ROSIE - getting in a TOTAL workout

I’ve touched on this so many times in this at Bingham Girls but have never dedicated a blog to it. It’s such an important aspect of fitness training and something women the world over are confused about.

There are three aspects of fitness and two are seriously over-neglected. Cardio is the buzz word and probably is the one thing that people over-do when they’re trying to get that lean look. Don’t get me wrong, cardio is vital for heart health, weight management, keeping your mind healthy and general well being but the two other elements are as, if not more important, in terms of how your body looks.


STRETCHING
When your muscles are worked to a high intensity, they get tiny little tears in the fibres. This is not a bad thing, in fact it’s vital for strengthening muscles. The little tears are what makes you stronger as they regenerate to a stronger muscle fibre. Stretching is not only vital for recovery of these tiny muscle tears, but oh so important for elongating these muscles. When you work out, your muscles shorten and that’s why it’s more important to stretch AFTER your session than before.



RESISTANCE
Aka strength training. If I had a pound for every time a woman said to me “but won’t I get bulky if I do resistance training?” – I’d have been able to retire years ago. Let me spell it out. Resistance training does not make you bulky. Testosterone is what builds muscles; women only have so much testosterone in their body and so it is physically IMPOSSIBLE to get bulky on strength training alone. Many women body builders use enhancers to get them to look that way.

What resistance training DOES do is increase the density of the muscle fibres. Muscles actually BURN calories. So, if you have more lean muscle mass, even when you’re sitting you can burn more calories than someone who doesn’t. It helps strips away fat and maintain that lean, toned look that so many women are after.


If you want to think in terms of work out time, this is how I view it. For an hours’ workout:

35 minutes of INTENSE cardio work (not a walk in the park).

20 minutes of high intensity resistance work.

5 minutes of stretching.



I PROMISE you it will change your body!