Women and Weight Training
A big misconception that I run
into frequently is women who want to get into shape think that all they need to
do is take aerobics classes a few times a week and within two months they will
see results...Well, on one hand yes, they will probably see a reduction in total
bodyweight because of the increased physical activity (as long as the calories
they are taking in have not increased) but, women need to realize that a body
that looks muscularly healthy - with toned muscle tissue and skin - comes from a
combination of CONSISTENT aerobic activity and
CONSISTENT weight training activity. This is a fact!
Therefore, any exercise regimen should be a balanced combination of both.
Let me try to illustrate for you what happens if one does solely aerobic
exercise. Let's assume your body is pear-shaped. If you do nothing but aerobic
exercise in an effort to "tone" your body, you will probably lose weight (again,
provided that the calories you are consuming are less than what you are
expending through exercise). However, when you look in the mirror to admire your
new body you discover that you have simply become a smaller version of that
pear. Why? Because you did nothing - that's right - nothing to reshape or even
maintain the muscle that was already on your body. Guess what the missing
ingredient is? Yep, weight training. There's no getting around this plain and
simple fact.
Toning. Just what does the word mean anyway? To a hairstylist it means a color,
or shade of color. Toning your body simply
means holding onto or increasing muscle while shedding body fat.
Muscle building and toning are the same thing!
In the gym I constantly encounter women who are looking to
tone their body. They don't want muscle, of course. They just want to tone and
strengthen their body. I smile to myself and ask, "Tone and strengthen what?"
They will think for a moment, grab a handful of skin at the side of their hip
and say, "This." "Your skinny" I ask. "Well, then maybe you should see an
esthetician. That's what they do - tone and pamper skin." Do you get my point.
As a personal trainer my job is to tone
and strengthen muscle.
If you are one of those persons looking for muscle tone, then
you have to accept the fact that the muscle has to grow and become stronger to
make the skin feel tighter. Additionally, the more muscle you have on your body,
the more calories you will burn even at rest. Muscle tissue is more bioactive
than fat tissue. Fat just sits there. It takes energy (calories) just to
maintain lean muscle tissue. Thus, it makes sense that you would want to
maintain as much muscle on your body as possible in your quest for to burn body
fat and "tone." The muscles you have on your body right now, whether a little or
a lot, is in direct correlation to the number of calories you burn at any given
moment. Muscle is vital tissue worth protecting.
The next concern, of course, is the fear of getting
big and bulky. There are two reasons to not let this fallacy undermine your
quest for a "toned" figure. First and foremost ladies, unless you are taking
large doses of anabolic steroids or producing testosterone like a young bull it
is physically impossible
for you to develop large, bulky muscles. Secondly, if people could only
understand how much work it takes to put on size through weight training, this
concern would be nonexistent. Those who believe in the "Just Toning Theory" are
not even close to the mindset you would need to develop BIG
muscles with weight training.
Next, some people believe that high repetitions and low
weights is the way to "Just Tone." This theory is simply a great way to waste a
lot of your precious time in the gym. The muscles need to have constant
increases in stimuli in order to strengthen, shape and tone. That's right - you
can go through the motions with the high rep-low weight theory, or you can get
results quick and easy by putting the proper stresses on that body that it needs
to "Just Tone."
Finally, there are no magic potions or creams or easy
workouts (high rep-low weight). If you want your loose skin to be tighter, you
have to replace that body fat tissue underneath your skin with muscle tissue and
you have to that through aerobics exercise AND
muscle building, which happens to be the same as "toning."
Remember, without muscles it is harder to burn fat, and there
is nothing for your skin to tighten itself around. Isn't that what you are
trying to achieve, anyway? Best of luck.
Yours In Health,
Dr. Diet
You can contact
Dr. Diet
via e-mail with any questions at
drdiet@prodiets.com.
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