Fitness 17th April 2017 by Paula Lyne

A Personal Trainer Reveals The Five Things Every PT Wishes They Could Tell You

We ask a fitness expert.

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If you’ve ever seen a personal trainer struggle to contain their eye-roll when you ask if weight-lifting is going to give you ‘massive bulky shoulders’ then you’ve probably guessed that there are a few things every fitness expert wishes you already knew.

With that in mind, we asked fitness expert and PT Leanne Moore to let us in on her five fitness truths – and the things you should really get wise about before setting foot in a gym.

1. Weights will not make you bulky.
“Please don’t worry about becoming too big or bulky. It’s not going to happen, and especially not overnight” says Leanne.

“Lifting heavy weights builds muscle and when paired with an on-point diet and clever cardio you will simultaneously drop body fat levels revealing a taught and toned frame.”

However Leanne warns that it’s “far easier” to build muscle than to shed fat, so be sure to get a training and food plan that facilitates both.

#Shoulders and #Cardio today at @gogym1

A video posted by Leanne Moore (@leannemoorefitness) on

2. Sorry, but one cheat weekend CAN undo your hard work.
“Some people think that to be clean and healthy Monday to Friday evening is enough to meet their body goals. Unfortunately this is not the case,” Leanne says.

Rather than writing your whole weekend off as a “cheat,” Leanne suggests adjusting your cheat meals according to your goals.

“If you want to reduce body fat keep it to just a cheat meal or two at the most.”

3. You really don’t need to spend hours at the gym.
“Workouts should not drag on for hours,” Leanne advises.

“After about 45 minutes of intense exercise your body starts to release cortisol, a stress hormone which can actually break down muscle.”

For that reason, Leanne suggests a one hour maximum workout per session, and if you plan on going back that evening, she adds that you should give your body time to “rest and refuel in between.”

4. Crunches will not give you abs.
“No matter how many sit-ups, crunches and core exercises you do, you will not see abs until you start to shed body fat,” Leanne says.

And while you might get a bit sweaty during that round of oblique crunches, ab exercises really don’t burn a whole lot of calories.

“Spend time doing the bigger compound movements like squats and deadlifts to strengthen your core, and add cardio to burn extra fat.”

Some #kettlebell #frontsquats yesterday have my #quads burning today ?? Nice little addition to #legday ?

A video posted by Leanne Moore (@leannemoorefitness) on

5. If you keep chasing the perfect body, you’ll never get it.
“The perfect body. I hate this phrase,” Leanne says.

“Your body is perfect. Sure, we could all do with some improvements but it’s best to be happy with what you have and work to be the best version of you.”


For more fitness know-how (and serious #fitspo), you can follow Leanne on Facebook and Instagram!

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