The Uniqueness Of Being A Woman

Having coached and trained many female clients  for over ten years I can certainly vouch that although females are equal to males they are well and truly not the same!!

One of the hang ups females often present with is the fear of strength training. To get the body you want you have to strength train. There are no two ways about it. Their fear legitimately comes from a feeling that females will bulk from lifting weights.

This is a popular misconception and in our practical experience is a total MYTH. Females typically have 10x less testosterone (muscle growth hormone) than a male, which means the likelihood of female building big muscles from lifting weights is very unlikely.

Not only will strength training dramatically improve your appearance and thereby your self confidence but will also help with your posture and because it increases bone mineral density reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Good examples of key strength training for women include lunges and squats which will do a nice job of burning fat as the exercise requires huge muscle group usage.

Females have a much greater tendency to opt for aerobic training than males. Aerobic training includes exercises like the X-Trainer, bike and treadmill where you are working on a continuous duration. I have seen so many females anxiously watching the calorie counter clock up on these type of machines it is untrue!!

Let me tell you a secret…

You will never achieve body transformation by aerobic training alone.  Having worked at a leading health club chain for five years it always amazed me that so many females did not change their body shape one iota from my first to my last day. They invested hours and hours into aerobic training and zero time on real exercise like strength training.

Excessive investment in aerobic training can indeed make you fatter and not leaner. Research conducted in the U.S a few years ago found that the average body fat percentage for a female aerobics instructor was 23%. This is indeed high for an exercise professional. So avoid what Charles Poliquin accurately describes as Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome (C.A.I.S)

Onwards to real exercise and a time to lift weight

Peter Lemon
C.H.E.K I, C.H.E.K Exercise Coach, CMTA