I recently sat down with Cheri Collyer, CEO and co-owner of En Route Personal Training in Annapolis, MD, to talk about several important aspects of physical fitness including fat loss and muscle building for women over 40, diet myths and realities, hormone replacement therapy and her experience as a physique athlete, personal trainer and diet coach.

Cheri is a 66-year-old accomplished competitive bodybuilder who provides personal training for men, women and kids of all ages.

Cheri talked to me about one of the most frequently sought after goals from her female personal training clients. Not surprisingly, many women, especially those who are over the age of 40, have the desire to build a lean, toned physique.

And the majority of those women tell Cheri that they “want to lose weight.” She points out that a more accurate interperetaion is that they want to lose fat.

Cheri’s response to this statement is spot-on. It’s not just about losing weight. She explains that in order to be toned, you have to build the muscle on your body and lose body fat. That is a very important distinction.

She emphasizes that women should not be concerned about building a significant amount of muscle like a bodybuilder. She explanined that there is a way to build that amount of muscle but it takes a very specific type of training and eating plenty of calories.

One of the her most important messages to women who are afraid of building muscle in order to get the toned appearance that they desire: “You’re not going to get bulky.”

Our discussion was just over an hour long and we talked about her history as a personal trainer and competetive bodybuilder, her take on women and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and her music preferences while working out.

Check out my talk with Cheri Collyer on YouTube here and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel.

Thanks for watching an let me know what topics you’d like to see me cover in future episodes.

You can also watch past conversations I’ve had with other fitness and wellness experts in the field at the APD Fitness & Wellness YouTube channel here.

66-Year-Old Female Bodybuilder Makes a Bold Statement About Getting Toned was originally published in Write A Catalyst on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.