- Strength training makes women ‘bulky’ --> False
Firstly, there are a lot of women who do want to gain muscle size, and we love that! For those who want to look more lean and toned, it’s important to note that women don’t have the testosterone or growth hormone levels that men do, so ‘bulking up’ is more difficult. Instead, they’ll look more toned and be stronger. Strength training can actually help in metabolizing fat and thus looking leaner, and also in reducing the effects of biological aging, which in our view should more than offset any fears of bulking up.
2. Free weights are better than machines for functional training --> True
Free weight exercises using dumbells, barbells and kettlebells, to name a few, are better at mimicking the movement patterns you perform in your daily life. The movements require your body to activate multiple body parts at once and further develop your motor neuron pathways to enhance your brain-body coordination. In addition, compound movements that involve multiple muscle groups increase energy expenditure and thus lead to increased levels of fat loss
3. I can target specific body parts for fat loss --> False
Spot reduction doesn’t work because it usually targets muscles that are relatively small through exercises that are relatively insignificant in terms of enhancing overall fitness, strength and energy expenditure. Fat does get released from fat cells for energy. Unfortunately, the systems responsible for this process do not take into consideration the parts of the body you would most like the fat to be drawn from. If you want to burn more fat it’s very important to follow a well designed strength and cardio program and always make sure to eat healthier foods.
