“You have to understand that your current level of strength is unheard of for a female, and do you REALLY want to give that up? What are you training for at the end of the day? A MAX LIFT! Focus on that, not what the rest of the world looks like. You’ll be better of in the end. Trust me.“– Kate Solovieva, Precision Nutrition Certified Nutritional Coach
Confession: over the past few years I have played a game of ping-pong with myself when it comes to the whole aesthetics vs athletics bit of my fitness career. At 5’3”, my max press is a double 28kg, my max Turkish get up at 32kg and a pistol squat still holds at a 32kg as well. I am strong and lean for my tiny frame, but I am by no means a tiny person at this frame either. One of the main reasons I decided to do 1-on-1 coaching through precision nutrition was to adopt a sort of appreciation for this level of power, but it wasn’t an easy thing to ascertain either. I’m about 6 months into my program and I am still learning how to really appreciate myself for how strong I am. It may sound strange at first, but allow me to be incredible honest about something here that I truly believe needs to be said.
The fitness industry is a loaded with a ton of skewed images of what people should / should not be. A few weeks ago, Kettlebell Instructor Dan Byrnes talked about the damages of male body image issues with regards to reproductive health, and this week, I wanted to take the time to discuss this on my own for in terms of mental health.
While the vast majority of the fitness industry is focused on making the average person leaner and stronger, this may unfortunately come at a certain price. At what point does your particular strength gain become negligible in the face of an aesthetic gain? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to toot my own horn and talk about how looking better surpasses getting stronger or vice versa. What I AM saying is what the are you training for? If you want an ultra lean physique, you may not be able to train at max capacity. Conversely, if you want optimal strength you may not be at your ultra leanest state. Perhaps this is a catch 22, but depending on what your particular goal is, you may find yourself in a particular category.
Here’s a real life visual of different body fat percentage types.
Now, in Precision Nutrition we discuss the cost of getting lean. The company has an incredible breakdown of what the associate benefits and costs are depending on where you fall in the spectrum of your particular body type. You can read more on that here.
So, when it comes down to aesthetics vs athletics, which is of more importance to you and why?
This month at the studio, we are working on what we are calling our Lean Eating Challenge as a way to adopt healthier food habits to yield a certain physique results. However, THIS IS NOT A CRASH PHASE PLAN! Our goal here at Primal Fitness Pittsburgh is to cut through all the BS when it comes to eating smart and training hard so you can enjoy your healthy life and look like a million bucks! We won’t train you to death, nor do we encourage eating in a way that doesn’t sustain optimal health. We make athletes out of the average person, but we do so with a sustainable approach. No, we won’t make you stage ready ripped, but if you are looking for sustainable fitness and a solid nutritional approach to help you move forward and kick ass, then you’re at the right place! Should you need more itemized care and are ready to transform your life today, feel free to email us at info@primalfitnesspittsburgh.com to scheudle your free consultation today!
That’s it for today folks! Until next time. . .
Master your instincts!
