Arnold once said, “Abs are made in the kitchen.” While most of our members aren’t chasing a Mr. or Mrs. Universe physique, they do want to build a little more lean muscle, have a bit more energy, and feel stronger in their day-to-day lives. And that all starts with nutrition—the superpower behind every workout, the key to making progress faster and more sustainable.
At our gym, we help busy professionals and parents build realistic, long-term eating habits through a combination of two effective methods: tracking macros and Precision Nutrition’s fist, palm, and thumb approach. Both offer structure and flexibility, allowing us to tailor a plan that fits your lifestyle. As Precision Nutrition-certified coaches, we provide personalized guidance, simple planning strategies, and accountability—helping you eat in a way that supports your goals without adding extra stress to your already busy life.
Here are some of the similarities and differences between the two.
1. Simple definitions:
- Tracking macros: This method provides the most precise recording of protein, carbohydrates, and fats by measuring food intake in grams using apps like MyFitnessPal. It ensures you’re hitting exact calorie and macro targets.
- PN hand method: Uses estimations based on hand size (e.g., a palm-sized protein portion), which is practical but less precise. It’s based on visual guides rather than exact gram measurements.
2. Ease of use
- Tracking macros: Can be time-consuming, requiring food weighing and logging. It works well for those who enjoy structure but may be overwhelming. Often, we start with tracking macros and return quarterly ensuring our “Hand method” is still accurate.
- PN Hand method: Much simpler—no weighing or logging required. It’s easy to implement anywhere, making it more sustainable for everyday life. As stated above, it’s valuable to have quarterly check-ins with macro tracking- especially if your goals or activity has changed.
3. Flexibility
- Tracking macros: Offers more flexibility for food choices because you can fit in any foods as long as they meet macro goals. Within reason of course! Works well when cooking at home, meal prepping, or if someone has specific performance goals.This method will get you results fastest, but requires significantly more commitment.
- PN Hand Method: Focuses more on habit-based eating and portion control, which naturally promotes balanced meals but doesn’t allow as much customization. Easier in social settings, travel, or dining out because it relies on portion sizes rather than exact measurements.
Which is better?
As with everything- it depends on your goals, lifestyle and what you are able to consistently do, everyday. We use the “best of both method.” Within our program we start members with a 5-7 day “normal day” of eating food log before making any adjustments. This is followed by some awareness tracking- usually around protein- and then personalized further either through the PN hand method or macro tracking.
If you’re looking to learn more about our upcoming nutrition on-ramp check it out here. Don’t want to wait? Schedule a nutrition consult- this will include an InBody scan and evaluation- and get a little more guidance.
