As an introduction to lifting weights, I did six weeks of personal training in the summer of 2017.
As a lifestyle journalist, I tried many things, but these were mostly temporary interests that resulted in content.
However, strength training was something else. It was a different experience than I expected when I wrote that article.
When I began, I had never held a barbell and, despite my love for dancing and netball, didn’t consider myself to be a “fitness person.” Sometimes I would go for boring sessions on the cardio machine.
Five years later, I discovered strength training and it has transformed my life. As a journalist, fitness is my specialty. I enjoy a healthy relationship with food and am stronger, fitter, and leaner.
Luke Worthington, the personal trainer, previously stated to Insider that resistance training was the key to almost all training goals.
Since 2005, I have been lifting weights for 5 years. It makes me feel empowered, and I am excited to get to the gym.
I have learned valuable lessons along my journey which would have been helpful to me when I started. Exercise alone will not make you lose significant amounts of fat and there is no such thing as “toning.”
When I began, I had never held a barbell and, despite my love for dancing and netball, didn’t consider myself to be a “fitness person.”
Sometimes I would go for boring sessions on the cardio machine. Five years later, I discovered strength training and it has transformed my life. As a journalist, fitness is my specialty. I enjoy a healthy relationship with food and am also stronger, fitter, and leaner.
Luke Worthington, the personal trainer, previously stated to Insider that resistance training was the key to almost all training goals. Since 2005, I have been lifting weights for 5 years. It makes me feel empowered, and I am excited to get to the gym.
I have learned valuable lessons along my journey which would have been helpful to me when I started. Exercise alone will not make you lose significant amounts of fat and there is no such thing as “toning.”
1. Exercise is overrated for fat loss
Despite having done more exercise than I had ever done before, I did not lose weight until nearly two years into my fitness journey. Although some of it was muscle, I gained weight.
After I learned about calories and reduced my overeating, I lost fat. I also maintained my muscle mass by strength training and eating high-protein meals.
People mistakenly believed that I had just started exercising after losing 35 pounds of body fat. Although I was strong enough to lift 255 pounds, I didn’t look like someone who exercises.
According to Graeme Tomlinson, a personal trainer, formal exercise is only 5-10% of the daily calories that the average person consumes. This is why I exercise to become stronger, fitter, and more empowered. I don’t want to lose calories. I strive for a calorie surplus in my diet if I want fat loss.
2. Weight lifting doesn’t make one bulky
Contrary to popular belief, lifting weights doesn’t automatically make women “bulky”. It is a slow and difficult process to build muscle, especially if there aren’t calorie surpluses.
Sarah Carr, the personal trainer, previously stated to Insider that if you do it three times per week, the muscle gain is not going to be noticeable.
Carr stated that female weightlifters’ bodies are the result of hard training and a dedicated diet. Genetics also plays a part.
Five years later, I still love my muscle and am not yet bulky.
3. Toning is a myth
The “toned” body that women desire can be achieved by lifting heavy weights. It’s not true that muscles can be toned. They just grow or shrink.
According to Pete Geracimo, a personal trainer, “toned” means that you have enough muscle mass and less body fat than your body can see.
That is possible by building muscle through resistance training and losing weight through a slight calorie surplus.
4. Perfection is not the answer. Consistency wins.
Every workout will not be perfect. Sometimes my training is more difficult than others. Sometimes, I don’t even want to go to the gym. However, 90% of the time I go, I show up and do something.
It’s been key to my success in staying consistent and achieving my fitness goals. I know that I will not always feel motivated to exercise and sometimes have to push myself to get to the gym. I don’t let myself down if I do a light workout.
While I don’t find it helpful to over-train, and I sometimes need to take a rest day, I have made progress and made fitness part of my life. I recognize that consistency is more important than perfection.
5. It is possible to modify your training, but fundamentals must still work.
My body has changed with every change in my training method (e.g., from a bodybuilding program or CrossFit-style workout plan), and it has always adapted.
This can often lead to delayed onset muscle pain (DOMS), which is incorrectly interpreted as a sign that a workout was effective. In order to avoid DOMS, I don’t alter my training each month.
My workouts will always include basic movements such as squats and hinges (deadlifts), pushing/bench press, pulling (pull-ups), lunges, and carries.
Worthington stated that the basics are essential for progress, and you must train them consistently using progressive overload.