With the New Year quickly approaching, many women will be joining a gym next week to "get back in shape", or to start a fitness program for the first time ever.
I know that the gym can be intimidating. With all the guys hogging the free weights section, no wonder most women just jump on the elliptical for 30 minutes-it's the easiest option! But ladies- don't let your fear of the weight room stop you from finding out just what strength training can do for you.
Have you ever seen a fit, muscular woman on the elliptical at the gym? I can't say that I've seen many, and I've worked and been to lots of gyms.
What I have noticed is that all the women doing their endless cardio on the ellipticals or treadmills are either skinny fat, or just plain fat... or just really skinny.
It's very rare that you will find a toned and fit, athletic looking woman on the elliptical. Those are the women you see in the weight room. Hmmm...what does that tell you?
You see, doing tons and tons of cardio makes you smaller but flabbier. Weight training along with a healthy diet and a little cardio makes you smaller and firmer.
This year, why not step out of your comfort zone? You do want the body of your dreams, right? Well, this is the first step towards that journey. Doing hours and hours of cardio will get you nothing but a smaller version of your flabby self. Sounds harsh, but it's true. I know it will be scary at first, but the only way to conquer fear is to face it head on.
One thing that will help is to always go into the gym with a plan. Don't go in and just wander aimlessly from exercise to exercise, from this machine to that machine, like I see so many women do. This not only makes you look clueless, but it also is not the best way to get results. If you go in with a plan, however, you'll be more confident and your workouts will be more effective.
Know what exercises you're going to do ahead of time, and it's always a good idea to keep a workout log and track your weights and reps. That way, you can improve over time by increasing your weights progressively.
So when you step into the gym for the first time next year, PLEASE walk right on by that elliptical! Go in with a plan, and then walk boldy over to the free weights. So what if it's all guys? So what if they all stare at you? Pick up those weights with confidence and show those guys that girls can lift, too. :)
I know that the gym can be intimidating. With all the guys hogging the free weights section, no wonder most women just jump on the elliptical for 30 minutes-it's the easiest option! But ladies- don't let your fear of the weight room stop you from finding out just what strength training can do for you.
Have you ever seen a fit, muscular woman on the elliptical at the gym? I can't say that I've seen many, and I've worked and been to lots of gyms.
What I have noticed is that all the women doing their endless cardio on the ellipticals or treadmills are either skinny fat, or just plain fat... or just really skinny. It's very rare that you will find a toned and fit, athletic looking woman on the elliptical. Those are the women you see in the weight room. Hmmm...what does that tell you?
You see, doing tons and tons of cardio makes you smaller but flabbier. Weight training along with a healthy diet and a little cardio makes you smaller and firmer.
This year, why not step out of your comfort zone? You do want the body of your dreams, right? Well, this is the first step towards that journey. Doing hours and hours of cardio will get you nothing but a smaller version of your flabby self. Sounds harsh, but it's true. I know it will be scary at first, but the only way to conquer fear is to face it head on.
One thing that will help is to always go into the gym with a plan. Don't go in and just wander aimlessly from exercise to exercise, from this machine to that machine, like I see so many women do. This not only makes you look clueless, but it also is not the best way to get results. If you go in with a plan, however, you'll be more confident and your workouts will be more effective.
Know what exercises you're going to do ahead of time, and it's always a good idea to keep a workout log and track your weights and reps. That way, you can improve over time by increasing your weights progressively.
So when you step into the gym for the first time next year, PLEASE walk right on by that elliptical! Go in with a plan, and then walk boldy over to the free weights. So what if it's all guys? So what if they all stare at you? Pick up those weights with confidence and show those guys that girls can lift, too. :)
This is awesome! I couldn't agree more! I would NEVER want to get on the elliptical at this point!
ReplyDeletegood information! Thanks for the reminder :)
ReplyDeleteLindsay, your personal experience ends there. Just because the elliptical doesn't work for you doesn't mean it can't work for someone else.
ReplyDeleteIn the past 20 years I have stayed active by biking, swimming, kickboxing, aerobics, step-aerobics, and walking without losing one pound. Literally. I do some weigh training and its easy for my body to gain muscle, but hard to lose weight. Same size clothes and same weight from 19 years old to 40 years old. The elliptical helped me lose 8 lbs in one month. I love my elliptical.
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I didn't say it doesn't work for me, it's that I don't think the elliptical or other types of long duration cardio are neccessary for fat loss. I'm not saying that it doesn't work, just that many women do WAY too much of that type of cardio and not near enough weight training and wonder why they can't get the toned look that they want. I am and always will be a huge proponent of lifting weights and my goal is to get women to understand that it's not all about cardio! This post is to encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and try something new! If you love your elliptical, by all means, do it if that's what you truly enjoy. For me, there's nothing more boring and monotonous!
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