via That's Fit
Rachel Cosgrove, Certified Trainer, Co-founder of Results Fitness in California and Author of "The Female Body Breakthrough"
No matter how much cardioRachel Cosgrove, a former aerobics instructor and Ironmantriathlete, worked into her fitness routine, she never achieved what she calls the "fit female body." Finally she discovered her "female body breakthrough" --weight-training -- and it helped her realize her personal goals, as well as those of her clients atResults Fitness in Southern California."I was an aerobics instructor for quite a long time, so I did cardio for hours and hours at a time, and saw what my body looked like, and as I really started to add a full-body program specifically for females, I really started to see my body change," Cosgrove said. As she incorporated more weight-lifting into her clients routines, she got them to realize they needed to shift their fitness paradigms. "At first cardio works, because it's different from what they've been doing -- sitting on the couch -- but after a while their body gets used to the challenge. But after time [the physical changes] get hard to maintain, often because you're not eating as much. But with strength-training it gets easier, because your metabolism is increasing and you can eat more."
Below she explains what you need to change in your mindset and routine "to see the results you want."
That's Fit: How do your strength-training workouts for women differ from traditional weight-lifting plans?
Rachel Cosgrove: With traditional strength training you're isolating different body parts, the goal being to really build muscle. The overall goal isn't to boost metabolism and change your body. My goal involves no isolating. My program includes more-bang-for-your-buck exercises. You're going to work more than one muscle group. You're going to burn a lot of calories. You're going to have that boost in your metabolism. It's about really achieving that "fit female body," that's fit and toned, but not [like] a body builder. Women shouldn't be afraid to lift weights -- and that you might bulk up. You have to challenge your body and put a demand on it so it changes.TF: One aspect of your book's nutrition advice is to make sure that no more than 10 percent of your daily foods come from processed foods -- including sugar. Around this time of year cutting back on sugar can be extremely difficult -- what helps you and your clients cut back on sugar initially and during times of temptation and craving?
RC: If your body is used to running on sugar -- it can be a drug -- I would recommend taking the time to eliminate it from your diet for two weeks, initially. [Afterwards] having just that 10 percent helps. A lot of times women try to stay strict and they get in this black-and-white thinking. If they relax, psychologically it makes that 90 percent easier. Ninety percent of the time you're going to be eating food that fuels your body and helps you looking the way you want to look.
[Recently I met with my clients and] we strategized for what to do over the holidays. We have seven weeks before Christmas, what do we want to splurge on? During the weeks surrounding Christmas there are going to be a lot of parties. Even during Hanukkah, there are eight days of splurge. There's a saying, "It's not what you eat between Christmas and New Year's, it's what you eat between New Year's and Christmas."
For the seven weeks, 10 percent ended up being twenty-one and a half meals. Keep in mind, 90 percent of the time is if you want to change your body. To maintain it, you really only need to be at 80 percent. Most people when they don't think about it, they don't plan, they don't strategize -- it's usually about 60 to 70 percent of the time -- it's not enough, which is why people don't achieve the results they want to.
TF: One of the things many people are cutting back on is their gym membership, what are some (inexpensive) must-haves for your home gym?
RC: I always say start with your body weight. First just lift your own weight, doing everything from a lunge, to a squat and push ups. I'm against doing girl push ups. Women have trained from a standpoint of what they can't do -- let's start with what you can do. You can start on an incline -- a bench, a rack, and work your way to a regular push up.
You can set up a really basic home gym really easily: get dumbbells, or selectorized power blocks [hand weights that you can slowly increase the weight of by stacking on additional pounds] that way you can put an increased demand on your body. [Add in] a bench, a swiss ball, and even the TRX [suspension training gear] hooks on your door and you can do a lot of really great exercises with it.
Want to learn more about weight-training for beginners? Read this interview with the author of "The New Rules of Lifting for Women."
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