For many women the thought of muscle building training brings to mind images of women who are very muscular and bulky. Some women want to achieve this look but others simply want to add some muscle tone to their physique without looking too ‘bulky’ – is this possible?

With the right training and right advice there is no reason why you can’t add muscle tone and growth without looking like a pro bodybuilder.

Does lifting weights for women lead to bulky muscles?

Question: Many women in Dubai tend to be a bit scared that building muscle means they will end up looking like a body builder. While female body building is popular it’s not the look that many women want so how does building ‘lean’ muscle ‘without’ too much bulk work?

To build muscle we need to put a lot of pressure and work on the muscle group and support it with right heavy carbohydrates/ protein diet.

Women shouldn’t be scared that they will get to bulky as it’s not so easy as it seems to build a muscle.

With weight training we can keep our body toned and healthy just sticking to the lighter weights higher reps rule to avoid putting any unnecessary size.

Remember to adjust your diet too

Question: Healthy eat and good nutrition form the backbone of a successful personal training plan.

For women in Dubai who want to get a leaned, defined look are there any foods that they should be including in their diet to help with muscle definition?

Definitely vegetable as they add volume to our meals and help keep us full for longer due to high fiber content, Lean protein like chicken breast, white fish, beef fillet, egg whites.

Healthy fats from avocado, nuts, full eggs.

Carbohydrates from potatoes, rice, whole meal products.

Try to stay away from processed foods as they contain a lot of sugar.

Losing fat weight to create definition

Question: Fat loss is also a big part of betting a leaner look. How do you train women in Dubai for fat loss but increasing lean muscle at the same time?

I love to use resistance training but with higher intensity, each session will include few super sets to keep the heart rate higher. Limiting the rest period making sure each session is intense.

I also recommend HIIT training for all my clients as I found it very beneficial especially for women.

Bikini competition in the UAE prep

Question: As a professional competitor in Bikini competitions how difficult and time consuming was the training process for you to get a defined look?

It is extremely difficult process and it requires a lot of self control but its something I am very passionate about.

Its not something that could be used as my lifestyle, it’s a short period intense cut to achieve the very low body fat for the competition day.

After each competition I slowly return to my maintenance calories and cut down on my training from 6 times to 4 times a week.

Still enjoying a healthy lifestyle but with more flexibility in my diet and training.

The best workout routines for muscle definition

Question: With so many workout routines out there in Dubai can you provide some examples of the best workouts and equipment used to build muscle without getting too bulky?

I love compound movements such as squats, deadlifts and hip thrust as they work the full body, burn a lot of calories and make us stronger.

There is a workout routine for everyone we just need to find it.