Sculpt Your Body: Expert Fitness Tips for Women

I’m old enough to remember when basically all women were mortified of the possibility that they would they’d get all big and buff if they started lifting weights. In fact, I recall the days where you could enter a gym everyday for a month or so, and you’d maybe see two or three females that lifted weights on a consistent basis.

With the emergence of fitness influencers all over social media, I’ve since seen a noticeable climb in females lifting weights, some of which being stronger than a lot of the men in my gym! In fact, to this date, my client that holds the record for the heaviest hip thrust is held by a female (she’s a total savage, so I’m not surprised at all).

Unfortunately, the gym, even with the amount of progress I’ve witnessed since I was a little kid at the Y in the mid-90s, the gym is still a male-dominated arena, so I totally understand that this can be a tad uncomfortable for women. Here are a couple tips to help you break through that glass ceiling and get started on your fitness journey!

Start today

One of the biggest mistakes that women make when starting their fitness journey is to delay its start. In my opinion, the whole “I’m going to start on Monday” mindset when it comes to getting started only puts working out on an even higher pedestal, thereby, increasing the level of anxiety. Instead, get in your first workout ASAP, ideally today! Even if it’s just a couple arm curls or stair machine workout, this can help you get better acquainted with your gym and the training equipment.

As far as fitness tips for women, test out different times when you can workout. For example, if you’re someone that can get shy or feel self-conscious when in front of a bunch of people, try going to the gym early in the morning since that’s when gyms are mostly empty. If you’re the opposite and don’t mind a big crowd, and instead feel like you get an energy boost when around others, then going from 4-6pm might be the time for you. The key is knowing when you feel most comfortable about your settings since that’s going to make a big difference on how consistent you’ll be about working out.

Have a buddy

For the women that want to start going to the gym, take a buddy with you. Ask your friends, relatives, or co-workers if one of them would be willing to go to the gym with you. There’s a good chance that someone you know also wants to start working out, but their anxiety about going to the gym alone might be what’s making them hesitant, so you might be the difference maker in their fitness journey as that person may be the difference maker in yours.

The greatest benefit of having a workout buddy is that it can make your fitness journey a more enjoyable one. As humans, we are social creatures, and for some, just being around others while working out might be enough social stimulation for them, others can have a much more fulfilling experience when they’re able to have a little conversation between sets. And if you’re afraid that working out with your bestie is going to make your workouts less productive because you think you guys are just going to chat up a storm, have a timer for 1-3 minutes after each set, that way you guys can get right back to work when the rest time is over.

Hire a personal trainer

While looking up “fitness tips for women” on social media can give you a couple good ideas, it doesn’t even pale in comparison with investing in a good personal trainer. Especially when you’re just starting your fitness journey, an experienced personal trainer can easily adjust and adapt your workouts to fit your needs because there’s a really good chance that they’ve trained people with similar fitness goals as you, as well as the same limitations.

Also, working with a personal trainer can give you much more value to reaching your goals than any “fitness tips for women” search online. A lot of the workouts that you see on social media, blogs, or in books can be decent templates to get your fitness journey off the ground, but if you’re serious about making real progress, a personal trainer can develop a workout plan that is specific to your individual needs and goals. For example, if you have a wonky knee from your days on the high school soccer team, most of those exercises you see online would only aggravate that injury, but a good trainer can give you exercises that will help you reach your goals as they strengthen that knee!

Conclusion

Starting your fitness journey has a sky-high return on investment, but the only way to get there is by getting started. It’s like that corny, little saying “you miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take”. While getting in better health can make a giant difference in your life, try not to put working out on such a high pedestal. Think of it as just something you do, like brushing your teeth and flossing.

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Coach Julio is an expert in fitness and nutrition, having helped hundreds of busy professionals in their 30s, 40s, and 50s be healthy, as well as offering nutritionist counseling services. He works out of El Paso, Texas, but also offers remote nutritionist counseling and online personal training. Coach Julio’s expertise is backed by over eight years as a personal trainer and a Master’s degree in Nutrition.

For information about working with Coach Julio for online personal training and nutritionist services, visit https://www.365physique.com