Athletic Lift helps you eat and train like someone who wants to feel strong, lean, and capable… without turning your life into a spreadsheet.
This site is for the people who want the results of a performance lifestyle (more energy, better body composition, stronger workouts, healthier habits) but still live in the real world: busy schedules, picky eaters, limited time, and the need for simple plans that actually stick.
You’ll find high-protein recipes and meal prep strategies built around one goal:
Make healthy progress easier to repeat.
Why Athletic Lift exists
Athletic Lift started in 2018 as a sports-focused site because athletics shaped how I think about discipline, training, and improvement.
But over time, it became obvious: the biggest lever for performance (and body composition) isn’t the sport you play. It’s what you do around training:
- the food you keep on hand
- the meals you can make when you’re tired
- the basics you repeat every week
That’s why Athletic Lift evolved.
Today, Athletic Lift is about food + fitness, built for the “everyday athlete.” You don’t need to compete to train with intention. If you want to feel better, perform better, and build a healthier body over time, you’re in the right place.
Coach: Skylar Macall, NASM-CPT
I’m Skylar Macall. I write recipes and meal ideas for Athletic Lift and make the videos in them.
I’m an online fitness coach based in Utah, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and a High Fitness instructor. Before coaching, I played rugby for a Division I college program, which is where I learned that showing up consistently, in the gym and in the kitchen, beats any short-term fix.
I’ve lost more than 55 pounds twice, once on my postpartum journey. I don’t coach anything I haven’t lived myself.
That experience shapes what I write for Athletic Lift: food that fits a training week and a real schedule, not just what looks good on paper.
Find Skylar across the web:
Coach: Missi Balison, ACE Medical Exercise Specialist
I’m Missi Balison, a personal trainer and gym owner. On Athletic Lift I write recipes and meal ideas and make the videos in them.
I have worked in health and fitness for 26 years, and since 2013 I have owned Missi Balison Fitness, a private training studio in Sandpoint, Idaho. I am an ACE certified Medical Exercise Specialist and a licensed massage therapist, and most of my work is with women over 40: strength training, weight loss, and the perimenopause and menopause changes that make the old advice stop working. My clients are busy, have tried the crash-diet route, and want a plan they can actually keep doing. That is the same reader Athletic Lift writes for, which is why the fit made sense.
Strength is the thing that makes everything else easier after 40. Build it, feed it, and the rest follows.
I have been in the Amazon Influencer Program since December 2023 and have held Platinum creator status for four quarters running, with an average of $45,000 a month in shipped revenue. Every piece of gear, kitchen tool, and high-protein staple I recommend here gets tested in my own gym and my own kitchen first. If it does not hold up to a real training week, you will not see it.
Find Missi across the web:
Macros & Allergens Reviewer: Rachael Derr, RDN
I’m Rachael Derr, Athletic Lift’s consulting dietitian for nutrition numbers.
I am reviewing the grams of protein, macros per serving, calorie counts, and allergen notes in our recipes, and each post I have reviewed is marked “Nutrition reviewed by Rachael Derr, RDN.” I have more than thirteen years in food service nutrition. I’m a dietitian at Purple Carrot, where I handle nutrient and allergen analysis, FDA Nutrition Facts panels, and recipe development with the chef team. Before that, at Garden Fresh Restaurants, I managed menu labeling compliance and allergen analysis and helped develop recipes and HACCP procedures for 97 restaurants. I also analyzed menus for national restaurant chains through Healthy Dining Finder.
Food is meant to be enjoyed, and it can also nourish our bodies in incredible ways. Nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all.
I earned my B.S. in Food Science & Nutrition from San Diego State University and completed my dietetic internship through UC San Diego Health. On Athletic Lift, I check the macro counts, protein claims, calorie targets, and allergen notes in our recipes and guides.
Find Rachael across the web:
Everyday Nutrition Reviewer: Melissa Varela, RDN
I’m Melissa Varela, Athletic Lift’s consulting dietitian for everyday eating.
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to San Diego for college. After graduating from San Diego State University, I worked with low income families for a few years, then moved into clinical nutrition at Sharp HealthCare.
Good nutrition starts with a plan, thrives on variety, and tastes delicious.
After a few years at home raising my young children, I went back to helping people eat healthy to improve their lives. I teach heart healthy cooking classes, develop menus for VA facilities, and counsel clients virtually through Nourish. On Athletic Lift, I am reviewing the balanced meals, heart healthy swaps, and family meal prep, with an eye on food that supports your training and still works for the whole household. Outside of work you’ll find me at the beach with my family.
Find Melissa across the web:
Founder: Tim Frechette
I’m Tim Frechette, the founder of Athletic Lift.
I’ve been involved in sports and training most of my life, and I’ve always been the kind of person who loves the “why” behind improvement: what actually works, what people can realistically do, and what creates progress over time. Athletic Lift began as a place to share what I was learning from athletics, coaching, and training.
My goal is that you leave a page knowing exactly what to do next.
Over time, the focus shifted to what consistently makes the biggest difference for almost everyone: building a strong foundation with strength training, eating in a way that supports performance and body composition, and simplifying routines so they’re easy to repeat. This site is the result of that evolution. I care about making content that’s not only accurate and helpful, but also usable.
Find Tim across the web:
What you’ll find here
1) Recipes that support your goals
Food shouldn’t be complicated to be effective. Most recipes here aim for:
- high protein (because it supports muscle, recovery, and satiety)
- simple ingredients (things you can actually find and afford)
- repeatable flavors (meals you want to eat again)
- realistic prep (weeknight-friendly and meal-prep-friendly options)
You’ll see everything from quick breakfasts to full dinner builds plus sauces, marinades, and “add-ons” that make healthy meals taste like something you’d choose even if you weren’t trying to be healthy.
2) Meal prep that doesn’t burn you out
Meal prep doesn’t have to mean eating the same bland container five days in a row.
We focus on systems like:
- cook-once / eat-multiple
- mix-and-match components (protein + carb + veg + sauce)
- prep “anchors” so weeknight meals take 10–15 minutes
- grocery lists that reduce decision fatigue
Our approach: simple and repeatable
Athletic Lift is built on a few principles that don’t change:
Consistency beats intensity
You don’t need perfect weeks. You need repeatable ones.
Protein + strength training are a cheat code
When your nutrition supports training, and your training supports muscle, everything gets easier: body composition, energy, cravings, and long-term momentum.
Small improvements compound
A slightly better breakfast routine. A go-to high-protein lunch. Two to four strength sessions per week. A meal prep system you can keep doing.
That’s how people actually transform.
No extremes required
We’re not here to convince you that you need to cut out entire food groups, follow trends, or live in the gym. The goal is sustainable progress with a life you enjoy.
How content is created (and what we won’t do)
A big part of building trust online is being clear about process.
Here’s what you can expect from Athletic Lift:
- Clear, practical steps (not vague motivation)
- Ingredient and equipment specifics when it matters
- Adjustments and substitutions so you can make recipes work with what you have
And here’s what you won’t get:
- medical claims
- “miracle” supplement hype
- fear-based food messaging
- content written to chase trends instead of helping readers
Product recommendations and affiliate transparency
Some pages may include product recommendations (kitchen tools, fitness equipment, or similar items that support the content).
When you buy through certain links, Athletic Lift may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the work that goes into creating free content.
We don’t recommend products just to recommend them. If something is included, it’s because it supports the goal: making healthy food and training easier to follow.
Content is written by Skylar Macall, an online fitness coach and NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and Missi Balison, a personal trainer, gym owner, and ACE Medical Exercise Specialist. Both make the videos in their posts. Recipes and guides that involve nutrition claims, macros, allergens, or dietary guidance are being reviewed for accuracy by Rachael Derr, RDN, a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, and each reviewed post is marked as reviewed. Ingredient protein values come from USDA FoodData Central, and you can read how we calculate nutrition. Athletic Lift was founded by Tim Frechette.
Who Athletic Lift is for
Athletic Lift is for you if you want:
- high-protein food that tastes good
- a meal prep rhythm you can sustain
- a long-term approach to performance and health
Whether you’re getting back into fitness, training seriously, or just trying to feel better and stronger… welcome!
Start here
If you’re new, a few good ways to begin:
- Browse Recipes for a few “repeatable staples” you can make weekly
- Check Meal Prep for systems that reduce weekday stress
- Explore High Protein for goal-aligned meals and snacks
Reach out to us if you have any questions about the content.