Body re-composition is the main goal of most gym goers and here are 10 Facts to help you focus on that goal.

#1 Women will get bulky lifting heavy weights.

The average women looking for body re-composition will get a fitter, firmer, leaner look by lifting relatively heavy weight. This will increase BMR, your Basel Metabolic Rate.

This in turn will lead to higher calorie burn. Providing there is a slight caloric deficit of the higher calorie demand that has now been created, fat loss will happen fairly easily in the initial weeks and early months of training.

Only Women with a clear objective to get competitively strong as power lifters and body builders are likely to get bulky lifting weights. That training would need to be intensive and certainly doesn’t happen overnight.

#2 Eating Only healthy foods will cause fat loss.

Healthy or “clean” eating, though much more beneficial, will not guarantee weight loss. Energy balance is still the key You still need to eat less calories than you brun everyday.

The way quality whole foods aid weight loss is because they tend to be less calorie dense. Agood balance of fibre, protein and quality fats, helps with the feeling of satiety.
Processed foods tend to be calorie dense and much less filling as they are quickly digested, so it is easy to over eat.

#3 You need to do cardio to lose weight.

Cardio Vascular exercise, the sort that gets you sweaty and breathless, is really effective in the first few weeks of a person’s fitness and weight loss regime. The results will tail off very quickly after this period.

You may have heard or read that exercise is a poor way to lose weight, this is most certainly true. Diet is much more important in controlling body weight.

This is because adaptation happens fast initially as working out in any way from being sedentary will get results. The reason improvements stop is usually down to the exercise regime no longer challenging the body.

Weight loss should be about losing body fat. A much better approach to body re-composition is to do strength training.

A higher lean mass will require a larger amount of energy to maintain, meaning a higher daily calorie intake needed. read strength v cardio

#4 You can target areas to lose fat.

Whatever you may have read, it is not possible to spot reduce fat in any area of the body. Everyone stores fat in a unique way to them. The body tends to lose fat in the reverse way that it gains it.

#5 lifting heavy will hurt my back/lifting heavy is dangerous.

Providing someone has no pre-existing issues precluding them from lifting weight, lifting heavy weight is the single best thing that a person can do to improve overall fitness and increase longevity.

Lifting weight is only dangerous when done with incorrect technique. Learning to lift weight correctly is a fantastically beneficial method of strengthening the back and all other areas of the body.

This will Improve overall strength, balance, co-ordination and physical appearance. Lifting weight can also benefit the cardiovascular system. The same cannot be said for cardio making you stronger.

#6 low weight high reps is a better method of toning for women.

Low weight high reps has an initial positive effect on an untrained individual but the “toning” effect is short lived. Further sessions may have an impact on endurance but that is all.

For muscles to adapt and get bigger, progressive overload has to be the driver. This essentially means that both weight and intensity have to increase.

This is a reason why exercise classes with weights tend to garner quick results that plateau after a number of weeks.

There is a finite limit that an individual, especially female participants can progress doing “timed” weight exercises with high reps. The limiting factor being how much weight that can be lifted safely in such a manner.

#7 Athletes are healthier than the average gym goer.

Although the average gym goer may not be as healthy as an athlete, great health can be achieved without striving too be an athlete.

Athletes are held in high esteem and can be role models when people pursue fitness. The truth is that in most instances athletes are not the healthiest people. An athlete trains in a way to be exceptionally good at a specific event. Optimal health is not the driver of their training regime, it is optimal performance.

Examples- A marathon runner trains for endurance, big strong muscles are not beneficial to the marathon runner but being stronger generally is better for health. Footballers, rugby players and players of similar sports suffer greatly in pursuit of performance carrying and suffering life altering injuries. Most sport stars suffer for their sport. They are fit for their sport but not always for everyday life.

#8 People over 60 should not lift weights.

There are always circumstances that preclude people from weight training but age is not one of them.
People over 60 should absolutely lift weight. Lifting weight or resistance exercise, especially as you age, is the single most important form of training that you should engage in. Studies now show that maintaining strength is the single best predictor of longevity.

#9 A woman should not exercise when pregnant.

I’m not a doctor and a pregnant women that wants to train should seek medical advice. That being said, research suggests that there are many exercises that are beneficial to a pregnant woman, even lifting weight especially if she trained before and upto, pregnancy.

If a pregnant woman is untrained it is probably advisable not to start to train. At the very least, seek medical advice.

#10 You cannot lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

The bro science community will tell you that you have to bulk to build muscle and cut to lose fat. This is a falsehood for the average novice weightlifter although it is probably true for the guys and girls that have years of proper training under their belts.

My own anecdotal evidence is that the body is well capable of build muscle and strength while losing weight. I suffered an injury to the femoral nerve in my left side. This caused my thigh muscles in my left leg to waste away through lack of use. I lost 2 inches in the girth of my left thigh. As I recovered and began to exercise, I not only regained my leg strength and girth, I also lost 3 kilos in weight.

The body is a fantastic adaptation “machine” and when needs must, the body will adapt in the way it needs to.
Untrained overweight individuals can begin a program to lift weight and lose fat on a slight calorie deficit.

Providing the diet has the adequate amount of macro and micro nutrients, the body will get stronger while tapping into the fat reserves to provide the extra energy needed for the training being applied. The effects can be profound at first but will tail off over time.