The term ‘skinny fat’ doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? Many of you may be wondering what on earth does that mean? Well, what we in the fitness industry call being ‘skinny fat’ is ‘someone who appears slim but lacks muscle tone’. They may look great in clothes, but really they’re unhealthy and their muscular curves are undefined. Other symptoms include a lack of energy and strength. It is a very common condition which is often hidden by clothes.

Naturally women are more prone to it than men, and there are various reasons for this.

1. Men have more muscle than women, and a lower body fat percentage. It is almost impossible to build muscle like a man unless you take steroids or have some rare genetic disorder.
2. Men have 20-30 times more testosterone than women resulting in more muscle. Women physically cannot build muscle like men. You tend to find that men are much more ‘open’ to lifting iron than women.
3. Women themselves are often wary of muscle-building exercise. I have lost count how many times I’ve been asked by a women ‘are you sure I won’t bulk up?’ Women tend to opt much more for cardio, no weights and restrictive diets. Dieting may help you loose weight but it will NOT help you tone up.

This final point is important. Google any ‘bikini’ athlete and tell me do they look bulked up? If you don’t know any, try Lori Harder, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Jodi Lynn and Lindsay Messina. The answer is they don’t look bulked up at all, and instead epitomise health, strength, and feminine curves. They train hard, lift heavy weights, and eat healthily. They have the same body fat as a catwalk model (around 10-15%) but weigh more and have a higher metabolism.

A typical person will have around 30% body fat and not much muscle. The majority of catwalk models will have next to no muscle too and yet low body fat (and by the way, if you want to look like this I am not the personal trainer for you!). They both could be described as ‘skinny fat’ because of the lack of muscle.

Now I can predict what your next concern is … But if I start to weight train and build muscles with 30% fat will I not get even bigger? Good point but let me explain:

1. Muscle burns more calories, which will start to melt away your body fat even while you rest. This is called ‘afterburn’.
2. With less body fat and more muscle you’ll achieve a more lean and toned look. Think of it as more solid and less spongy. To get a toned body you need muscle and a lower body fat so you can see the muscle. If you have too much body fat, it acts like a camouflage layer. Make sense?

The health dangers of being skinny fat are not to be under estimated at all. Try heart disease, circulatory problems, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Too skinny does not equal healthy.

And what about cardio? Is it such a bad thing if it keeps me healthy and slim? Fair point! BUT you will lose muscle too unless you weight train. And here’s some really gloomy news:

1. If you stop the cardio you will put on fatter quicker because you’ve less muscle and so a slower metabolism.
2. The older you get, the more important it is to maintain or build your muscle. With age, our muscle mass reduces or atrophies. This is part of the natural aging process but we make it worse by living a sedentary life. We do not stimulate our muscles enough and so they waste away and consequently our metabolism lowers and we put on more body fat. I am 37 and I can tell you this is true. So start today!!!

What I want is for YOU to ‘Train, Think and Look’ like an athlete even if you aren’t one. I want you to be strong, solid and toned NOT skinny, weak and lacking definition. I want you to go from queen and king of cardio to a mean muscle machine!

The bottom line is ‘skinny fat’ is a lot more than just your dress size and a number on the scales. There’s a much bigger issue at stake and that’s your health. If you’re not lifting weights (and eating healthily) already, now’s the time to get started!