Coco Ho, Lakey Peteron, and Carissa Moore. Three women who know fitness.
Back in the days before Netflix and Apple TV, I used to watch actual TV. Remember those times when we were all forced to watch commercials and even dreaded infomercials?
If you were up past 10 pm it seemed like the only available option was some sort of infomercial trying to sell you the latest fitness gadget. Personally, I remember the first time I saw a Tracey Anderson infomercial (If you don’t know who Tracey Anderson is, she is Gwyneth Paltrow’s personal trainer and known for helping women develop longer and leaner muscles). I was completely convinced after watching that not only did I want and need longer and leaner muscles, but also that a person could actually lengthen their muscles and get leaner without gaining muscle mass.
What a joke.
Now I know better. You can’t actually lengthen your muscles, as muscle length is based on genetics. And you can’t possibly get leaner without sustaining or gaining muscle mass. Unfortunately, even today there is still a lot of pseudo-science and BS out there when it comes to getting fit, so today I share with you six of the most common training mistakes I see women making.
1. Avoiding Heavier Weights
Let me start off by saying YOU WON’T GET BULKY IF YOU PICK UP HEAVY WEIGHTS. This is a common misconception. First off, it is very hard for any woman to build muscle in general. If you are one of the lucky women who can easily put on muscle, you’ll need to pay attention to what you eat. I’ve had women tell me they lifted weights for a month and gave up because they got bigger or gained weight. That will naturally happen at first if you’ve made no changes to the way you are eating because your body is sustaining the same amount of body fat while building muscle.
With more time, having that muscle will increase your metabolism and therefore burn more fat. Couple that with eating an appropriate diet and you will achieve the “toned” look you’re probably going after. In order to build this muscle, though, you’ll need to use heavier weights in the gym – no three or five-pound weights. That is not enough tension under load to grow muscle. Use heavier dumbbells (start where you can use good form) and shoot for doing 8-10 reps. Reps 8, 9, and 10 should be difficult. If you can do 30-50 reps, you’re using too light of a load.
You’ll find the most dramatic physique changes by lifting heavy, I promise.
2. Spot reduction fat loss
Genetics will mostly determine where your body stores fat. Unfortunately, the place on your body you usually want to change first almost always changes last. We all have an area like this on our body. You are not alone.
Here’s the truth: most everyone has a six-pack, it’s just buried. “Getting abs” means you just need to burn the fat covering it all. Focus on intense and short workouts that create a hormonal environment that promotes fat loss and clean up your nutrition. Eliminate processed foods completely. Also, make sure you are spending your time doing smart abdominal exercises that build functional strength. Many women don’t realize that having a six pack does not equate to having strong abs. When you see a six pack, you’re actually looking at the rectus abdominis muscle with very little fat over it. It is a superficial muscle.
The functional strength you want to develop in your core comes from working the deeper muscles like that transverse abdominis and obliques. These are the muscles that create stability in your pelvis and prevent back pain and injury. This core strength is foundational to good health and moving well.
Ironically, when I started working on this type of core strength I dramatically changed the look of my abs. Focus on planks, ball work, and kneeling presses.
3. Excessive aerobic activity
I’m not sure how this myth has penetrated our culture so deeply, but excessive cardio will most likely not build the body you desire. If you want to be a smaller version of your same shape, then yes cardio can help. But if you are looking to change your shape and create curves and definition, cardio is not the answer.
Cardio includes activities that are low to medium intensity. For example, running, elliptical machine, rowing machine, bicycling, zumba, and most group class activities are regular cardio options. First, this isn’t very time efficient. If you are strapped for time, it’s much better to get in 15-20 minutes of an intense workout than 45 minutes to an hour of cardio. You’ll burn more calories and create a hormonal environment more friendly to fat burning. Short duration and intense workouts are the choice of most busy people.
Second, excessive cardio is stressful on our bodies. Often times it raises our already high levels of cortisol, which increases inflammation and inhibits fat loss. Taking a daily walk is a very smart way to get movement activity up each day and also reduces cortisol. It is a natural relaxer of the nervous system, which is something we all need in our fast paced busy lives.
4. Fear of fat in our diet
This outdated belief is hanging around from the late 80’s early 90’s. It’s been debunked. Make sure to eat some healthy fat every day. A thumb size amount with each meal is a great starting place. Think avocado,
We all need to make sure to eat healthy fats every day. A thumb size amount with each meal is a great starting place. Think avocado, high-quality butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and yogurt to name a few. Your body needs fat to absorb many nutrients, including the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. If you have a larger body type (endomorph), you’re most likely less carbohydrate tolerant and therefore may benefit from swapping out some starch (carbs) for fat. Fat also helps you feel satiated, which is very important when eating.
5. Not Eating Enough Protein
This is by far the most under eaten macro nutrient for women and it is extremely valuable. Our bodies use protein to build us, literally. There is plenty of high-quality research showing that we all would benefit from eating more protein. Instead, most of us eat too little.
How much protein do you eat each day? Do you know? If you’re unsure take stock of what your daily intake is. Eating between .7-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight or 35% of your calories for the day is a solid target (Just for reference, most of the clients I see are eating between 10-20% protein each day). Not only does proper protein intake allow you to lose fat instead of muscle, it is essential to building muscle, critical to a well functioning metabolism, and also keeps you full.
6. Comparing yourself
Our culture sadly fills our heads with unrealistic, photoshopped, and unhealthy images of what we should look like. There is an overemphasis on being skinny and that somehow it equates to health.
It doesn’t.
The only way we can know for sure is by assessing how we feel, think, and move each day. Do we have energy? Are we in pain? Can we focus and think clearly? Do we feel ALIVE in our body? Do we have a sense of ease?
We often take our bodies for granted because we focus on what we don’t like about them. But what about all that our bodies do for us? Let’s take a moment to be grateful for all of that.
Our bodies are here for us and they can be powerful tools that support us in doing, being, and experiencing more of what we want in our life if we allow them to.
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