In short - BOTH.

Many women are scared of resistance training. We’re lead to believe that lifting weights will make us look manly, bulky or turn us into the hulk. This is far from reality. 

I have been lifting weights for 8 years and I’m yet to turn into the hulk.

I want to be toned is such a common phrase that I hear on consultation calls, but in order to achieve a ‘toned’ physique, we need muscle mass. Simple. Having a ‘toned’ physique means having muscle mass and a low enough body fat percentage to see this muscle.

As women, we don’t have the ability to build muscle at the rate of, or to the level of men. Men have higher levels of testosterone meaning that their ability to develop muscle is far greater than ours. 

That being said, having muscle is a GOOD thing. Not only aesthetically but lifting weights improves strength, improves posture, increases metabolic rate (more food - yay!), improves bone mineral density, offsetting muscle wastage as we age and it aids weight loss. Resistance training is for everyone - I have coached 80 year old women and you can bet they were using weights in their sessions.

Cardio is usually everyones go-to when it comes to going to the gym. Jump on the cross trainer for 10mins then move onto a treadmill for 20 and finish off with a 30minute HIIT class.

When it comes to fat loss, cardio is really useful tool. Gradually increasing expenditure throughout a dieting phase aids fat loss. Cardio is also hugely important for cardiovascular health and general fitness. It should make up part of our training, but it shouldn’t make up all of our training. Solely focusing on cardio when dieting will just lead to a smaller version of what you are now.

SO, having a combination of both forms of training allows the best overall success. The resistance training allows us to build shape on our bodies and cardio aids the fat loss process. Both have their own health benefits, both mental and physical.

Rebecca Naylor used to think that she had to solely do cardio in order to tone up, but a combination of both weights and cardio allowed her to shift her baby weight and transform her body.