That would depend on your body type and goal. As hard as it may be to believe; it’s not every woman that wants to lose weight.
Whatever you do from day 1 of your training program must depend on your body type and goal.
What do you want?
Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to have a more sculpted and less flabby body?
Do you want to have a curvier and bigger hips and butt?
Do you want to put on a little weight?
It is strange but true, that in this time that weight loss fever is holding most people captive, there are still a special set of women who do not put on weight, no matter what they eat.
For this special people, asking them to do long and brutal cardio will be counterproductive.
They will end up losing the weight they desperately need.
So, before you go on any weight loss program and meal plan.
Ask yourself:
What do I want to achieve?
Visualize it, if possible get a picture of what you want and realistically work with your trainer to see what is achievable.
Most times the body transformation you want will not be suitable for your body type.
If your desire is to lose weight then check your body type first.
Are you an Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph?
Or
Is your body a combination of 2 body types?
That’s the first step
The second step is checking yourself for Diastasis recti
If you do have Diastasis recti, then this will affect the type of exercise you should be doing
So going to the gym and attacking a 15kg barbell may not be the ideal for you now
Most articles you read about women will tell you to lift weight and more weights to get a toned and sleek body.
Strength training has a lot of health and aesthetic benefit but you have to be aware of what is happening in your body before you lift anything heavier than 4kg
Going heavier than 4kg with certain exercises can make a minor health challenge or injury worse
Diastasis recti will also affect the kind of cardio you should be doing. You may have to go for moderate intensity exercise to lose weight and tone your midsection.
Here are simple pointers for your training based on your body type and needs.
For Ectomorph
Most Ectomorph are skinny and wants to add a little weight and curves
Lift weights at least 3 times in a week
You need to lift heavier weights. If you are a beginner, start from 4 kg dumbbells and as you perfect the proper form and get stronger, add more weights.
You will also need to use compound movements. When squatting use barbell, dumbbells or kettle bell. This will not only help you in building curvier and shapelier butts, it will burn abdominal fat, strengthen your legs and give it more definition.
Change your workouts every 2 weeks to keep your body challenged, to get stronger and achieve a curvier physique
Make sure to get enough rest between sets from 60 seconds to 120 seconds, so you get your strength back for the next push.
High intensity Cardio should not be a priority in your training. Go for moderate intensity. Instead of jumping jacks, do the modified jumping jacks with a resistance band.
Try to get some rest during the day, even if it’s a little nap. At night, go to bed on time and get a good night sleep. Taking a protein rich drink like yogurt just before bed will be beneficial fo you.
For Endomorph
Most endomorphs have a lot of body fat. You want to lose fat and get a more toned body
Focus on full body but low intensity workouts. Low intensity is very important at the initial 1-3 months of your training to protect your joints from injury as you lose fat.
Jumping up and down in HIIT will not do your body any good. Your knee and ankle will be absorbing the shock of your body weight when you land on the ground and that means painful joints.
When it comes to weight, don’t go for heavy weights. For you, those pink and beautiful 2-3kg dumbbells and barbells will do for the first 1 month.
You do not need a lot of rest in between sets, a 10-30 seconds rest in between sets works for you.
And your weight reps should be between 10 – 15 reps. Go for higher reps but with low weights.
Variety and challenging but joint friendly exercises is what you need. So change your exercises or modify it to be more challenging every 2 weeks
It will be better for you to lose fat first before adding muscle. That way, you will look leaner not puffed up
Exercise at least 5 times in a week and use 2 days for stretching, visualization and rest.
For Mesomorph
Most Mesomorph wants to look slimmer
Mesomorph build muscle easily, so most of them look big without a lot of jiggly fat
A short 20 minutes but high intensity cardio exercise 2 times a week works best for you.
1 day should be for low intensity exercise. Take a long walk outside or on a treadmill, cycle and do different low intensity exercise like lunge to high knee with resistance band.
Strength training should be done 2 times in a week alternating between heavier and lighter weights
Vary your strength training exercise, sets, reps and weights
The world is busy judging and telling you how you should look. And when you don’t achieve that look, you may feel like a failure.
Don’t let those pictures break your spirit. Don’t give up on your goal. You may not have the same body type as that person in the picture.
One thing is sure – If you start looking at your training based on the pointers above, you will have taken the first step towards realizing your goal; To train and achieve the body transformation that is realistic for your body type.
Above all do not train like a man. We’ll talk more on that on my next post.
I will love to hear from you.
Leave your comments and questions below