There are a lot of myths out there when it comes to the health & fitness industry, and a lot of these are absolute rubbish! I could write forever about them, but let’s just focus on one for now – women shouldn’t lift weights!
I’ve heard this a lot, in the time I’ve been a personal trainer, but it continues to be a popular belief, particularly in the area of fat loss / getting leaner (getting leaner is not the same as ‘getting big’). Some of the favourites are ‘you NEED to do cardio’, ‘get on the treadmill’, ‘weights will make you look like a man’, ‘I don’t want to look like Arnie’ and my favourite quote I came across, from a “trainer”, ‘women shouldn’t lift more than 4kg dumbbells’…genius!
If you’ve been told this and bought into the concept, then it’s time to change the way you think, as well as the way you train. If you heard it from a friend or a family member they could be forgiven for passing on misguided information. However, if you heard it from a trainer or instructor, it’s just criminal!
All of our clients at Optimum 3, both men and women, lift weights! Do the women walk out of the studio looking manly or the size of a house? Nope! They walk out with the body they always wanted, and so many women getting the right training from their trainer do too. Leaner, healthier, happier, it’s simple. Programmes should be designed around goals, body type and client ability. What makes people unhappy is believing in someone’s word, then becoming disappointed when they’ve wasted their time for weeks on end, trying to achieve their goal using techniques that are never going to work. The feeling of thinking you’ve failed is not pretty. But instead of feeling unmotivated, you just need to tweak the way you train. Don’t just jack it in on the back of some poor advice / information!
Now, before all you cardio lovers jump on my back, cardio has its place but by no means should it be the majority of a workout, especially in terms of fat loss and getting lean. Enjoy cardio? Have a go at some High Intensity Interval Cardio, as PART of a programme. Don’t make it THE programme. Save the majority of your time for lifting some weights and watch the results roll in, in conjunction with the correct nutritional approach.
Move well.
James Brereton
Founder & personal trainer
I’ve been training with James for 7 weeks now and I can already see my body shape changing. Guess how…? LIFTING WEIGHTS! I think girls these days are more interested in looking toned than waif thin. I’m really happy with my progress and would encourage all girls to lift weights.