Why You Don’t Need to Lift Weights to Look Lean
Always wanted to look lean and toned, but hate how lifting weights makes all your favorite jeans extra tight?
Have no fear, you don't have to get bigger to look leaner.
The fact is, personal trainers for the past decade have been promoting heavy weight trainig for women. Gone are the days of pilates and pink 2lb dumbbells. Women these days are encouraged to squat, deadlift, even bench press - and heavy. While some women respond amazingly to weight training and get that lean, fitness model look from such a regime, it won't happen for everyone.
And why is that? Well, we all have naturally varied body types and genetic predispositions to building muscle based on our hormonal profile.
For women who are naturally tall and slender with slight bone structures, weight training gives them a more feminine, hourglass shape from glute, leg, and shoulder training. And since this body type often naturally carries less fat, the muacle they do build is more visible and defined. Picture skinny with abs, quads, and lean-looking arms. Most womens' ideal look when they ask to be "toned".
Weight training also works well on those who naturally carry more body fat, but in a very womanly distribution (for example to the hips and breasts) due to their higher ratio of female hormones to testosterone. In this case, building muscle helps increase the metabolism, add strong, athletic lines to their softer body features, and gives them a more balanced, structured look. While this body type will likely need to work harder to lose body fat than other body types, the combination of increased muscle mass and hormonal shift caused by weight training will make losing weight much more efficient than otherwise, and will keep the body firmer as larger amounts of weight are lost.
So far it seems like weight training can be a great idea, doesn't it? So what is the case where weight training is not only not useful, but counter-productive as well?
Well, for women who are more naturally muscular (a.k.a "mesomorph" body types), weight training may get us "bulkier" than we would like. In this case, low to moderate intensity cardio is your best friend. Why? It will help you burn calories and fat, while keeping your muscles longer and leaner. In fact, with this body type, you can get the lean look more efficiently than any other body type, because you already have a muscular build, so you don't have to spend hours in the gym building muscle. Instead, you can focus your time on cardio and optimizing your diet to create a deficit. With time, as long as you maintain that deficit, you will slowly reveal the muscles underneath. And even if you are not naturally mesomorphic and have a naturally thinner frame or softer figure, as described above, a certain level of extra muscle mass may not be something you're comfortable with on your body. What is bulky to one woman might mean toned to another women, and vice-versa, so this is all from an individual perspective. Don't be afraid to say "no" to the weight room if it is making you unhappy with how your body is shaping up.
You can still get lean with cardio and diet alone - the only difference is the amount of muscle you will see underneath the fat. So although you may need to diet for longer to get to your ideal level of leanness, and will likely need to maintain at a lower level of calories than someone who is at the same body fat percentage but with more muscle mass, you are achieving the physique that feels right for you - and that is what's important! We are not prepping for a bikini competition, we are prepping for life - and that means there is no judge to decide how much muscle you need and where - that's up for you to decide for yourself! And, if you do get to your ideal body size and feel as though you look as thin as you would like but still softer than you like, you can always begin weight training to tone up - and you will see the definition much easier now that you are at a lower weight. Remember, your routine does not need to be set in stone - if you don't like the way something is turning out - you can change it! Don't feel tied to weight-training because someone says it's what you need to do to get your ideal look if you feel like it is not helping you reach your goals - and vice versa - don't stick to pilates or cardio alone if you crave a 6-pack, full perky glutes, and amazing shoulder caps that only weight-training can provide. It's up to you! You are always in control, at any point, to decide how you want to sculpt your body. You can be the artist, the sculptor, and the builder of your own dream body - you just need to use the right tools to get to your desired physique!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below,
Amanda
Have no fear, you don't have to get bigger to look leaner.
The fact is, personal trainers for the past decade have been promoting heavy weight trainig for women. Gone are the days of pilates and pink 2lb dumbbells. Women these days are encouraged to squat, deadlift, even bench press - and heavy. While some women respond amazingly to weight training and get that lean, fitness model look from such a regime, it won't happen for everyone.
And why is that? Well, we all have naturally varied body types and genetic predispositions to building muscle based on our hormonal profile.
For women who are naturally tall and slender with slight bone structures, weight training gives them a more feminine, hourglass shape from glute, leg, and shoulder training. And since this body type often naturally carries less fat, the muacle they do build is more visible and defined. Picture skinny with abs, quads, and lean-looking arms. Most womens' ideal look when they ask to be "toned".
Weight training also works well on those who naturally carry more body fat, but in a very womanly distribution (for example to the hips and breasts) due to their higher ratio of female hormones to testosterone. In this case, building muscle helps increase the metabolism, add strong, athletic lines to their softer body features, and gives them a more balanced, structured look. While this body type will likely need to work harder to lose body fat than other body types, the combination of increased muscle mass and hormonal shift caused by weight training will make losing weight much more efficient than otherwise, and will keep the body firmer as larger amounts of weight are lost.
So far it seems like weight training can be a great idea, doesn't it? So what is the case where weight training is not only not useful, but counter-productive as well?
Well, for women who are more naturally muscular (a.k.a "mesomorph" body types), weight training may get us "bulkier" than we would like. In this case, low to moderate intensity cardio is your best friend. Why? It will help you burn calories and fat, while keeping your muscles longer and leaner. In fact, with this body type, you can get the lean look more efficiently than any other body type, because you already have a muscular build, so you don't have to spend hours in the gym building muscle. Instead, you can focus your time on cardio and optimizing your diet to create a deficit. With time, as long as you maintain that deficit, you will slowly reveal the muscles underneath. And even if you are not naturally mesomorphic and have a naturally thinner frame or softer figure, as described above, a certain level of extra muscle mass may not be something you're comfortable with on your body. What is bulky to one woman might mean toned to another women, and vice-versa, so this is all from an individual perspective. Don't be afraid to say "no" to the weight room if it is making you unhappy with how your body is shaping up.
You can still get lean with cardio and diet alone - the only difference is the amount of muscle you will see underneath the fat. So although you may need to diet for longer to get to your ideal level of leanness, and will likely need to maintain at a lower level of calories than someone who is at the same body fat percentage but with more muscle mass, you are achieving the physique that feels right for you - and that is what's important! We are not prepping for a bikini competition, we are prepping for life - and that means there is no judge to decide how much muscle you need and where - that's up for you to decide for yourself! And, if you do get to your ideal body size and feel as though you look as thin as you would like but still softer than you like, you can always begin weight training to tone up - and you will see the definition much easier now that you are at a lower weight. Remember, your routine does not need to be set in stone - if you don't like the way something is turning out - you can change it! Don't feel tied to weight-training because someone says it's what you need to do to get your ideal look if you feel like it is not helping you reach your goals - and vice versa - don't stick to pilates or cardio alone if you crave a 6-pack, full perky glutes, and amazing shoulder caps that only weight-training can provide. It's up to you! You are always in control, at any point, to decide how you want to sculpt your body. You can be the artist, the sculptor, and the builder of your own dream body - you just need to use the right tools to get to your desired physique!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below,
Amanda
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