TRAIN like a Beauty Annie is a 29 year old fitness & wellness coach from Toronto. We spoke to her to get an insight into the female body and how weight training can effect it differently to males...
Annie has always been into fitness but her real journey started around 5 years ago at the age of 24. “I’ve always liked being active, but I fell off especially after I finished university. However, 5 years ago I fell sick (where I almost died), and in the recovery process I decided to start with a clean slate by exercising again and eating cleaner.” After this traumatic event she decided to kickstart her journey and built a coaching business to go alongside. “After my near death experience, living that clean slate life truly saved my life and helped me heal much more quickly than I would have if I had not changed my lifestyle. I’ve been in the fitness and health industry for almost 4 years now and I chose to be a fitness and wellness coach because I LOVE helping and inspiring people of all ages, backgrounds and gender feel strong, fit, and most importantly healthy.” So Annie, how exactly is the female body different to males in terms of training? “The female body is different from a male’s body in a variety of ways. One being the concentration of hormones women and men have which affects
how women and men store and lose fat. Women are slow to burn fat and slow to build muscles in comparison to men. For example, for childbearing reasons, women have a hard time getting rid of fat in the stomach area in comparison to men. This is not is not to say that women can’t burn fat and build muscles because they can. After all, muscles (both in men and women) are formed by bundles of fibres so with diligent training and consistency women can also attain muscles and reduce overall body fat percentage.” People think that if women lift weights they will get ‘bulky and manly’, is this true or is it a perception people have? “This idea is a misconception, women do have the capacity to get “bulky” or “muscular” but that requires A LOT OF EFFORT, protein shakes, and hours of intense weightlifting training. Women who have achieved that “bulky” or “muscular” body type strive to look this way with a specific intense weight training and a special diet. It takes a lot of food and a lot of weight to get like that so people who train normally shouldn’t worry.”
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