Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Getcha Some: Weightlifting & Woman - Biggest Myths

I know I talk about iron in your diets, but are you adding iron to your workout as well??? Don't be scared, ladies...Getcha some!
"No one ever excused her way to success."



1. "If I want to lose weight, I need to starve myself and do lots of cardio." *Insert buzzer noise here*....WRONG. Total myth. There are 2 types of exercise. Aerobic and anaerobic. Using just one without the other, is like PB without the jelly. You need BOTH to see results in the body, especially that lean, sexy, toned look that woman want! While aerobic exercise burns fat and keeps our hearts healthy, that is all it does. By combining both you are going to be able to shed the fat and build sexy muscles at the same time. You will also see results much faster...time is money as a mom!

2. "Cardio burns more calories." While pushing through a good run is going to get your heart pumping and will burn a good amount of calories, once that run is over, so is your fat burning potential. When you add weights to your workout regimen, you are adding the post-exercise effect. Your body is going to keep burning calories long after you have finished your workout (I see this happen all the time on my heart rate monitor). It's also going to boost your metabolism... allowing you to burn more calories.

3. "I am going to bet bulky lifting weights." The only way you are going to get big is by lifting big (heavy weights and one-rep maxes) and by eating big.  By designing a high rep/low weight program (even if it's just body weight) and a healthy eating program/nutrition guide, you will maximize your strength training without overbuilding the muscles. This is what will give you the toned look, rather than the 'manly' look. Did you know that most woman don't have enough testosterone in their bodies to even develop huge muscles that men have? It's true. We do not have the same set of hormones that are responsible for muscle growth. So stop making excuses and pick up that dumbbell!

4. "Using the machines at the gym are better than free weights." There are 2 things the machines are great for: isolating the muscles and preventing injury by forcing you to use proper form and assistance. However, by using free weights you  are using your whole body at once, getting a better overall workout. While you are exercising a particular muscle or muscle group, you are also using the surrounding muscles by stabilizing yourself. This is the key to my abs. Using free weights forces me to use my core for all my workouts.

5. "Men and woman need to train differently." Nope. There is absolutely NO REASON men and woman can't train together to transform their bodies. In fact, my husband is my biggest support system and motivator. This goes back to that rep/weight concept I mentioned earlier. When I train with my husband we do the exact same exercises (squats, lunges, dead lifts, curls, clean and press, etc). The difference is, he uses it to build a strong, athletic, muscular look. I use it to build a lean, strong, slender look. He will pack on heavy weight and do less reps with longer rest intervals. I do lighter weight with more reps and short rest intervals.

"Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. They are the tools with no purpose other than building great monuments of nothing."


No comments:

Post a Comment