We Are Strong!

Myth: Lifting weights makes women look masculine.

Fact: Lifting weights builds lean muscle, burns fat, and helps your bones stay rock solid.

Countless studies have shown that women who do resistance training are stronger, leaner, and healthier than women who do not. What the resistance training does to your body is completely up to you and your DNA.

Whether it's picking up a child, zooming down a mountain, throwing a heavy bag into the back of your car, working on your feet all day, swinging a golf club, or quickly reacting to danger, strength is necessary.

Women have this irrational fear that if they go for the heavy weights they will become too muscular. We actually have the ability to lift heavy weights without increasing lean muscle mass at the same rate as men. Women produce much less testosterone than men do. Adding two days of resistance training to your weekly exercise routine will increase your lean muscle mass but won't add pounds of bulky muscle.

In order to be a professional female bodybuilder, you need to lift SUPER heavy weights 5 or 6 days per week. It can take years of training, strict nutrition, and sometimes supplementation to achieve this body. Adding two days of resistance training or lifting the heavier dumbbells will only help you to become better balanced, prevent injury, and reduce the effects of the normal aging process.

Always remember that if you're not used to a weight training routine, start small and work your way up. If you're not tired by rep 10, you really should go a bit heavier. Shoot for 8-12 reps with 10 pounders as opposed to 25 reps with 3 pounders. Let's move away from the little pink weight mentality. Remember, more muscle equals a faster metabolism, a more sculpted and toned look, and most importantly, a strong body.

High intensity interval training while holding 10 pounders, running, PiYo, and stretching have helped my body to perform at the level that I want. Not all people want to look the same – fitness is personal. Some people want to get ripped, some want to improve athleticism, some want to lean out. Whatever goal you have for your fitness, it should be supported by your own resistance training program.

Please, please, please don’t be scared to grab onto those weights!!! Your future self will thank you, I promise. Say goodbye to Osteoporosis and hello to beautiful and strong bones!!

Here's our SoulShine Schedule for this week:

Monday – HIIT at The Rec – 8:15-9:15 am

Tuesday - PiYo at The Rec - 8:15-9:15 am

Thursday – PiYo at The Athletic Club – 12-1 pm

Friday - HIIT at The Rec - 8:15-9:15 am

Strong love to all of you,

Jode