fitness myth buster: weightlifting makes you bulky

there are SO many outrageous myths about fitness out there, and today i'm gonna tackle one of the big ones...weightlifting makes you bulky. 

to be honest, i kind of forget that this is a thing that people still think because most of the things i read and follow and surround myself with is fitness related and this is something that i feel like gets repeated over and over again.. . and i don't want to beat a dead horse...but i STILL see being said.

I get it a lot while i'm doing fitness consultations, meeting potential clients. Usually someone saying they want to get "toned" and lean out but "don't want to get bulky!!! so i don't want to lift too much weight!" and i have to explain to them that lifting weights won't make them bulky. 

so here it is: weightlifting will not make you bulky. (unless you are working insanely hard to BE BULKY). 

(side note: WTF is bulky?? like how does one define "bulk???" it is different for everyone i've talked to!) 

so what does weight lifting do for you??

• you'll burn more calories throughout the day ~ when you are weight lifting you are building lean mass up in your body and lean mass uses more calories throughout the day. 
• you are not making your body bigger, you are shaping your body ~ adding weight training into your workout routine is exactly how you get the "toned" looks that everyone asks how to get! 

important factors to remember: 

• every body is going to react differently to weight training ~ we are all different people (yes, shocking brand new information!!) and so our bodies will react and adapt differently to adding resistance training into your workout routine. this DOES NOT mean that you're going to be bulky... it just means your results are not going to look the same as someone else following the same/a similar training plan. 
• you are training for the results you want ~ look, if you want to be lean and strong, that's what you work towards, if you want to get big AF, that's what you make your program work towards. 
• to get big, you have to EAT big ~ have you ever seen those big bodybuilders? they are eating A LOT, like, all the time. you have to eat SO MUCH to build and fuel those giant muscles. 
• it takes TIME ~ you are not going to wake up the morning after a strength training session looking like Johnny Bravo. people work their entire lives to get that strong. 

Some bonus benefits of strength training: 

• new types of goals: with my clients i try to make a few different types of goals, and one of the best kinds are strength training based goals. it is a real boost when you hit a deadlift or bench press PR and really keeps you moving towards your goals
• confidence boost ~ hitting goals and lifting weights you haven't before is such a high. it's a great motivator and will keep you working towards more goals at the gym.
•  get better at life ~ strength training helps you perform better at the gym, but also is gonna help you be better at getting through life. you'll be stronger and functionally fit so you don't hurt yourself going throughout your day.

SO here it is: 

go strength train! 

start with the basics and build those muscles! 

need some help to get started? i have training available- just send me a message and we can get you going! email me at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com or on instagram or facebook! 

#noweighinnovember

the health and fitness industry is pretty much obsessed with the "after" picture, of the scale going down, of burning insane calories. i am guilty of it too. we obsess with the number on the scale and with what we see in the mirror and with burning calories and "earning" the right to eat some candy. 

if you follow my instagram stories you saw me go off on a My FItness Pal blog post that was telling you how much you had to exercise to "earn" some Halloween treats. and seriously- FUCK THAT. enjoy your treats and enjoy your desserts and enjoy the food you like. 

ANYWAY ~ that's not entirely related to the point of this post, but it's pretty close. over the past couple of weeks i have been trying to figure out a good challenge i could host on my insta and after an experience i had this morning i figured it out. 

to start, let me give you some background: i 100% understand that the scale should only be one of many tools to measure progress and success in your health & fitness journey but as someone who exclusively measured progress on the scale for a VERY LONG TIME it is hard to shake the feeling of deep disappointment of seeing the scale go up even when logically i understand that i didn't gain fat. 

the scale is SUCH a fickle reporting tool. it goes up and down depending on about a million different things but i still let it effect my mood. and that's me, a fitness professional who should know better. 

so  anyway, this morning i weighed in and that stupid number went up. and i was so disappointed in myself. even though i had a pretty successful week of workouts and nutrition wise i was on point. but the fact was that the night before i had most of my carbs in the evening and i had them later at night than normal so of course that'll reflect on the scale. but it doesn't mean i need to stress out about it. my weight has definitely gone up from this time last year... but i'm working out harder than i have been before and i am stronger than i have ever been. 

that's where my challenge comes in; i've decided i'm not gonna stress about the scale for a full month. for all of november i am putting the scale away and i'm going to focus on non-scale victories, self care, eating properly, and my regular training program. i typically step on the scale 5-7 days a week and honestly, that's not been working well for my mental health but i really just can't stop myself from doing it, and i'm sure i'm not the only one. 

sometimes we need a full reset and that's what i'm going to do and i'm hoping to have some of you all join me in!

30 full days of no scale. and each week i will be putting out some additional self-care challenges for all of us to take part in. 

i think that this time of year it's pretty easy to be shamed for eating candy or all the pie or other treats and then immediately to step on scale and feel terrible about it. so let's not. let's focus on consistency and getting stronger and faster and eating food that makes us feel good and self care. 

join me in the #noweighinnovember challenge on my instagram page! all of the details will be on the page! 

any questions? let me know in the comments below or on my insta or facebook page!

the importance of core strength

One of the supposed pinnacles of fitness is to have 6 pack abs or a lean stomach, and to do that you gotta do a million a half sit ups or something crazy. (you don’t). having abs is GREAT but it is not the point or end all be all of fitness.

this is not a post about how to get abs, cause to be quite honest, I don’t have a 6 pack or any version of one. 6 packs are largely genetic and then come from a low amount of bodyfat (which means a pretty strict diet). And since I don’t have the abs like that I’m not gonna write about it.

this post is about is having a strong core… which you can have without a 6 pack and it is definitely something everyone should strive for. 

So what is core strength?

It is the strength of the underlying muscles of the torso. That is your stomach area muscles and your back muscles. Basically…the entire middle of your body is your core.

Why is core strength important?

SO MANY REASONS!

let me layout a few:

1.    helps prevents injuries – core strength creates core stability which means you’ll be safer moving throughout your workouts and life.
2.  protects your internal organs and nervous system – if you have a weak core, your body is more susceptible to harm, and one of the biggest part of your body is your spine and spinal cord. leaving the muscles that surround that highly important part of your body leaves it open for injury
3.   prevents back pain – legitimately the largest reason why I do so much core workouts. i injured my back a lot throughout middle school up through college playing goalkeeper in college which has definitely led to more back issues in my adult life. i threw my back out entirely… to the point that I was limping around work when I was TWENTY-FOUR. after that I did core strengthening workouts 2-4 times a week and I have not had any back pain since incorporating that into my training routine.
4.   helps posture – if you strengthen the entire middle of your body, you’ll be sitting up much stronger and taller.
5. improve your balance – as you build your core strength and your posture, you’ll be able to move easier throughout life and be able to stand up strong and fall over as easy as you would with no core strength.
6. perform life easier – you probably don’t realize that you use your core very often in your day to day… let me inform you that you do. you are (or at least should be) using your core muscles throughout your entire day and when you have a strong core your life will be easier.
7.  perform sports at a higher level – your core is where your power comes from. so it makes sense that as you strengthen those core muscles, you’ll be able to run faster, punch harder, and kick stronger.

okay! how do I get a stronger core??

good news! it’s not a bunch of sit ups. actually, I never do regular sit ups because they aren’t that great for you and also they hurt my lower back.

here are some exercises you should be incorporating into your workouts:

•   russian twist
•  plank
  • and plank variations
• heel taps
•  mountain climbers
• jack knives
•  toe taps
•  suitcase crunch
•  leg lifts
•  bird dogs
•  cable twists
•   glute bridges
•   turkish get ups

just to name a few 😊

need some help getting started? Follow me on Instagram and facebook where I post workouts and health and fitness articles every day!

want some more personalized training? Contact me at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com or on my Instagram and facebook pages.

Any questions? Leave a comment below or send me a message on any of my pages!