Many people who join gyms and want to improve their body composition and physical appearance automatically start training for fat loss. This may mean that they perform circuits, sets with high repetitions, decreased rest periods, or that their focus centers solely on fat loss and nothing else.
This is especially the case with women. There have been numerous occasions when women have come to me for training, and they told me that their main goal was to lose fat/weight. All they wanted to do was see the number on the scale decrease.
Many times these women (and men) would be much better off if they focused on improving their performance and building muscle. Ninety-nine percent of the time women don’t like that answer. They get deathly afraid that building muscle means getting big and bulky.
Absolutely not true. Building a few pounds of muscle will increase their metabolism, allow them to burn more fat, and gives them the desired lean, athletic, “toned” look. In fact, women can gain a few pounds of muscle without realizing it. All they know is that they look and feel better.
The main point is this: if more women and men would just focus on improving their performance in the gym instead of always focusing on losing fat and weight, they would get far better results.
So what can you do differently? Well, the next time you go to the gym, focus on improving your performance from the previous workout. For example, increase the weight you use for each exercise, or perform more repetitions with the same weight. Don’t worry about how many calories you’re burning or working out so hard that you have to crawl out of the gym in a pool of sweat, blood and tears. That is unnecessary and a lot of times can be counterproductive.
Increasing your performance in the gym is the ultimate way to transform your body, and in a much more enjoyable way.
To prove my point, take this into consideration. A few years ago when I finally stopped training for weight loss and fat loss and focused entirely on improving my performance, my body changed drastically. I lost fat, build muscle, and started to look better than ever. This led me to compete in my first powerlifting competition where I set a SPF push/pull world record for my division, at the lowest level of body fat I’ve had in my adult life.
One more example: a client of mine lost almost 30 pounds in three months by focusing entirely on improving her performance in the gym. In her own words, “I didn’t even try to lose weight. It just happened.”
So if you want to lose weight and change your body, then stop training for weight loss and focus on improving your performance. You’ll get better results and actually have fun doing it.