Common Q & As From Female Clients

Q: Will I become “huge” and muscular…? I don’t want to look like the Incredible Hulk you know.

Coach Jon: I know many men who wish they had that “problem” of too much muscle!

But in reality, building muscle is not easy to do even for men. If it were, you would see a lot more muscular men around.

For women it’s even harder. Ladies have far less muscle building hormones, and less receptors for those hormones in their body. What I am saying is, that the chances of you looking like Rambo are zero.

The fear most ladies have comes from the women’s “bodybuilding” photos. The ladies in those contests take large amounts of male hormones via injections and/or orally to increase their muscle mass. Without these illegal aids, it is impossible for a woman to look muscular like a man.

The reason a lady may put on weight or “get big” from exercise is almost always because she eats the wrong things. That is why nutrition consultations are part of any of our training packages.

Q: I only want to look “toned”, isn’t some jogging enough?

Yvonne doing pull-downs correctly with a full contraction of her back muscles

Coach Jon: The toned look is exactly what you see on the ladies in the pictures on this page. They did not get that way by endless hours on a treadmill or stair-climber. In fact, the only way to get the desired definition and shape that most women desire, is by building lean, firm muscle in the correct areas. Science based training, along with a nutrition plan customized for your genetics, and hormone profile will get you results like the ladies in our photos.

Eunice performing shoulder presses

Q: How come you don’t seem to do those things that claim to give ladies the “dancer’s long muscles”.

Coach Jon: That is because those “methods” or pieces of equipment that make such claims are frauds at best, and can cause injury at worst.

There is no such thing as a longer muscle. You are either fat, or lean, and you are either flexible or inflexible. My team and I will help make you as lean and flexible as possible, within your genetic limits.

Many dancers are genetically thin because their sport tends to pre-select and favor thin ladies. Just like professional basketball tends to favor tall men!

Q: What is different about the way women should train and the way men should train?

Coach Jon: Men and women both have pretty much the same muscles, which perform the same tasks. While many exercises that men and women do are similar, there are some differences in the kinds of exercises that we give to our lady clients. This is because of a woman’s body shape (women have wider hips for example) and hormonal profiles (e.g. women tend to do better on higher rep ranges than men).

Q: I have problem areas in my (back of arms, arm-pit, buttocks, tummy etc)… can you help me?

Coach Jon: We all store body fat preferentially in different areas of our body. The reason is hormonal. For example a woman who has a skinny upper body but a fat lower body, often has problems with excess female hormones, this causes here to store more lower body fat on the butt, thighs and hips.

There are other hormonal indicators for body fat on other areas.

During our assessment of personal training clients, we check where you have a “problem area” and then we work on that area using nutrition, supplements and the right exercise plan. The problem areas CAN be worked on. But not in the traditional (and useless) way e.g. sit-ups for less tummy fat.

Q: I have tried all kinds of things from slimming centers to detox packages and nothing seems to keep the weight off. How can you help me?

Valerie training her back and buttocks

Coach Jon: We specialize in the “toughest cases”. Especially for ladies over the age of 30 or so. This is when problems add up to cause health and weight issues that a lady did not have when she was younger. Things like accumulation of environmental toxins, excessive stress, and poor nutrition can cause sudden, unexplainable, and hard to fix weight gain. Here is where your customized training and nutrition program will address these issues. If you still face problems, we work with functional medicine doctors and the best blood and urine testing labs in the world. We can send your blood and urine for testing (totally optional!) to see exactly what problems you are facing. This allows us to further customize your health plan for best results.

Q: I’m not a “gym” person, I only go to use the cardio equipment. Is this kind of hard training for me?

Coach Jon: I actually have heard that from many female clients who come in for their no-obligation consultation. Don’t worry once you sign up you are immediately a “gym person” Jokes aside, I can understand your concern. You may have tried other gyms, personal training, classes or memberships and did not like the possibly intimidating environment, and possibly the lack of results.

However, I won’t lie and say training here is easy. It will always be challenging. But it will be challenging for your current fitness level and health status. If you a lady who hasn’t done much physical activity for the last 5 years for example, you will NOT be doing the same workout as a national team athlete preparing for international competition.

On the other hand, you WILL be doing a workout that challenges you, and one that forces your body to adapt. And the adaptation you will see is ugly, unwanted fat being burned off, and lean, firm muscle being built.

Q: This training center looks serious, is it just a bunch of macho guys grunting and showing off?

Priscilla (my wife!) working hard in the gym

Coach Jon: Yes, we are very serious about training! And yes there will be very strong people training at our gym. In fact Jen Li Sheng, one of our coaches, is Singapore’s Strongest Man 2010.

But our staff and clients are strong because we love exercise! When it comes to clients, we are friendly, caring, knowledgeable, and helpful to each one.

That is why we treat each client as an individual when it comes to their lifestyle and training plans. We even change our “motivational style” according to a client’s personality and gender.

While many of our male clients are very strong, they are also very gentlemanly. Bad behavior is never tolerated in my gym.

Q: I have never trained before (or haven’t trained for years!) , is it ok for me?

Coach Jon: As mentioned earlier, training will be adjusted to your current fitness level. In addition, clients who have been inactive for a long time, or have prior medical conditions are given special precautions. For e.g. we place a heart rate monitor on new clients who have not exercised for a long time. And for the first few sessions we do not go over a certain heart beat limit. This is done for the safety of our clients.

Q: How do you adjust the training difficulty in a group program to match each person’s fitness level?

Coach Jon: In group trainings, there are still many ways to adjust the difficulty level of the training. Even though the general program is the same, we can change things like:
The implement – dumbbell? barbell? kettlebell? Cable machine? Elastic Bands?
The load – ranging from 0.5kg to an almost unlimited weight on a barbell
The rest time – longer for new clients
The total volume (amount) of exercise – more for experienced trainees, and new ones start with half or less of the usual workout
The exercise – modifications in body position to accommodate those who are less flexible.

Audrey learning how to lift a barbell perfectly during our fitness boot camp

Q: What kind of results should I expect from your program?

Coach Jon: The typical lady client without health issues, and who follows our recommendations (don’t worry, no starvation diets!) can drop about 0.5kg of fat per week. Note I said fat, not weight. In fact ladies don’t lose that much weight for the first few weeks.

The reason for this is that you will be asked to eat very nutritious food, and to do proper exercise. This will cause you to put on some lean muscle. So while you will be burning fat in big amounts, your weight may not drop much initially. After about 6-8 weeks, weight loss becomes more significant.

Not to fear however, muscle is much “smaller” that fat, so you will usually find yourself noticeably smaller on the waistline within 7 days of starting your personalized training and nutrition plan.

One of the key ways we help you to track your progress, is monthly tracking. We re-measure everything to make sure that the program you are on is working for you. From these re-measurements, we constantly make adjustments to help you achieve success.

Q: I’m (overweight / underweight) planning on starting a family. How can I prepare my body to be fit and strong and healthy?

Coach Jon: If you are pregnant/getting pregnant soon, its fine to exercise, but it’s not time to do do a drastic fat loss program. You should do that before you want to get pregnant. The key consideration for ladies getting ready for parenthood, is to make sure they are nutritionally ready to support the new life in their tummies. A well nourished mother means a well nourished child with a lower risk of complications and a higher chance of excellent development.

Q: How soon after delivery should I start exercising again?

Coach Jon: It depends on the individual lady. If you were super fit before the pregnancy, you can start light activity (once you are cleared by your doctor) as soon as possible.