The Myth of Muscle

I have heard a million different rumors about muscle. The worst being that muscle "bulks you up", and I know,  being a women who's trying to lose weight, the last thing I want to do, is bulk up.  A lot of women don't want muscle because they want the scale to read an absurd number. Well let me tell you ladies, there is a huge difference between skinny and fit. their are plenty of out of shape skinny people, So is that really your goal? to lose enough weight to be skinny? to have the scale say 110...          
Heres the truth...
The scale lies, its not your friend. and


Muscle Burns Fat.......


Studies have estimated that for each pound of muscle that you add to your body, you burn an additional 35 to 50 calories per day. So, an extra 10 pounds of muscle will burn approximately 350 to 500 calories a day, or an extra pound of fat every 7 to 10 days, without making any other changes. In another study, researchers found that regular weight training boosts basal metabolic rate by about 15%. This is because muscle is 'metabolically active ' and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you're not moving.On top of that, pound for pound muscle takes up one third of the space fat does. so not only does muscle burn fat, it makes you thinner. 


Here are some reasons why weight training DOES NOT bulk women up

1. Women do not have nearly as much testosterone as men. In fact, according to Bill Kreamer in Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, women have about 15 to 20 times less testosterone than men. Testosterone is the reason men are men and women are women. After men hit puberty, they grow facial hair, their voice deepens, and they develop muscle mass. Because men have more testosterone, they are much more equipped to gain muscle. Because women do not have very much testosterone in their bodies, they will never be able to get as big as men.

2. The perception that women will bulk up when they begin a strength training program comes from the chemically-altered women on the covers of bodybuilding magazines. These “grocery stand models” are most likely pumped full of some extra juice. This is why they look like men. If you take the missing link that separates men from women and add it back in, what do you have? A man!

3. For women, toning is what happens when the muscle is developed through training.  This is essentially bodybuilding without testosterone. Since the testosterone is not present in sufficient amounts, the muscle will develop, but it won’t gain a large amount of mass.  The “toned” appearance comes from removing the fat that is covering a well-developed muscle.

4. Muscle bulk comes from a high volume of work. The repetition range that most women would prefer to do (8–20 reps) promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth). For example, a bodybuilding program will have three exercises per body part. For the chest, they will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12. This adds up to 108 total repetitions. A program geared towards strength will have one exercise for the chest—flat bench for six sets of three with progressively heavier weight. This equals 18 total repetitions. High volume (108 reps) causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy. The considerably lower volume (18 reps) will build more strength and cause minimal bulking. 

5. Heavy weights will promote strength not size. This has been proven time and time again. When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.

And, according to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.

6. Bulking up is not an overnight process. Many women think they will start lifting   weights, wake up one morning, and say “Holy crap, I’m huge!” This doesn’t happen.   The men that you see who have more muscle than the average person have worked hard for a long time (years) to get that way. If you bulk up overnight, contact me because I want to do what you’re doing.

7. What the personal trainer is prescribing is not working. Many women, come into a new program and say they want to do body weight step-ups, body weight lunges,   and leg extensions because it’s what their personal trainer back home had them do. However, many of these girls need to look in a mirror and have a reality check because   their trainer’s so-called magical toning exercises are not working. Trainers will hand out easy workouts and tell people they work because they know that if they make the program too hard the client will complain. And, if the client is complaining, there’s a   good chance the trainer might lose that client (a client to a trainer equals money). 

8. Bulking up is calorie dependant. This means if you eat more than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you are burning, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most women perceive any weight gain as “bulking up” and do not give attention to the fact that they are simply getting fatter. As Todd Hamer, a strength and conditioning coach at George Mason University said, “Squats don’t bulk you up. It’s the ten beers a night that bulk you up.” This cannot be emphasized enough. 




Please ladies, 
Do not be afraid to pick up a dumbbell and do some curls. building muscle will give you a huge  boost metabolically, It will slim you down, and reduce cellulite. It is also your best weapon agents gaining your weight back. So stay tuned, my next post will be on easy ways to start building muscle.

The only way to lose weight.

Alright,

I know none of you want to hear this, But before you click the x button, hear me out.

The age old saying, "move more, and eat less"  is not only true, but it is also the basis of EVERY weight loss program. Please don't use the 'eat less' part as a reason to eat nothing but a snickers all day. And do not think switching from a big mac to a chicken sandwich, with bacon cheese and ranch, is a better choice.  DO NOT fall for the fast food salad is good for you trap. Most of those salads have as many or more calories then the burgers do.  Just because something has lettuce in it does not make it healthy.


As easy as it might sound, eating less and moving more, can be difficult without a plan.  So I am going to give you guys some tools to help you do just that.


Eat less.......


    * Keep a journal: US researchers working on a study comparing approaches to weight loss, found that keeping a food diary can double weight loss. They said that the more food records they kept, the more weight the participants lost. Don't eat it until its in the journal.  

    * Drink more water: Clinical studies have shown that 37% of people mistake hunger for thirst because the thirst mechanism is so weak. By doing so, the body is led to think that it needs food when what it’s really asking for is water. Before you pick up the cookies, have a glass of fresh cold water

    * Choose your food wisely:  A great example of this is, grapes and raisins. Ounce for ounce, raisins have almost three times the amount of sugar as their grape counterparts. Raisins also contain considerably more calories. A half-cup of raisins contains 246 calories and the same amount of grapes contains only 31 calories. Now I'm not claiming raisins are bad for you, But in a situation when you need to cut calories, you will feel more satisfied eating a cup of grapes, then an ounce of raisins.

    * Know what's in your food:  If you look at a package of bread, and think your eating bread, your WRONG.  The only food you can judge by its cover, is food that is not required to have a nutrition label. Like fruit, veggies, some meats. That package of  bread, most times contains over twenty ingredients. Most lunch meat contains tons of salt, and sugar. Keep your food as pure as possible.

    * Tell people what your doing: Accountability is one of the most important factors in losing weight, or changing any behavior. When you have to report to someone else, when you feel a level of pressure, it tends to change how you think and act. One of the reasons the weekly Weight Watchers Meeting is so effective, is that it forces you to weigh in once a week. It forces you to be accountable to yourself.

Now, on to... drum roll please!

 

MOVING MORE!


    * Find a work out buddy: This one is pretty easy to understand. Doing things with friends always seems to be less work. And you get accountability!

    * Schedule time for exercise: To many of us spend all our time taking care of our family's, and neglect ourselves. In reality, when we are in shape, we move faster, we get sick less, we need less help doing daily activities. Don't let your self believe that you don't have time to work out. You can find 15 minuets a day to prolong your life.

    * Have home work out options: Even if you are a gym or running addict, ALWAYS have back up at home. I guarantee you, at some point in your health journey, something will come up that will stop you from going to the gym. You can get a great workout at home, and not all DVDs are that pricey. You can go to Wal-mart and pick one up for five dollars.  If you need help finding a workout that suites you or you just want a recommendation, call me! I will be happy to help you find one that meets your needs. I've done a million of them.

    * Go the extra mile:  Walking to the mailbox instead of driving, parking farther away form the entrance, and taking the stairs really adds up at the end of the day.  Get a pedometer and run a test. Wear it once and do your normal routine. Then try going out of your way to your daily tasks, the steps won't lie!  

This is just a few ideas to get you guys motivated. There are so many more little changes, that make big impacts on our health.  Feel free to call or email me, any time you need help. And help people that you know are struggling, all of us need a little support.