Gone are the days that females are seen as the weaker sex and we’re crushing myths surrounding training the female body. We talk strength training, pregnancy workouts and introduce our new PPG Power Mum Playlist with head trainer Olivia, for all the mums and mums to be!

REDEFINE PURPOSE OF MOVEMENT/5 WAYS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH MOVING YOUR BODY.

Investing in your body by focusing on the long-term, immediate positive impact and the compound impact of self-care through movement. How Boxing can help ease trauma and that you should treat your relationship with your body as with any other!

PREGNANCY TRAINING

It is perfectly safe to workout vigorously and intensively as a pregnant woman or while trying to conceive, just remember that you are always in charge and able to make modifications where necessary. HIIT intervals are perfect to prepare you for the endurance and power of labour and childbirth, working on your cardio, strength, diaphragmatic breathing and pelvic floor are crucial in the lead-up to birth.

One thing is for sure, if you are used to training before pregnancy you can absolutely continue. You have just got to release your performance expectations and shift your focus from output to deepening your connection with your brain to your heart and your baby. You’re thinking for 2 now! Motherhood is intensely personal, intensely physical, always remember your strength through your unique journey. On the days that are tough ask yourself what you can do, not what can’t do. Moving during pregnancy is all about empowering your strength and optimising what we can do.

TIP:
While working through our brand new PPG Power Mum Playlist, ask yourself; what strength am I practising right now? That is the entire point of this, learning about the new you, refocusing your priorities and working towards becoming a powerful mama.

STRENGTH TRAINING IS FOR GIRLS

The act of strength training is to simply increase strength within your body using weights or your bodyweight. For optimal results of a strong, tony body it’s best to combine cardio with strength training. Cardio increases your metabolism instantly but dwindles down a short time after your cardio workout. Weight training keeps your metabolism burning longer and stronger for hours after your workout.

The most common misconception is that with increased strength comes increased size – well it's time to get the record straight and embrace weight training. Here are six training myths busted for women.

• YOU CAN TRAIN YOUR MUSCLES TO BE STRONG WITHOUT ADDING MASS
It’s just not that easy. Men have 10 x more testosterone so without unnatural means to get more testosterone, there is only so much muscle gained. Strength training is the most effective way to strip fat and give muscles a toned appearance.
Truth: You don't have enough testosterone to build big muscles.

• STRENGTH TRAINING WITHOUT WEIGHTS ISN'T WORTH IT
Your bodyweight workout including press-ups, planks, squats provides enough resistance to stress your body into creating a change.
Truth: You weigh far more than most dumbbells ;)

• ENDLESS CRUNCHES WILL GET YOU ABS
Combination exercise, strength exercises are the most effective than ab exercises alone. You need exercises that burn fat, clean nutrition, high-quality sleep and cardio to strip and develop better abs.
Truth: You cannot target where you reduce fat.

• WEIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN REPS
Your body is beautifully unique, weight training can be practiced in many forms, you have to find out what works for your body. Most people start with endurance training (12+ reps) to get used to the exercises, moving onto hypertrophy (6-12 reps) to build mass before dropping the reps to 1-5 in a power and strength session. That said, some women respond better to heavier weights with fewer reps, where some respond better to lighter weights and more reps.
Truth: It depends on your body and your goal.

Suffering from a low-libido? Not only does weight training for women lessens the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, A published study of 35,754 healthy women has proven a 30-minute strength training session can get you burning for love and boost your sex life, that’s a bit more interesting than just burning calories! ;)

OUR ‘MOVE’ RECOMMENDATIONS

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