The Dirt: Change Your Mindset With Weight Training

6 Weeks of Strength Transformation Blog Post

“I lifted weights for six months and this is what happened to my mindset”

RACHEL’S STORY

A few years ago, the general consensus was that if you wanted to lose fat, you needed to hit the cardio hard. And weight lifting? Well that would make you look like a bodybuilder. And that’s not the look most people want to achieve.

But now things are changing.

We’ve realised that lifting weights really is effective for slimming down because muscle burns more calories than fat even when you’re not working out. Women in particular won’t bulk up like some men are able to, but rather create sculpted, toned, lean bodies with curves in all the right places.

Instagram posts by fitness influencers have hammered home what lifting weights can do for your body, but less widely discussed is the effect it has on your brain, mental health and outlook on life.

I have been lifting weights for about six months and it has genuinely changed my life.

When I say weights, I mean proper heavy weights – I dabbled in resistance training and light dumbbells before, but now I’m deadlifting more than I weigh, using liquid chalk on my hands and refuelling on protein shakes with the rest of the weights room lads and ladies.

Sure, there have been changes to my body, but the main reason I am now so evangelical about lifting weights is what it has done for my mind.

You learn new skills

If you want to lift weights, you need to learn how to do the movements properly. It’s crucial to get someone who knows their stuff to teach you the correct technique, and then you have to work out how to engage the right muscles in each move.

“Learning to do the lifts is a skill in itself,” top personal trainer Rich Tidmarsh explained to The Independent. “Every time you’re weight training you’re learning how to control your body.”

And like learning any new skill, it makes you feel good.

You feel more confident

Seeing yourself progress is incredibly satisfying, and when lifting weights you can progress pretty quickly. Each time I go to the gym I can lift either a little bit heavier or do a few more reps, and being able to visibly see myself progress gives me a sense of achievement every time I workout.

“As you start to accomplish basic moves and then progress, that gives you those little building blocks of confidence,” says Tidmarsh, whose gym Reach is in Clapham, south London.

“It gives you the ability to cope with other things in life, it’s just confidence and a sense of achievement.”

Your focus improves

I, like most millennials, have the attention span of a goldfish. In fact, probably worse. I’m seemingly incapable of focussing on one task without automatically checking my phone every few minutes. In the gym though, this isn’t the case.

When lifting weights, you can’t be holding your phone at the same time. Your whole body is engaged and even if you’re thinking about how many likes you’ve got on your latest #girlswholift Instagram post, you can’t check. And this can help you improve your focus in other areas of life too.

What’s been essential for me is noting down how much I’m lifting – this helps keep me motivated, as does setting goals, such as being able to do an unassisted pull-up (which, it turns out, is a lot harder than it looks).

You’ll perform better at work

Studies show that employees who exercise at lunchtime are more productive at work, but lifting weights – whether at lunchtime or the evening – has undeniably made me more driven and ambitious.

My self-discipline has improved, and now that I get such a rush from hitting goals in the gym, I want to take this to other areas of my life.

“It’s because when people stick to a gym regime they’re actually getting some discipline in their lives, they’re getting a bit of balance, they’re achieving something and they start to drive themselves a little bit more in other areas,” Tidmarsh says.

While there are some “fat cats” who earn lots of money and don’t exercise, there is an overwhelming body of evidence which shows that the vast majority of high-achievers – from Barack Obama and Richard Branson to Cher – make time to exercise regularly.

You’ll feel more empowered

Lifting weights has undeniably made me a braver person.

Whereas once I was intimidated by the weights room in a gym (scary machines! Testosterone-fuelled, grunting men! Heavy weights!) I now hold my own there, despite the fact that they’re still dominated by guys.

Men build muscle more easily than women, and the way they’re built means they have the capacity to get stronger than most females, however it’s incredibly empowering to have a look around at what guys are lifting and see I’m matching or even beating them. I know, it’s not a competition. But if it was, it’s nice to know you wouldn’t be losing.

And this empowerment has spilled over into various aspects of my life – I’m more confident to speak up in meetings at work and feel less afraid if I’m the only woman in a tube carriage of men.

Also, I can open all the jars of jam! And carry heavy suitcases up stairs like it’s no trouble at all! And push broken-down cars (OK, that hasn’t actually happened yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time).

It doesn’t really make sense to me – it’s just picking up heavy things after all – but knowing you’re strong, and feeling it too, feels amazing. And when you feel amazing, your outlook on life shifts, and you start to realise you can do amazing things outside of the gym too.

 

Written by Rachel Hosie, The INDEPENDENT. Training with Richard Tidmarsh Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

Check out the article in The Independent Online HERE

The Dirt: 6 Weeks of Strength Transformation

6 Weeks of Strength Transformation Blog Post

How much can 6 weeks of weight training with a Personal Trainer change your body?

Can you really transform your physique in six weeks?

If Instagram #transformationtuesday pictures are anything to go by, changing your body is easy if you just dedicate your life to it.

But the fact of the matter is, most of us aren’t able to dedicated our lives to fitness. We have jobs, social lives and commitments which mean we can’t workout everyday and eat chicken and broccoli for dinner every night even if we wanted to.

However surely it is possible to transform your fitness and physique and still live your life if you set your mind to it?

To put this to the test, two of The Independent’s staff members, Rachel Hosie and Matt Payton, worked out with a different personal trainer each for six weeks – we focused primarily on weight-training rather than HIIT or cardio.

Could we turn our bodies into those of fitness influencers in a month and a half? Read on to see how we got on.

RACHEL’S STORY

For my six-week challenge, I was to train with top personal trainer to the stars, Rich Tidmarsh, who trains Professor Green, Vogue Williams and a host of professional athletes including Harlequin Jamie Roberts.

Given Rich has a reputation for being a tough trainer, I was mildly terrified. I exercised, but I wasn’t exactly into fitness.

As well as personal training sessions with Rich, I was to do group workouts at his gym in Clapham, Reach Fitness.

At 5’9”, my starting weight was 75.8kg, my waist measured 74.2cm and my body fat percentage was 31.2. I certainly had a long way to go.

WEEK 1

In my first session with Rich, I do lots of peculiar exercises so he can learn how my body works. The good news: I’m quite flexible in my joints. The bad news: my back is like that of an elderly lady. Always excellent to hear at 24 years old.

I’m given an introduction to the basic weightlifting moves such as deadlifts, and am pretty chuffed to lift 40kg. Or I am until Rich tells me I should ultimately be lifting 1.5 times my bodyweight.

As I leave the gym sweaty, red in the face and with all my makeup melted off, I was mildly concerned by the fact that Rich said he was easing me in. This was not going to be easy.

The next day, I’d just shoved my second chocolate chip cookie into my mouth when Rich sent me my new nutrition plan. He wasn’t putting me on a diet as such, but explained that I simply needed to eat to fuel my fitness.

I’m to count my macros – that is, the amount of protein, carbs and fat I consume every day (the MyFitnessPal app was most handy for this). Rich set my ratios as 2:1:1, meaning I must aim to eat 150g of protein, 75g of fat and 75g of carbs each day.

He also tells me, tragically, that wine and prosecco are off the menu. I can, however, have gin, tequila and vodka. And I don’t need to be told twice.

As the week goes on, I keep getting caught out by carbs. There are carbs in everything! Even things you don’t think are carbs! And eating 150g of protein was a challenge too – I’d resorted to adding protein powders to me diet. Me! Protein powders!

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WEEK 2

I’ve resorted to weighing out my nut butter and realised I have no concept of how big a portion is. Instead of taking a piece of fruit as a snack for a train journey, I take chicken. CHICKEN! Nope, I don’t know who I am either.

I start going to the group training sessions at Reach – I realise I love the weights-based ones but detest the sessions that are mostly cardio-based. Reach feels different to other gyms because people seem to be there purely to get fitter and stronger, rather than for aesthetics.

In my third PT session, I deadlift 75kg which feels incredibly satisfying, and I can really see myself getting a bit addicted to lifting weights.

I’m definitely not hitting my macros perfectly every day – with a social life that revolves around eating and drinking, it’s really difficult.

WEEK 3

I’m enjoying learning new moves with Rich such as the overhead squat. As we move on to the 85kg deadlift, I’m told I need chalk on my hands to stop them slipping. I feel so legit and awesome.

I’m also using muscles I’ve never used before and have started to love the feeling of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) I get the day after working out.

After each session, I feel delirious and exhausted but happy, even if I get a slight feeling of dread beforehand.

I still feel like I’m dying in the group sessions because I’m less fit than most other people there, and I realise you really have to think about engaging your muscles when doing each move otherwise you’re basically wasting your time.

Amazingly, I don’t struggle at all to meet my protein goal any more.

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WEEK 4

“I’M NOT LOSING WEIGHT!” I wail to Rich. To which he just says: “Good.”

“What?” I replied, with a perplexed expression on my face.

“I want you to be maintaining your weight or perhaps even gaining weight whilst your body gets smaller,” he explains. Which is good to hear.

This week, we focus less on super heavy weights and more on doing more reps of lower weights – I do 50 deadlifts of 60kg.

I used to be out eating and drinking every night. Now all I do is go to the gym and eat protein. I have no idea how this happened.

WEEK 5

This weekend was not my greatest health-wise – going away with friends meant I drank a lot (including wine and Pimm’s) and threw any concept of macros out the window.

That said, when I got back in my gym kit, I actually felt slim. I see my reflection while doing tricep dips and think I looked slimmer too. My leggings feel looser, and when I get home, my flatmate says I looked “toned, strong and definitely different.”

WEEK 6

I leave my final PT session with Rich feeling amazing. Astoundingly, I deadlift 105kg, which is 65kg more than when I started. Granted, I only did one rep at that weight, but I still did it.

I realise I’ve learned so much about technique – now I don’t have to think about squeezing my glutes or getting my posture right, I just do it. And what’s more, I enjoy it too.

Conclusion

I’m really chuffed with how my body has changed – unless I drastically cut down my calorie intake I’m not going to become skinny (which I wouldn’t want to be anyway), but my body has become curvier in the right places, stronger and more toned.

In under six weeks, I’ve lost 8.2cm from my waist, with my final measurement coming in at 74.2cm. My body fat percentage has dropped from 31.2 to 26.5, a reduction of 4.7 per cent and – despite the muscle gain – I have lost a little weight: 1.6kg to be precise.

Physical benefits aside though, my six weeks of training with Rich have changed my life because I’ve realised I absolutely love lifting weights. It’s strange how being able to lift heavy objects can feel so empowering and satisfying, but it really does.

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Written by Rachel Hosie, The INDEPENDENT. Training with Richard Tidmarsh Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

Check out the article in The Independent Online HERE

The Dirt: The Truth About The Big Three

The Truth About The Big Three Blog Post

So we need to talk about the BIG THREE and I am not talking about Man United, Chelsea & Man City (sorry Arsenal & Tottenham fans!) The fact is that if the Big Three exercises that I am about to list don’t spring to mind, then there is a good chance that you are wasting your precious time in the gym.

I won’t keep you guessing any longer, I am talking about the DEADLIFT, FRONT SQUAT  & OVERHEAD PRESS. 

In my opinion these three movements combined should form the key elements of any strength & conditioning programme, whether that be getting fit for a triathlon or to look buff on the beach.

If you aren’t doing these movements you need to ask yourself why.

  • Do you know they are important but are avoiding them because you know they are tough?
  • Would you like to do them but don’t know how to execute them correctly?
  • Or have you just been doing spin classes with your fingers crossed hoping to get in great shape?!

If you have been avoiding them because you are lazy then you just need to realise that although these movements are demanding, adding them in to your regular routine will help you build strength, improve your posture, add lean mass and become more athletic all round.

If you are worried about form, that is actually a good thing. These movements are tricky to execute correctly and you do need a good level of mobility in key joints and good posture control to execute them to a high level. Every time I step in to a Globo gym, I see all of these sacred movements being poorly executed, don’t be “that guy,” find a good coach who can help you get the basics right because the list of benefits is too long to ignore.

And if you are that guy whose last twenty workouts have been spin and you wonder why your arms haven’t grown, swap half of these workouts for time in the weights room.

THE DEADLIFT 

Simply, my number ONE exercise. If I was only allowed to do one lift for the rest of my gym career it would be the Deadlift. In one movement you are using every major muscle group in the body, developing great strength through your posterior chain, teaching you good movement patterns and hell, who doesn’t like lifting heavy stuff off the floor in a cloud of chalk dust!

FRONT SQUAT

In my opinion the front squat will give you more bang for your buck than its close friend the Back Squat. Yes you will lift a lighter weight during front squats but it will force you to have greater flexibility, greater movement control and work your core more affectively than a back squat.

OVERHEAD PRESS

The final piece of the puzzle. Deadlift gives you pull, Front Squat moves you in a vertical plane so the Overhead Press completes the full picture which is the vertical push movement. This needs to be your key upper body movement, which rather than your typical body builder style bench press, will build your chest, shoulders, core and back.

 

Let’s talk numbers: 

Once you have grasped the shape and control needed for the Big Three, it is time to put some realistic goals in place. The weights you should be lifting for each movement is dictated by your body weight in kilograms to the weight you stack on the barbell.

  • An expert Deadlift is 2:1. Excellent: 1.5:1 & Good 1:1
  • Front Squat, your end goal should be 1.5:1
  • And start giving yourself high fives on Overhead Press when you get to 1:1.

So if you weigh 100kg, you are a beast when you can Deadlift 200kg, Front Squat 150kg and Push Press 100kg! Of course, all with impeccable form. Enjoy the journey!

 

Written by Richard Tidmarsh, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter