Think She-Ra, not The Hulk...

I can see it now: After working with a female client for several weeks to master foundational movements, its time to take the next step and add some more resistance to the movements. As I pick up a 15 pound, my client shrinks back, like I’m trying to hand her some creepy reptile, and then I hear it: “Won’t that make me bulky? I don’t want to look like a guy.”

There are only two things that will make you bulky:

• Taking steroids
• Eating crappy food.

In fact, if you want to get that lean look, a speedy metabolism, and prevent injuries, you need to work heavy weights into your workout regimen. Why?

1.       Keeps your body young: Lifting heavy increases the human growth hormone in the body, which will keep your body young and aid fat burning. This hormone tends to decline as we get older, but you can give it a boast by lifting heavy.
2.       Speedy metabolism: Lifting heavy weights will cause little microtears in your muscles, which your body will work to repair in the following hours, even days. Read: you will burn anywhere from 50-400 extra calories without even trying.
3.       Bones of steel: your bones will respond to the amount of force placed on them. High impact activities and heavy lifting put a lot of stress on your bones, which will react by rebuilding thicker and stronger. Good bye, osteoporosis!
4.       Improved muscle definition: like your bones, your muscles will respond to heavy stress by rebuilding strong, faster, leaner and more effective.
5.       Confidence: when you have safely lifted more than you have ever lifted before, how can you not feel powerful, strong and proud of what you can do??

Before you run off and start loading the plates, you want to make sure you do not have any conditions that would recommend staying away from heavy lifting (ie: high blood pressure, pregnancy, etc). You also need to make sure you have understanding of the foundational movements of squats, lunges, pushing and pulling movements (ie: push ups and rows). Jumping into a heavy lifting program with out mastering these moves and developing adequate core strength could lead to injury. Invest in a few sessions with a trainer (eh hem) if you have any questions, and once you have the movements down, increase your weights incrementally. If your form begins to falter, you will need to decrease until your body adapts to the increased load.

Couple a progressive lifting program with cardio—intervals and steady state--, a flexibility program, and clean eating, and you will get that lean, strong, healthy body you are looking forJ