Strong, Not Skinny
When most people think of the words “Strength training” they think of sweaty, bulky men grunting and lifting 500 lbs. All too often in my job when I tell women that in order to reach their desired body they need to “strength train” they respond with the phrase “I don’t want to get bulky” or “I don’t want to look manly”. These phrases are the ones that enrage me. If lifting weights made you extremely bulking, then where is my bulk? Where are my hulk-like arms?
In response to women who are looking to lose weight, I always must tell them about strength training. Way back in the day, cardio was king when it came to weight loss fads. People would run or walk on the treadmill for hours expected to have a sculpted and skinny body. The truth that we now know is that lifting weight is actually the most effective way to drop those unwanted pounds!
Mo’ Muscle, Mo’ Fat Loss
It all starts with muscle. Muscle is a very metabolic tissue, which means that the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn at rest. Muscle needs to have calories or energy in order to repair itself from an intense weight lifting session, so it takes from your food you consume to repair, leaving less calories to be converted to fat. In simple terms, muscle burns fat.
When people switch over to weight lifting from cardio, it is important to start out with full body routines. If the individual has a large amount of body fat to lose, this is even more important. When you workout your full body during a single workout, you recruit the most muscle fibers possible. The more muscles you can get involved during a workout,the more calories you will burn. The amount of weight you lift also comes into play when burning more calories. Once you have the proper form and have been practicing motions, it is important to increase the weight you are lifting. Lifting heavy requires more muscle fiber to be engaged because of the high amount of stress being put on one’s body. This results in the body burning even more calories because the muscles are working harder to lift the heavier load.In order to change your body to be better than it ever has been, you must do something you have never done! If you continue to lift the same weight time after time your muscles become used to the weight.
**It’s almost like becoming complacent in your job. You’re just going through the motions but not really trying, and definitely not getting anything out of it.
The same thing happens with your muscles! Once your muscles have lifted the same weight, they have no reason to rip and repair, therefore you do not gain any more muscle mass and you do not see the maximum amount of calories being burned throughout the rest of the day. So, push yourself. You can lift a lot more than you think, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun to push yourself to your limit!
The big take-away from this post is this: Lift weights, and lift heavy. Not only will it transform your body in ways you’ve never imagined, it always raises your confidence when you do something you never thought possible.
Stay strong my friends!