Hey KIC Squad! Let’s take a moment to talk about how incredible strength training can be for not only your body, but for your mind too. Unfortunately I often see individuals shying away from lifting weights and I’m here to help change that mindset!

I understand that strength training can sometimes be daunting, scary and you may feel intimidated at times (if not, whoop whoop! Well done!). However, I’m here to tell you that through the course of my Strength Masterclasses, you’ll learn to build confidence, bravery, mental clarity and without a doubt you’ll leave feeling stronger from the outside in.

Don’t believe me? Here are six reasons why I love adding strength training to my weekly regime and why you should too.

1. Mental strength & purpose:

This is one style of training that really has helped me through times of adversity in my life. When you realise you can push through barriers in your training, it not only benefits you physically but mentally and emotionally too. Allow yourself to feel the energy, strength and happiness from reaching a goal or nailing your form. Let it boost you up!

2. The training is specific:

If you are a sucker for structure, you will thrive when planning out your week of strength workouts! For optimal results it’s best to alternate your strength days and focus on key muscle groups throughout your week.

Did I mention that the KIC planner has already done some of the work for you?! With two dedicated strength days (Tuesday and Saturday) and with the help of my Masterclasses you’re set up for success in reaching those goals! Many of my sessions are broken into different muscle groups, whether you feel like firing up those glutes, or smashing an upper body workout you can plan your sessions out depending on how your body is feeling that day and what goals you want to achieve.

3. Rest for success:

Always remember that resting your muscles and body is key! Aim to break strength days up with some cardio/yoga/HIIT/rest days. To achieve the best results along the way, aim to give yourself a day in between strength training to allow your body to recover and rebuild the muscle tissue from the stimulus of lifting or resistance.

4. I love DOM’s (Delayed-onset muscle soreness):

Waking up the day after a ‘Peach Plumper’ Strength Masterclass and finding it difficult to sit down on the toilet seat is a very bittersweet feeling, am i right?! I may be a total freak for enjoying muscle soreness/tightness, but it tends to give me a little boost to the ego and I hope it does that for you too!

5. Progression over time:

Remember, this isn’t at all about striving for perfection. I just can’t imagine anything more discouraging than doing the same thing over and over again and not seeing progressions.

In order to avoid hitting a plateau or getting frustrated with your inability to notice much progress, you need to continue making slightly greater demands on your muscles. If you don’t progressively overload the muscles by forcing them to do more than they’re accustomed to, they have no reason to make further adaptations.

Ensure that you start with the KICSTART Masterclasses and then when your body is ready, you can progress to completing a KICFIT Masterclass like ‘Peach Plumper’ every Wednesday for four weeks in a row. If you do this, I would encourage you to track the weight you use for your squats and either slightly increase the weight over the four weeks/put your muscles under tension for longer or increase the reps. Challenge yourself even in a small way!

Strength training also benefits your balance, coordination, and posture so I recommend documenting these over time and notice how it helps you ☺.

6. Increases lean muscle, improves body composition:

Not only does strength training strengthen bone density, it increases metabolism.
Resistance or strengthening exercise keeps your metabolism active after exercising, much longer than after an aerobic workout. Strength training is a surefire way to increase your lean muscle mass, which in turn, helps your body burn off more of the fuel you consume from food every day!

I hope you are all enjoying my Strength Masterclasses and you continue to share how they are benefiting you!

Brittany Cutts, Strength Master Trainer.