I make no secret my disdain towards the mainstream media (magazines, newscasts, infomercials, pop culture, fads) and how it relays fitness information to women.
Wait, what? You mean women can lift weights heavier than 3 lbs????
Most of it – mind you, not all of it – is predicated on the notion that women are these delicate flowers who shouldn’t (or worse, can’t!) lift appreciable weights, and that their fitness needs are better aligned with cardiocentric modalities and/or buzz words like “toned,” “sleek,” and “sexy.”
You know, cause deadlifts will make you grow an Adam’s Apple overnight.
The tone (<- forgive the pun) has changed in the past five years or so with the growing popularity of CrossFit. Women, now more than ever, of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds, and ability-level are hitting the weights and recognizing (and reaping) the advantages of setting performance based goals.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, though.
It’s a never ending upward battle to change the mindset of a society that places more “value” in something as arbitrary as what the scale reads in lieu of someone’s push-up prowess.
In my latest article on BodyBuilding.com I discuss why strength is the key to pretty much everything, including aesthetics.
Since we’re on the topic of performance, one of my all-time favorite resources for conditioning and general badassery – Lift Weights Faster 2 – is currently in the midst of a stellar summer SALE.
Not only do you get to learn from one of the best coaches I know, Jen Sinkler, and get bombarded with literally hundreds of different circuits and finishers ranging from 10-30 minutes, but you’ll also have the opportunity to follow workouts written by guest coaches such as myself, John Romaniello, Jill Coleman, Ben Bruno, Bret Contreras, Molly Galbraith, and a host of others.
Frankly, LWF2 is my default resource whenever I need a quick circuit to use myself or with any number of my own clients.
And you can get it for $40 off the regular price the rest of this week.
NOTE: As some of you may or may not know, I’m getting married this weekend. As such, I’m going to be a little hit and miss as far as how often I update the blog for the next week or so. I’m going to be too busy eating my fair share of carrot cake and *ahem* partaking in extracurricular activities…;O)
Today is a RE-POST of an article I published last year on the site. It’s without question one of the more popular posts ever published on TG.com. For anyone who missed it the first time around (or is new to the site), enjoy!
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Seattle based blogger and writer, Sophia Herbst. I first crossed paths with Sophia- via the interwebz – a few months ago when I read her outstanding article on the Huffington Post 1200 Calories.
I included it as part of my Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work series and low and behold, Sophia reached out to thank me for sharing and to say that the feelings were mutual: she was a big fan of my work as well.
We pretty much became internet BFFs at that point.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago and she reached out again to see if I’d be interested in contributing to an article she was writing on CrossFit. We exchanged several emails – along with some inappropriate (to share) commentary – and I asked if she’d be down with writing a piece for my site. She was more than happy to oblige.
She’s an amazing writer. I don’t use that compliment lightly. And while I’m not a woman, as a man, it was almost impossible for me not to nod my head in agreement with everything she had to say below.
Enjoy!
Also, just a heads up: there is some not-so-PG-13 language involved. Deal with it.
An Open Letter to Everyone Who Has Told Women “Don’t Get Too Muscular.”
I have been strength training for about two years now. Before that, I was a starvation-dieter.
I began dieting around the age of 13 or 14. My freshman year of high school I discovered I no longer fit into size zero jeans andbam!Diet time. By the time I hit 21, the years of self-imposed malnutrition had left me at 100lbs, able to easily wrap my thumb & middle finger around my upper arm (“bicep” doesn’t seem like the appropriate word) and unable to open jars, heavy doors, or windows by myself.
Why am I telling you this?
During my seven years of starvation-dieting, I wasnever oncetold, “don’t get too thin”.
In contrast, during my two years of strength training I have been told, “don’t get too muscular” countless times.
The first time it happened to me, I had excitedly been telling someone about my new squat PR. Weighing in at a (finally) healthy 125, I had just squatted 100lbs. I was in the middle of explaining “my goal is a bodyweight back squat-” when I was interrupted with a “well, don’t get too muscular now”.
Being new to strength training, thiscrushedme.
For an awful few days it took my focus away from becoming stronger, and back to measuring myself by the gauge of “is my body pleasing for others to look at?”
After I got over it, my dismay turned into anger – no – absolutefuryat this society in which42% of girls 5-8 years old want to be thinner, and 10 million women are battling eating disorders(source), yet we hear the words “don’t get too muscular” far more often than “don’t get too thin.”
Now, while this unsolicited “advice” is generally never welcome nor appreciated, it brings up two issues: The encouragement of female weakness, and the lack of respect for female body autonomy.
One: Culturally-Encouraged Female Weakness
Let me tell you right now, women who strength train knowhow hard it is to build muscle.
If you tell a woman who strength trains “don’t get too muscular” then congratulations! You have just ousted yourself as a totally ignorant fool who doesn’t even lift.
The problem is that women whodon’tstrength traindon’tknow how hard it is to build muscle, and so this phrase, “don’t get too muscular” will seriously deter them from ever picking up heavy things in the first place.
This is a big problem. Naomi Wolf explains it better than I ever could:
“A culture fixated on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty, but an obsession about female obedience.Dieting is the most potent political sedative in women’s history; a quietly mad population is a tractable one.”
When women strength train, it is an act of borderline social disobedience. “Don’t get too muscular” is the phrase of choice used by people who are threatened by strong women to put them “back in their place”.
And it’s working.
We have three generations & counting of women who have been brainwashed intovoluntarilyphysically debilitating themselves.
Three generations of women who have been more focused on losing weight than running for government. Three generations of women have would rather be thin than intelligent. Three generations of women that would rather let the men-folk open jars for them, rather than develop the strength to open jars for themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMHXLUvNuJg
Now, I amnot advocating that people start going around, accosting teenage girls with desperate pleas of “don’t get too thin! Put some meat on dem bones!” But to be completely honest, I probably would have benefited very much if Ihadreceived the message “don’t get too thin” at some point in my adolescence.
So. If you are going to sayanythingto a woman about her body (which you shouldn’t be doing in the first place, as I am about to explain), “don’t get too thin” is 1000% preferable over the completely moronic “don’t get too muscular”.
Two: Lack of Respect for Female Body Autonomy
Why do people think it’s appropriate to tell women what they can & can’t do with their bodies in the first place? What makes someone think it’s perfectly acceptable to tell a woman “don’t get too muscular”?
This is an issue that’s been going on since the dawn of time, with female body autonomy being disrespected from reproductive rights, to personal space in public places, to -yes – appearance, weight, & fitness.
Most tellingly, no woman – no matter what kind of body she has – is immune from invasive suggestions on how she should be caring for her body. Women who strength train are warned against getting too “bulky”, “muscular”, or (my absolute favorite) “manly”.
Women who are on the larger side by far endure the most unwanted commentary. From people remarking on what’s in their shopping carts, to what they should order at a restaurant, to what type of exercise they should be doing, to what they should be wearing whilst exercising… it never stops. Even thin women can’t escape the self-appointed body police, who unhelpfully pester them to eat more because “men like women with curves”.
If you are a man, and the idea of a random passerby raising knowing eyebrows at your gut whilst commenting on your ice-cream cone sounds invasive and preposterous – that’s because itisinvasive and preposterous. You are just lucky enough to not experience it every day.
Sometimes multiple times a day.
Men, for the most part, do not have to entertain this type of “well-intentioned” advice, because people actually respect male body autonomy. This is something that women would like to enjoy as well.
The people who tell women what they should do with their bodies are, frankly, so arrogant they believe their “benevolent suggestions” are actually doing the woman a favor.
Y’know, helpingus be more attractive to potential mates.
This completely disregards the fact that women do not exist to be aesthetically pleasing for others, and we (this may surprise some) often do things for ourselves.
Which brings me full circle to my anecdote in the beginning, about the first time someone interrupted my squat-excitement to not-so-helpfully remind me to avoid bulky she-man status.
Women who strength train are doing it for themselves, not for you. Women who lift weights have already eschewed social norms by touching iron in the first place, and I guarantee they give negative fucks about your opinions on their bodies.
So next time you are tempted to “help” a woman by telling her not to deadlift things becauseyoudon’t like muscular women, remember that nobody cares about your stupid boner.Especiallynot the lady deadlifting 200lbs in the gym tank that says “GET SWOLE”.
But even more importantly than not telling this to women who already have the ability to overhead press your girlfriend, don’t say it to women who aren’t strength training yet(like your girlfriend). Because chances are, with every “don’t get too muscular” a girl hears, weight gets added to the already-heavily weighted scales that tip women away from becoming strong, healthy, and powerful, and towards a life of cardio, carrot sticks, and misery.
And no woman deserves that.
*** Be sure to check out Sophia’s bio below and to find out how to read more of her stuff!!!
Note from TG
At this point, if you’re a woman reading this who has little experience with strength training (or if you’re a friend, family member, or significant other of someone who’s expressed interest) you may be wondering to yourself, “well, where do I start? I don’t know my ass from my acetabulum, let alone how to perform a squat or deadlift correctly! And, how often should I workout? How much weight should I lift? Is it okay to train two days in a row? OMG DID I LEAVE THE STOVE ON THIS MORNING!!?!?!?!?!”
Deep breaths! Relax.
Lucky for you I have a lot of smart, genuine, and highly respected friends in the fitness industry (male and female) who have gone out of their way to provide some fantastic resources for women.
This is one of the most comprehensive “female-targeted” products out there. Not only do you get a “how to” guide to strength training, but a full-blown nutritional manual written by Dr. Cassandra Forsythe. No 1200 kcal diets here!
A bit more “sciency,” but still a fantastic resource for any woman looking to get stronger and building herideal body.
About the Author
Sophia Herbst is a Seattle-based freelance writer, blogger, and proud feminist. When she’s not writing for Cody, a health & fitness startup, she’s changing the conversation about social & cultural issues through her blog.
Women tend to be more patient. In the gym that is. Lets not get carried away here….LOL.
They’re patient in that they’re less likely to add 50 lbs to the barbell when I’m not looking and performing a set with atrocious technique.
Women tend to take constructive criticism more lightly and won’t interpret it as me judging them.
And women tend to have less ego compared to their male counterparts.
And less BO.
These are all loose observations, of course, and by no means should be taken as concrete. Some of my best clients have been men; but I have found throughout the years, as a whole, women tend to be easier to coach.
I know many of my fellow Y-chromosome’d colleagues would agree – Bret Contreras, John Gaglione, Mike Robertson, to name a few.
I have to assume my female coaching friends will agree?
We’ve seen a shift in mindset with women within the last decade when it comes to lifting weights, and more to the point, strength training. I’d be remiss not to give a tip of the hat to CrossFit for leading the charge.
Nothing (so long as I can remember) can be attributed to the tsunami of interest and enthusiasm of people getting excited to lift weights than CrossFit – men and women both. But mostly women.
Tracy Anderson and the Thigh Master can suck it!
Before I get flak for going soft on CrossFit- there’s still much of it that drives me batshit crazy. Funnily enough, the quality of CrossFit is getting better. More and more boxes are recognizing the importance of assessments, ramping people properly (regressions and progressions), having some semblance of periodization/programming, and understanding that not everyone can walk in on Day #1 and perform 100 reps of wall balls, box jumps, and 400m sprints……on their hands.
What’s funny about it is I hear all these CrossFit coaches waxing poetic about how much better CrossFit is now, and how it’s “changing.”
Exactly!
Because most of the boxes who are quote on quote “doing it well” aren’t doing CrossFit anymore. They’re, you know, having their clients perform smart, progressive, sensible programming without all the high-rep/WOD bologna that makes a small part of my soul die.
But that’s neither here nor there, way off-topic, and something I don’t want to get into at this point. Besides, I’m hangry right now and feel like I may cut someone.
But even with the shift of more and more women turning their backs to the elliptical trainer and gravitating towards the iron, there’s still a massive gap to bridge between what the mainstream media is relaying to women and what people like myself are trying to do.
Not a week goes by where I don’t shake my head in disbelief or come close to punching a wall from something I read or watch from the mainstream media on the topic of women and fitness.
All I have to do is walk through my local CVS and be slapped in the face with magazine cover after magazine cover telling the reader how to “lose 10 lbs in 1 month,” or how to “tone this” get a “sleek that,” all while following a detox diet that has you drinking nothing but grapefruit juice and unicorn tears for 47 days.
Which is all BS because 1) everyone knows unicorn tears are only effective after 49 days and 2) each magazine cover is plastered with a celebrity who’s been photoshopped beyond recognition and to a point that’s unattainable or with a model or figure competitor who spent the last three months dieting and prepping to look that way for ONE day.
Check out THIS post by Kelsey Reed on more of the shadiness behind the scenes with fitness marketing towards women.
And none of this speaks to the eye wash that I constantly come across on shows like Dr. Oz, Ellen, and The Biggest Loser.
It’s frustrating at times, if not 100% nauseating.
Which is why I love working with women. I love “de-programming” them (for lack of a better term) and helping them to pull the blanket from over the eyes.
In a lot of ways it’s similar to that new show on Netflix, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Kimmy’s been trapped in a Dooms-Day bunker for 15 years and is finally released into the “real world.” She’s been programmed to think one thing (many things, actually), only to find out that everything she knew was wrong. Or, slightly off.
She’s still living in the 90s with an out dated mentality about the world and how it now operates.
NOTE: the show is hilarious. Co-created by Tina Fey, so if you like that type of humor this show will be right up your alley.
I find that many (not all) women fall in line with Kimmy.
They’ve been told that lifting weights will make them bulky, that if they’re going to indulge, light weight (high reps) is the best way to go, and that to get toned and lean (buzz words!) they should perform copious amounts of cardio. And eat 1200 kcals per day.
I’m not going to begrudge someone’s goals. If “toned” and “lean” is what they’re after….cool. Lets do it!
But Lets Focus On Performance
Whenever I start working with a new female client – particularly if she’s not a competitive athlete – I always try to refrain from buzz words like toned, lean, etc.
I’ll let them use those words, and I’ll play along, but I’m almost always going to entice them to go down a path they thought they’d never go down. Similar to Alice going down the rabbit hole. Except with less opium involved.
Rather than have them focus on more superfluous goals like losing 10 lbs (it’s always 10 lbs) or more aesthetic goals like how their arms look in a certain dress….I’ll try to get them to buy into more of the performance side of things.
Things like:
1. Finally being able to perform an un-assisted, full ROM, chin-up.
2. Performing 10 clean push-ups. Not girl push-ups. I hate that term. Push-ups.
3. Deadlifting their bodyweight for reps. Deadlifting 1.5 bodyweight for reps. Hell, why not go for 2x bodyweight?
At first there may be a little push back. “Tony, I don’t care about my deadlift.” It’s to be expected. But I always say, “give me 60 days.”
“Do what I tell you to do for 60 days, and we’ll re-assess things.”
It’s amazing what happens after only a handful of weeks.
More often than not they find they’re doing things they never thought they’d be able to do. What was a challenging weight two weeks ago is now easy. Okay Tony, deadlifts aren’t so bad after all.
“OMG, I can do a chin-up!”
Something clicks or switches on, and many become addicted to pushing themselves in the gym. There’s a fire that’s ignited.
What’s more, many find that those goals they’ve been working so hard to achieve – toned arms, losing that 10 lbs – just kinda, happen. On it’s own.
It’s magical. Sans the Unicorns.
Women can lift weights. They should lift weights. And while many people are under the assumption that Eric Cressey’s High Performance Handbook is geared toward athletes or only men…they couldn’t be more wrong.
I’ve seen many women follow this program at Cressey Sports Performance with amazing results. And for those who feel a bit skeptical about following a program completely off the internet, check out these results from Stacey R, 38 (she said I could use her age!) from New Jersey.
Stacey Before
Stacey After
Stacey came to SUNY Cortland last weekend to listen to me speak. A day later she sent me an email thanking me not only for the workshop, but for being someone who tries to empower and encourage women to lift weights.
She mentioned that she had always been into fitness but had never focused on a structured strength training program. She decided to give Eric’s HPH a try because she wanted to get stronger, and to help with her recreational volleyball.
It’s obvious Stacey was in good shape prior to starting the program. But you can clearly see she made some amazing progress. She noted that, despite putting on 8-10 lbs, she was still able to maintain the same level of body-fat.
She also added…
My overall game, vertical and responsiveness have improved, I’ve found an absolute passion that’s helped me through some difficult personal stuff in recent years, and I’m challenging myself to go completely out of my comfort zone by shooting for a figure competition in June…which is conceptually ridiculous for me on multiple levels, but is proving to be a great focal point.
Now, this certainly doesn’t mean everyone will get the same results as Stacey. But if someone with Stacey’s background and experience can make this much of an improvement….imagine what YOU could do.
All she did was follow the program, focused on strength and performance for a change, and stayed consistent with it.
And good things happened.
It’s magical. Sans the Unicorns.
High Performance Handbook is on sale this week at $50 OFF the regular price. It’s not just a program for men.
Today I have an excellent guest post by CT based strength coach, Erika Hurst, covering a topic I’m very passionate about: Encouraging women to lift heavy things.
Before we jump into the article: We made it safely to Australia, and if you’d like to keep tabs on our trip Lisa is writing a daily blog. You can check out the first entry, Day 1: 20 Hours On a Plane HERE.
Time to Woman Up
In my six years of coaching mostly women, I can count on one hand the number who were able to walk in the gym and mercilessly attack their workout without a hint of self-doubt, protest or fear….along with pure admiration for the amount of Pantera I subject them to, but that’s another story.
Most women are totally unaware of the brute force that exists within them and the extraordinary feats their bodies are capable of. It is completely unknown to them how harnessing their strength can earn them the lean, vibrant bodies they desire and an indestructible mental fortitude that will benefit them far beyond the gym.
From the get go, these things just aren’t appealing. The idea that men and women should train differently is preposterous. Everyone needs to push, pull, squat, lunge and hinge, but women unquestionably approach exercise with different cultural, sociological and psychological motivations.
(Source): Me!
It’s up to you as a coach, mentor or friend to challenge those motivations and provide them with the right tools to develop a mindset powerful enough to propel them forward towards a healthier approach to changing their bodies.
Note that I’m not referring to us broads who already thoroughly enjoy rolling around in a bucket of chalk, covering our shins in bruises and waging personal warfare against heavy shit for fun.
I’m referring to the average female client who just wants to lose fat and gain confidence. Women in this population have been utterly misinformed on how to change their bodies and usually lack belief in their selves.
What holds this population back is what goes on in between their ears.
They’ve been lead to assume all their lives that they can’t be physically and mentally strong. They live an existence of self-loathing because they’ve been heavily influenced by dramatically false photoshopped images, girly fitness mags that treat them like weaklings, and an industry that constantly tells them they should forever be toning, fixing and punishing their bodies.
It’s you, as a coach who trains women, versus all the BS they are inundated with on a daily basis once they step outside of your gym.
Fortunately, the physical strength we gain in the gym expresses itself in other parts of our lives through strength of mind, character and greater sense of self. If we give our female clients the extra tools to really harness that expression we can truly help each of them discover how strong and powerful they are, how to filter through the nonsense and in turn incite some really meaningful, lasting changes in their lives.
Below, I’ve laid out a few of the strategies I use to accomplish this with my female clients.
1. Listen To and Educate Them.
If you are an introvert like me, you probably already have the whole listening thing nailed down. As with any mutual relationship where trust is integral, listen to their concerns, wants and needs. Let them know each is perfectly valid, dispel any nonsensical fitness beliefs they may be attached to and simply educate them.
Knowledge is empowering and the better your female clients understand proper strength training and sensible nutrition, the less inclined they’ll be to fall for quick fixes and other baloney like Piloxing or 30 day squat challenges.
2. Revamp Their Perspective.
The more positive of an existence and mindset one creates, the more power they have over themselves and actualizing their own realities.
Help the women you train understand that a sustainable, effective nutrition and training regimen should add value to their bodies and make them feel good. Chasing fatigue and soreness in the gym, and restricting themselves in the kitchen doesn’t make anyone better and usually backfires.
I have my clients set and strive for realistic strength goals like performing 10 real push-ups or deadlifting 200lbs. This helps them approach their workouts with eagerness and embrace fueling their bodies properly to achieve these goals. Momentum and confidence then builds each time a small strength goal is reached, they feel more energized from eating better and begin to see the physical changes that result from doing both consistently.
3. Believe In Them.
Women have been conditioned by circuit training, wimpy exercise DVDs, and believing they need special exercises. The thought of doing a real chin up or deadlifting 1.5x their body weight has probably never crossed their mind, therefore most have zero confidence in their ability to perform either.
It’s up to you to show them these are not only great endeavors to chase, they are also very attainable and effective ways of reaching their goals. Most women are full of self-doubt and “I can’ts”, so they usually need a subtle push to add an extra 10lbs to the bar, grab a heavier dumbbell or push harder behind the sled.
Let them know you have full confidence in their abilities, provided it’s honest. Their belief in themselves will grow and they will eventually start asking to go heavier.
4. Encourage Self-Awareness.
As a society, it’s of the norm to be constantly rushed and on autopilot. Stopping to think about what you’re doing or why you’re doing it., who has time for that?
It’s pretty obvious how detrimental this can be to any goal.
My female clients are fairly high strung and need encouragement to tap the brakes, introspect and put their conscious brains in charge. This helps them to be more in control of their actions, able to make more informed decisions and realize the power they have over themselves.
Before each session, I do an informal readiness assessment where I ask about soreness, energy, what they ate that day, how they slept, etc. For some of them, this is the only time they’ve paused to really think about any of those things. No matter what, always encourage them to be compassionate and non-judgmental about what they discover about themselves.
5. Motivate Through Self-Love.
It is very important for women to understand that if they are using negative perceptions about their bodies as their sole motivation for wanting to change, their efforts will not be viable or purposeful.
However, it’s not as easy as simply telling them to love their bodies first.
Often, the dislike they have for their body stems from another deeply rooted issue. This is why many women under go phenomenal body transformations, yet are still unhappy with their bodies. What we can do is discourage negative self-talk and self-neglect, help them view setbacks as learning experiences and guide them towards taking care of their bodies rather than fighting against them.
Most importantly, keep them haulin’ iron!
Although most female clients may need convincing otherwise and a slightly more complex approach, they are not delicate flowers. There’s nothing more rewarding than helping women fall in love with discovering their strength and in turn cultivate a sense of empowerment and self-worth through their bodies’ capabilities.
Note from TG: Today’s guest post comes courtesy of friend and strength coach Kelsey Reed. I’ve known Kelsey (and her husband Steve) for a few years now (they actually got engaged on my blog and came to Cressey Sports Performance for their honeymoon!)
You can check out those shenanigans HERE (<– the actual sneaky engagement post) and HERE (<– my follow-up post).
I have a ton of respect for Kelsey not only as a fantastic strength coach, but as someone I feel is a true “champion” for fostering the sentiment that women aren’t these delicate flowers who should appease themselves to the regurgitated BS that the mainstream media tosses their way.
Here she dives into fitness marketing towards women and some of the shadiness that goes down. Enjoy!
Before I dive into the meat and potatoes of the post, I want to thank Tony for allowing me to write a post for the blog (I might have done a happy dance when I began this post).
Today I will focus on the devious, misleading, and body-centric phrases that magazines, fitness products, and various other media outlets use to lure women into reading or purchasing their products. These schemes are birthed out of the intent to deliver what every woman wants: the perfect body, as dictated by their marketing.
Don’t check out yet, fellas!
I assume, since you read this blog, that you are either a fitness professional, an individual of higher enlightenment than the rest of America, or both. And we need you to help rebuke these, I think, demeaning claims and spread the good news of iron. Claims and “promises” such as:
“Lose a dress size in a week!”
“Torch those calories!”
“Flatten your belly!”
“Lengthening muscles and tone that tush!”
“Get rid of that jiggle!”
* and other such claims that are so asinine they make my cats take out their rage upon us poor humans.
Ladies and gents, we are barraged with headlines and marketing techniques designed to a) make a woman feel inadequate about her current body shape and b) continue to ingrain in her that her worth is based on her looks.
Not only do they fail to encourage, but they even discourage, the pursuit of process-oriented goals. Both a) and b) lead to repeated cycles of short bursts of motivation and hard work, followed by despair at her failures (typically because the claims above set her up for nothing but failure), and ending in a return back to her starting point.
Do this for me, Google image “women dumbbell exercises.” 99% of the images are with 5 lbs or less (and for some reason are performing bicep curls. I thought that was a guy thing?). These portrayals are ubiquitous in women’s magazines and, subliminally, tell women they can’t, or worse shouldn’t, lift heavy things.
This is what our friends, coworkers, and clients see on a daily basis.
Now, there has been a movement, “Strong is the new skinny,” which, I’ll admit, is definitely a step up.
In word, at least, it encourages women to try heavier weights and strive for strength. However, have you Googled that phrase? Do so, I’ll be right here when you get back.
What did you see?
Images of muscular (more so than usual) women who are still lean (thin) and long-legged and busty. Not that I think those attributes are wrong to possess, those models can’t help their genetic lot, and power to the women who can rock it, but those are the traits that seem to be highlighted almost exclusively.
I don’t think it’s ignoble to strive for the body of a Greek goddess, especially for women who compete in physique sports; I used to be one!
Despite the words of the message, there is still the expectation that women should look like Wonder Woman or any of the other female superheroes from old DC comics, and that simply is not a realistic goal for most women.
(I’m rather short, un-curvy, un-busty, and will never be any of those things.)
PLEASE NOTE: this is NOT me disagreeing with this new mentality that is permeating the fitness world. I DO believe that being strong is better than being skinny. After my battle with anorexia, I know better than most how damaging focusing on body image can be and whole-heartedly agree with the shift in thinking away from looks and towards performance.
The focus of our message should be to the non-physique competitors, the women who want to be strong and healthy but are still inundated with the images of busty, tiny-waisted women with a visible 6-pack.
And even though these women are more muscular than the general model to grace the cover of women magazines, there’s still the subliminal expectation that to be “healthy” or “strong” a woman’s physique must contain less than 12% body fat.
We must remind our friends, family, and clients that lifting weights alone will NOT MAKE SOMEONE LOOK LIKE THAT. More importantly: To not let the fact that they don’t discourage them or frustrate them.
We must communicate that diet and genetics play a large role in how these idealized women look; if you’re 5’1” and have the curves of a pre-pubescent boy (like me)…striving to meet these ideals will only cause frustration and disappointment.
We must live in our realities; not in the fantastical world of internet models and Photoshop.
Unfortunately, the women who most need to hear this message are not regularly exposed to resources, such as blogs like Tony’s, which encourage women to step away from the grocery store magazines. Therefore, as fitness professionals (females and males) and enlightened individuals we must do 3 things:
Reset our expectations for ourselves (ladies) and set goals that are both attainable and realistic. We’re not immune from this either and we cannot hope to inspire change in others if we have not first done so ourselves. I also challenge the guys to examine how you personally view the women you either work with or who are in your life, and see if these arbitrary standards have crept into your subconscious.
Encourage other women – be it friends or clients – to set and strive for goals that aren’t based upon an idolized “ideal” woman. Note that you can accomplish this not only through words, but also through your actions; it’s often the latter that is more effective.
Educate and continually remind those women that their goals will be accomplished through consistent hard work, patience, and embracing a process-oriented approach. The world will continually try to sell them short cuts and inflame their impatience for results. We must be the voice of unvarnished reason amidst the din.
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” – my dad
I’m personally encouraged that there is an increasing number of women ditching the magazines in favor of a more reasonable and healthy training approach. Our job is to foster and encourage this trend.
We’re not going to change the world overnight, but we can change it one woman at a time.
Note from TG: for more on this topic you can check out my Training Jane from Joe webinar on Mike Reinold’s Rehab Webinar’s website (you get access to my webinar and HUNDREDS of others).
Kelsey Reed is head strength coach at SAPT Strength & Performance located in Fairfax, VA. Bitten by the iron bug at 16, Kelsey has been lifting ever since. Her love for picking up heavy things spurred her to pursue a degree in the Science of Exercise and Nutrition at Virginia Tech.
Now she spends her days teaching and coaching others in the iron game. In her down time, she lives life on the wild side by not following recipes when she cooks, fighting battles through characters fantasy fiction novels, and attempting to make her cats love her.
SPOILER ALERT: No. Women don’t needto train differently than men. Sometimes they should, however. More on that below.
And speaking of spoilers – how many people stayed for the bonus scene after the end credits of Guardians of the Galaxy?
How many in the ballpark of my age (37) chuckled to themselves with the Howard the Duck cameo appearance?
Sooo funny/random, right? And not to be out-stated, as a whole, Guardians was as nerdtastic as nerdtastic could be. I remember thinking to myself when I first saw the trailer a few months ago, “Yikes! How is Marvel going to pull this one off? I think they might have bitten off more than they can chew.”
But kudos to them for yet again setting the standard for comic book movies. Epic fail on my end for doubting them.
So what has this got to do with training women? Actually, nothing. But for what it’s worth I gave the movie a solid 4.5 lightsabers out of 5.
Okay, for real this time.
The topic of female specific training is a dicey one to say the least. I think one of the reasons why I write about is so much and why I’m so passionate about it is because I find most (not all) women are misinformed.
Or to be more precise, are nudged towards a specific mindset at some point in their lives.
This was never more apparent than a conversation I had with a former female client of mine last year. This client was a mom and a personal trainer herself. She came to Cressey Sports Performance, like most trainers like her do, to hire someone else to do the thinking for her. For the record I’d recommend to ALL trainers to hire their own coach at some point!
As it happened, my client loved training at the facility and loved our approach to training female clients/athletes and eventually reached out to the local high-school where she lived to see if she could volunteer her time. She reached out to several of the coaches for the female JV and varsity teams, as well as the athletic director of the school (who also happened to be female and a varsity coach).
Long story short, the coach wrote back saying that getting any of the female athletes to come to the school-gym during their summer break was a pointless endeavor given that the weight-room had, in her words, “limited equipment that was ‘female friendly’.”
What the what!?!?!?!?!?!
She DID NOT just say that.
When my client told me that story I was dumbfounded! With that sort of mentality and message being relayed to young, impressionable youth by adult “role models” is it any wonder that there’s a growing DECLINE in girls participating in sports? And more to the point, can we be at all surprised why so many are programmed into thinking that girls don’t belong in the weigh-room, that just thinking about touching a barbell will make them grow an Adam’s apple, and that instead they should just focus on cardio, yoga, pilates, and Barre classes?
NOTE: I have nothing against yoga, pliates, or Barre classes. Unlike a lot of fitness professionals who like to bag on certain modes of exercise, I’ve actually taken – and written about my experience – a yoga class and pilates class.
Any exercise is good exercise.
What I don’t agree with is how these classes are generally marketed towards women as some end-all-be-all panacea of health and fitness. Based off the key words and promises many of these classes highlight – stuff like building “long, lean muscle” which is utter BS – I’m surprised no one has elucidated on the benefits of bathing in unicorn tears to boot!!
But I digress.
I LOVE training women and female athletes for many reasons. For starters I think it’s rad when one of them hits a PR on a particular lift or achieves something they never thought possible – their first unassisted chin-up for example – and they end up having a “light-bulb” moment where they finally accept that they have just as much to gain from strength training as their Y-chromosome counterparts.
I love “deprogramming” them from the stagnant and life-sucking mentality many have been inundated with since junior high and high-school. I love seeing the sense of confidence, empowerment, and freedom that blossoms once they understand that strength is a good thing and is something that should be embraced.
And while the saying states the girls are “made of sugar and spice and everything nice,” I can say without hesitation that some of the most tenacious and competitive clients I have worked with in my career are women.
Here’s distance coaching client, Sarah, cranking out a set of chinups. Yes, we can make the argument that she’s not extending her elbows at the bottom, but she called herself out on that when she sent me this video. The point is, when we started working together last October the could perform ZERO
Here’s CSP bootcamper, Paula, crushing some KB swings as part of a finisher AFTER hitting up heavy deadlifts and squats earlier in the workout.
Yes, as some commenters posted on YouTube, she’s hinging early, blah blah blah. I appreciate the feedback (and I agree!), but it’s by no means an egregious snafu in her overall technique and is a far cry from a lot of the eye-wash “swings” other trainers and coaches post on their pages.
Regardless this is someone whose work ethic is outstanding and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone more competitive than her.
And here’s former client of CSP, Cara, hitting a challenging-but-not-nearly-as-heavy-as-she-could-go-deadlift at 33 weeks pregnant.
And before someone chimes in with a “holy crap Tony, are you insane for allowing a pregnant women lift that heavy?” comment, please read THIS.
Also, I can’t let this video slide without making a slight crack at the musical selection. Kind of ironic, huh?……..hahahahahahaha x 10!
I don’t feel that women needto train differently than men, but I do think there are cases where they should train differently.
And it’s on that note I’d like to direct people to a presentation I recently filmed for Mike Reinold’s RehabWebinars.com:
It’s a 75 minute webinar that covers my general approach to training women. I discuss everything from initial intake/assessment to many of the progressions and programming strategies I implement to “specialty” scenarios like training someone through their pregnancy as well as covering some of the often glossed over psychological barriers that prevent women from stepping foot in the weight-room in the first place.
In addition I also cover such water-cooler topics as does weight training make women “big-n-bulky?” and why do people continue to listen to Tracy Anderson?
I feel this would be an excellent resource for any trainer or coach who works with female clients!
The cost is $19.95, but you’re not just purchasing the presentation itself. You’re also gaining monthly access to ALL the content on RehabWebinars.comwhich includes dozens of hours of great contact from some of the most prestigious people in the fields of rehab, strength, and sports medicine.
If you pride yourself on continuing education and want to stay on top of the most relevant topics in the industry, this is one of the best ways to do so.
Click below to not only get access to my presentation, but over 100+ as well. But mostly because of mine……..;o)
I had an interesting conversation with my good friend and fellow strength coach, Ben Bruno, not too long ago.
He and I like to catch up every now and then to 1) discuss our mutual affinity for JP Licks ice-cream and 2) talk some training and fitness shop.
He’s originally from New England and worked as a coach at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning for a handful of years before moving out to LA last fall for a change of pace and to pursue some other opportunities.
His typical clientele now out in LA resembles a litany of Hollywood A-listers and a “who’s who” of gossip magazine covers, as well as those people who have a bit more of an aesthetic bias towards training.
While he loves LA and the people he works with, a small percentage of his heart is still back in Boston, working with athletes and helping people get strong.
In one of our last conversations he made the comment that there’s a stark contrast in training mentality between the west and east coast. But a little context comes into play.
Whereas at Cressey Sports Performance, someone nails a 400+ lbs deadlift and no one bats an eye, out in LA someone hits that same lift in a commercial gym and it’s assumed they’re on steroids. And then given their own reality tv show!
Similarly, with regards to female training, and especially with regards to female celebrities and the “Hollywood” mentality as a whole (my apologies with the gross generalization here), barbell training is almost considered taboo.
Ben noted that whenever he’s tried to get some (not all) of his female clients to train with free-weights they were a tad skittish and reticent to place any appreciable load on the barbell.
Truth be told, while the tide is slowly turning for the better (more and more women are reaping the benefits of strength training. See: CrossFit), there’s still a “barbells are scary” vibe that pervades the female psyche. It’s slight, but it’s still there.
Ben noticed a funny thing, however. He noted that whenever he had his female clients use kettlebells they were more than eager to “get after it.” It was almost as if they didn’t think kettlebells counted as strength training.
Whether he had them squat, deadlift, push, pull, swing, carry, or anything else you can think of to do with a KB, seemingly, they’d be more than willing to do whatever Ben told them to do. And then some.
Plus, they’d do it with some heavy ass weight.
I too have noticed this same phenomenon with someof my past and current female clients. Ask them to perform a barbell deadlift and you’d think I asked them to shoot Bambi. Of course, this notion doesn’t surprise me when you have female professionals like THIS ONE telling everyone how dangerous deadlifts are.
Idiocy notwithstanding, switch to a KB deadlift and it’s on like Donkey Kong.
Lets be honest: KBs are just a smidge less intimidating for some people (guys included), and they’re actually more useful and better than barbells in some cases.
I mean, not everyone has access to a state of the art gym and kettlebells don’t take up a lot of space, so they’re a fantastic option for quick and efficient home workouts.
In addition they’re great in terms of their versatility and “user friendliness” in general.
And get this……
The Kettlebell Can Actually Help Improve Your (Barbell) Deadlift
More to the point, the kettlebell swing can help improve your deadlift.
But before we get into the nitty gritty, it would behoove us not to at least discuss proper technique with the swing.
To that point I have two go-to sources.
1. Iron Body Studios’ own Artemis Scantalides and Eric Gahan
2. Neghar Fonooni
If you watched both videos (and why wouldn’t you?), you can see that both camps mirror one another in terms of how they coach and cue the swing.
With that out of the way, lets discuss how the KB swing can help improve your deadlift.
1. It’s All About the Hip Hinge, Baby!
The biggest mistake I see most people make with the swing is thinking that it’s more of a squat swing as opposed to a hip snap swing.
The swing, when done correctly, helps groove a rock-solid hip hinge pattern. And as any competent strength coach or personal trainer will tell you, the deadlift requires a ROCK SOLID hip hinge pattern.
This is non-negotiable.
Learning to push the hips back and engaging the posterior chain (namely hamstrings and glutes) during a swing will undoubtedly carry over well to the deadlift
2. Staying “Tight”
Look at this picture below of what the setup looks like for a KB swing.
Yeah, yeah the model is dashing. But other than that does anything look vaguely familiar?
It should, because it’s pretty much a dead-on image of what the set-up for a deadlift looks like (with the exception that with a barbell deadlift, the bar itself will be closer to the body and directly over the mid-foot, if not right up against the shins).
With the swing I like to cue one of two things to ensure tightness in the upper back:
1. Pretend like you’re squeezing an orange in your armpit and you’re trying to make orange juice.
2. Put your shoulder blades in your back pocket. This is a non-nerdy way of telling someone to posteriorly tilt their scapulae and to activate their lats (as well as the thoraco-lumbar fascia).
In short: promote more spinal stability.
Maintaining this “tightness” is key to the KB swing as well as a deadlift.
3. Maximal Force Production
Remember above where I said the KB swing should resemble more of a hip SNAP. That point cannot be overstated.
The swing is an excellent way to help develop maximal force production. Think I’m full of it? Here’s what Strong First instructor and recent “I-made-the-Iron-Maiden-Challenge-My -Bitch” graduate, Artemis Scantalides, had to say on the matter.
“The purpose of the kettlebell swing is maximal force production. Therefore, if the correct force is applied to an 8kg (~18lbs) kettlebell, that 8kg kettlebell can weigh up to 80lbs.
If an 8kg kettlebell can weigh up to 80lbs with the correct force applied, imagine how much a 24kg (~53lbs) kettlebell can weigh if the correct force is applied??
Subsequently, the kettlebell swing helps to improve deadlift strength because it allows you to use the lowest system load for maximal results. You are getting the most bang for your buck, by using less weight.
As such, if you do not have a heavy weight available to you for deadlifts, then just do a few sets of perfect kettlebell swings and apply maximal force, and you just worked towards a stronger deadlift.”
Artemis: 1
Internet Gurus: 0
Final Thoughts
Kettlebells have a ton of merits, as I think we’ve covered. While they’ll never replace barbells for the big lifts, I like them because of all the ways they assist everything else. Obviously, they can help increase the deadlift, which I love.
I mean, being able to work on your deadlift when you’re not working on your deadlift? Doesn’t get much better than that.
But kettlebells are also an amazing tool for active recovery, conditioning, or just as the mainstay in any great home-based program. If you’re looking for an awesome program featuring kettlebells, there’s really no reason to look any further than Lean & Lovely, the new program from the aforementioned Neghar Fonooni.
It’s obviously geared towards women, but let me tell you, if you use a 28kg bell and do any one of the workouts, you’ll very quickly see how guys can benefit from every single page of the book.
It’s 12 weeks of dedicated program, 25 extra bonus conditioning type workouts, and a ton of other stuff.
Most importantly: something like 40% of my readers are actually other trainers. People look to this blog to find ways to get better for themselves and their clients; to become better at their jobs.
I take that responsibility very seriously–so when I say that I think Lean & Lovelyis a resource that ANY trainer can use, I mean it. If you pick up just one coaching cue to teach the swing, it’s worth it. If you pick up just one new way to communicate more effectively with your female clients, it’s worth it. And if you read through the book and it gives you ideas you can use to design workouts, it’s more than worth it, 10X over.
That’s the best part about continuing education. Small investments pay huge dividends. So, again, Lean & Lovely is pretty much a no brainer.
One final note, about “marketing.”
I caught some flak on Facebook the other day for recommending L&L. Which is crazy. It’s a good product, and one I think will help people. Does my article help move some units? I sure hope so. But consider this.
In the back end of my blog, my metrics indicate that, including this one, I have now published 1373 posts. Of those, if I had to take an educated guess, less than 30 have mentioned or “promoted” some type of program or product. Less than 30. That comes out to about 2.25%. And that isn’t counting any of my articles published elsewhere, which, like my blog, are a FREE resource.
So, really: it’s mathematically unarguable that I only “promote” stuff I believe in.Programs and products that I really and truly think will add value to my readers or the fitness community and industry over all. Lean & Lovely is absolutely one of those programs, so I absolutely feel comfortable telling your to order it. It’s as simple as that.
Ever since my parents (er, I mean, Santa…wink, wink) got me my first weight training set when I was 13 – you know, one of those benches with the leg extension/leg curl attachment that came with a few bars and about 150 lbs worth of plastic covered cement circles, along with the complimentary black & white poster of some ripped dude performing all the various exercises which served as the “program” to follow.
Remember that?
Yeah, that one – I was hooked.
It only made sense that, once I was finished with my baseball career, that I’d gravitate towards a career in fitness. I majored in Health Education and after “surviving” my student teaching experience – it really wasn’t all that bad – I decided that spending my days teaching prepubescent students the food pyramid and the difference between boy-down-there-parts and girl-down-there-parts wasn’t my gig.
That and I didn’t want to have to wear a tie everyday.
So once I was done with my internship at a corporate gym (as part of my concentration in Health/Wellness Promotion) I decided that helping people get more fit, healthier, and stronger was more my bag and I became a personal trainer and strength & conditioning coach.
That was twelve years ago.
In the years since I’ve grown as a coach and as a person. I’ve seen how the fitness industry has changed, evolved, and rolled with the ebbs and flow of coming and going fads.
Ahem, Thigh Masters and Shake Weights anyone?
All in all, however, I recognize that as a whole the fitness industry is saturated with well intentioned people wanting to help people in any way they can to lead healthier and more meaningful lives. I’m proud to be a part of that.
As with any industry, though, there’s always the outliers that bring the “douchey” to the douchiest power.
Much like how the judiciary system is rife with shady lawyers who give all other lawyers a bad reputation by hanging out in emergency rooms passing out business cards (and bad advice), the fitness industry is equally as much of a culprit.
One of the biggest problems I’ve noticed (and have tried my best to curtail) has been growing bigger and bigger for some time. And now, it’s gotten so big a lot of people aren’t sure we can actually fix it.
And that problem is pretty obvious: the way women are portrayed, packaged, and marketed when it comes to fitness. And there are finally some people who are ready to push back.
Lemme explain…
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve definitely seen what I’m talking about. If you open any magazine, whether it’s fashion or fitness or anything else, you see women in hyper-sexualized ad campaigns who are photoshopped beyond all recognition. (<— Exhibit A).
And not just “regular” women. I’m talking about women who are models or professional athletes, beautiful women who are being subconsciously told they aren’t good enough as they are, so they need to be digitally enhanced.
As if the false imagery weren’t bad enough, the subliminal (and I’d argue they’re not so subliminal) messages that much (not all) of the mainstream media regurgitates towards women is borderline tragic.
Key words such as “toned” and “sexy” and any other equally as nefarious adjectives used to sell people an often unattainable look are used ad nauseam by the fitness industry.
Worse still is that you have women becoming fitness celebrities because they have a bubblicious derriere (or what I like to call a metric shit-ton of anterior pelvic tilt) and are able to market themselves and build a cult following on Instagram. And even worse still, they’re seen as health and fitness authorities.
By that I mean that she isn’t just helping women get into amazing shape; she’s helping them realize that they’re beautiful before they step into the gym, and that while losing weight is great if that’s what you want, it’s not the key to happiness.
This is a really, really important point. Neghar is not one of those “anti-fitness” or “anti-weight loss” fitness professionals who thinks that anyone who wants to change their body is making a mistake.
Instead, she thinks that anyone who wants to change their body should do it the right way, and for the right reasons: because YOU want to, not because you’re trying to conform to some societal standard, or because you think it will make you happy.
Which is why I’m more than happy to introduce everyone to her Lean & Lovely program.
Whether you’re a woman who trains or someone who trains women, this is a fantastic 12-week fat-loss program comprising of three phases lasting four weeks each, with each phase having a slightly different focus in terms of training, nutrition, and mindset.
The overarching concept is based on kettlebell training (which is Neghar’s wheelhouse), but everything from bodyweight exercises to barbell training is included.
The long and short of it is that it’s an amazing program that will help women get fit and gain confidence all while loving their bodies and not hating them!
Unlike a lot of program out there this one does NOT sell sex or use target terms to make a woman feel she’s not sexy enough or has to look a certain way to feel sexier.
Rather, the message of Lean & Lovelyis for women to meet their body where it’s at, and to be more mindful of the transformation – both physically and mentally.
Every part of this program is incredible, and every part will help you in some way. Here’s just a few pieces…
Firstly, as mentioned before, there are 12 full weeks of amazing, fat burning workouts
Then there’s the comprehensive Nutrition Handbook, which will teach you how to lose fat without dieting
There are over two dozen bonus “sweat session” workouts to do whenever you like, with minimum time and equipment
Instructional videos to teach you how to do every exercise in the program.
A series of MINDSET exercises and strategies to help you be happier, more positive, more productive, and make the program more effective
The L&L program is on sale THIS week only for 50% off, which is a STEAL given the numerous other things offered in the program.
And there’s much, much more.
Also, to sweeten the pot I’m going to offer everyone who purchases the L&L program through this site my 75 minute webinar Training Jane from Joe: Do Women Need to Train Differently Than Men?
I’m actually releasing this as a stand alone product in a few weeks, but am going to hand it to you – FOR FREE – by sending me your L&L receipt.
Just send me an email (make sure to include the receipt!) with the title “L&L Giveaway” to: [email protected]. Okay, that’s it. Click below to see for yourself what I’m talking about.
Note from TG: Today I have a special weekend edition post from fitness & lifestyle coach, and writer, Neghar Fonooni. Neghar was someone I featured on my “go to” female resources last week and she’s also the wife of my good friend, John Romaniello, which basically makes them the fitness equivalent of Beyonce and Jay-Z.
I don’t typically post on the weekend, but I felt this article deserved some special attention. It’s flippin fantastic!
I’ve been lifting weights, seriously and consistently, for eight years. That’s eight years of deadlifting, squatting, pressing, swinging, and even pull-ups. It’s been an incredible journey, but it actually started with a great deal of frustration.
Let’s go back to 2006. I had just given birth to my son, Isaac, and after gaining 50 pounds during my pregnancy, I was feeling pretty out of shape. I’ve always been active, playing sports since I was a kid, and having (and using!) a gym membership since senior year of high school. In fact, I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, running 3 miles a day until I was 7 months pregnant and switched to walking for comfort purposes.
But until those first few months post-partum, exercising for me had always consisted of running, yoga, and machines.
Don’t get me wrong, running and cardio have their place in a well-balanced fitness regimen—especially if you participate in endurance sports. Plus, well-programmed cardio has a lot of benefits, including mental and emotional health. And, as an avid yogi, I have developed a very advanced practice over the last 14 years, and am no stranger to how challenging bodyweight workouts can be. I’m not ripping on yoga and cardio here, as I utilize both regularly and I think, with the appropriate application, they are invaluable tools.
What I am saying is that all I was doing was running and yoga—to no avail.
I didn’t feel as though I was in control of my body, and I felt weak and defeated. Add to that the inevitable stress of raising a beautiful infant, and I was just fed up.
Discouraged with my body and my lack of progress, I knew that if I continued exercising the way I had that nothing would change. But, like many who have never embarked on a journey of strength, I lacked guidance and education, and was lost in the endless sea of exercise information. I’m embarrassed to say that even as a certified personal trainer, I would often pull workouts out of women’s fitness magazines and rarely followed an intelligently designed program.
So, out of sheer frustration, I began to delve deeper into the world of strength training, reading every book I could get my hands on, and learning from great coaches like Mark Verstegen, Mike Boyle, and Gray Cook.
I started by following their programs, and eventually learned to write effective and efficient programs, no longer looking to Shape or Self for quick fix workouts. I learned how to properly squat and deadlift, was introduced to Olympic Lifts, started sprinting instead of taking long runs or spending 60 minutes on the elliptical, and my yoga practice even benefited from my jaunts in the weight room.
I lifted weights initially with the intention of losing fat and transforming my body, but eventually shifted towards lifting because it was good for my soul. I was empowered, and felt truly capable of anything, for the first time in my life.
Six months post-partum I’d lost all the baby weight, but perhaps more relevant is how different my body looked and felt than it did pre-pregnancy. I was more muscular, athletic, lean, and strong, even though I weighed the same as I did before the baby. My body and mind had completely transformed, all through lifting weights.
Today, while I practice yoga regularly, take leisure walks on the beach, stand up paddle board a few times a week, and do fun things like trampoline jumping and salsa dancing, the heart of my exercise regimen is still (and always will be) smashing weights. It’s the firmest foundation of any fat loss program, and its benefits are vast and undeniable. While an exercise program can be comprised of a myriad of activities, lifting weights is at the top of the fat loss and fitness hierarchy.
Muscles and Metabolism
Lifting weights regularly promotes the growth of lean mass, which is an integral part of any fat loss journey. Put simply, muscle helps cultivate a healthier metabolism because the more muscle your body has, the more calories it will burn at rest. In addition to increasing metabolism, lifting weights promotes natural growth hormone production, which in turn helps reduce insulin sensitivity.
In my time as a coach, I often hear ladies afraid that lifting weights will make them “bulk up.” They can sometimes be deterred from lifting weights for fear of being “manly” or “too muscular” so let me go ahead and allay your fears:lifting weights won’t turn you into She-Hulk overnight (although I would argue that She-Hulk is pretty much the best Super Heroine ever, as she promotes body acceptance and self-love).
You’ll build muscle through strength training, of course, but you won’t pack it on in absurd amounts and it won’t happen instantly.
Simply put, women do not have the testosterone necessary to support that kind of muscle growth. If gaining muscle were so easy, body builders wouldn’t spend hours in the gym for years on end in an effort to bulk up.
Genetics, nutrition, and training methodology all play a part in how your body will transform, but if you train to be strong, and eat to support that, you’ll end up with an athletic, feminine physique.
Not to mention, that although you can certainly lose fat and gain strength doing a number of things, only lifting will allow you the most bang for your buck. As a busy mom and entrepreneur, I understand deeply how precious time is. It’s our only non-renewable resource, and we must use it wisely, especially when we’ve got multiple commitments and obligations.
I don’t always have a lot of time to devote to exercise, but if time is limited, I always prioritize lifting.
You can easily make use of 20, 15, 0r even 10 minutes of weight training to maximize your time, by speeding up the rate at which you lift or ramping up the intensity. Utilizing training methods such as Metabolic Resistance Training, Complexes, Density Training, and what my good friend Jen Sinkler calls “Lifting Weights Faster” you can burn fat and build strength even when time is of the essence.
Meaning that you don’t have to spend an hour doing cardio, and another 30 minutes on the machines, followed by 30 minutes of stretching. You can save time and attack your fitness goals, all by choosing to prioritize weights. “I don’t have time to exercise” can be a statement you never utter again. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of setting a timer for how much time you do have, and then doing as much as possible in that time frame.
If you utilize the right training programs, you’ll build a strong, athletic, lean physique—provided that your nutrition is on par with your fitness intentions.
You’ll want a good mix of strength training and metabolic resistance, paired with a nourishing diet packed with protein, fresh produce, and healthy fats. If done correctly, lifting weights will help turn your body into a fat loss machine—making the weight room one of the most important stops on your fitness journey.
The Power of the PR
I remember the first time I performed an unassisted pull-up.
It was early 2008, and I was (unfortunately) awaiting knee surgery for an old sports injury. The extend of my infirmary kept me from doing any lower body training, which although it was frustrating, encouraged me to focus more on strengthening my upper body.
So, strengthen my upper body I did, paying special attention to things like pull-ups, pushups, and overhead pressing.
One day I had an “I wonder if I can do that moment,” deciding to forgo the band, and try my hand (or my lats) at an unassisted neutral grip pull-up. Astonished at my body’s ability to get my chin over the bar, I hopped down and looked around the crowded gym; “did anyone see that?!” I wondered. To this day, it remains one of my proudest moments.
Note from TG: Oops, obviously the video I posted right before that last paragraph doesn’t jive. You get the idea folks. Carry on.
Every single time I workout, I get better. I lift heavier, or faster, or even more efficiently. I might be able to stick a handstand more easily, manage a heavier squat, or do one extra pull-up.
Sometimes it’s not a matter of more, but simply better.
Other times, my progress is more intrinsic, lying in my ability to give my body a break when it needs one. Regardless of the exactitudes, I find myself consistently improving in some way, shape or form. This is what my friends at The Movement Minneapolis have termed “PR every day.”
Breaking records, or setting PRs, is incredibly mentally rewarding. It keeps you coming back for more, and creates a sense of purpose in the weight room. While aesthetic goals, such as losing a few inches on your waist, are certainly worth pursuing, performance goals are notably more sustainable.
It really wasn’t until I shifted my intentions towards performance, and away from aesthetics, that I was actually able to significantly change my physique.
What I didn’t realize completely the moment I performed my first pull-up, was how much that simply act would profoundly affect the rest of my life.
That pull-up, as benign as it seems, sparked a greatest sense of self worth, an escape from feeling defined by what my body looked like, and instead taking pride in what it could do.
If I can pull myself up over a bar, without any assistance, what else can I do? Feats of strength in the gym began to translate to strength outside of the gym—the intrinsic strength needed to thrive and excel. When I crushed it at the gym, I felt more capable of crushing it at life. And without stressing out over my weight or my body composition, my body changed as a result.
Lifting weights helps boost confidence like nothing else I have ever seen. I’ve helped timid, overweight, stay-at-home moms go on to crush feats of strength and then start their own personal training businesses. I’ve seen beginners afraid of lifting a kettlebell move on to chasing a double bodyweight deadlift while breaking out of their comfort zones.
Physical strength contributes to strength of character, which in turn boosts confidence—and there’s just no downside to that.
Being strong makes everything else easier
Moving furniture? Carrying multiple bags of groceries? Hoisting a heavy carry-on into an overhead compartment? Keeping up with your kids? All of these things are not a problem when you’ve got strength on your side.
When my son was in kindergarten, I visited his class to speak about the importance of exercise and proper nutrition. I’ll never forget an adorable little kindergartener named Lizzie, with her long locks and her matter of fact demeanor. I asked the class why they thought exercise and strength were important, and Lizzie said, “because it makes everything easier.”
Lizzie was one smart little 6-year-old. Exercising to be strong, mobile, and fast makes every day tasks less cumbersome.
I spent many years as a single mom, unable to rely on another adult in the house to accomplish household tasks. It’s because of the strength I’ve gained from lifting that I was able to carry a sleeping child from the car with minimal effort, and move a twin sized bed into the apartment with no help whatsoever.
Bottom line: Strength reigns supreme.
From fat loss to empowerment, there isn’t a downside to lifting weights. All you need is a willingness to learn and listen to your body, and a program that will support your intentions.
Note from TG: Neghar’s Lean & Lovelyprogram issomething I can’t recommend enough to any woman looking to improve her health and fitness in a way that DOES NOT fall into the “I’m not sexy enough” trap that the mainstream media often conveys.
It’s not about being “sexy” anything. It’s about making the best version of YOU possible.
The long and short of it is that it’s an amazing program that will help women get fit and gain confidence all while loving their bodies and not hating them!
Unlike a lot of program out there this one does NOT sell sex or use target terms to make a woman feel she’s not sexy enough or has to look a certain way to feel sexier.
Rather, the message of Lean & Lovelyis for women to meet their body where it’s at, and to be more mindful of the transformation – both physically and mentally.
Every part of this program is incredible, and every part will help you in some way. Here’s just a few pieces…
Firstly, as mentioned before, there are 12 full weeks of amazing, fat burning workouts
Then there’s the comprehensive Nutrition Handbook, which will teach you how to lose fat without dieting
There are over two dozen bonus “sweat session” workouts to do whenever you like, with minimum time and equipment
Instructional videos to teach you how to do every exercise in the program.
A series of MINDSET exercises and strategies to help you be happier, more positive, more productive, and make the program more effective
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For more info click HERE.
About the Author
Fitness & lifestyle coach, writer, veteran and mom, Neghar Fonooni is passionate about empowering women through strength.
A Los Angeles native with 14 years experience in the fitness industry, Neghar believes that a positive mindset is the most important aspect of a fit lifestyle. Through her blog, Eat, Lift & be Happy, she teaches women how to embrace their bodies and enrich their lives with food and exercise.
Neghar is a contributing blogger to several sites, including My Fitness Pal and Schwarzanegger.com, and is the author of the 12-week total transformation system, Lean & Lovely.
An unabashed sci-fi and fantasy nerd, Neghar snorts when she laughs and loves lifting weights, yoga, red wine, dark chocolate, travel, fashion, and reading and collecting books. She resides in Santa Monica, California with her husband, son, and two silly bulldogs.
“Can we please just shut-up about Tracy Anderson!?!”
Those were some powerful words uttered by David Dellanave of Movement Minneapolis last weekend during the Expert Panel at The Fitness Summit.
Up until that point a fair amount of Tracy Anderson bashing had accumulated, partly in jest (as the brunt of some jokes), but too, partly because her name came up in several presentations (mine included) as a talking point about the the state of the industry, and I think Dave just kinda got sick of it.
The tipping point, I believe, was when powerlifter, T-Nation writer, and overall nice guy, Greg Nuckols, asked the panel a simple, albeit powerful question: “How do we promote good training information without turning people off from training?”
On an aside, I watched Greg PAUSE squat – ass-to-grass no less – 585 lbs for an easy, clean single last weekend. I secretly hate him….;o)
As my friend, Harold Gibbons, noted in his summation of the entire event, “This question was posed in contrast to a conversation at the time that discussed how we as an industry can do battle with some of the horrible training suggestions out there. I say “battle” and “horrible” because we can all be vocal about the disregard for science and safety from certain training methodologies. While I don’t agree with some of them, I don’t know if these people deserve to be cast as pariahs, as much as we can accept them as well intentioned and flawed with opportunity for growth.”
I’ll be the first to call myself out here. I’ve done my fair share of championing the charge against the likes of Tracy Anderson, Jillian Michaels, or any other example you can come up with.
On one hand it seems a bit misguided or hypocritical (and I’ve even been called jealous) given the thousands of testimonials they have from women all over the world who have followed their advice with great success and lost “x” amount of weight performing their programs.
That should be commended. Kind of.
You see, extenuating circumstances aside (medical issues), it isn’t hard to get people to lose weight. Take them from doing nothing to doing something, and “stuff” will happen. How’s that for science!?!
What I hate, what really ruffles my feathers, gets my goat, and makes me go bat-shit crazy….is the incessant fear mongering that the likes of Tracy Anderson gravitates towards and advocates.
Here’s a sampling of some of her better known gems:
“No woman should ever lift a weight above 3 lbs.”
“While running, strength training, and cycling may burn calories, they do not design feminine muscle or get rid of an imbalance that may masquerade as a “problem area.”
“I would never recommend (kettlebells) to women, even women who are fans of bulkier muscle lines. While bulkier muscles looks OK on women in the 20s and 30s, it doesn’t age well.”
And while I don’t like to use ad hominem attacks as part of an argument, I do find it somewhat “odd” that for as much as Ms. Anderson is an advocate of her own method (as she should be), and for as much as she advocates for a certain look and bastardizes strength training for women…..she’s had fair amount of plastic surgery done.
Doesn’t THAT seem a bit hypocritical? In an offhanded way, we couldmake the argument that not even Tracy Anderson got to look like Tracy Anderson by doing the Tracy Anderson Method. #Wordplay
But anyways, getting back on track, she’s a master at toying with women’s emotions and irrational fears towards lifting weights.
Does her method get results? I guess. I mean, I can Google “Tracy Anderson before and after pictures” and get a few hundred pages of evidence. And that should be commended. To a point.
Stealing some commentary from “Brent” who left this comment on an old(er) blog post the other day:
Any dipshit can teach to the test, or run a client into the ground, get them to lose x amount of pounds and show off their ‘success’ (usually its even easier in the fitness industry because clients come to you, usually somewhat motivated and willing to do what the ‘expert’ tells them to).
Setting up someone for long term success isn’t immediately quantifiable and is quite a bit harder. Kinda requires skill. It’s why any trainer can have a buttload of ‘success’ stories. The goal though is empowerment (at least in my mind) and setting one up for long-term success. This is more difficult to market though and frankly not as sexy.
Anytime I critique a trainer and someone says ‘yeah but they get good results..”) I just tell them Jillian Michaels and Tracy Anderson have thousands of positive testimonials, weight loss success stories, tweeter followers etc. Smart peeps in the fitness industry bash them though because they do nothing to empower their clients and set them up for long term success. I wonder how many of their clients or Biggest Loser winners come back years later and are like ‘wow, you really changed my life!
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
In a roundabout way, this goes back to my presentation last weekend where I talked about some of my strategies when it comes to training women.
I brought up Tracy Anderson to showcase a point: that fear mongering, feeding into, and placating into the irrational fears of (some) women is not doing anyone any favors.
At Cressey Performance we don’t feel women need to train any differently than men. 90% of what we do is the same across the board whether you have a the Y chromosome or not.
I was going to toss in a Sex and the City joke here, and showcase women’s unparalleled infatuation with it, but then I realized I’ve actually watched every episode. And [cue high-pitched voice here] looooooooooooved it.
Our gals are deadlifting, squatting, bench pressing, performing chin-ups and push-ups, and otherwise TRAINING like the guys.
What stands out, oftentimes, is the psychology that comes with training women.
Men tend to be more Temporal Comparative, where they compete or compare against themselves.
What did I deadlift last week?
What did I squat last week?
How much do I weigh now compared to last month?
Guys tend be more interested in what they, themselves, are doing.
Conversely, women tend to be more Societal Comparative, and compare themselves to other women.
She’s doing “x” amount of weight on the bench press, how come I’m not doing that much?
She has an amazing back. Why doesn’t mine look that way?
I can’t believe she’s wearing that to the gym. What a ho!
I once had a 50+ year old female client who would beat herself up and downgrade HER results, because she didn’t look like the 22 year-old former Division I female athlete who trained at the the same time as her.
Part of my job as their coach is to help them turn off the negative and unrealistic messages they’re inundated with as they watch television or walk through the magazine aisle, and teach them to compete against themselves.
While it may take some women longer than others to buy into, one of the best things I can do is to get them to focus more on performance based goals rather than less quantifiable goals such as scale weight.
Of course, some women may need to lose some weight….and that’s fine. But the sooner I get them to focus more on performance based goals like working towards performing a strict push-up on the ground or squatting their bodyweight for reps – the less they are s slave to the scale. And that’s HUGE!!!
Scale weight doesn’t tell you anything!
The work and effort it will take to eventually be able to do a push-up from the ground, or squat one’s bodyweight for reps, or to be able to perform a strict body-weight chin-up trumps ANYTHING you can do with a pink dumbbell or an elliptical machine or a Tracy Anderson DVD.
Sorry if that rubs some people the wrong way…..but that’s just the way things are.
Of course, if strength training isn’t your bag, and you prefer to use pink dumbbells, perform yoga, and run a treadmill, go for it!!! As noted earlier: anything is better than nothing. If you like the way you feel doing those things, and your proud of your body….awesome. You get a gold star.
But please don’t be the person who, despite going to the gym 5x per week, bitches and whines that you never seem to get the results you’re after – or if you do, that they never stick for longer than a few weeks or months – and then continue to repeat the same process over and over and over again.
What was it Einstein said about insanity again? If you continue doing the same thing(s) expecting a different result…….
Likewise, if you’re a fitness professional reading this post, I implore and encourage you to learn to EMPOWER your clients (both female and male). Teach them the skills they’ll need to make LONG-TERM progress, be their coach! COACH THEM!!!!!
So while I understand I set myself up for snarky comments by starting a post off with “can we please just shut up about Tracy Anderson,” and then proceeded to write another blog post on Tracy Anderson…….I hope people can appreciate the overall message/tone.
Which, in a roundabout way can be summarized like this:
One of the best compliments you can receive from a client is when they no longer need your services.
When they finally reach their goal(s), are able to make them stick, and can then look you pointblank in the eyes and say “I got this,” your job is done.
There’s no need to exploit people and cater to their fears.
Whether you’re a woman who trains or someone who trains women, this is a fantastic 12-week fat-loss program comprising of three phases lasting four weeks each, with each phase having a slightly different focus in terms of training, nutrition, and mindset.
every book I could get my hands on, and learning from great coaches like 
more, and creates a sense of purpose in the weight room. While aesthetic goals, such as losing a few inches on your waist, are certainly worth pursuing, performance goals are notably more sustainable.
Fitness & lifestyle coach, writer, veteran and mom, Neghar Fonooni is passionate about empowering women through strength.
