that's what I'm telling my husband. Like, when someone tells me I'm doing yoga, pilates, like, seven days per week, and then I'm doing, like, long distance running, let's say it's a lady, and I don't see any muscles in her upper body. I'm just wondering, what are you doing? Because even in yoga, you can build up upper body.

[B]

I was gonna say yoga. People who, like, really do yoga, seriously, like, truly, they have the best upper bodies sculpted. They have, like, their arms, shoulders, super.

[A]

Strong and back and back.

[B]

Because they're doing so many push ups, they're doing so much of those cobras. Like, it's so fun.

[A]

And handstands.

[B]

And handstands.

[A]

Yeah, handstands. I'm in love with handstands. And only, like, two years ago, I realized it's not about strength, it's about balance. It's about alignment and lack of fear. Because I was very.

[B]

That's why I can't go hands scared.

[A]

But now I'm doing it perfectly. But I'm doing it, and I'm not Scared because I feel again, the strength in my upper body helped me, but in general, it's all about balance.

[B]

Yeah, I, yeah, I think so too. The other thing is, you know, Pilates is like the number one exercise, the number one fitness craze of 2025. I think it's slightly overrated, to be honest. You have to do a lot of Pilates to get a result. In my opinion. You could be spending a fortune and really not really get much result. That's my opinion. I believe that you also need to come, like, do something with it. But like, I, I think that a lot of Pilates women gravitate to because they don't want to, they, they, they want to get a strong core, which it could be good for. Right. In your opinion, what is the best way to get a strong core? Do you think it's Pilates? Do you think it's something else?

[A]

I have, I have programmed 3D, 3D core. So the best way to feel, to get a strong core is first of all to work on your breath, to understand how you breathe, to get connected with your rib cage and your pelvis. It really helps. I am for nasal breathing now. I am running nasal breathing. I am running, I am walking and I am doing all my movement stop. And I breathe only through my nose. My mouth is closed. And it really helps to feel the capacity in your lungs to feel your ribcage and to feel the whole abdominal area. It really helps with your core muscles, pelvis, mobility, breathing, like breathing techniques that will help you to engage your ribcage together with your pelvis, your lower belly. And I like, now technically, physically, I like dynamic planks, I like push ups, pull ups. It's really great for your core. I never do crunches. I never do like Russian twists. It's all about a Russian twist. Yeah, it's.

[B]

You don't like Russian, you don't like those.

[A]

I don't feel it is necessary because I'm working on my butt, I'm working on my glute muscles in. So as I've mentioned, I take as the basis the gait biomechanics. So when you're standing on one leg, you're turning your pelvis, you're turning your torso, you are lengthening your posterior chain with so your posterior chain. You help with your arm so you feel all the glutes, you feel your core, your abdominal muscles. That's it. And you can grab extra weight. I never do crunches. I never have like separate sessions for my abdominal muscles. It's only dynamic planks and all these 3D stuff. When you work on your glutes, on your spine and your core simultaneously.

[B]

I know I don't. Crunches, to me are the biggest waste of time. People are like, oh, to get a six pack and you see these program with these people, they're doing like 150 crunches. And that's the most biggest waste of time to me. You get way better, a way better core workout by doing a pull up, by doing push ups. Exercises that are actually like exercises that actually engage your core core. Not that are specifically basically focused on.

[A]

Your core, but the engagement of your core depends on the position of your pelvis and your thoracic spine. So you need to understand how to put your pelvis and your thoracic spine, how to control the position of your lumbar spine. Then that's it. And do everything you want.

[B]

But if you're doing a pull up, even with, if you're doing a pull up with a resistant band and you're pulling yourself up, you. You're squeezing and engaging your entire abdominal muscle.

[A]

Not squeezing.

[B]

You're breathing, you're breathing, but you're squeezing. You're kind of like having to like brace yourself to lift up. You're working more of your core than if you're just sitting on a floor basically working your neck for 20 minutes. Right. Because people are not. Even when they're doing a crunch, they're actually just like working this part, you know. They're not.

[A]

Yeah. And neck and neck. And they don't feel, they're not, they're.

[B]

Not even able to like bring their shoulder blades off of the mat, which.

[A]

But once you feel your core, once you breathe in an appropriate way, then crunches, you will need just 10, 15 reps maximum.