As a young PT I had a client who in her own words “wanted arms like Madonna!”
I took a series of girth measurements, body fat readings, calculated her energy requirements and set out with a plan to get her the arms she wanted.
11 months later when I went to train her one day, she was screaming at me “look what you’ve done to me…I never wanted to be big and muscular…just toned and defined…I now look like a man!”
I took out the tape and showed her that despite her achieving her shape she had in fact LOST inches around her arms and shoulders. She wasn’t bulky, just lean and defined as she’d requested.
Despite proving this to her, getting her to lift heavy weights again became a near impossible task and we parted company around a month later.
There are SO many reasons why women (as well as guys) should be lifting heavier with great form.
Benefits of adding weight training to your programme
1) – Improved fat loss – adding lean tissue burns more calories
2) – Enhance your mood and reduce stress
3) – Gain strength without bulking
4) – Reduce risk of injury, back pain and arthritis
5) – Improve athletic performance
6) – Reduce risk of heart and metabolic diseases
7) – Increase bone mineral density and connective tissue strength, reducing risk of osteoporosis
Plus many more!
At M.A.S.K. we carefully balance client’s programmes to include resistance training as well as other areas such as cardio, mobility and flexibility, purely because we know the huge array of benefits that lifting brings.
The stronger you are, the easier life becomes. Daily chores, your career, lifting your children…everything gets that little bit easier.
Furthermore, you absolutely WILL NOT bulk up unless you train specifically to bulk up whilst taking a whole host of supplements and substances (some of them illegal).
Females have lower levels of testosterone and higher levels of oestrogen and progesterone, making it very difficult to bulk up like males.
The key take away is this:
Put down the 2Kg dumbbells for good and learn to lift heavier weights with great form. The results are truly life changing!
Stay AWESOME. 🙂
