Use to have this mind set about lifting weights
This is a little extreme but this is what image would come to mind about lifting weights
I totally used to be that girl who thought lifting weights would make look like a man... Well that isn't the case anymore. Jorge would always tell me I needed to do more weight lifting to get a toned body, but I never listened to him, instead I would just grab 5 pound weights. It would take a very long time to see any kind of result, and it never felt like I had a great workout. So this last week I decided it was time to try something new, instead of just doing cardio I have been doing more weight lifting with heavier weights. I have to admit that it has not been easy, and sometimes I have felt like just going back to cardio and light weights, but now that I have incorporated heavier weights into my workout I have been noticing better results. My legs feel more toned, my biceps are starting to get some definition, and my shoulders seem to be getting lean and muscular. Cardio is great for your body but if you are looking to tone your body, you might want to start weights lifting.
Get this idea out of your mind.
This is not me, I just wanted to show that weighing less does not necessarily mean you look better!
Looking good and being healthy is not the same as being skinny. In fact I have met a lot of skinny people who are very unhealthy, and think that just because they are skinny they look good. Look at the picture above, the girl on the right weighs 123 pounds, now look at the picture on the left, the girl weighs 137 pounds. Now why would she look better, but weigh more? The answer is simple she has more muscle and less fat. I'm not saying she looks bad on the picture to the left, but she definitely looks better at 137 pounds.
This is what skinny fat looks like.
Don't worry too much about what the scale says! If you see your body getting toned and looking great, do not mind the scale. Weight lifting will not necessarily make you look big and bulky.
Which one would you rather look like? Just remember to be healthy and keep working out. Try lifting weights more! I promise you that you will start feeling like you are getting a better work out!
Don't stop doing cardio though! I try to get in at least 20 minutes of cardio when I work out. I've been starting my workout with 10 minutes of cardio, and then I move onto weight lifting. When I lift weights, I do a couple of exercises then I run for 2 minutes at high enough speed to get my heart rate up. That is how I get 20 minutes of cardio without getting bored out of my mind! Here is an example of what I did this last week.
Leg day:
10 min of cardio
30 calve raises on bench press
40 inner thigh machine
40 outer thigh machine
3 minute run
12 squats
12 sumo squats
3 minute run
20 lungs R/L
stretch
I suggest choosing weights that you feel comfortable with don't over do it, but also make sure you are pushing your body. You want to feel sore the next day.
Arm days are where I struggle I never really know what to do when it comes to my arms. I usually ask Jorge what to do, because let's be honest guys target working out their arms the most. So he will show me a few arm work outs to do. My arm strength is pretty weak right now. I really want to work on the arms for sure. I will post my achievements in a couple of weeks!
If you have Pinterest look for ideas! I get a lot of my work outs from there!
http://www.pinterest.com/deidrechambers/
