UltraFit PT 2.13

Why women should lift heavier weights!

For the last few decades, there was a common misconception around gyms that the heavy weights area were the men's domain, while woman were best to stick to pump classes and light hand weights.
Rookie mistake, women shouldn't be afraid of loading up the barbell for just six to 12 reps because it will define your muscle and burn fat.
"Heavier weights encourage the production and release of growth hormone and testosterone, both of which are responsible for building lean muscle and torching fat".
Studies have shown that lifting heavy weights makes the body more insulin sensitive- in layman's terms, this just means that the body is better able to utilise sugars and carbohydrates for fuel.

Train for your objective:

Basically there are three main strategies for weights - if you do a super heavy weight for one to five reps, you'll build strength, if you do a moderately heavy weight for six to 15 reps you'll build shape and definition, or if you do a lighter weight for more than 15 reps, you’ll get strength endurance (ideal for triathletes and other endurance athletes).
If you have never set foot in a weights room, you might start with a lighter weight with lots of repetitions because it will build you foundation strength, then you can increase the weight and cut back on reps to start to build definition.

"By the end of the set, you should feel a burn but you don't take it to "failure" where you can’t do anymore. You should fell like you could still get a few more reps out."

"You have to train for your personal objective. If you are a sprinter where strength and power are important, you may focus on moving really heavy weights explosively to make your workout sports-specific. You would most likely be focusing on the big compound lifts like the deadlift or squat".

The secret to not bulking up!

Many women worry that they will bulk up, but that's not going to happen to most of us, unless you start eating more.

"Most women do not have the genetic or hormonal makeup - with enough testosterone - to really develop muscular size and definition and certainly not in the timeframe that they think".
But as you develop more lean muscle your metabolism will fire up to help you burn more calories when you are at rest. This can lead to more hunger, which can be why some women think weights make them bigger.

"Just because you are training harder, and feeling hungrier does not justify you being able to eat whatever you want, whenever you want it!

"You won’t 'get big' from lifting weights - you'll get big from eating crap whilst you're lifting weights".
In saying that, some women naturally carry more testosterone and can be more prone to bulking up, in which case you'd probably increase the weight more and cut back to even less reps.

Correct technique is crucial!

The biggest danger of lifting heavy weights is having an incorrect technique that causes injury or pain, which is why I advocate training with a professional who can help you identify weaknesses and develop good technique.

"UltraFit PT encourages all of my clients to include a good dynamic warm-up in their program that allows them to identify any potential weaknesses, increase their range of motion, fire up their nervous system, engage the right muscle and reinforce correct movement patters that will translate directly over into the exercises in their workouts".

This include mobility drills such as reverse lunges or PNF hip flexor stretches on the swissball, and also stability exercises like lower trap raises or external rotation exercises for the shoulders.
Such a warm up would highlight if one leg is stronger that the other, if hip flexors are tight or if you have a shoulder niggle you need to be wary of.
If one leg is stronger that the other and causing a weight shift in your squat, it may be a better idea to include more single leg exercises in your program until you even out.

If your hip flexors are too tight, your glutes won't fire, and you most likely won't be able to achieve full range of movement in your squat, which means you'll never build a booty. So include hip flexor stretches in your warm-up and cool down.

Get Started !

If you are a beginner to weights and have no injuries or movement issues, I suggest you start with a full body circuit. “It will open up the front of the body and strengthen the back of the body, which will improve posture, prevent injury and create strong curves"

Let’s build your body together step by step with weight training and correct posture and technique!

See you soon.
Giulia.