EPN's Women's Special: Truth About Workout for Women

"You will get as bulky as Arnold Schwarzenegger." is a fallacy.

I do not know where it came from. The funny thing is, I am already petite and when I workout, I do look like I shed some fats and my girl friends all asked, what did I do? I told them I workout and they said, are you not suppose to be gaining? Which is true, that's because I personally have failed to carry heavy weights - which I really need to start doing so! Really.

Funny story, my neighbours commented about my gains and tan but I am quite doubtful about the former and worried about the latter. Haha!

For you ladies, let's put 'me' aside. Let's talk about you. This post is solely dedicated to you!

You will be glad to know, first hand from the women who works out, that gymming does not necessarily get you bulky. I took the liberty to touch base with EPN's female bodybuilding athlete, Nadia AJ to share with you girls how you can achieve you goals healthily! Our girl here was a former judo competitor since 13 till she was 21 and started lifting weights at 23 and competed in her first physique competition at 25.


We know that you girls have concerns like being scrutinized about how you might not measure or feeling incompetent among others who are considerably 'there'. As Nadia puts it, you are not alone and this is not just the ladies problem. Coming from me, I am supposing we have it too only that our approach is different.

Worry not! There are many fitness advocates out there that can help you break this psychological discomfort with encouragement, motivation and addressing fitness and nutrition misconceptions.

Women should not be afraid to do strength training. Strength training helps to build muscles and burns fat simultaneously. So here goes your most common problems and Nadia has taken the liberty to share with us how this could be addressed!

Despite the many health benefits of weight lifting that has been backed by Sport Science research, many women are still less likely than men to lift weights. Why?

The most common reason that is becoming passe is this: Using weights will make them "bulky".

It is time to upgrade yourselves with new information!

More women need to understand it takes months and even years of weight lifting and proper nutrition to put on significant muscle mass. Ironically, I am struggling to make gains but thanks to EPN products, it is progressing! If it is toning up instead of hypertrophy (increasing the size of you skeletal muscle) you are looking for, your exercises can include lighter weights but at higher repetitions ranging from 12 - 20 per set.


When it comes to food, eating less does not necessarily help in losing weight! On the contrary, crash diets results in decreased metabolic rate as well as weight gain in a following diet program. It also results in nutritional deficiency and might encourage eating disorders. Eat healthier food instead! Less oil, more fruits and vegetables, and the list goes on.

While it is great to have a body goal in mind however the main driving factor to staying fit is that we keep our body healthy as well as to help deter diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Food is good!

You should try to have natural foods as often as you can. Sometimes tight work schedules limits us to obtain healthy food options. Hence, supplements such as whey protein like EPN's NutriForce's NutriWhey are great alternatives to help meet our daily protein intake and also to promote better recovery. For Nadia, she uses Omega-3 and Joint Support tablets from NutriForce Sports to help keep her joints healthy as an addition to her diet.

There is also a misconception about injuries which puts off some of you from exercising. Muscle aches being the most common "injury". Muscle aches are caused by micro-tears in the muscle after exercise. Having muscle aches only mean that you had a great workout session! Personally, I feel like I have not done anything if I do not feel those aches on the muscles I work on.

Unless it is a sharp pain or an isolated pain that has been lingering for a long time, there should not be a cause for concern. If you are unsure, a doctor's opinion will be best!

Schedule wise, try to exercise three times per week. For busy working individuals, quick workout routines at the desk is better than getting no workout done. Squats, desk supported push-ups, crunches while seated on the chair and stretches are some ideas you can do on your desk. Your imagination is your only boundary! Go ahead, do your weighted squats with your laptop. ;)

Hope this does not only benefits but enlighten most of you women out there who are worried about working out!

To find out more about EPN, log on to www.epn.com.sg. Use discount code ZY 10 for 10% discount on all regular price items!