Female Fitness Myths That Could Be Preventing You From Achieving Your Fitness Goals

The world of female fitness is completely bombarded with myths, things like crazy low calorie and carbohydrate diets, long boring cardio sessions and stupidly high rep ranges with extremely light weight resistance spot reduction training programs tend to be the norm for many females (and men for that matter) who are trying to shed fat and lose weight.

With that being said I have put together a list of myth busters that may be preventing you from achieving the goals you strive for. It is worth noting that some of these myth busters apply to men as well as men and women don’t think much differently when it comes to fitness and weight management.

1.Woman need to train differently to men!

If you are new to training then you probably have the mind-set that you want to tone up your arms and legs, and have a flatter tummy but you don’t want to get big and bulky so you follow a very high rep range resistance program of 30+ reps with 1-2kg dumbbells and that is going to help you tone without putting on bulk! This is complete nonsense. In both men and women’s training the rep ranges for strength training falls between 1-5 reps for 4-6 sets per exercise, 6-12 reps for 3-5 sets for hypertrophy and 12-15 reps for 2-4 sets for muscular endurance. The good news for female lifters is that you DO NOT have the same hormones as men, therefore you will not get big and bulky. Using these repetition ranges in the correct way will help shed fat so you will get a toned, sexy and fit looking body.

2. There is good food and bad foods!

There is no such thing as a bad food, and typecasting food will give you a completely unhealthy relationship with food. You really don’t need to go down the mental road of deciding which foods are good and which are bad. I like to teach and educate a flexible dieting approach. Now whilst weight loss is as simple as calories in and calories out, providing you are consuming the appropriate macros, are within your daily recommended calorie intake, and you fuel your body with quality food, you are allowed to consume foods you enjoy.

3. Woman need to perform a lot of cardio to be fit and tone up.

Firstly, Cardio is a good thing so don’t think that I am completely against it. Cardio should be a part of everyone’s weight management program and it also keeps our cardiovascular health in good shape. My concern is that this piece of advice seems to be very mainstream and dates back years. The truth is the body likes to be challenged and overloaded, this is where we make physiological changes i.e. weight loss. Our bodies will adapt to what we put it through so if you are pounding away on a treadmill and increasing your distance day in day out there will become a point that you cannot go any further, you will probably burn out, plus who has the time to spend hours on a treadmill anyway!! Performing a HIIT type cardio session along with weights will help shed bodyfat a lot quicker and easier and promote more lean muscle mass.

4. Woman don’t need to eat much protein.

Woman looking to lose weight should keep their protein consumption high relative to their calorie consumption. Having a high protein consumption whilst trying to lose fat will help preserve lean muscle mass and also help keep you satisfied and fuller. Whey protein post workout can help you reach you daily protein intake, and having it post workout can help you recover faster.

5. Eating a low carb diet is best for fat loss.

WRONG- You need to fuel your body! You wouldn’t drive your car on empty, would you? If you are eliminating carbs you are instantly removing your bodies preferred source of fuel. Carbs have somehow earned a bad reputation and are now guilty of causing mass weight and fat gain. Carbs in their simplest form do not cause weight gain, what does cause weight gain is the quantity and quality of carbs and other macronutrients we are consuming - FACT! Restricting and cutting out carbs can lead to people developing intolerances to what is an important macro in our diets. Providing carbs fit into your macros and daily calorie intake then eat away.

6. Woman shouldn’t take creatine.

A lot of people still fear creatine. There are many studies out there that support the benefits of creatine and how it can help with your fitness goals. Creatine can assist in achieving your resistance training goals, help increase the amount of weight you lift in the gym, and this will increase the amount of calories burned.

Don’t let silly myths get in the way of your success. If you want to get lean, fit and toned the keys to success are simple –

1. Incorporate an appropriate resistance training program.

2. Have a cardio program that involves HIIT training, that in no longer than 20-30 minutes.

3. Eat a balanced diet, that fuels you for your workouts and gives you the appropriate nutrients required to assist with your goals.

4. Supplement appropriately to fill in the gaps you aren’t getting from your diet to allow you to train for your goals.

If you are struggling to get to grips with a training or nutritional program to support your fitness goals, please feel free to contact us info@buildabodypt.co.uk. We would love to help you achieve your fitness goals so get in touch today for your FREE consultation and taster session.