Workout Wednesday - Bench press

For me training chest was always neglected, apart from the pec fly I wasn't really into it!
I am pretty flat chested as it is, so I didn't really want to lose any more boob!

However as we all know, if you are training once muscle group and not the other you will become unbalanced... and so the chest training began!

My favourite is the bench press, there are 3 ways to do the bench press - flat, incline and decline. Today we are looking at flat.

Bench press can be done with 3 different types of equipment as well - dumbells, bar or with the smith machine. For beginners or people who don't have someone to spot them start light, either with dumbells or just the bar on the smith machine, this will help with building the muscles but also stability and give you the confidence when doing this exercise.

As you begin the exercise with the weights above your head inhale and bring the weights down to your chest, if you are working with a bar bring the bar to your chest, and exhale when bringing the weight back up.
Repeat for 8-10 reps 3 sets and add weight if you feel confident to do so.

Weight lifting - the good, the bad and the ugly

There is no doubt about it that whilst weightlifting does not make you bulky it sure as hell does change your body!

Like any exercise when you dedicate yourself fully to the programme your body will change for the better. 

Looking at my past exercise programmes they have always been weight loss based, and the results I have been used to were clothing getting bigger, me getting smaller and the number on the scale decreasing.

BUT was I happy? Honestly... no. I was never satisfied with the results and never knew where this was going to end. If I got skinny my life would be better, but I got skinny and I was still the same, life was still the same and therefore my end goal kept changing to a lower and lower weight. 

Switch to now and my end goal is endless, I have a clear focus and it is limitless... to an extent of course!

I want to compete in crossfit and olympic lifting competitions, I want to be strong as fuck and beat all the boys. 

I am one month into training and I am loving it, it has made exercise fun, and I am constantly working to improve on everything. 

Sounds great right, and of course it is I love it but the changes to my body and the new calorie and nutrition goals are new to me and have been proving to be a struggle mentally to make sure I hit the calorie goal and also deal with the fact I am outgrowing my trousers! 

So why lift? 

The good: you feel pretty badass when you hit a new PR and achieve something new each week. Highlights for me have been lifting 85kg deadlift, and also being able to squat with 140kg on my back. The feeling of this was like no other and I felt so proud of myself to have done this. 

You will also feel sexy, you will find you have curves and muscles like never before, and also an ass and legs that both women and men will envy. 

All the foods. That is all I have to say on that one. 

The bad: you will out grow your clothes, trousers will become tighter and eventually jeans will not be your friend, tops will become tighter and if your like me you will spend every free moment in gym clothes, vests and shorts... work clothes are not usually my friend! 

But this is all progress, it is just a different kind, health and fitness are not measured by numbers alone, it is about how you feel and what your goals are. 

Don't compare yourself to anyone else, just focus on you. 

The ugly: you will be questioned if you are a girl as to why you lift. People in the gym bubble love it, admire it and cheer you on, those who are out of it will question it, and probably will not understand it. Daily I hear "don't lift to heavy, you will get bulky" "aren't you scared you will look like a man" "surely you just want to be toned and not have muscle" 

Brush it off and again focus on you. There will always be negative people in the world, you don't need this in your life.

So if you had worries that lifting weights would make you an instant bodybuilder have no fear! The women and men who train specifically for bodybuilding have been working for months or even years to look like that.

When it comes to body shape there is no quick fix and it is the same for muscle gain - there is no quick solution!

Next time you are in the gym, embrace the weight section and watch the changes happen! 

Lift like a girl

I don't know why but I have become more and more sensitive to the phrase "like a girl" recently, it might because the blogs, women I follow on Instagram etc are highlighting being a strong, independent woman that I have taken on their mindset, the face I am comfortable in my own skin and also probably that I am training with boys and its all I hear!

The other day I over heard some guys talking in the gym and he said "come on, do it properly, your doing it like a girl" and then this morning a guy couldn't lift heavy and he said to his friend "eugh I feel so girly".

It frustrates me because well I could easily turn around to these guys and correct them as I can squat heavier than one and lift heavier than the other - I know this for a fact as I have seen them train!

But I don't obviously because are they going to care/listen - no of course not because they are already set in comparing weak performances to being "like a girl".

I feel that men like this fear strong women, I am lucky that my boyfriend was raised by a strong woman so he encourages me to be stronger and fearless - sometimes he does use the phrase like a girl and he gets a look ;) but he would never put me down because I was a girl, if I can't do something it is not determined by my gender it is determined by my own strength.

I posted this on Instagram for International Womens Day and also because it is my favourite image to show that doing things like a girl is NEVER a bad thing unless you make it a negative!

Working in male dominant industry (marine industry) and training with men 7 days a week really makes me want to stand up for women and represent us as the strong, independant women we all are!

If the men in your life can't encourage you to be this, ignore it and do it anyway - they will either accept the change or you know you are better off without them - I have known so many men who think strong women are out of control, or women who believe in womens rights are "lesbians" I don't have time for people like that when I want to build a brand that empowers women and encourages them to shine!

So friendly reminder on this Monday - lift like a girl, run like a girl, think like a girl and act like a girl, because you are awesome!