If you want to be healthy, lean and strong; using weights regularly (combined with correct nutrition) is what will get you there. If you have a personal trainer, this is hopefully what they are telling you.
It’s not about endless cardio (too much will make you look skinny-fat) but exercises that target all your major muscle groups, which is what gives you that lovely lean and toned look.
For ladies, the focus should be on muscle gain NOT WEIGHT LOSS!
If you stress out about the scales fluctuating, perhaps consider this: if you want to lose weight to be smaller, you will therefore have to eat LESS in order to maintain this smaller form. And less after that, and less after that…do you think that’s any way to live?
What if there was a way you could actually eat MORE and not feel guilty about having the odd indulgent cheat meal (think of the endless number of scrumptious restaurants in Southampton…) and having to spend either days fasting or hours in the gym or running in order to “burn it off”?
Well, in fact there is. And it’s called resistance training!
Working out with weights increases lean muscle tissue, meaning you will INCREASE your metabolism (how much fat you burn when doing nothing.) You’ll actually need to eat MORE in order to nourish these lovely muscles!
Are you worried about looking bulky? You don’t have anywhere near the same testosterone levels as a fella, nor (I hopefully assume) are you using steroids. So please put that concern to bed. Your personal trainer should hopefully reassure you of this and explain how.
If you’re worried about the scales going up (often they can once your muscles are full of glycogen) even though you are visibly leaner, then ask yourself what’s more important to you: a number that might not even be accurate, or your looser clothes that are now literally falling off your new leaner body?
If it’s the former, you will just be stuck in a perpetual cycle of mystery and stress.
So please, get off the f*****g scales and start using your clothes as a benchmark.
If you’re not sure about how to use weights, that’s what me and my team of personal trainers are here to help with.
You don’t have to be a member of a gym either, there are plenty of ways resistance training can get you the results you’ve been waiting for. Check out my examples of home body-weight workouts too.
And if you’re STILL thinking, “yeah but I’ll still keep weighing myself” then just ask yourself how far that has got you, your attitude and progress to date.
Maybe, just maybe it’s time for a change.
Happy training!
Gen x
