Workout the Way YOU Want to Look

This post is a bit all over the place. So is my mind lately (I'm blaming the twins). I will start off by saying that I am a woman. I want to be fit. That means I don't want a gut or cellulite on my hips. I want my butt to look good in jeans. I KIND of want to be able to see my arm muscles. Like those famous people on the cover of US Weekly. Like Cameron.

I think most of the people that read this blog are in or have been in my bootcamps (anyone else reading this?!?!). So you know what kind of workouts I put you through. 

INTERVALS! That means cardio then strength then cardio then strength then cardio....etc.  An entire HOUR of this. Do you know why? I wish I just could say: because it works, the end. But people want explanations, reasons and a purpose for putting themselves through so much misery.

Alright, intervals plus strength training is what you MUST do to:

1. LOSE WEIGHT

2. GET TONED

About once a month someone will do my bootcamp, quit halfway through and then tell me that they did not like it because we do too much cardio... (Sidenote: Usually this someone has done another bootcamp. If you haven't done another bootcamp then you should know that most other bootcamps do a LOT of strength and only a LITTLE cardio. Most bootcamps are run by men. Men want muscles and lots of them. They assume that I want big muscles too.)

So I smile, "That's fine," I say. "This bootcamp is not for everyone. You should try another class in the area." However, they did not ask me WHY we do so much cardio. So I will tell you, since they obviously are smarter than me and will lose all that weight on their own (right....). 

Some love it; others loathe it, but cardio is an effective way to work out for many reasons. It's an essential part of any healthy weight-loss routine, for one, and as its name suggests, does great things for your heart, from lowering your risk of developing heart disease to increasing your endurance to that "runner's high" you get after a long endorphin-boosting session. Basically it's necessary. A necessary evil for some. Proof is below.

4 months of bootcamp. 50 pounds gone. 

My goal for your HOUR of work is to get your heart rate as high as possible (feel like you're going to vomit) and then as you recover you are working your muscles. I only do LEAN muscle building. You will NEVER do heavy weights (we DO use free weights, but nothing more than 10lbs). I have ZERO intention of bulking up. (To all you people that think you know everything about all things fitness: I WILL bulk up if I lift heavy. I could squat 425lbs in high school. My legs were bigger than Arnold's.) I tell you that side story to let you know that I've done a LOT of different workouts, I'm not blowing smoke up your bottom. In fact, I've done pretty much every exercise regime out there. I craft my bootcamp workouts to get the most bang for my effort. And I have figured out how to workout to look the way I want.  

 In closing, my workouts are designed specifically to LOSE WEIGHT (or stay trim) and get TONED. Right now I am pregnant with twins, so don't look at my rocking body. I give you permission to judge me in about 9 months. 

Happy Monday! 

-Marietta

P.S.This is me in high school. Yes, I was THAT tan and I've since had the tattoo removed. JUST KIDDING. 

[Picture taken from Crossfit Games Website]

P.P.S. I literally typed the title of this blog post into google and the article below popped up. It is great. The guy really knows what he is talking about. Basically, if you have a tendency to bulk up then you will if you lift heavy. If you are super thin and didn't know that it was possible for women to bulk up, then by all means squat, snatch and bench those 100lb+! And if you're a guy that doesn't want to bulk up... just don't talk to me. 

Not All Exercises Are Created Equal