Every woman should train for strength and improved performance no matter what her primary goal may be. Yep. Even if you just want to look great naked, you should still train with the goal of getting stronger and improving your performance. Brace yourself for four indisputable reasons why you should focus solely on getting stronger and why doing so will produce the best body transforming results, plus a couple of additional awesome perks.
#1 Training for Strength is More Motivating and Actually More Fun than what? Than the way most people workout.
Many trainees go to the gym with two goals in mind – to burn as many calories as possible and to achieve a total state of fatigue.
After all, if you don’t workout for at least 60 minutes and end up lying on the floor writhing in agony on the verge of puking, you must not have worked out hard enough. Right?
The popular belief that you must accumulate as much fatigue as possible is terribly flawed. For one, how do you measure fatigue in each session? Do you have to be on the brink of vomiting this time, and then actually puke the next? And two, fatigue is not an accurate indicator of success.
Plus, it’s not great motivation to keep going to the gym consistently. How excited can you get about completely wearing yourself out each time you enter the gym?
This is where getting stronger – improving your performance – really shines. It’s much more motivating because you’re focused on something positive – doing a little better than the last time.
Improved performance is a great indication that you’re doing things correctly. Performing more reps than last time or adding weight to the bar is a sure sign you’re moving in the right direction.
And, yes, this can actually be fun. When you focus on improving your performance, you’ll become addicted to getting stronger. Setting new personal records and achieving new physical feats is incredibly motivating.
Once you achieve goals you once thought were impossible, you’ll be left hungry for more and wanting to see what else you’re capable of doing.
#2 Unleashing Your True Potential By Mindlessly lifting a five pound, pastel colored dumbbell is not empowering, and it certainly won’t unleash your true potential.
No one has ever said, “OMG, I feel soooo strong and amazing” after doing 20 tricep kickbacks with a three pound dumbbell.
Contrast that scenario with a woman who does her first set of flawless push-ups. Or a woman who does her first chin-up. Or squats her bodyweight. Or deadlifts 1.5 times her bodyweight. Yeah, that is empowering!
Progressive strength training with the basic exercises is truly empowering as is being able to dominate your bodyweight via chin-ups, push-ups, and other bodyweight exercises.
And don’t be discouraged if you currently can’t do a push-up and you’re a strength training beginner http://www.niashanks.com/tutorials/beginner-strength-training-for-women/. Heck, we were all beginners at some point! The great news is that you can work your way toward doing things you currently can’t do.
And, I guarantee you’ll have a tremendous sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as you push yourself in the gym and achieve physical feats you once weren’t able to do.
That’s another incredible perk to getting stronger – you’ll discover what your body can DO instead of just focusing on how it LOOKS.
Sure, looking amazing is awesome. But knowing what your awesome body is capable of doing is priceless.
Next time you’re in the gym, really pay attention to every rep of every exercise. Relish the feeling of your muscles pushing and pulling. Be proud of what you can DO.
#3 Warning! Side Effects May Include . . . Want to lose excess body fat, sculpt some sexy muscle, and love how you look in and out of (cue the sexy music) your clothes?
Those are awesome side-effects when you focus on getting stronger and improving your performance.
When you constantly strive to improve your performance – throw more weight on the bar, do more reps, perform more challenging bodyweight exercises – your body will respond by burning fat, sculpting some muscle, improving insulin sensitivity and a host of other amazing side-effects that impact your health and physique.
Oftentimes when trainees focus on nothing but getting stronger they achieve the body transforming results (less fat and more sexy muscle) that they were after all along. I can definitely attest to this experience personally, and so can my clients. That is why we focus on improving our performance, and nothing else.
But guess what? There are even more side-effects that will occur by training for strength.
#4 Strength Training Builds More Than a Rockin’ Body
Not only is building a rockin’ body a terrific side-effect from training for strength and improved performance; you’ll also discover some additional perks from progressive strength training.
Increased self-confidence. I’ve witnessed this with every female client I’ve trained. After a few weeks of getting stronger, adding more weight to the bar, and performing bodyweight exercises, something just seems to click.
An increase in self-confidence quickly emerges. And not just in the gym, but in everyday life as well. Strength training builds a stronger body AND mind.
Stress relief. Bad day at work? It won’t be a bid deal after you rip a heavy barbell off the floor a few times. There’s something therapeutic about lifting weights, and it’s a terrific and positive way to alleviate stress.
Set a positive example for the younger generation. Unfortunately, the diet-until-you’re-super-skinny-and-don’t-eat-much-food is running rampant, and young girls are exposed to this message at a younger age.
But by showing young girls that the weight on the barbell – and not the scale – is important and they see YOU leading by example, they’ll opt for being strong, confident, and proud instead of striving to reach society’s ideals of “perfection.”
Here’s Your Call to Action
Here’s what you can do now.
Ladies, start focusing purely on improving your performance in the gym. Make it a goal to add weight to the barbell whenever you can. Strive to do a little better each time you workout and focus on what you CAN do and nothing else and you’ll discover what it means to be a Beautiful Badass [link – http://www.niashanks.com/tutorials/beautiful-badass-101/]
Fellas, if your lovely lady is trying to build a better body but isn’t currently applying the information above, get this article in front of her. Chances are she’s tried other methods to build a better body; now she’ll do what works and actually enjoy the journey.
About the author
Nia Shanks is a personal trainer dedicated to showing women how to build a better body and be even more awesome, the sane and simple way. Find out more and get the free Beautiful Badass Mini Course at www.NiaShanks.com
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Man, Nia is right on! I wish more women understood how much easier it is to succeed in the long run by doing serious resistance training. I’m really happy to see this message getting out there to women who have been frustrated with trying to shrink without first trying to grow (muscle that is).
I have been trying to convince my wife of this for a while now! I am definitely showing this to her. The reason that I noticed that this is true for women is when I do talk her into doing strength training with me, I noticed #4 and how it improved her confidence as well. I hope this will finally convince her to do more strength training. Thanks for the post!!!
Thanks, Josh! I hope your wife enjoys the article, too.
excellent article!!..going to refer it to all my cardio bunny peeps.
I prefer weight training because I have painful bad feet and have found a cardio exercise I can do to my satisfaction.
Ok. That’s it! Hitting the gym at this second. Okay maybe in 20. :)
Fantastic advice :)
Already doing this. And it has nothing to do with how I look. I’m 52. I’m never going to be 30 again and I’m not going to look like I am. But weight training builds strength, helps me burn fat and get fit. Those are my goals. Looks are a fragile foundation for making changes in your life. You could lose everything in a moment, to illness or an accident. Do it because you want to face age with strength. Because osteoporosis and being bent double at 80 doesn’t appeal. Because you love the look on the guys’ faces in the weight room when you load a barbell with 4-45 lb. plates. :) You know, for all the right reasons.
So many workouts don’t take into account the somatotype of the indivuidual. My girlfriend is a mesomorph and builds mass easily even on a moderate protein diet. She is strong, but wants to loose fat without adding bulk. Her goal is the opposite of what most guys with similar build would want. oh the irony!
As usual Nia talks total sense. Love the article and agree with every word from my own personal experience. Lifting weights is great fun and so empowering…my confidence has shot through the roof in the 9 months I’ve been doing it. This woman ain’t never stopping getting strong!
Confidence can really change your life. You will only feel beautiful if you believe that you actually are beautiful. Being fit and getting in shape plays an important part in a woman’s happiness. This post says it all.
This is awesome, thank you very much Nia. At the Under 20 Workout, we come across this all the time. It’s great to have someone like you out there dispelling these kind of myths. It’s simple science really… build muscle, burn fat, lose fat, look awesome.
Us guys could learn from these principles too!
Stephen
Thank you for this terrific article. I’m showing it to my wife today.
Nice post Nia. However, I must also point out that these same tips also apply to men. I know so many guys that equate a good work-out with been destroyed and near puking.
One of the sure signs of progression is been able to push more weight, and lets not forget that the more muscle you build the more calories you burn :)
Hello Tom,
First, I want to thank you for your honest approach to weight loss. I bought your book and I’m starting to implements your program. But I have a concern. I don’t think you mention anything about male breast. It’s called GYNECOMASTIA. Do you think loosing fat will make this go away? Please tell me what are you thoughts on this.
I didn’t used to like strength training but when I figured out that I could be toned by doing ST, I started to like it and have not looked back. I still love hearing the words, “You don’t look your age” even when it comes out “I didn’t know you were that old!” lol
Awesome post! :)
Losing weight is never an easy task..
Nice, Thanks for sharing !!