J'AIME NOVEMBER 2018

Here, Raul Romero, Lichfield’s favourite Spanish
personal trainer and founder of Ambition Personal
Training, busts one of the biggest fitness myths
around; that lifting weights make women bulky…
Does lifting weights make women bulky?
In short…NO! It’s amazing the number of female
clients who come to me for help with toning up and
losing weight, who although have exercised, have
never lifted weights due to fear of ‘bulking up’ and
looking like Hulk! It is one of the biggest myths
around when, in actual fact, lifting weights is key to
losing weight and toning up.
The truth behind testosterone
Yes that’s right, testosterone. The truth is that women
have lower levels of testosterone than men. This is
relevant as testosterone is the hormone that produces
muscle mass growth. So it is a lot more difficult,
and a lot more work is needed, for women to grow
muscles like men do and thus ‘bulk up’.
In order for women to ‘bulk up’ Hulk style, they
need to put in a ginormous amount of effort and
time training everyday, and eating a massive amount
of extra calories. Female bodybuilders need to train
longer and harder than men to achieve the same
goals.
This is not, however, what the average woman does,
therefore for everyone else, who quite simply wants
to get lean, tone up, and change their body shape,
weight training, combined with a healthy eating plan
is key.
2. Boost your body’s metabolic activity.
The more muscle mass you have (that is built
through weight training), the more calories your
body will need to function. If you combine weight
training with controlling your diet and limiting your
intake of calories, your body will turn more to its fat
stores to function, thus helping you lose body fat and
consequently volume and size.
3. Help strengthen your muscles and bones.
This isn’t usually one of the principal goals for
weight training, but instead a nice extra added
benefit! Not only will it help you do your daily jobs
more efficiently and easily, but it will also help reduce
and sometimes even prevent osteoporosis.
4. Increase self-confidence and self-esteem.
As obvious as this sounds, it really is true! The more
you incorporate weight training into your workouts,
the more likely you are to tone-up, change your body
shape and decrease your fat percentage, thus making
you feel great!
Hopefully this has given you a glimpse into the
wonderful world of weight training. For more
information or help from Raul, you can find him at
the Ambition PT studio in central Lichfield at Unit
5, Wiltell Works Industrial Estate, Upper St John
Street, or get in touch via email at
raul@ambitionpt.co.uk
What effect does weight training
really have on a woman’s body?
1. Give you a more toned, defined
shape.
Like with most things, consistency is key
in order to achieve this. This works best
with great planning at the start of the
week; plan in two to three workouts a
week that include some form of weight
training; this does not have to be what
immediately comes to mind - lifting
heavy bars and dumbbells at the gym)
- but instead can also include body
weight training. Your plan can include
independent gym sessions, group classes,
or a mixture of both. Be consistent, be
patient and most importantly, stick to
your plan and you will notice changes in
your body shape sooner than you think.
BUSTING GYM MYTHS -
WEIGHT TRAINING IS THE
KEY TO SUPER TONING
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