Answer: NO.

If you are going to the gym and you are still worried about using weights because it’s going to make you bulky, you are missing out on some of the below benefits.
– Improved posture
– Improved mobility
– Improved strength without an increase in your body weight
– Injury prevention
– Contributes to reducing body fat
– Strengthens your core
– Reduces heart related illnesses
– Improves speed
Just to name a few…

The fear of using weights usually comes from the association with bodybuilders and the huge results they get. What most people tend to forget is that all sports include weights in their training regimes. From your volleyball players to marathon runners to footballers to tennis players to sprinters to long jumpers, weights are used in different parts of an athletes training camp.

If you google athletes in these sports you will see they are most certainly not “bulky” and definitely do not have the same aesthetic as a bodybuilder. Now you may be thinking “I don’t play any sports so why should that make a difference to me?”

Second answer for the price of one:

Recently we have been using Myzone heart rate monitors in our personal training and group sessions, using these has showed us that when we have our clients doing big movements using weights, their heart rate goes through the roof! This leads them to burn a lot of calories.

Weight training goes even further than appearance, it also has a huge effect on your cardiac output reducing the chances of you getting heart related illnesses. This does not mean that you should try lift the heaviest weights in the gym on your first attempt but it does mean that you should put the time into learning the correct technique when performing different exercises, allowing you to then progress and increase the weight bit by bit. This will benefit you in more ways than one.

At Evolve, we offer a 4 session assessment package which includes a movement assessment that will tell us the condition of your body & current strength. Following this, we will design a program that specifies where your weight training journey should begin in relation to the results we received from the assessment and what your goal is, which can be anything from simply toning up to training for a triathlon.

Book your complimentary consultation so we can begin!

Photo by John Arano on Unsplash