Flavia Del Monte has made a name for herself as a fitness professional who has helped thousands of women transform their bodies. I have a lot of respect for her because she emphasizes discipline and hard work, not short-cuts and gimmicks. Her first workout program (Full Body Licious) was a big seller for me, so I’m very excited about the new program: Curvalicious. She was kind enough to take time from her busy schedule and do this interview with me:
MuscleReview: First I’d like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please please start by briefly explaining why women should not be afraid of muscle building exercises.
Flavia: First off most women are fearful of looking bulky. This is so far from what will happen when women add muscle. Females simply do not have the hormones responsible for looking bulky. Secondly, muscle creates a fit and healthy looking body. Without muscle your body will look weak and frail, as opposed to curvy and feminine. Thirdly, muscle burns a lot of fat. By adding muscle you can lose fat quicker and will be able to eat a lot more. When only a couple pounds of muscle is added, your body will be able to keep fat off so you can stop dieting. The reason fat loss diets don’t work is the fact that when you stop dieting, you just gain all the weight right back. By adding muscle your body will become more efficient at burning calories so you won’t go back to where you started.
MuscleReview: I think some women still believe light weight and high reps are the only way for them to burn fat. Would you share your thoughts on this?
Flavia: The truth is you need a bit of both. The most effective way to lose fat and not gain it back is by building muscle. In order to build muscle you need to breakdown the muscle which is why we lift weights. When the muscle repairs itself, your body will build muscle. Women need to lift heavy enough weights to breakdown muscle tissue. If women want that “toned” looked, and I believe most do, women must be increasing two different types of tone, Myogenic and Neurogenic. Myogenic muscle tone is simply a muscle at rest. This type of tone is targeted through high rep training with low weights. Neurogenic muscle tone is achieved my using heavy weights with lowe reps and is responsible for the tone you see when a muscle is contracted. There is nothing sexier than a women who takes of her shirt and has firm defined arms. A women that has that works with both types of weight training.
MuscleReview: Could you explain what you mean by “targeted metabolic resistance training?”
Flavia: Targeted metabolic resistance training is working a specific muscle group to achieve shape by using metabolic style training to create an “afterburn” that will keep the body burning fat long after the workout. I use muscle-specific exercises to create definition to all the right muscles that make a women look like a women! Following metabolic style workouts the body’s metabolism will be fired up for up to 48 hours after the workout…now that’s a workout.
MuscleReview: What are some new things you’ve learned over the past year that have been integrated into Curvalicious?
Flavia: I have learned about the two different types of tone Myogenic and Neurogenic as discussed earlier and I have also learned new exercises that really give a lot of shape to the booty.
MuscleReview: How important is diet for those who want to change their physiques?
Flavia: Very important in fat loss and muscle gains to create sexy curves. Exercise and nutrition go hand and hand, and I have created a nutrition system that uses different meals that will give women amazing results when combined with the workouts. I explain what to eat, why and when so women won’t can start eating nutritiously without dieting ever again.
MuscleReview: What kind of feedback are you getting from trainees who tried this program?
Flavia: Very positve. The women who have tried this program are amazed at how their bodies are changing by adding curves. The women love that they don’t have to starve but instead love the new way they look at food and are finally able to not think about food in a negative way anymore. Women are also loving the shape in their arms and booty especially.
MuscleReview: Thanks again!
Flavia: Thank you all for reading.
Check out my full review of Curvalicious for more information.
