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.
Fitness Reviewer: Skylar Macall, NASM-CPT
I’m Skylar Macall, the fitness coach who reviews the training side of Athletic Lift.
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 how I review Athletic Lift. When a guide makes a claim about training, recovery, or fueling your workouts, I check it against what actually works for real people with real schedules, 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, and I write the women over 40 training and nutrition content on Athletic Lift.
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:
Nutrition Reviewer: Rachael Derr, RDN
I’m Rachael Derr, the Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist who reviews Athletic Lift.
When a recipe or guide makes a nutrition claim, whether it’s grams of protein, a calorie target, an allergen note, or a dietary swap, it gets a second set of eyes from me. I have more than thirteen years in food-service nutrition. At Purple Carrot I lead nutrient and allergen analysis, FDA-compliant Nutrition Facts labeling, and recipe development for one of the country’s largest plant-based meal-kit services. Earlier I ran menu compliance and HACCP procedures across 97 Garden Fresh Restaurants and consulted for national chain restaurants 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. I review the recipes and guides on Athletic Lift that touch nutrition, macros, allergens, or dietary guidance to keep them accurate and trustworthy.
Find Rachael 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 who writes the women over 40 training and nutrition content. Recipes and guides that involve nutrition claims, macros, allergens, or dietary guidance are reviewed for accuracy by Rachael Derr, RDN, a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist. 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.