Did you know that a pound of muscle burns 15-30 calories at rest per day! What?! That is nuts! Whereas, fat burns a lame 2-5 calories. So we can quickly see the advantage of having more muscle. In addition, fat is only burned off your body by the presence of muscle. You must have/get muscle if you really want to be fit and not fat. By the way,   you can be “skinny” but have mostly fat on you. “Fit” means you have a lean(muscular) body, with a low fat percentage.

Also, did you know that a pound of fat physically takes up more room in your body than a pound of muscle? Think hard on this one. So, this means increasing lean muscle will NOT bulk you up but rather tear away at your fat and strip away inches, leaving a toned, defined, tight body as the end result. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I have brought many women to their fitness goals by training with the method of lifting heavy weights and pushing to failure.

Lifting heavy weights will allow your body to release the human growth hormone and testosterone, both of which HUGELY aid in fat-burning. Think of why boys are naturally much more lean than women… it is because of how much more testosterone their bodies naturally have. Lifting heavy weights can enhance your bodies ability to release these hormones which will in turn BURN MORE FAT! Sign me up =)

And PLEASE ladies, erase the theory in your head that tells you heavy weights will give you massive thighs, chest hair, and a deep voice. You can be fit, toned, and muscular and still be a feminine, curvy woman. Think of people like Rachel McAdams, Jessica Biel, and Eva Mendes, All HOT chicks who admittedly lift heavy weights with a personal trainer. Ask other women whose bodies you admire how they stay in shape. I guarantee that lifting heavy weights is somewhere in the equation. If you are still not convinced then TRY it and let the results speak for themselves.

Rachel McAdams

Eva Mendes

Need some instruction? Let your Scottsdale personal trainer help you…Here is how:

1. STOP wasting your time by doing more reps than necessary. Pick a weight that will BURN your muscles in 12-15 reps. So by number 13 and 14 you are really grunting and struggling to get through to 15. You should be at total failure by your last rep.

2. Move quickly from one exercise to the next. Keep each movement less than a minute a part. This will keep your heart rate up. A lifting session should not be more than 40 minutes for a woman with fat loss goals. Do three sets of 5 to 7 total different exercises within those 40 minutes.

3. The more muscles that get recruited by an exercise the better! Pushups with a row and lunges with a bicep curl are both great examples of this. TONS of muscles are working at the same time, which will help to burn more calories during and AFTER your work out.

4. Mix things up and keep variety in your workouts by adding new exercises. Always “confusing” your muscles will make you body work harder. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I am always working new exercises and movements into my clients routines…it keeps things fresh and fun.

5. REMEMBER, diet is huge! Even if you follow all the guidelines of lifting weights perfectly, you must also eat with guidelines. Don’t undo all your hard work in the gym by making poor choices in the kitchen.

Do you want to see changes in your body? Do you want less fat? Is your current way working? Then grab those heavy weights and let the fat burning begin!

Your Scottsdale personal trainer, Laurie Stilwell