As today is international Women's Day, we thought we would share with you our top training and nutrition tips for women.

1. Don't rely on scale weight:

- Unfortunately our bodies are incredibly complicated hormone machines, and a female body can be even more complicated when it comes to time of the month. As we have said before, time of the month can cause a lot of water retention. So when you step on the scales you'll think you've gained weight and put fat on when you haven't. Start to record your menstrual cycle and build up a trend as to when it is, this will also help with cravings and when to expect them. You don't need to change your nutrition or training when its time of the month, stick to the plan and don't panic. But keep drinking plenty of water.

2. Lay off the cardio:

- Its a proven fact the more muscle you have the easier the fat is to burn. All to often women join a gym and hammer the cardio to help get in shape. The best way to "blast some fat" is by using weights and resistance training. Women typically find it harder to build muscle unlike men (this is because a woman's testosterone levels are much less than that of a mans, just like a woman's oestrogen levels are significantly higher than a mans.) So, your not going to look bulky by doing 3-4 weight sessions a week, what you will get is strong through your joints and "tone up" your muscles so when you do eventually lose the weight you have a good figure underneath.

3. Dont do legs every session:

- Notoriously a female will always want to see change in their thighs, glutes and legs in general. In saying this that mean typically all they do are leg workouts such as Squats, Lunges, Glute bridges, Abductors, Leg press, Deadlifts, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls etc. As much as these exercises are all beneficial for optimal Quad, Glute and Hamstring development... Not every session should be comprised of "Legs". If your doing the gym 4 times a week do 2 upper body sessions and 2 lower body sessions. The body only sees improvement through rest and recovery, therefore training your legs with only a days or two's rest isn't enough for them to recover. Don't neglect your upper body.

4. Count your calories:

- One of the reasons why females (and males) fail to break through plateaus is because of their knowledge on nutrition. Start getting accountable for yourself, track your food intake/calories. This way when you need to cut down your calorie intake you can do so sensibly rather than going "Zero carb". Get an understanding of portion control so you know if your over eating or under eating. A few tips with nutrition include:

- Protein with every meal

- An adequate amount of fruit and veg

- You can eat carbs after 6pm

For any further information please don't hesitate to get in touch.