You’ve decided you want to make a change. Where do you start? “I want to look good,” means something different to everybody. So let’s go through a few common fitness goals that people have.
1. I want to lose fat
2. I want to tone up
3. I want to have energy
4. I want to be strong
These are just some fitness goals I’ve seen, especially women, have for themselves. Some of them could be a mix of another goal. The point is that in order to really get what you want out of your workouts, you have to train specifically for them.
Nutrition is also important! Check out –> I HAVE GOALS; HOW DO I EAT FOR THEM?
Let’s dive in and see what it takes to reach each of these specific fitness goals.
1. I want to lose fat
Losing fat is actually really simple. There’s so much misinformation out there. It can be tempting to rely on information that sounds easier to accomplish. The fact is that if you want to lose fat, you have to burn more calories than you ingest.
I’m sure plenty of you are thinking, “Great, that means cardio…” This is absolutely not the case! Cardio can burn calories, and quite a few of them! But there are other, more efficient ways of burning calories.
While weight training, use light weights. When I say that, I don’t mean use a 2lb dumbbell. I’m saying to do as much weight as you can while completing 3 sets of 15-20 reps. It’s okay if you can’t finish the last set all the way. It should be challenging enough that you can’t quite finish the 3rd set, but easy enough to finish at least the whole 1st set.
Another key here is to make sure you are only resting for up to 90 seconds! This is important! The longer you rest, the slower your heart rate will be, and the fewer calories you will burn. It is important to rest, but resting too long will make your workout much less efficient.I believe that weight training is supreme. Most of my advice will lead straight to weights. If you can run on a treadmill for however long it takes to burn around 300-500 calories, then be my guest. I’d much rather feel like a badass, lifting weights for a smaller amount of time, and continuing to burn calories once i finish my workout! Weight training burns more calories over time.
Plus the more muscle your body has, the higher your metabolism is, and the more calories you will burn even at rest.
2. I want to tone up
When I think of toning up, I think of building lean muscle. I think of being trim with some definition. I think of being a sexy beast!
Women do not bulk up the same way men do. In order for women to accomplish a bodybuilder physique, they have to take special supplements/hormones. Lifting weights will give you the definition that I’m pretty sure almost every woman wants. In the beginning, you may feel like you are just getting a little chunkier. Do not worry! This is only because you’re building muscle over top of the existing fat. The fat will shed and you will be left with a lean and defined body.
So I suggest you lift heavier weights than in goal #1. Do around 4 sets of 10-12 reps. If you can do more reps than that in a set, then you need to go up in weight. Make sure you use your core to really stabilize your body as you lift.
The rest period is even shorter than before, being 30 seconds of rest. Your muscles need to be torn in order to build back up. The longer you rest, the more your energy will be regenerated, and the less likely you are to tearing the muscle fibers needed to tone up.
Just put in your headphones and jam to that workout playlist you know will pump you up!
3. I want to have energy
Having more energy is a more difficult goal to achieve. It includes so much more than ways to exercise. There’s nutrition, sleep, stress, and a whole lot more.
I’d say that if you want to have more energy, the best thing you can do is exercise as well as working on all those other things. Cardio builds endurance. Cardio and weight training are probably going to be your best bet. Cardio doesn’t have to be treadmill, row machine, spin bike, or elliptical. It can be a dance class (my favorite!), a bike ride outside, a walk/run outside with the dog, or any other activity that gets you moving. Find the things you enjoy and then do them.
Maybe you need to study or work on your laptop. Why not grab your backpack and sneakers, put your hair up cute, and do a light jog to the nearest Starbucks. Get yourself out of the house to do things that you can do at home, but could also do elsewhere.
Too much of anything will make you have less energy, so make sure there’s a good balance. I try and aim to get 300-500 calories burned in a session.
4. I want to be strong
Building strength is not actually a common goal I see with younger women. However, there are always a few who have that goal, so I’ll share my thoughts on how to reach it.
Strength doesn’t necessarily mean muscle. Well, it does. There’s two ways I look at strength.
1. Lifting a lot of heavy weight
2. Having the willpower to do things you didn’t think you could
I’m going to share the first one in this post, but check out my other post about willpower –> I can do hard things!
When you lift a lot of heavy weight, your muscles don’t always look defined. You can be really strong and not look super fit. Strength is just your max lifting ability. Hypertrophy is a word that means an increase in the SIZE of the muscle (notice, I didn’t say strength).
Lifting for about 5 sets of 1-5 reps will help you build strength. Most people want to increase their muscle size, which I’ve outlined in goal #2.
These are just basics to training for specific goals. There’s always more to learn and discover. I hope this helped! Please feel free to schedule a consultation with me to see if my training packages are right for you –> PROGRAMS!
