Many girls ask me why they have not made significant changes to their body after months of training. They describe their diet which is usually pretty good for the most part… and they tell me they do resistance training 5-6x a week AND do cardio, but haven’t noticed a change in their body. I usually come to one of two conclusions…… they are either fudging the details on their training or nutrition…. or, they are not working NEARLY as hard as they should be during these weight lifting/resistance training sessions.
If it is the first, let’s be real for a sec. If you aren’t seeing a change, be honest with yourself. Are you really eating as clean as you COULD be? Are you really lifting that many times a week? Are you really running 4 miles or is it more like 1 and a half? Be honest with yourself! Just because you didn’t write down that doughnut in your log, does not mean it didn’t happen!
If it is the second…. let’s talk about how hard you should be working. Lifting little 5 pound beauty bells for 20-30 reps is not doing anything to your physique and will not “tone” you. While it may be a good place to start for someone who has never worked out before, it is not the way to train if you are trying to change your physique. Lift HEAVY with lower reps, not light with higher reps!!! Your body wants to maintain homeostasis… it doesn’t want to change (and won’t) unless it has a reason to…. You have to GIVE your body a REASON to change or it will remain the same! Lifting light weight is what it does all day long.. you pick up cups and hair straighteners and all kinds of other light-weight things. Does that give you tone? No! Work HARD if you want to change.. lift HEAVY things!
