Christina Najjar, who is also known as Tinx in social media circles, has long moved beyond her standing as just a Pilates enthusiast. Recently, on her podcast, “It’s Me, Tinx,” she confessed to her followers that she had begun lifting weights, inspired primarily by a shift in fitness trends on TikTok.
Tinx was motivated to adopt strength training, a workout regime that stands as the foundation for greater muscular strength and bodybuilding. Approving her new choice, Alex Silver-Fagan, a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), and fitness trainer and creator of the Flow Into Strong method, mentioned how strength training can revolutionize results. This workout plan involves exercising the body against resistance, enabling the regular increment of resistance levels leading to muscle growth.
While Pilates continues to be an excellent form of exercise for core stability, flexibility, and endurance, it is strength training that truly tests the body’s limits, utilizing body weight and light resistance. Pilates can be enhanced with a Pilates reformer to add more resistance to a typical mat routine. Still, the real deal stands with lifting, which would induce muscular expansion, making it the ultimate solution to build leaner muscles and reduce body fat.
Even though Tinx has somewhat shifted away from Pilates, she maintains her fondness for the exercise, indulging in it occasionally. Nonetheless, her transition to lifting was triggered by a desire for noticeable change helping her achieve more tangible results.
There have been discussions on TikTok about the relationship between muscle gain and fat loss, suggesting that muscle gain can facilitate faster fat loss. Certainly, gaining muscle enhances metabolism since increased muscle mass requires more energy for maintenance, eventually leading to calorie burn-out post-workout too. This notion is backed by Silver-Fagan, who affirms that this continuous calorie burning process, known as excess post oxygen consumption, is a side effect of weight lifting.
Lifting weights isn’t just a pathway to a toned body; it extends its benefits to overall bone health too. A study published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine journal confirms that heavy lifting contributes to improved muscle and bone strength. It also boosts insulin sensitivity, better managing blood sugar levels. Other research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise also indicates that women who include strength training in their exercise routine have a reduced risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Tinx has expressed how lifting weights made her feel empowered. This sentiment is shared by Silver-Fagan, who believes that lifting weight allows individuals to experience their resilience, leading to emotional growth even as they feel the psychological high of achieving a challenging task.
If you feel inspired by Tinx’s transition from Pilates to strength training, it is the perfect time to give weight lifting a shot. However, one should remember that while the shift from Pilates to weight lifting has benefited Tinx in achieving her fitness goals, our bodies are unique. What works for one might not work for another. The best way to achieve your fitness goals is to try various workouts, observe how your body reacts, and then stick to the one that suits you best.
