Lift and Get Hot. Female Beauty through Strength Training. Say what? Let me break it down into the simplest of terms:
Women who eat correctly and train hard with weights look really, really good.
That's the gist of it. Like it or don't like it but embrace it and believe it, for it is certain.
The devil is in the details(and probably some lululemon tights) but at it's core, that is probably the most correct statement you will ever hear espoused from any so called fitness expert(such as myself), so I will repeat it:
Women who eat correctly and train hard with weights look really, really good.
So, if I make a statement that says X+Y=Z I had probably better at least attempt to define what constitutes X, Y, and Z.
Let's start with X, eating correctly. Without going into excessive detail, as there are countless sites and blogs dedicated exclusively to this, I will say it has to do with eating the correct number of calories(if you are overweight this means less than you eat now) and right amount of protein(probably more than you eat now). The rest is somewhat important but nowhere near as important as those 2 factors, run from anyone telling you differently especially if they are pushing an agenda like veganism or "clean" eating or mention anything about "cleansing" or "toxins".
Now on to Y, what constitutes training "hard" with weights? My definition is training full body, multi joint movements, and trying to get as strong as possible at them. Squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, kettlebell exercises like swings and get ups, or dragging a sled with as much weight as you can move. I think you get the idea. Notice I did not include anything machine related or small isolation movements like curls or standing on a bosu ball pressing pink 5 pound dumbbells.
When I train female clients I use body weight exercises, med balls, the TRX, bands, gymnastic rings, sandbags, all sorts of things for conditioning/core work, but the foundation is laid with heavy, basic weight training. It comes back to the basic idea: Lift some heavy s**t on a regular basis and you will look better.
We've covered X and Y, so now onto the hard part, Z. This is of course subjective and there are many body types and looks that most people will consider attractive. Most of these come down to a lean, athletic body, which is what lifting heavy and eating properly will certainly give you. The following is one of my favorite quotes(and there are many) of noted author Mark Rippetoe:
"The fact is that aesthetics are best obtained from training for performance. In both architecture and human beauty, form follows function. Always and everywhere, the human body has a certain appearance when it performs at a high level, and depending on the nature of that high-level performance, this appearance is usually regarded as aesthetically pleasing, for reasons that are DNA-level deep. The training through which high-level performance is obtained is the only reliable way to obtain these aesthetics, and the only exceptions to this method of obtaining them are the occasional genetically-gifted freaks-people who look like they train when they were just born lucky. As a general rule, if you want to look like a lean athlete-the standard that most active people strive to emulate-you have to train like an athlete, and most people lack the "sand" for that."
Women lack the testosterone to build huge muscles, the women you see with huge muscles are hormonally more male than I am(ie they are on PED's). Women who train hard with weights generally arrive at two outcomes:
1. A disciplined woman who eats correctly will get smaller and firmer/tighter almost proportionally with her increases in strength.
2. A less disciplined woman who has a hard time managing her caloric intake will get stronger and generally stay at the same body fat levels depending on how bad her eating is.
Both of these outcomes compare favorably to their counterparts who base their workout routine on "cardio" and don't lift weights.
1. A disciplined eater who does a lot of cardio will be lean, but they will usually have a flimsy body(typically skinny-fat), bad movement patterns(and posture) and be susceptible to injury(as well as a stiff wind knocking them over).
2. A non-disciplined eater who does a cardio based program(this is the standard person in a commercial gym that just doesn't get any noticeable results at all despite exercising frequently) will just keep being overweight AND have the movement and postural dysfunctions and imbalances, talk about a lose/lose situation!
Blah, blah, blah. Lift and Get Hot.
