I was at the checkout line at the grocery store last week and I came across a magazine that was so ridiculous I had to laugh.
I wish I got a picture but I didn’t have my phone with me at the time.
It said “Get Jessica Biel’s arms with this #1 toning exercise!”
I opened and they showed a model doing tricep kickbacks saying this was the best toning exercise for celebrities.
In case you don’t know tricep kickbacks are.
I mean, these aren’t necessarily bad and even I will include them from time to time for in home workouts but to be the #1 exercise for Jessica’s arms? Ummm NO.
If you’re wondering why kickbacks are not the most effective arm workout here’s why:
Other than it being a super awkward exercise, the only movement is at your elbow joint.
Which, by the way, is not designed to move heavy weights from this angle.
You’re better off doing push ups or skull-crushers to hit those triceps.
Okay, carrying on….let’s chat more about “toning” because when I see this word it’s so dirty!
For the record, you cannot tone, shape or sculpt your muscles.
You can, however, build and strengthen your muscles to give you a leaner, more fit look.
And no, you can’t get too “bulky” from weight lifting. Ladies in the back, do you hear me??! LOL.
“Toning” in magazines and books hits the money for women, basically promoting you can “look toned without the bulk.”
This idea is often derived from thinking you can lift lighter weights at higher reps and achieve this look.
But it’s not realistic.
Nor healthy to view your muscles this way.
Bottom line, if the weights aren’t challenging enough, you won’t build muscle and no muscle means you won’t necessarily get the physique you’re looking for.
And even if your muscles don’t grow, they won’t look any better than they do now, even if you could somehow remove the layer of fat over your muscles.
Here’s the truth……
WITH OR WITHOUT EXCESSIVE BODY FAT, YOUR BODY WILL SIMPLY NOT LOOK HEALTHY AND FIT WITHOUT WELL TRAINED MUSCLE.
For years I was so paranoid about lifting heavy I’d often only use the 5 pound dumbbells.
Now? I lift heavier than ever and I feel amazing, not to mention strong, confident and capable.
Some might not like my look and that’s totally fine, I’m fortunate with what I’ve been given.
Thanks mom and dad!
And I encourage you to do the same.
You cannot lengthen or make your limbs long and lean either. I often hear this a lot in Pilates chatter.
You have to look at your genetics. If you’ve been blessed with a dancer’s body, then yes, you will get that look.
And if you’ve been blessed with a shorter, less “lean” looking build, that’s amazing too!
It’s most important to focus on what you do have and work with what you’ve been given.
So why not keep your metabolism revving, your mind confident and your body healthy with lifting all the things?
No one can go wrong with strength training and I want to teach you the RIGHT WAY. Removing all the BS and myths surrounding your metabolism, hormones and nutrition and bringing it back to the basics.
If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed with all the noise out there and feel stuck with fitness and nutrition, come join me and so many others on Sept. 14th for my FREE 7-DAY LEAN BODY CHALLENGE
Come join us HERE. You’ll learn so much on nutrition, fitness, hormones, metabolism and so much more! We start next week!
xxo,
Kim 🙂
P.S. Are you on my email list? It’s free at www.kimschaper.com