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Here, Raul Romero, Lichfield’s favourite Spanish<br />
personal trainer and founder of Ambition Personal<br />
Training, busts one of the biggest fitness myths<br />
around; that lifting weights make women bulky…<br />
Does lifting weights make women bulky?<br />
In short…NO! It’s amazing the number of female<br />
clients who come to me for help with toning up and<br />
losing weight, who although have exercised, have<br />
never lifted weights due to fear of ‘bulking up’ and<br />
looking like Hulk! It is one of the biggest myths<br />
around when, in actual fact, lifting weights is key to<br />
losing weight and toning up.<br />
The truth behind testosterone<br />
Yes that’s right, testosterone. The truth is that women<br />
have lower levels of testosterone than men. This is<br />
relevant as testosterone is the hormone that produces<br />
muscle mass growth. So it is a lot more difficult,<br />
and a lot more work is needed, for women to grow<br />
muscles like men do and thus ‘bulk up’.<br />
In order for women to ‘bulk up’ Hulk style, they<br />
need to put in a ginormous amount of effort and<br />
time training everyday, and eating a massive amount<br />
of extra calories. Female bodybuilders need to train<br />
longer and harder than men to achieve the same<br />
goals.<br />
This is not, however, what the average woman does,<br />
therefore for everyone else, who quite simply wants<br />
to get lean, tone up, and change their body shape,<br />
weight training, combined with a healthy eating plan<br />
is key.<br />
2. Boost your body’s metabolic activity.<br />
The more muscle mass you have (that is built<br />
through weight training), the more calories your<br />
body will need to function. If you combine weight<br />
training with controlling your diet and limiting your<br />
intake of calories, your body will turn more to its fat<br />
stores to function, thus helping you lose body fat and<br />
consequently volume and size.<br />
3. Help strengthen your muscles and bones.<br />
This isn’t usually one of the principal goals for<br />
weight training, but instead a nice extra added<br />
benefit! Not only will it help you do your daily jobs<br />
more efficiently and easily, but it will also help reduce<br />
and sometimes even prevent osteoporosis.<br />
4. Increase self-confidence and self-esteem.<br />
As obvious as this sounds, it really is true! The more<br />
you incorporate weight training into your workouts,<br />
the more likely you are to tone-up, change your body<br />
shape and decrease your fat percentage, thus making<br />
you feel great!<br />
Hopefully this has given you a glimpse into the<br />
wonderful world of weight training. For more<br />
information or help from Raul, you can find him at<br />
the Ambition PT studio in central Lichfield at Unit<br />
5, Wiltell Works Industrial Estate, Upper St John<br />
Street, or get in touch via email at<br />
raul@ambitionpt.co.uk<br />
What effect does weight training<br />
really have on a woman’s body?<br />
1. Give you a more toned, defined<br />
shape.<br />
Like with most things, consistency is key<br />
in order to achieve this. This works best<br />
with great planning at the start of the<br />
week; plan in two to three workouts a<br />
week that include some form of weight<br />
training; this does not have to be what<br />
immediately comes to mind - lifting<br />
heavy bars and dumbbells at the gym)<br />
- but instead can also include body<br />
weight training. Your plan can include<br />
independent gym sessions, group classes,<br />
or a mixture of both. Be consistent, be<br />
patient and most importantly, stick to<br />
your plan and you will notice changes in<br />
your body shape sooner than you think.<br />
BUSTING GYM MYTHS -<br />
WEIGHT TRAINING IS THE<br />
KEY TO SUPER TONING<br />
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