Ladies, if you have ever seen a man in the gym, here are some of the things you may have observed:
The choice of weights he picked up was far too heavy for him, but his ego believes he can lift it
The form he uses to lift the weight looks less flow like and a lot more like a baboon having a fit
Gorilla like grunting
An obsession with the bench press
A complete lack of recognition to any muscle they can’t see in the mirror.
BUT
There are a few things you can learn from the guys, when it comes to working out.
1 – The reason you lift weights is to build muscle
I know as soon as you read that statement you instantly picture Helga the Russian Bodybuilder but no, no, no!
Woman don’t want to build muscle right? Woman want to tone and sculpt right?
Here is the deal. Tone and sculpt are actually made up words for marketing. The hard fact is is that a muscle can only grow and shrink. How toned and sculpted you look is simply a question of how much body fat you’re carrying. And how much body fat you carry has a direct correlation to how much muscle you have.
Muscle is VERY metabolically expensive tissue meaning it costs your body a lot of calories to keep it in tip top order.
A female with lots of muscle and minimal body fat
2 – Muscle is ridiculously hard to build
It’s not easy to put slabs of muscle onto a frame. And for the women it’s even harder. Testosterone is the governing body for adding muscle and the simple fact is, women get less than half of what the guys get
Average male testosterone level – 270-1070 ng/dl
Average female t level 15-70 ng/dl
So unless you’re some kind of genetic outlier you will never be able to put the muscle on that a man does.
As for Helga she looks the way she does because of her daily steroid injections. Not to mention that Helga is also a genetic outlier and trains harder than I ever could.
NB – I don’t have anything against Helga and if this is what she chooses to do with her body then more power to her.
If you don’t want to look like Helga then don’t inject steroids daily.
3 – Results come from getting out of your comfort zone
This is simple common sense. The harder you work the better results you get. Unfortunately if you go into a big box gym, it’s not uncommon to see women doing tricep kickbacks with a 2kg weight.
First off, a tricep kickback only involves one small muscle therefore it isn’t energy demanding and secondly a 2kg weight isn’t going to do anything.
I know it burns and it ‘’feels’’ like you’re doing something but the harsh reality is if you can’t see the horseshoe of your tricep then you’re better off focusing on functional compound exercises and a solid nutrition plan
4 – It doesn’t matter how hard you try you can’t make a muscle longer
This is a classic I noticed from the Pilates craze. Women don’t want ‘big and bulky’ muscles they want ‘long, lean muscles like a dancer.’ Again marketing at it’s finest. The fact is muscle has a genetically predetermined shape and length – you can’t change them. Muscle has both an origin and an insertion point meaning it has a beginning and end. You either have a long muscle or a short one. You cannot change it. As for elongating a muscle it’s simply impossible.
NB – I have nothing against Pilates in fact I think it’s great. I do have an issue with some of the marketing surrounding it. Do Pilates to rebalance your body. Don’t do it because you think it will make you look like a dancer.
5 – Don’t be fooled by the ‘pump’
Guys love the feeling of a pumped muscle. They will often go out of their way to do multiple sets and reps just to pump a given muscle with blood thus making it look bigger. Women on the other hand often misinterpret the pump for bulking up. When you struggle to put your skinny jeans on after a workout, it’s not because your muscles suddenly grew. After a set of squats fluid travels to the muscle and your muscle holds onto it. It’s just temporary and lasts for around 30 minutes give or take
6 – Lifting weights doesn’t mean you will become tight
In fact it’s quite the opposite. When you train with weights and use a full range of motion the odds are you will actually increase the flexibility within the muscle.
Let’s look at the arms. The bicep and tricep muscle groups are the pair that move the elbow joint.
When the prime mover of the elbow joint is the bicep, the elbow bends or flexes. The prime mover of any joint is called the agonist. So for this example the bicep is the agonist. For this to happen the tricep has to relax and stretch, allowing the bicep to work. The tricep would be the antagonist. If you work a muscle the opposing muscle will be stretched. The key is to use a full range of motion.
The conclusion
I get it, I get it. You don’t want to look like some muscle bound female. You want to tone up and have long lean muscles. Though these phrases are just made up marketing words they are also the language most women speak. What women are saying is they don’t want to over-develop muscles in the wrong areas. They want to get to a body fat level that shows off certain lines and striations within the physics.
Introducing….
Ladies that lift
This is a short 4 week course where you will learn the in’s and out’s of strength and hypertrophy.
Think deadlifts, clean and jerk, snatches, pull ups and military presses
Learn how to perform these exercises correctly in a safe and friendly environment. Never be intimidated by the weights again.
Get support. Our classes are limited to 6 people to ensure everyone gets the support they need.
I’ve never lifted weights before. Can I come along?
Of course! The class is specifically designed so that no matter your ability or experience, you can go at your own pace.
Will I get help with my nutrition too?
Once you’ve been to a class, you’ll gain access to our all natural Nourishing Nutrition Plan and ongoing guidance on everything nutrition and lifestyle related.
Do I have to be a member of Results Personal Training to come?
Absolutely not. Everyone is welcome.
What now?
If you are interested please send us an email and we will put you on our emailing list once we confirm further details in terms of dates, cost, times etc.
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