Do you still believe lifting weights makes you bulky?

Are you avoiding strength/resistance training because you are worried your arms could get too big/shoulders too wide /legs too bulky? Do you prefer to do hours of cardio because you feel this is the only way to really burn those little bits of fat on your belly/legs/love handles?

Well my friends, it might be time to re-consider. I did think so myself. I would cut my strength training to a bare minimum and rather spent another hour on the treadmill. I just thought this was the best and most efficient way to burn calories and thought this will take me a step closer to my goal of this “lean body dream” of mine. I thought lifting heavy weights would make my shoulders/arms and legs too big. I barely ever got sore from strength training, because I would only lift light and probably not even do it properly. Was I wasting my time? Probably a little bit. At the beginning of a fitness journey it is just important to start moving and to start somewhere. However, if your goal is to tone up and look lean; this is not going to happen with only going for runs and bike rides. You need to lift some stuff - build some muscles. Once I finally accepted that I wasn’t really getting anywhere the way I was training and started to incorporate weights into my training, I could definitely start to see some changes.

Let’s give you an example; you might find that your legs are too big and you are worried that if you start to strength train, you would build muscles, so you would get even bigger legs, so you rather do some cardio instead. Well, that is wrong. If you are starting to build muscles on your legs, they will change in shape and appear much leaner. They will start to look defined and the fat will start to disappear. Muscle mass is smaller than fat, so it is most certainly possible that you will look much leaner and even “smaller” when increasing muscle mass and reducing fat.

Or do you not like the sound of toned arms and a firmer butt?

You will not turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger over night. Putting on muscles isn’t an easy task – it takes quite a long time.

I suggest mixing up your training; add 2-3 strength/weight/resistance sessions per week into your training routine.

Take a photo at the start of your journey and take another one a few months later. I am pretty sure you will like the changes that you see.

Pick up those heavy weights in the corner – fear no more!

Contact me if you need help getting started.