Health and Fitne
Should women lift weights? By Claire Cleeves, Trainer, mum of two AND owner of hub. everybody’s gym, Portishead.
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hat’s the million dollar question, and one that even women are divided about. Many women swear by lifting weights whilst others blanch at and are frightened of the idea of looking like “She Hulk”. So, what’s my answer? Well, if you want to burn fat, get in shape and feel great then lifting weights is absolutely something you should do. Why? 1. It boosts your metabolism - Lifting weights increases the number of calories your body burns every day, which means your body will be burning excess fuel and getting rid of stubborn body fat, even on your rest days! 2. It burns fat - If you don’t lift weights, you will never properly burn fat. Aerobic exercise is good for fat burning, but only to a certain extent. Eventually your body will start eating away at muscle tissue when you only do aerobic exercise and you won’t lose much fat weight. If you want to burn fat, you have to throw some weight lifting into the mix.
3. It burns calories - Want an excuse to eat a tasty treat? “I need it as workout fuel” is a great excuse for lifters. I encourage many of my clients to eat extra “forbidden foods” one day a week simply because they are loading up for an intense bodybuilding session the next day. Heavy lifting burns a whole lot of calories! The truth is that lifting weights is the key to healthy, effective fat loss. If you spend all day in a spin class, doing Zumba, practicing yoga or running on the treadmill, you will see weight loss, however, if you add weights in and complement with a high protein diet you will burn fat and tone your muscles. One of the most misleading and frustrating terms in our industry is “weight loss”, unless you are a professional athlete depending on weight classification. Pretty much all my clients initially want to “lose weight” and I quickly move the focus to “fat loss”. The scales are less important to me, it’s the focus on a leaner, harder body that leaves my clients satisfied.
I use a combination of High-intensity interval training (HIIT) body weight routines, heavy weights and a sustainable high protein diet to get results time and time again.
Body Transformation
If you would like to train with Claire and learn more fitness and healthier eating secrets, including how Claire lost her post baby weight and manages to stay in shape whilst running a business and taking care of two young children, email manager@hubgyms.com or call 01275 217 003. The next six week Hub Body Transformation course starts April 22.
If Claire can do it so can you!
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