Carly Rowena On How To Train Any Body Type
Meet Carly Rowena, a former BMW marketing manager turned personal trainer. She began personal training a few years ago after a mass of followers on Instagram and YouTube begged her to train them personally. Carly bashes the stereotype that thin girls don’t lift, and won’t shy away from telling you there is no big secret to weight-loss – its a lifestyle change.
Changing our perspective on what it means to exercise, her inspiring techniques and one-song-workouts help any woman feel strong and fit. Read on to find out how she can help you adapt exercises to fit your body and use your body to feel strong!
I went to the gym just as a normal girl, and I used to be a bit of a cardio bunny. I didn’t have much of a bum. I was quite wide for about a size 12, and I remember being 128 pounds and thinking that was a good weight. I didn’t really have much of a figure. Then I started doing more weights. I’m now probably 154 pounds but I’m the smallest I’ve ever been.
I started doing videos on YouTube of what I did in the gym. They became quite popular on YouTube, and I got to work with some amazing brands because of those. After that, my followers asked me if I could train them, which I had never thought about doing before. It was just something I did in my spare time. I did the course to become a personal trainer. Six months later I quit my job, and became a full time personal trainer and full time blogger.
“I think so many people think that exercise is all about changing your body, but it’s not actually about that. Exercise is about taking care of your body, and becoming a better healthier person.”
Everybody comes to me focused on losing weight or gaining weight. But I’d rather they focus on whether they can run or move their body. Can their body enable them during their daily life? For me it’s about teaching people that it’s not a destination, it’s a lifestyle choice.
When you do yoga you know it’s going to be something you probably keep in your lifestyle forever. There are going to be poses that you can’t do, and there are going to be elements that you find difficult, but you’re prepared to learn it. People who exercise usually go in, do an exercise, and that’s it. But there’s so much more. Exercise is very much like yoga, you want to grasp everything.
“As much as we all hope we could look like the girl that we aspire to be, we’re all very, very different.”
We all have the same components, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to look like another person. I have a certain type of abs and I actually long for completely different type of abs. I have six-pack-abs, and I’ve always wanted flat ones. That just proves that no one is ever happy with what they’ve got.
Specific Workouts For Specific Bodies
I can’t do an ab crunch. I have a really flat lower back, I just can’t get up. I roll on my back like a turtle. So for me, an ab crunch doesn’t work. I got my abs without using ab crunches. I use my legs instead, and that might be what works for someone else.
“There’s a difference between looking good in a photo, and then proving that you can use your body. It looks so cool when you see girls using their body to do exercises.”
I’m halfway through finishing my first eBook. It’s going to be called The Get Gorgeous Diet, and it’s a 12 week transformation using weights from a gym. There will also be a home section which will include my one-song-workout, which I do on YouTube. The book will be something people can use when they don’t have much time: whether they can make it to the gym, or whether they just want to get sweaty at home.
Adidas Ultra Boost ($180), they came out last year and never left my feet, they’re my go-to trainer and it seems it’s the same at every event I go to, the Ultra Boost is kicking butt and has everyone feeling like they’re running on clouds.
I’ve got mixes from ACDC, there is some One Direction in my iPod, and some club remixes, Pink Floyd, Joe Satriani. Music can completely change how you’re feeling. It’s a good tool to help you with your tempo for your workout. It tells you how fast you should be going, or how slow you should be going.
“There’s no secret, it’s just testing out different exercises. Everybody’s body is very different.”
I always wanted a dream career, and I had no idea what my talent would be. So to find not one, but two jobs, which enable me to work for myself, and help people around the world…is just the best feeling.
One day you have someone who wants to put on weight, the next day you have someone who wants to lose it. Either way, seeing people turn that into an actual physical goal, like do a pull up, or run faster, or complete a tough-mudder, is so rewarding for us both. When people realize that their body is for more than just looking good, they start to see that they can use it to do some incredible things. Put your body to work, and it’ll take you places you can hardly believe!
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Image Credits: instagram.com/carlyrowena, carlyrowena.com