This is one of those topics you will find on Social media all the time and strong arguments supporting both sides. I am not a cardio hater, in fact I have done all types of running, cycling and triathlons my entire life, and still do, and am very good at it too. But I do recognize there is a massive difference between being fit and being healthy and that I need strength training the most. Cardio training is great when everything is alright with your body, but if you are suffering with injury, illness or even weight problems this is not a good strategy to use to get healthy. In this article I will explain why Strength Training should be priority number 1 and what the danger of cardio training if not used correctly can be.

I must admit I hate headlines like this, as there is so much more to getting in shape than just 5 exercises. But if I was to assume you have your Nutrition under control, you have no injuries or health concerns and need an exercise program to get you in shape that does not take an enormous amount of time to do but gives you a big bang for your buck, then this is it. This is targeted specifically to the female population and has a real focus on toning the butt area! The biggest mistake most girls make in trying to get toned and in great physical shape is using too much cardio and when they do use weights, they do too many reps with light hand weights. The fear of "getting big like a guy" is still in many girls minds. Trust me you cannot get big even if you wanted to. You lack the most important hormone needed to do this which is testosterone. In my 11 years as a trainer ALL of the girls who lifted big weights got smaller not larger. Their muscles tightened up and they developed the athletic sporting appearance in their body. The exercises we are about to share with you are some of the best ones we have used over the years and continue to use today.

It seems like a crazy statement to make. For if you are improving your fitness surely you are improving your health, right? What people fail to understand is that Health & Fitness are two different things. To truly become fit, you must become health first. In that order. You cannot effectively use fitness methods to get healthy. And unfortunately this is what most Group Training programs are all about. It is all about trying to do endless push ups, burpees, running and other more endurance type training activities to get people to "feel the burn" and be exhausted after every workout. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against group training as it can be great fun and give people a strong bonding that individual training cannot. As long as it is used correctly, people are evaluated before starting and has a way of slowly teaching you how to progress safely and efficiently into more difficult exercises and programs it is awesome. The strange thing is people want to have the look of an elite athlete, in particular a sprinter that you would see at the Olympic Games, yet the training methods, exercises and even the nutrition and recovery methods are nothing like that of a sprinter! Not even close to doing what a sprinter does. That is the same as telling me 1+1=15. When 1+1=2. Today I am going to share with you why most group training programs are causing more problems than they solve, how to find a good group program to join and lastly what things you must be able to do, before joining a fitness based program. There are many good programs out there, you just need to know what to look for.