Kacy Catanzaro, Great Example

Sometimes female trainees worry about lifting heavy or aiming to get more strength. Hypertrophy - the increase in muscle size - is an even trickier topic.

So much has been made of exercises that make "long" and "lean" muscles, of how to train without "bulking up," and the ease of gaining muscle size - all myths - that it's easy for someone to believe that if they move the weights up just a little bit they'll turn into an ultra-lean bodybuilder in no time.

For those female trainees, I have a really nice example to show them - Kacy Cantazaro.

Kacy Catanzaro at the American Ninja Warrior 2014 Finals

She has amazing relative strength*, excellent endurance, and great drive.

Not only that, but she doesn't look like a female bodybuilder, or a fighter, or a weight lifter. She looks, for lack of a better world, normal but fit. That's often what female trainees are shooting for. That makes Ms. Catanzaro such a good example - yes, you can work on pullups; go up in weight on squats, deadlifts, and presses; and work on hypertrophy and strength without fear of transforming into something you don't want to be. A few extra pounds your squat isn't going to change you into Arnold, but it just might make you look for like Ms. Catanzaro.

Not only that, but her success is an impressive feat in an of itself.



* strength relative to her bodyweight, as constrasted with absolute strength, which is strength not relative to anything.