I admit it, you can admit it, and we can all admit that we
have believed in something that is not true before. The
tooth fairy, santa claus, and the easter bunny, comes to
mind. At some point in time, we all found out they were
not true, at least I hope this 100% accurate. If not,
please go seek medical attention immediately. Now, for the
rest of us, there are some fitness myths out there that I
must put between my cross hairs and destroy them.
1. I don't lift weights because I don't want to bulk up.
After training hundreds of women, giving dozens of
seminars, and speaking with still hundreds more about
working out, this is the most common statement I get from
women about why they do not strength train. The good news
is, women only have about one-third the testosterone a male
has therefore making it highly unlikely you will bulk up.
You say; the first thing that comes to mind is all these
women I see on TV are huge with bulky muscles. First of
all, these women have a very unique gene set. Secondly,
they are taking testosterone and growth hormone injections.
Thirdly, they are training hours a day under the close
scrutiny of a personal trainer and a nutritionist. So, the
good news is you do not have to worry about bulking up.
The facts are, increasing lean muscle mass from strength
training will: 1.Decrease your body fat. 2.Make your body
more firm and compact. 3.Increase your metabolism.
4.Increase your energy. Take a look at some of these
celebrities that strength train frequently: Jennifer
Garner, Madonna, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Fergie, any of the
Desperate Housewives. The list goes on and on. Do any of
these women look bulky? Not hardly. Most of these women
are the epitome of the body every woman wants to have.
Lastly, you say; I can feel my arms getting bigger, my legs
getting wider, and so forth on. Do not rely on a
subjective feeling. Instead get cold hard objective data.
I have dealt with this situation before. Check the
circumference of your arms, legs, waist, or wherever you
think you are getting bigger. BUSTED!
2. Higher repetitions will help me tone up.
Higher repetitions are a component of muscular endurance.
While muscular endurance is an important part of overall
physical fitness, it is not a part of muscular strength.
Muscular strength is dependent upon stressing the muscles
enough for them to adapt and change to work more
efficiently. When they become more efficient, this is
where the increase in strength and lean muscle mass occurs.
Think of it this way; you can carry a five pound bag of
groceries up and down the street probably for hours on end.
However, replace that five pound grocery bag with a sixty
pound sand bag. You are going to: 1.use more energy. 2.In
turn, burn more fat. 3.Increase lean muscle mass. 4.Look
more firm and TONE. BUSTED!
3. I'm turning fat into muscle.
Really? Can you turn a one dollar bill into a one hundred
dollar bill? Can you turn a piece of junk clunker car into
a Cadillac Escalade? If it were only that easy, but I
don't think so. Fat cells and muscle cells are two
separate entities with their own structural and chemical
composition. Without getting into deep anatomy and
physiology here, I'll explain on the most basic level. Fat
cells are nothing more than extra stored energy. They can
do three things. They can get smaller by your body using
fat as energy. They can stay the same size when there is
an equal energy balance. Lastly, they can get bigger when
there is a positive energy balance; from overeating.
Muscle cells function is to produce movement, deliver
blood, and deliver oxygen. They can either get stronger,
from strength training, known as muscle hypertrophy. They
can atrophy, which means they get smaller or destroyed.
Lastly they can stay the same. They are totally unrelated
in the way they are used physiologically. So you see, even
though when you are losing fat and putting on muscle, this
has the appearance that you are turning fat into muscle.
However, what is really happening is that you are
increasing the amount of lean tissue in your body, and your
body is dropping body fat, revealing the lean tissue that
was previously covered up body fat. BUSTED!
4. If I do enough situps, I will have a flat, firm stomach.
If that were the case, everybody would look great in a
bikini. Unfortunately, walk down any beach in the United
States and you will know this is not true. Everybody would
have these lame ab machines that you see on TV
infomercials, and there would be no reason for anybody to
undergo any fitness training whatsoever except for situps.
Is the picture becoming much clearer? Unfortunately, this
myth is rampant in gyms and homes across America. The fact
is that in order to a flat, firm stomach, there is much
more to the puzzle than doing countless situps. It is true
that performing correct situps, the core abdominal muscles
will become stronger which is a good thing. However,
performing endless situps hoping to get the dream stomach
will only end in demotivating frustration and
disappointment. There are certain keys that must be
achieved to get a flat, firm, tone stomach: 1.Reduction in
body fat is the only way the muscles of the stomach will
show. 2.Proper nutrition must consistently be maintained to
decrease the amount of body fat. 3.Proper exercises of the
abdominal must be performed correctly and consistently.
4.Lean muscle mass must be increased to boost metabolism
and decrease body fat. Pretty simply huh? BUSTED!
5. Lower intensity exercise will have me in my fat burning
zone.
Oh please, and gas will be five cents a gallon too right?
The truth is your body is always using energy to even
maintain life. A combination of fats, carbohydrates, and
protein is always being used by the body for energy AT THE
SAME TIME. It would be nice if the body could just use one
energy source at a time. Then, you could truly be in the
fat burning zone. However, that is just wishful thinking.
The body has complex physiological processes it undergoes
when using energy. During aerobic exercise the body is
using all three energy systems, but mainly carbohyrdates.
Here are the keys: 1.The harder you are working, the more
energy you use. 2.The more energy you use, the more
calories you expend. 3.The more calories you expend, the
more weight you lose as long as you are in a negative
energy balance: Taking in less energy than you are
expending. ANOTHER MYTH BUSTED!
In part two, we will cover myths 6-10.
----------------------------------------------------
I am a graduate of Marshall University with a degree in
exercise science. I am a personal trainer, boot camp
instructor, speaker, and author. I give women the body and
the results they want, period! To learn more, visit
http://www.fatlossforwomenonly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment