...

6 Reasons Why Women Should Lift Heavy!

Strong is the new beautiful
Strong is the new beautiful

Lifting heavy weights is often connected with women and some men to be afraid to get big. Like I posted in my article Battle of the Bulge getting big is very difficult for women. If a woman strives to be a female bodybuilder, by natural means that is, then she needs to lift about 5-6 days a week. Even then she will still look like a woman

That does not mean that lifting heavy does not have positive effects:

  1. Strong Lean Muscle:  Don’t underestimate the toned look you can get from lifting heavy weight. The best example are bikini competitors. They lift heavy, really heavy. 3-5 reps per set is normal. Side benefit: Even though you build lean muscle, the building stimulus is not nearly as big as with 8-12 repetitions. So, if you are satisfied with your muscle mass, then why not get incredibly strong?
  2. Metabolic Boost: Improving your body fat percentage, even while staying at the same weight, boosts your metabolic rate. You can eat more without gaining body fat, or you will shed some unwanted pounds of fat.
  3. Bone Density: Research in the past decades again and again has shown that weight training ( I am not referring to 2 lb dbs) can have a positive impact on our bone density. If you are at risk because of your family history or because of your body type then picking up some weights can help reduce your risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis.
  4. Being incredibly strong: Women often have the reputation of being physically weak, when that is really not true. Yes, a man of your weight and statue will probably be stronger, if he has the same training level. That does not mean that you cannot be powerful and strong yourself without looking like a guy! Take charge and feel empowered!
  5. Be beautiful inside out: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but someone who takes care of herself will radiate more self confidence. Physical strength and fitness can translate into you feeling more in charge in other areas of your life.
  6. Reduce pain: Joints that are stabilized by strong muscles work more smoothly and often cause less pain. You might even be able to eliminate pain altogether. One of my clients was told that she needed knee replacement in both knees. That was ten years ago. Guess what, she still does not have a replacement!

If you are looking to get in shape and get back on track, check out our specials: Monthly Specials Start Up Specials

Have a fantastic day,

Michael

Muscle vs. Fat – The Battle of the Bulge

We have this discussion again and again with new female clients who want to lose body fat:

“I don’t want to gain any muscle. I want to get long lean muscles, tone and lose body fat. ”

I am really sorry, but we need to clear up some misconceptions here.

What “cardio only” will get you:

Working out at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting Charlotte
The benefits of hard work!

You might have heard the terms teacher arms, bat wings, bye-bye arms, etc. before. You might have even used it. If you are doing just cardio, that would be what you will receive. Just cardiovascular training will help you lose body fat, but it also will decrease the muscle mass.

I know this sounds pretty crass. It is simply the truth. Just cardio is not what you want in your battle against the fat.

What strength training will NOT do for you:

If you are a woman and you are afraid to be big and bulky; don’t worry about it. It is not going to happen. You don’t have the necessary hormone levels by nature to accomplish that. The only time we see women get bigger when lifting weights is when they are not following their nutrition plan at the same time. They are building lean muscle under layers of fat.

If you have lost big amounts of weight (50+ lbs) on the other hand there will usually be some excess skin. Weight training can only help so much. At some point your skin might just be too stretched out.

What strength training will do for you:

  • Build fat burning muscle: lean muscle gains increase your metabolism
  • Stimulates your bones: an intense strength training program can stimulate your bones and help you prevent osteoporosis or slow down its progress
  • Fill out some or all of the space that was formerly occupied by fat: giving you the lean toned look you desire
  • Stabilize joints and help with joint aches and pains.

How often should you lift weights?

That is a loaded question. Beginners can get away with 2 x/week for 30 min. More experienced athletes will train 3-5 days a week for about 60-75 min. It all depends on your training development and your goals. Most people have great results training 3 days week.

I hope this showed you a little bit on what a well designed strength training can do for you.

If you are new to training and you are looking to get into check out our January Specials for new clients, and let one of our trainers help you get on track. Click HERE

Have an awesome day,

Michael

 

 

Low Carb, Low Fat – Weight Loss Myths

People either ask me if they need to eat a low carb diet or if they need to avoid fats in order to lose weight and be healthy.

Low Carb or Low Fat? What works?
Low Carb or Low Fat? What works?

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that there is no significant difference in weight loss after 6 to 12 months. Both methods worked well to lose weight. It did not take into account body composition. One year is not really a long time though. It would be interesting to know how it looks like after 5 years.

Low Fat Diets

They have been around for a couple of decades in order to fight heart disease. Despite those efforts the numbers have gotten worse. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA and we have more people struggling with overweight and obesity.

You can lose weight with this kind of diet. What we don’t know is the quality of food. What  are we eating “food-like” products or real foods? It all depends on choices made.

Low Carb Diets

Even though there are representative diets in this category like the paleo diet that focus on whole foods, that does not mean that most people do that. This diet is often criticized for not being sustainable for everyone. We face the same problem that we have with the low carb diet. I can stuff my face with foods that are not real foods anymore. There are thousands of products in every store.

The Alternative

We need to get away from Low fat this, this low carb that. Different people have different needs but there are some things we can agree on that work for most everyone.

  • Eat as unprocessed or minimally processed as possible. Be reasonable, you don’t have to eat your steak raw. It conserves nutrients that you won’t have otherwise or will have to be added artificially. Research seems to indicate that artificially added nutrients are not as efficient as naturally occurring ones.
  • You are fine to eat meat, poultry, fish. Focus on wild caught fish, pork or beef from grass-fed animals, etc.
  • Veggies are rich in vitamins, phytonutrients, fiber and have small amounts of complex carbohydrates. Go all out.
  • Fruits: Stay away from juices, they are high in sugar. I don’t care if it comes from fruits, it still can be hard on your system. Instead of that eat a banana, apple, mango, etc. Eat the fruit. Again they are rich in phytonutrients, vitamins and fiber (depending on the fruit)
  • Organic: This is a big topic. I prefer to have most of my foods from organic sources. Research is controversial but I am not sure I want to put GMO’s into my body.
  • Grains: They have become increasingly controversial. I have my greek yogurt in the morning and add 1/2 cup of oats. That is it. I usually don’t have more of it (unless I have fallen off the deep end, which does happen once in a while)

Have a great start into the week,

Michael

5 Myths about your Weight Loss Goals in 2015

News Resolutions are on their way, hopefully, successful. Sadly the statistics tell us otherwise.

Fat Loss at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
Planning to have flat abs?

60% of people give up by March. More than 80% of people are not successful.

I want you to succeed. I want you to make this year the year that you are going all the way in your fitness goals. Today’s blog is about fat loss.

Myths that can cost you your weight/fat loss success:

  • Myth 1: Unprocessed food will lead to fat loss, guaranteed: While I am a big proponent of eating minimally processed food, it does not mean you have an “All You Can Eat Permission”. It is simply not true. In order to be healthy, lose fat and look the way you want, you need to make changes. Eating a clean diet consisting of minimally or unprocessed foods is a big step towards it. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, fibers, protein, phytonutrients, etc. That does not mean you can eat as much as you want though. Check out my “Fall Fat Flush” for more information on how your food intake can look like. The amounts of food are just as important. Eating too little or too much can sabotage your goals.
  • Myth 2: Steady State Cardio is Bad, High Intensity Training (HIIT) is good: You need to get away from absolutes. If you decide to go on a long walk or a 3 mile run without throwing intervals into it, you still rev up your metabolism for that time period. Given, HIIT has shown to be highly effective in increasing your metabolism for up to hours after you are done, and it is shorter, but, it is also a higher stress on your system and should not be done more than 2-3 times a week. You might have to build a good base before doing it, or your health situation might not  permit you to do HIIT training currently. Different cardiovascular training methods fulfill different needs.
  • Myth 3: Strength Training is all you need to lose weight: While it is true that strength training is an integral part of a well designed weight/fat loss program because it increases lean fat burning muscle, it won’t be successful without a sound approach to nutrition. In addition our sedentary lifestyles have lead to an increased need for cardiovascular activity in order to maintain health and a relatively high metabolic output. Simply put: We don’t physically work anymore to do our jobs therefore our energy needs are low. I consider even my job as a trainer fairly sedentary. Any physical activity will help.
  • Myth 4: Supplements are necessary to lose weight: That is total nonsense. Most supplements are a complete waste of time and money. Just because something has a 5 star rating on a seller’s page does not mean it works. There are a few supplements that can assist in your fat loss program, but almost all can have interactions with medications that you might be taking.
  • Myth 5: I need to do a complete kitchen makeover in order to be successful: It all depends on what you want to accomplish.  If you are overweight and you want to lose a couple of pounds, the changes necessary are not nearly as big as someone who wants to go from 10% body fat to 5%. It is true, the bigger the effort the bigger the results. That does not mean that by implementing a couple of small changes every 1-2 weeks you won’t have reached your goals by the end of the year.

I hope this was helpful to you. If you are looking for help with your success this coming year then give us a call at 704 777 3743 or email us at michael@charlottepersonaltrainer.org, or check our New Client Special out by clicking here. Mention 5 Myths about your weight loss goal to get an additional 5% off!

Have an awesome day,

 

Michael

Seraphinite AcceleratorOptimized by Seraphinite Accelerator
Turns on site high speed to be attractive for people and search engines.