Strength Training? Why can't I just do cardio?

While cardiovascular training is great for building strong hearts and lungs, it doesn't provide the stimulus your body needs to build bigger, stronger muscles and bones. The benefits of adding strength training to your program allow you to:

1. Improved fat loss - When lifting weights, you build lean muscle. The more muscle you have, the quicker your metabolism will work.

2. Enhance your mood and reduce stress - Exercise releases endorphins that improve your mood, prevent pain, and fight depression. Women who strength train feel more confident and capable as a result of their cardio training.  

3. Gain strength without bulking - Unlike men, women typically don’t gain size from strength training. This is due to levels of testosterone women have compared to men. Because of this, women will develop muscle tone and definition without the size.

4. Reduce your risk of injury, back pain, and arthritis - Weight training not only strengthens muscles but also increases bone density. It can also help with correcting bad posture, and building a strong back and core will also help prevent any lower back pain.

5. Improve your athletic performance - Having a stronger body can also help with other sports by improving power, speed, agility, and endurance.

6. Reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes - Weight training can help to improve cardiovascular health by lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, and in turn, this will help to lower blood pressure.

How frequently should I train?

The ideal frequency of personal training sessions varies from person to person. But if you’re just starting out, shooting for training two times a week is enough to learn a few complete full-body exercises properly and have time to recover from soreness. After a few weeks, bump it up to three times then if it allows, four times is great. But again, it all depends on your goals, schedule, family situation, workload, and stress levels.

How quickly will I see the results of my training?

Great question. Expect to ‘feel’ the results of your training sooner than you ‘see’ them. People who start a new exercise program and are consistent typically report improvements in sleep, mood, and energy levels within two to three weeks. Body composition changes often take longer to notice. The more consistent you are with your workouts and the closer you adhere to your nutrition plan, the sooner the results will become noticeable to you and your friends too!

What are the best exercises for getting rid of my arm jiggle, love handles, and thigh fat?

Excess fat doesn't typically occur in isolation. If you've got it in one place, chances are you've got it in more places. There’s no one exercise that will reduce fat cells in just one part of the body. You need to reduce them all via exercise and proper nutrition. If you really want to see muscle definition once the layer of subcutaneous fat is burned off, make sure you're following a customized strength training program.

What if I don’t have or want a gym membership?

No problem! While gym memberships are very helpful by way of providing a variety of equipment options, it is not necessary to have to see results. Each program I do is based on what you have available. I build your workout programs with the equipment you have available to you. Resistance bands, stability balls, and other lightweight equipment can be purchased here for a low cost and can accelerate reaching your potential but not mandatory.