'I'm a PT and I make my female clients do weight training. Here's why'

'Weight training is like passive income'

Britt wears Adidas' latest sports bra and leggings collection, available at rebelsport.com.au. Image: Adidas

Why does Adidas ambassador Britt Cutts make all of her female clients lift weights? Because resistance training is the gift that keeps on giving. 

You don't want to bulk up, the weight room at the gym is intimidating, and your friends would disown you if you ever said the words 'leg day'. Excuse the pun, but you are not alone in your resistance to weight training.

But contrary to your negative associations, lifting weights can significantly contribute to weight loss, accelerate your fitness goals, and extend your lifespan. 

Britt Cutts, a Melbourne-based personal trainer and ambassador for Adidas Australia (and is the face of their most recent sports bra and leggings campaign boot) is on a mission to eliminate the stigma around weight training. Especially for women. She sees the incredible benefits in her clients on a daily basis, and it's all down to  weight lifting.

If you're not already lifting, here is why you should.

Like what you see? Sign up to our bodyandsoul.com.au newsletter for more stories like this.

Why do you think women are hesitant to do weight training? 

"I believe women stay away from weights in the fear of getting too ‘bulky’ or when they feel intimidated in the gym. It also is difficult for women to know what to do with weights or how to structure them into their week based on their specific goals.

I only train women but it is obvious that men feel more compelled to train weights."

Why are you such a fan of weight training for women? 

"It is the most powerful tool we can use to have fun and sculpt our bodies. I think the most effective way to create empowering change in the body is to use weights progressively. It also helps women to fully understand their body when we can break each exercise down and start from the ground up.

It adds to a better functionality long term and is a way to build mental strength too. Training weights helps to build resilience, confidence, and self-respect. I love seeing results from clients like improving their posture, rehab injuries and even assisting with making pre and postpartum easier via strength training."

Can weight training assist weight loss, generally? 

"Yes absolutely. When you build lean muscle mass, the additional muscle requires additional energy. In turn, this raises your resting metabolic rate, or the amount of calories your body burns while at rest. For example, if I go on holiday for a few weeks and have little time for exercise, I know my body can handle the change in nutrition and rest without worry. The lean muscle will keep my metabolism charging therefore I can do less and still be feeling on track. 

Every style of exercise is wonderful but think about it like this; cardio is your nine to five job. What you put in you get out right then and there. Weight training is like passive income, you may not see the energy burn or results immediately but long term, it pays off. 

This means that the calorie-burning benefits of weights aren’t limited to when you are exercising. Cardio and other styles of exercise complement weight training and is why I add a variety of styles into my regime, but two to three strength sessions are at the core of my regime then the other styles act as accessory workouts that will serve any fitness goals, my mental health, joy, stability, or mobility. 

I have had a client loose over 20kg from having a healthy lifestyle change and incorporating weights training. The beauty of that, was being able to assist with any excess skin and helping her to feel more confident with a more toned and firm body after losing that weight. The magic was in her change of mindset as she lost that weight over one and a half to two years, which means it is sustainable and for the right reasons - to have more energy and live a longer, healthier life.

I have another client who had profoundly rounded shoulders and wanted to improve her posture for her upcoming wedding. She now is able to stand with her heart proud naturally and is more confident in her wedding dress and for photos. She has improved her body composition as a result, which is cool, but the focus for me was giving her the right movements in the gym to become in more alignment."

How much weight training do you need to be doing to see results? 

"It is important at any training level to build a strong foundation first so I emphasise spending the first month or so going over the basics, so you can perform other exercises with proper technique and therefore can gain many more benefits from every movement, every rep. 

I think two to three strength sessions per week is fantastic but at a beginner level, one or two is great too! Start small and as you build confidence, build it up to where you can begin splitting your week into upper body days, lower body etc. 

You will benefit from performing the same main movements in three to four-week blocks and using progressive overload which means gradually increasing the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in your strength training routine. You will gain confidence in that movement by repeating a similar session but also challenge the same muscles therefore creating change. 

If you want to gain a lean yet strong physique, you can't push the same weight week in and week out and expect not to plateau. It can be in baby steps, sometimes it's only 2.5 per cent heavier than the prior week.

Once you nail the technique in each exercise within a controlled environment like weights training, your body will work much more effectively throughout other styles of exercise or more fast-paced classes."

Are there any risks associated with weight training, as a beginner? 

"There are risks of injury, so it is crucial to ensure you build that foundation and proper technique first; however, you are more at risk of injury in any exercise you choose to do if you don’t take the time to learn your body and understand the fundamentals of strength training. 

I would encourage anyone that is wanting to improve their body composition or health to control and be mindful of the food they are consuming outside of the gym, too. Strength training and any kind of ‘extreme’ way of eating are not going to get the results you want, including mentally. Binge eating or under-eating will not complement weight training, so that should be looked at, also. 

I will reinforce to anyone starting, that they should always start with the basics. Get your glute and core activation to become a habit, navigate proper technique and then work your way up. This way you are preventing injuries and creating a safe base within your body.

Weight training doesn’t need to be viewed in the way of bodybuilding competitions and 1RM [one-rep max]’s, it can be an empowering and enjoyable part of your lifestyle that will as a result, improve your mindset and body composition."

Brittany Cutt is a Melbourne-based ambassador for Adidas Australia, and the founder of the BodyActive by Britt training app. You can find her on Instagram here. 

Originally published as 'I'm a PT and I make my female clients do weight training. Here's why'