I know many women that are not over-weight…they may be a size 8 or 10, have a healthy Body Mass Index (carry the correct weight for their height – according to the government guidelines) and look slim. However they are still are unhappy with their bodies. The reason for this dissatisfaction is usually because the percentage of body fat they carry is higher than it should be resulting in wobbly bits, bingo wings, saggy tummies or fat thighs. This phenomenon is known in the media as “skinny fat” – looking slim whilst still having an high level of body fat and is considered as much as a health risk as being clinically obese. Regardless of your weight or size, you can change your body shape and lose inches by effective resistance training!

 

 

Why does weight (or resistance) training work?

1. Resistance training raises your metabolism. “Strength training increases the resting metabolic rate (RMR) – the rate at which your body burns calories – by increasing muscle mass” – The Complete Guide to Strength Training by Anita Bean. Muscle requires more fuel during exercise and at rest than fat tissue meaning that your calorie requirement will increase. This is good news if your trying to lose weight because you won’t feel as though you are denying yourself as many calories. Along with an exercise regime you should only need to reduce your calorie intake by 200-300 per day.

2. Resistance training keeps your metabolic rate elevated for hours after you have finished training. This means that you are going to burn more calories even after your workout than you would have done on a rest day. This phenomenon is called EPOC – Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and can be though of as “after burn”.

3. Resistance training (lasting approximately an hour or less) does not require as much carbohydrate replacement as endurance or cardiovascular training. This usually results in you feeling less hungry for the rest of the day than you would if you had, for example, done a spin class. You will be less likely to crave foods rich in carbohydrates (sugars). However, this will not be the case if you do not refuel after your workout in a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1. The sooner you refuel the better but leaving it much longer than 2 hours will result in reduced recovery time and the munchies!

4. “Resistance training helps preserve muscle as you lose weight ensuring that ‘you are shedding weight from fat stores rather than from muscle stores” –  Power Eating by Susan Kleiner. Losing any more than 2kg per week could mean that you are losing muscle mass, thus reducing your metabolic rate and increasing the likelihood of putting the weight back on again!

How should I weight train?

If you are a beginner, start light aiming for 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions and 2-3 training sessions per week.  

Always have a 5-10 minute warm-up on a piece of CV equipment before you start. 

Ensure correct technique to prevent injuries and maximise your exercise benefits. 

Mainly use free-weights and body weight exercises as they recruit more muscle fibres thus burning more calories.  

Chose compound exercises such as squats, chest presses and rows as these train larger muscle groups, again burning more calories.  

Do not dedicate too much time to isolation core exercises such as stomach crunches. You should be bracing your core for every exercise thus training the core throughout your training. Isolation core exercises burn few calories and the bigger exercises mentioned above will help reduce your body fat which should in turn help reveal your abs! 

Once you are intermediate aim for 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. The last few repetitions should be chellenging, meaning that you are really having to push yourself to move the weight. You could also try using a variety of training methods such as pyramids, ladders, drops sets, and different repetition speeds.  

Once you have been resistance training for about 2 years or more, try a split routine such as chest and biceps – Monday, back and triceps – Wednesday and legs and shoulders – Friday. 1-2 cardio sessions per week should be sufficient.

But won’t I bulk up?

Women that claim weight-training makes them look ‘butch’ or ‘bulky,’ are not meeting their nutritional requirements to match their goals. Women do not have the levels of testosterone to build muscle like men. Female body-builders are usually taking a number of muscle-building supplements and eating more calories than they are expending in order to gain muscle. By eating clean and stayinh in a slight carlorie defeciet this is far less likely to happen

So next time your in the gym, look out for the cardio/weights area divide. Usually those picking up the free-weights are getting more visible results than those dedicating all their time to the cardio machines.

Written by Gabby Clarke – an Essex based personal trainer who can be contacted through her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=261179536578&ref=ts or by email