I don't want to bulk up!

Ladies… A large majority of us dream of having a body with nice curves, without any fat on the tummy, abdominal muscles slightly visible, no flabby but shaped arms, no fat between the inner thighs and of course no cellulite on the legs or on any other part of the body. I have got solutions!

As a Woman, Personal Trainer and ex-office worker, I am just trying to guess what’s going on in a busy woman’s mind when she has decided to look after her physical appearance, after long period of time without any exercise. Not every woman is like I am going to describe, however a good number of women will identify themselves.

So if you are this lady, who has decided to lose a few kilos of fat and get back into shape, you might come at the gym and tell the first trainer you meet (myself or any other trainer knows this situation): “I want to Tone Up, not bulk up. I don’t want to do some weight training or some bike, as I know from personal experience that it makes my body bigger very quickly. Last time I did it, after 1 month I felt tight in my clothes. Then, I gave up. I don’t want that to happen again”

It is not a lie. If this lady says that she felt tight in her clothes after one month of training, it is true. Why would she lie? Why millions of women would have the same concern? It happened to my mum too, who was happy to get fitter, but after 1 month she confessed that she felt embarrassed not to be able to zip up her pants.

Then, I am NOT going to say, “You don’t have high enough natural testosterone levels to get big like a man”. Instead, I acknowledge that even if we don’t have the hormones that allow us to get big,BULKING UP DOES HAPPEN FOR WOMEN.

Let’s figure out what happens, what’s wrong and what we can do about it.

• First, what does “Tone Up” mean?

It means getting lean enough that the underlying muscle is visible. We assume you have a lean muscle mass underneath layers of fat.

If you have never exercised or are about to start over, Tone Up means adding lean muscle mass and lose fat.

•  Exercising can make you bigger. What happens?

When people get bigger pretty quickly (around 4 weeks), there are a lot of chances that they are storing much more fat than they are building muscle.

Or they add muscles underneath layers of fat.

• What’s going on? What’s wrong?

1. Your diet is not appropriate. It doesn’t help you to lose fat. Or it makes you fat. See next paragraph.
2. Your workout routine triggers fat storage. It’s not a joke. Too long, too often, too light… Long and Medium Intensity Workouts can make you fat. Training 7 days a week without any recovery can make you fat.

•  What can we do to Tone Up, i.e. build muscle and lose fat?

1. CLEAN YOUR DIET. Find the diet that suits you best regarding your goal, lifestyle and profile. Ask a Professional. Nutrition is crucial to lose fat. If you like reasoning from analogy, training in order to Tone Up without having the right diet is like studying and doing diligently your homework to get a diploma,  without taking the exams! You can’t expect to get results if you only do half of the job. At least, drink pure water, stop eating trans fat and sugar. This piece of advice is applicable to everybody.
2. ASK A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL who is passionate about their job and keeps their knowledge up to date. They will be able to tailor a program for you. Everyone is unique. The program who works for your best friend might not work for you. Don’t rely on People magazines in order to design your workout program. They just aim to make sales.

Toning Up is not just the matter of a workout program! If you don’t change your nutritional habits at least, you might bulk up instead of “Tone Up”.

Breaking up your habits is the most difficult part of the process. As soon as you are ready to change, just ask the right persons (Personal Trainers, Nutrition and Health Professionals) to show you the right way to reach your goals.

Happy Workout Ladies !

Any questions welcome! 

If you want your current program to be reviewed online, or if need a new outline, reach me on helphub.com.au!