Here at Burn Boot Camp, we love to lift heavy. Whether it’s arm day, leg day or even core conditioning, our trainers are always pushing clients to lift heavier weights! Some women feel like weight lifting might make them look manly, or feel that they aren’t burning as many calories. Well, those are total myths!

Burn Boot Camp Mount Juliet Head Trainer, Christen Jackson, lists the top 10 biggest weight lifting myths and explains to us why they’re wrong. From Number 10 being spot training to lose weight/inches to Number 1 being afraid of the bulk (which doesn’t exist for women). It’s important to challenge yourself!

Muscles need to grow – which means they must be fed and trained properly! You are an athlete. Don’t be afraid to lift heavy! Next time you’re about to curl those 15’s, try those 20’s.

#mindovermatter

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We all know that the metabolism is the process of breaking down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to yield the energy your body needs to maintain your activity capacity. Ever hear someone say that their “metabolism is getting slower” or “I have a slow metabolism”? While it is true that some people genetically have a slower metabolism than others, there is always a way to maximize your bodies ability to burn fat as fast speeds. Our metabolism is like the “dealer” of the macro nutrients when they are being broken down by the body. Put it this way, you butt, thighs, and hips will store all the pizza and wine while all the chicken breast and spinach go to your muscles! Put simply, the only REAL significant way to increase your metabolism is to build muscle. These tips below will give you a little insight on how to efficiently flush your body of toxins and prime your body to build muscle!

1. Eat Breakfast, Everyday! Never skip out on your first meal of the day. It is crucial to eat a healthy breakfast 30 minutes upon waking, breaking the fast from the night. Feeling rushed in the morning? Prep those breakfast meals the night before so it’s no hassle in the morning. Some great breakfast recipes to prep the night before are egg white muffins, overnight oats, or a protein shake!

2. Spice Up Your Life– Adding spice to your foods have proven to help rev the metabolism by kicking up your body temperature. Add cayenne pepper to your protein or start your day with a glass of hot water, cayenne pepper, and lemon.

3. Enjoy 6 small meals a day- Eating smaller meals throughout the day prevents your from binging out on one big meal,  it keeps your blood sugar in check (preventing spikes in blood sugar).

4. Pack on the Protein- Your body digest protein slower than carbs and fat, keeping you full longer. In a process called thermogenesis, your body uses 10% of your caloric intake by digestion. Protein takes longer to burn than carbs and fat, so your body expands more energy absorbing the nutrients. Another benefit of protein is that it helps retain lean muscle mass, which is the best fat burning tool you can have!

5. Don’t cut calories TOO low- Cutting you calories too low can be damaging to your metabolism. You may be tricking your body into thinking it needs to hold on to everything you eat by storing as fat.

6. Burst Training- This type of intense interval training elevated the  growth hormone and have been shown to decrease body fat and increase protein synthesis after exercise. Interval training burns more calories and fat not only during the workout but throughout the rest of the day.

7. Strength Training- Don’t be afraid of the weights! Building muscle is the most efficient way to boost your metabolism. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. This should be a given!

8. Sleep- Studies have shown that women who sleep five hours or fewer per night are 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain. When you lack sleep, your metabolism can’t function properly, and instead your metabolism slows down. Poor sleep also causes an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which signals the body to eat more.

9. Drink MORE Water- This is a simple way to speed up metabolism and burn calories. Our body needs to stay hydrated to maintain regular body functions.

10. Don’t take Shortcuts- Take the stairs, find a parking spot that allows you to walk a little further, ride you bike to a friends instead of driving, take a brisk walk everyday for at least 15 minutes. This small changes will help you burn extra calories throughout the day that sure do add up at the end of the week!

Lifting weights has been scientifically proven to be more effective for losing weight than cardiovascular training alone. You can also see it for yourself. The next time you go the gym, compare the bodies that you see in the weight room with the ones that you see on the treadmills and ellipticals. You will notice that most of the overweight people are on the treadmill whereas those with the best bodies are in the weight room.

Why? Because when you lift weights, you burn calories both during and after your workout!

Every pound of muscle on your body burns an average of thirty calories per day. The more muscle that you have, the more “passive weight loss” you will have. Weight lifting amplifies this with something called the “afterburn” effect. After you lift weights, your body will continue to burn calories as it recovers.

Weight lifting gets your metabolism so much that you will burn more calories sleeping than you would spending thirty minutes on the treadmill.

But wait, isn’t weight lifting dangerous? Heck no! If you use proper form, weight lifting is very safe.

Hold on a minute, won’t I get super bulky and unattractive if I lift weights? Wrong again. Women have significantly less testosterone than men, so it is almost impossible for them to look bulky no matter how much weight they lift.

Here are the keys to getting the most bang for the buck from weight training. It is very, VERY important that you follow these principles if you want your weight training to be worthwhile.

1. Lift heavy weights. You should lift weights that you can only perform 6-15 reps with.

2. Do synergistic exercises that involve multiple muscles rather than isolation exercises that focus in on one particular muscle.

3. Limit your workouts to 30-45 minutes with only brief breaks between sets.

It is also important to use proper form at all times. Most people, unfortunately, do not use proper form. Improper form is not just dangerous; improper form will make the exercises less effective. Put in the time and effort to learn how to properly do those compound exercises.

If you follow these principles when you are at the gym, you will be using one of the best weight loss secrets out there. When you combine lifting weights with proper nutrition and rest, you will be well on your way to that sexy body that you want so bad!

Burn Boot Camp’s 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Program starts May 14th and incorporates interval weight training! If you need to drop some fat before the summer come out and join us!