Never did I imagine I would get on stage in 2016 showing my body to be critiqued.

I have never been a spotlight kind of person - I rather hide in the background.

However I wanted to push my body and see how far I could go.

From 2015-2016 I spent an entire year training.

Lifting weights 6x days a week most weeks.

Eating an incredibly strict diet.

Working with trainers who knew how to get my body where it needed to be.

In fact if you look back on my blog you will see posts relating specifically to competing.

In that year I realized what it really takes to transform the body and gain muscle.

And it takes A LOT!!

So today I want to debunk some of the common myths I hear from women all the time!

1. Lifting weights will make make you manly or bulky.

This is INVALID!!!

Lifting weights does NOT make you manly or bulky.

As females we have less testosterone.

Our bodies do not develop the same as a mans body.

(this is also why men change SO much quicker - you know what I am talking about if you have ever started a health challenge with your significant other)

For a female to really put on muscle it takes A LOT of effort.

I am talking about being consistent, lifting heavy, and eating enough food.

 It isn't impossible - there are a ton of women who have incredible muscles, 

but it is done with purpose and strategy.

 

One of my favorite things about lifting weights is it allows me to develop my body.

What I mean is if I want to have an hour glass shape,

I can focus on growing my lats/back muscles in order to create that look.

I can also build up my legs, shoulders, glutes, etc.

 I have more control with weights.

 Where as with cardio I don't have much control over what is happening.

My body may lose muscle and fat from cardio 

and I have no say as to what aspects of my body are changing.

 

Now don't get it twisted, we need cardio.

Cardio helps with our cardiovascular system, 

but we also need to lift weights to maintain our muscles.

 

2. Lifting weights will make me lose my boobs.

 Not necessarily!

Many women who you see losing their boobs from lifting are on strict diets 

and are probably competing.

Competition physiques are very low in fat, which causes boobies to get a bit smaller.

Once their diet changes, they should start to gain fat again and fill out.

You also do not have to workout your chest if you don't want to.

I will say though, pushups have never hurt anyone.

 

3. The scale is going up, so my program isn't working 

When it comes to lifting weights we are adding lean muscle to the body.

Sometimes the scale does go up.

This has happened with many of my clients, but their clothes started to fit them differently.

It isn't about the number on the scale.

It is about how you are feeling in your skin.

It is common to weigh more, but look better.

This is because muscle weighs more than fat.

When we start lifting weights we start increasing our muscle, so the scale does go up.

This is an indicator that you are getting leaner and more muscular!

You can weigh bye-bye to fat!

Ultimately I want you to know what matters most is how you feel.

We are able to love ourselves exactly as we are right now, but still have a desire to improve.

I dive more into this on my latest podcast episode (listen to it here).

This is why I wanted to debunk some of these myths.

I meet so many women who have a desire to change but just keep going in circles 

and are scared to lift weights.

I no longer want you to be scared of it.

In fact, I created a 4 week program to teach women how to lift weights 

- this is how passionate I am about this topic!

In Weightlifting 101 I teach you:

- exactly how to lift weights

- how to eat for your exercises

- proper forms, how to create your own workouts

- how to navigate the gym

 

I also provide daily accountability and I am there to answer all your questions + check your form!

 

I know how scary it can be lifting in the gym for the first time.

My best advice - put on headphones, act confident, and no one will pay you much attention.

PLUS if you are unsure of something, pull up a video and watch it while in the gym.

 

All it takes is one or two times doing an exercise before you feel confident in it.

 

You can learn more about Weightlifting 101 here (we are starting on September 9, 2019)

 

So, if you have always wanted to really transform your body, don't let your fears stop you.

You got this!