For a long time, I used to believe that cardio was the only way to be “skinny”. And for a long time, I was wrong. Now that I am educated and professionally trained, I fully believe that cardio needs strength training and that skinny needs strong.
Prior to taking my first class at TURN in 2018, I was an avid runner. For as long as I can remember, I ran 4-6 days a week and I would occasionally mix in yoga. In 2017, I ran my first half marathon. The week before my race, I pulled my quad muscle and, in turn, had severe knee and quad pain the day of the race.
But in true Freya fashion, I ran the race. I did as well as I could, but I knew I had to make a change, running was putting too much stress on my body. I set out to find a lower impact cardio workout. After a coworker mentioned an indoor cycling studio opening near me, I had to try it.
After my first class, I was immediately obsessed with the cardio and endurance of indoor cycling. It was an intense, yet low impact workout, and I was absolutely hooked. However, I knew I still needed to implement strength training into my routine to get stronger and I finally tried my first MEZ class. The MEZ at TURN Studio is a combination of strength training and HIIT workouts, typically focusing on specific muscle groups or full body. It is designed to help you build both strength and functional mobility by utilizing dumbbells, kettlebells, TRX, and other functional equipment.
The first change I noticed after consistently, key word consistently, doing strength training was visible muscle definition. I started to see lean muscle building for the first time in my life! I also became more functional in my day-to-day activities. I was truly getting stronger in ways I never had before, and it felt good! Looking back, a huge achievement for me is the fact that I could barely do one push up when I first started strength training to now challenging myself to see how many I can do in one minute!
Another major change was my complete lack of knee pain. I finally had the muscular strength to support my joints! What I learned is that prior to starting strength training, I was not building the strength required to support my body through endurance workouts. I was putting extra stress on my joints that would ultimately lead to long-term, chronic pain. Cardio plus strength training is necessary for overall health…lesson learned!
A little fun fact I learned, too: strength training keeps your metabolism working long after you've finished a workout. It helps improve your resting metabolism rate, meaning what you burn when you are not working out! So, build more muscle to burn more calories! (see you in The MEZ! 😉)
Overall, strength training not only gives you lean, toned muscles, but it also gives you more joint flexibility and an increased metabolism. It helps your body’s ability to push through cardio for longer, more rigorous endurance workouts. I can’t stress enough how important it is to add strength training into your routine to build muscle and functional mobility. Cardio is crucial for your endurance and for burning fat, but without adding strength training, it is harder to accomplish the lean, toned building of your muscles. Take it from me, lifting weights doesn’t make you bulky, however, it will make you mentally and physically stronger. It lit a fire and a confidence I never knew I had within me! Stepping into TURN Studio and into the MEZ was hands down one of the best decisions I have ever made for my physical and mental health!
Stay GOLD,
Freya Flower
