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A Weighty Issue
March 10th, 2010 | 
Author: By Julia
I’ve got a bone to pick. I know, I know… my first post on Our Mommyhood, and I’ve already got a bone to pick! Wanna hear it? Of course you do.
Women and their misconceptions of weight training!
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of it all, I want to give you a little background info on me. I’ve been weight training since high school and even got into competitive powerlifting for several years. So, weight training is obviously a passion of mine. However, please don’t think I am trying to convert you all into competitive weight lifters! I just want women to understand that they shouldn’t be afraid of it… and actually, how getting off the treadmill and into the weight room can benefit you more than you realize.
Without getting into too much science mumbo jumbo, I think we’ve all heard the benefits of weight training. Increases bone density to help prevent osteoporosis. Increases metabolism. Increases strength to prevent injury in every day tasks. In the words of Elaine Benes… “yada, yada, yada.”
And my other bone to pick… those aerobics classes that use light bars to make you think like you’re lifting weights to get toned! Aye, aye aye.
So, first let’s get into some of those things you might not know.
1. Weight training will make you look like a man. I promise you… it will not! I’ve been lifting weights for 13 years and I have yet to wake up one morning and have muscles up to my ears and arms bigger than my husband’s. It’s just not happening. And I know you’ve heard that before, but do you really believe it? If you are always going into weight training with the misconception that “I have to lift light weights, I can’t go too heavy”, then you’re really not believing. For massive amounts of muscle growth, you have to have large amounts of testosterone. And us women… we just don’t have it.What about the fitness models on the magazines that look all toned and shredded with a beautiful six-pack? First of all, photoshop. Second of all, they train specifically for those photo shoots, working out, dieting (I hate that word), tanning, etc. There really is a process to looking that way. 95% of the women do not look that way every single day of their lives. Trust me, I’ve seen it.
What about the big huge muscle ladies that are in those posing body-building shows? They look like men! One word: steroids. Yes, yes, those women do steroids. There is no possible way to look like that other than articifial hormones. Are you satisfied? Can we move on? Great.
2. I just want to lose fat, so I just do the treadmill and elliptical. If you’re doing the same thing you’ve been doing and not seeing any results, then you need to change. Long slow cardio, despite what people think, is not the best way to burn fat. In fact, it often takes you twice as long to burn the amount of calories you want. Weight training provides a whole new stimulus and will increase your heart rate higher than jogging on the treadmill at 4.5 mph.
3. I do lift weights… light weights with a lot of reps to get “toned.” (Like that aerobics class). I’m going to admit something to you… (whisper) I don’t really like that word “toned”. Either you want to gain a little muscle or you don’t! Lifting those dinky 5 pound dumbbells is not going to melt the fat off your triceps. Doing 50 reps is not going to melt the fat off your triceps. In fact, fat does not turn to muscle. You have to lose the fat first, then the shape of the muscle will show through. I truly hope that makes sense because if you don’t understand that, you’ll keep banging your head against the wall with no results.
So, how do you lose the fat first? I’m glad you asked. I’ll tell you! Lift weights!! Push yourself to go above and beyond what you normally do. How heavy should you lift? Heavy enough that by the time you get to the last couple reps, it’s getting very difficult to lift. How often should you lift heavy weights? Start with twice a week, one day upper body, second day lower body.
If you’re really wanting to get into more than that, I would encourage you to add one or two days of interval training. One of the best ways to lose fat weight is to do interval training. This is bursts, or sprints, of high heart rate activity, followed by a short rest period. I’ll list a few ways to get you started and hopefully you can get creative and come up with your own ideas.
Photo Courtesy: Reappopriate.com
1. Weight training paired with a calisthenic exercise.
For example, dumbbell bench press paired with mountain climbers; then rest for 30 seconds. Perform 3-5 sets, then move on to another pair of exercises.
2. Weights paired with weights.
For example, lat pulldown machine paired with shoulder press, then rest 30 seconds.
3. Weights/Calisthenics circuit.
Create a list of 8-10 exercise, alternating a weight exercise with a calisthenic. Perform the entire circuit, then rest 2 minutes and repeat 1-2 more times.
That is just a very short list of a few things you can do. By jacking up your heart rate for a minute or two, you are burning far more calories than if you did something slow for that minute or two. Therefore, by doing an intense weight training session for 30 minutes, you can burn as many, if not more calories, than if you did 30 minutes of slow cardio. Plus, you’ll feel more energized and more accomplished.
I realize that there is a lot of untapped information that I can get into here. Please don’t get discouraged, but remember, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get the same results you’ve always gotten!! It’s time to make a change! Hopefully in the near future, I can get more in depth about some awesome workouts that I do for our conditioning workouts at my job. In the meantime, please leave me with any questions you have and I will be more than happy to help you out. Happy lifting!
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Light weights are for wimps! I saw a woman on TV one time and she said that lifting weights kept her looking young (she wasn’t kidding either) because without having muscles under her skin, it would just sag and look gross. The muscles held her skin tight and there was little sagging. That changed my life forever…now I can do 90 pushups (real pushups and they’re in sets of 10, so don’t think I’m some GI Jane) and cardio and weights and feel good about it b/c my arm skin may not be hanging off me when I’m 70!
Thanks for the tip! I was doing mostly the elliptical for 30 minutes with some weight training but I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted. I stopped that routine and started to the bicycle for 30 minutes and weight training for another 30, and that is on day 1. My second workout day consists of just weight training for 30 minutes. I just switched to it but after reading your post, I think I’ll see more results. I didn’t know about lifting heavier weights but I will do that this next time. Thanks!!
Great tips; thanks!
Excellent post Julia! I couldn’t agree more!!
You are absolutely right! I have a dear friend I’ve known since high school who is a professional fitness model. She is passionate about fitness and a HUGE inspiration. Sure, when she’s competing on stage, oiled up, with pounds of makeup and self tanner packed on, and every possible muscle pushed out and bulging she might appear a little “manly” but that’s because that’s her in competition. When she’s not flexing and wearing that crap she doesn’t look that way. She looks incredible! She’s lean and very effiminate. She’s strong but she still has a female shape about her. I admire her so much and if I’m ever in the position to find (and hire) a personal trainer to teach me to get into that kind of shape, I plan on it! Great blog!
THANK YOU! I am so tired of going to the gym and watching what I call, “Gym rats” use their elliptical while reading their magazine…Lift some darn weights! I also did competitive weightlifting….i miss those days!
You’re so right! I learned how to lift when I had the luxury of a personal trainer for several years. (Loved that guy! He worked wonders for my body!) When I got married, Hubby and I set up a small home gym. Our first investments? A weight bench, nice set of dumb bells, and a treadmill. I have recently begun lifting consistently again and it feels great! Little tasks aren’t hard anymore. And though I have too much fat covering my muscles, the boob lift was noticeable within 2 weeks! Excellent post!
awesome gals!! i hope this inspires you to try some different things!! Keep it up!
Great post Julia. Some excellent info which can apply to both women and men. I look forward to more posts on these tpoics
I’m so glad you posted about this. I used to only do cardio, and it wasn’t until I picked up some heavy weights that I noticed a huge change in my body! At first I was afraid I would “bulk” up and look like those women weight lifters, the ones with the huge shimmering muscles and the receding hair line! HA. That of course didn’t happen. Now, I combine ChaLEAN Extreme with Insanity (both from Beachbody) and I love it! I’ve never been happier with my body!
Thanks for posting this! I recently lost 25-30 pounds (depending on how many Oreos I eat), and weight training has been a huge part of my routine. I admit, I have guns, and I’m not afraid to show them!!
Great tips.. I do not want to look like a man either. Just toning please..
Great post and it is good to hear advise..
Wow – you just really made me want to get back to my gym! Thanks for the motivation.
I really need to try some weight training! Thanks for the tips!
Julia, This is a great post!! You have really got my wheels turning in ways they’ve never turned before. I lost fifty pounds just walking, but (BIG but) my skin just hangs, and I need muscle so much. This post just might be the kick in the butt I need. Thank you!
Great tips. I used to do a lot of weight lifting a few years back. Honestly, I feel so stupid saying “weight lifting” because, like you said, it gives the impression that you are one of those uber tan, muscled chicks…which I’m not. Think uber white and pretty stick like. It feels so good to get that nice workout in. Reading this post reminds me that I really should get back into going to our rec center and stop making excuses.
PS….love this new site!
~kay
Great read! We’re working our way through P90X right now and I have to admit that I was initially worried about what lifting heavy weights would do to me. I wish I had read this before we started, I might have been able to get over it quicker! So far I’m loving my weight-training results