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Strength training for women: London

Strength training or weight lifting can be intimidating for women, especially for beginners! Many women have never picked up a dumbbell or ventured into the weights section of the gym – often because of old, completely inaccurate ideas that it’s not the “right” sort of training for women, that it’s dangerous for our joints to lift heavy weights or that it will make you look “bulky”.

The teams in our Mayfair, Fitzrovia, and Soho studios are passionate about the incredible impact that strength training offers to women. Whether you’re looking to achieve fat loss, build strength, grow lean muscle or simply feel fitter and more capable in your daily life activities, then incorporating resistance training into your fitness routine is an absolute must.

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Want a “toned” or “lean” body? Strength training is the way to achieve results

Many of our female clients arrive at the gym wanting to “tone up”, saying that after months (or even years) of getting their heart pumping in cardio gym workouts and HIIT classes, they still haven’t obtained the results they want. This is where we introduce them to the idea of strength training to build muscle mass and strength.

To achieve this toned aesthetic, there are two basic steps: strengthening your muscle groups and losing the body fat covering them. The result is that you build more lean muscle and your muscles become more visible and defined.

A common mistake for women with these goals is do loads of cardio exercise. While this will help you to achieve a calorie deficit and therefore lose weight, it will not guarantee that this weight loss comes from fat, and it will not build muscle. Therefore, you might find yourself with a smaller body, but not a lean one. Lifting weights is all about shaping your body and creating strength.

But wait… Won’t Weight Lifting Make Me Look Bulky?

No! Please don’t let this old myth bother you. Building a significant amount of muscle takes a lot of hard work and time! Adding weights into your fitness routine will not see you suddenly develop huge amounts of muscle. It takes time, commitment and a well-designed training programme that includes progressive overload and an effective nutrition plan.

While it’s certainly possible to add mass and grow your body through weight-training workouts, that’s just one outcome. With proper programming, you can use weight training to simply shape your body and create a toned, lean look.

Thanks to hormonal differences between men and women, it’s much more difficult for women to get “bulky” when strength training. Men have between 240-950 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood, whereas women only have between 8-60. Since testosterone is a key driver of muscle strength, logic follows that men will find it relatively easier to pack on muscle mass. So, instead of worrying about putting on unwanted mass, focus on the fact that lifting heavy weights will help to strengthen your bones and give you increased muscle definition.

Finally, to build a really serious amount of muscle, you also need to eat a serious amount of food! Bulking up in a noticeable way not only takes time and heavy weights, it also requires you to eat a LOT more. You would need to be in a consistent calorie surplus with a high amount of protein to put on serious bulk. If building mass that’s your goal – great, weight training can help you to achieve this. If not – no worries. Weight-lifting can be incorporated intelligently into your training to achieve a wide variety of goals.

Benefits of Strength Training for Women

Strength training exercises have so much to offer women, beyond just aesthetic goals. One of the most important benefits of weight training for women is the positive impact it has on bone health.

As we age, both men and women lose bone density. For women however, this happens particularly rapidly once we enter the menopause. This loss of bone density is a key factor in the increased frailty and risk of fracture that we see in older women. Strength training for women is therefore incredibly important to help prevent osteoporosis and stay strong well into later life.

Strength training for women is also key for…

  • Helping to build lean muscle > building lean muscle means you become stronger and more capable in your day-to-day life. The skills and strength you developing in weight training transfer to your daily activities – think about running for the bus, carrying heavy things, lifting your kids, climbing stairs… Weight training makes all of this much easier
  • Building stronger, more mobile joints
  • Improving cardiovascular fitness
  • Helping your body prepare for motherhood > if you’re planning on having a baby, strength training can help your body develop the strength it needs to cope with the demands of pregnancy and labour
  • Improving your mental health
  • Boosting confidence > Pushing past your comfort zone and learning a new skill can be incredibly empowering. Plus, lifting something the equivalent of your body weight feels pretty damn good
  • Enhancing cardio health
  • Driving your performance in running and other sports

What Does a Strength Training Workout Look Like?

If you’re completely new to strength training, working with a personal trainer is highly recommended in order to ensure you are lifting properly, with technique that is both safe, to avoid injury, and effective, to ensure you’re working what you actually want to work. The key is to build confidence and nail your form across the fundamental patterns of movement, before gradually adding load to increase the challenge and provide the body with the stimulus it needs to build muscle. In short, don't worry - we won't be starting you on a workout designed for female fitness models!

Depending on your goals and your training schedule, your trainer might choose to do full body workouts with you, or do a split for example alternate between upper body and lower body workouts.

When you first start resistance training, the key will be to learn and master the fundamental patterns of movement (e.g. squat, lunge, hinge, pull, push…) before gradually adding a weight load to these movements to increase the challenge. Effective weight training relies on the principle of progressive overload; in other words gradually increasing the challenge to make sure your muscles continues to receive enough stimulus to grow and become stronger.

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Testimonials

A Word From Our Clients

Excellent
Based on 155 reviews
Gordon Holmes
Gordon Holmes
2023-12-08
I have been a happy client of Fitness Lab (Jack in particular) for over 3 years now. All the trainers are professional and thorough, and also friendly and supportive. They've helped me become stronger and more flexible, and progress continues..I strongly recommend them!
M LB
M LB
2023-11-28
Radomira is a great coach. Highly motivating, fun, excellent listener, sessions with her are never boring. She know how to push people out of the comfort zone without forcing them. Rare quality for a coach. The studio itself is optimally located at the heat of Soho and is very well equipped. The concept of a coach-only gym is not common and probably the best option for anyone who take their fitness seriously.
Amy Horton
Amy Horton
2023-11-20
I have been with Fitness Lab for 2 years it has been a gradual transition to strength and fitness working with my excellent trainer Ash. It isn’t a quick fix to weight loss but a longer term investment in being a stronger me. With the individual focus I just don’t have to think about having to motivate myself, or worry about whether I am using the weights correctly, Ash takes care of that and gradually pushes me to push myself.
Zulala Abdulazizova
Zulala Abdulazizova
2023-11-15
I chose Fitness Lab because the idea of a gym with a more intimate atmosphere, free from overwhelming crowds was very appealing to me. Originally, I planned to join for just a couple of months to get ready for summer, but here I am in November, still committed! The primary reason for that is my PT Radomira, who creates a customised program that suits my individual goals, always motivates me without pushing too hard and makes each session enjoyable and uplifting. I can actually see the progress and am very happy that I ended up choosing this gym.
Emin Hasanov
Emin Hasanov
2023-11-15
Fitness Lab is awesome for getting in shape – it's all about personal attention here. Love the private workouts compared to a packed gym. Big shoutout to my PT Radomira for providing personalized and effective workouts, pushing me hard while keeping it safe, injury-free and enjoyable.
Alec Drysdale
Alec Drysdale
2023-11-15
I would absolutely recommend Fitness Lab to anyone who is looking get the best PT experience in London. It really helps to be working out in a private space rather than in a public gym and the facilities and equipment are all first-rate and well-maintained. I have to give a huge thank you to my PT, Ash, who has turbo-charged my training. He has put the time, effort and his knowledge into tailoring my workouts to achieve my goals. I don't feel like I'm aimlessly working out or unsure of whether I'm doing the right thing or not anymore and the results have been fantastic. I'm improving in areas that I have always struggled with and it just makes me even more motivated. Ash always brings the right vibe so that I look forward to each session rather than it feeling like a chore. He keeps the workouts varied to make things interesting and if there is ever something I can't do because of injury then he is able to adapt when necessary. The whole experience at Fitness Lab has been fantastic.
Saul Fearnley
Saul Fearnley
2023-11-15
I’ve been training here for over three years with Ash and it’s been a fantastic experience. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been and feel fitter and healthier as a result. The whole team are so welcoming and I’d recommend anyone who wants to improve their fitness in a really friendly environment give them a go.
Darrel Olivier
Darrel Olivier
2023-11-13
My happy place. Facilities and equipment are absolutely first class and my personalised training program has led me to be in the best shape of my life. Brett has been my there for me every step of the way - his knowledge, passion and communication is second to none and this has kept me motivated and inspired throughout my training journey - thank you 🙏
Ryan Hugh Mackey
Ryan Hugh Mackey
2023-11-12
A great and knowledgable staff, clean and well-appointed equipment, what more does one need?
Blair Collins-Thomas
Blair Collins-Thomas
2023-11-09
The private personal training here helped me gain control of complicated back issues and get back to playing rugby for the first time in years! My PT was so focused on specifics for my situation and the results speak for themselves. They are so well located for a lunchtime session from work. In my opinion the best personal training studio in Soho!

Frequently Asked Questions

This will vary depending on your goals, but generally speaking our clients see great results by strength training with us 2 or 3 times a week.

Absolutely not. Don't know the difference between a lateral lunge and a glute bridge? Don't panic - that's what we're here for. Whether you're an absolute beginner or someone with lots of experience around strength training workouts, we'll always meet you at your level and explain every exercise and every step of the journey.

When it comes to losing weight, there are a number of factors that should be considered. While strength training workouts can be one of them, perhaps the most significant is nutrition. 

Don't worry - we're not the type of personal trainers who advocate extreme diets, cutting out food groups completely, or going without a takeaway or a glass of wine for the rest of your life! Instead, we'll help you understand how the right nutrition can help you work towards being stronger and leaner. 

Book a free consultation with one of our personal trainers. They will spend an hour with you, to go over all of your goals, hear about your training experience, assess your movement patterns and talk to you about your lifestyle and nutrition. From here, they’ll put together a tailored plan for you.

It’s essential to get some guidance from a personal trainer if you’re new to strength training. Your trainer will be by your side in every strength training workout, to ensure you’re lifting weights with proper form.

One of the most common mistakes we see is beginners making misjudging the amount of weight they load up with. All-too-often people go too heavy, too quickly, without first mastering the basics. This is a recipe for injury. Your trainer has the expertise to know exactly when it’s appropriate to make an exercise more challenging, and how.

We’re here to help. Complete the short form below and one of the team will be in touch

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