Six tips on how to shape up with weight training, from fitness expert and reality star Jennifer West
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If you have some serious aesthetic goals then you NEED to consider weight training! Have you thought about weight training before? Do you do it already and not see results?
Let’s look at the reasons why you need to lift weights and where you may be going wrong:
1. As you lift weights and become stronger you will be increasing your BMR. This is the amount of calories your body needs to survive each day. If you continue to eat the same amount of food as normal but start to increase your muscle you will start to lean out. The less fat you have covering the muscle the more shapely you will look. If you want to maintain your body fat then as you get more toned you will need to eat more food… win win!
2. Weight training is pretty much the only way to grow muscle but you need to make sure it’s heavy enough. Doing too many reps combined with little to no weight will make it near enough impossible to gain muscle. After you lift weights your body repairs damaged muscle fibers through a cellular process and it actually fuses the muscle fibers together, which in turn, makes them, get bigger. A rep range of between 8-12 reps has been proven best for creating size. You should get to the last rep of your set and just about be able to do it. Then you know you are lifting the right amount of weight. If it’s too easy, go heavier but also, adopt good form!
3: How many times a week you work a body part will help determine how quickly you can shape it. Leave it too long between workouts and results will be slow; not leaving enough time will mean your muscles are being interrupted during the repair process. You want to train a muscle group and hit it again as soon as it has finished recovering. For me that’s around three days. So I train every body part every three days.
4: Muscle grows when it is repairing. Make sure you don’t train it during this time, though cardio is fine.
5: Make sure you are eating enough calories and protein to aid muscle growth and recovery. The more you train the more protein your body will need as protein helps your muscle recover. The government recommends 0.75g per kg of body weight. I have around double this as I train six days a week. Not consuming enough calories will make it very hard for you to grow.
6: Make your training progressive. You should gradually increase the weight and range of your lifts. If you keep doing the same thing month in month out your results will plateau and stop.
Hopefully with some of my tips you will be able to see why weight training is great for creating the shape you want. And not only that, but it has many health benefits too like increased bone density (yes your bones actually become stronger), increased joint strength (less likely to pop a joint out of its socket) and its great for your mental health too! So give it a go, and make sure you are lifting with great form before trying to increase your weights.
A little more about Jennifer West
Jennifer West writes an exclusive piece for Female First
Jennifer West has an established international career as a fitness expert, personal trainer and athlete. She is a seasoned bodybuilding competitor, winning national titles, and promotes a healthy and positive fitness and wellbeing lifestyle.
With years of training, experience and practical knowledge, she’s passionate about helping others fall in love with being active, fit and healthy, and her motivation and enthusiasm is showcased to her fanbase across her increasingly popular social channels.
She has been sponsored by major sports nutrition brands and you may have spotted her on 8 Out of 10 Cats, BT Sport and the ITV2 series Survival of the Fittest.
Jenny also made her debut in 2019 on MTV’s The Challenge – War of the Worlds 2 – which is being shown in the US on primetime MTV. Known for her competitive attitude and athletic focus, Jenny may be one of the biggest threats to emerge victorious on her first season.
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