Go
hard or go home… yes, ladies… I mean you…
To find me lifting a weight in my early
twenties would have been a rare occasion. Here is what my workout “routine” (if
you can even consider this a “routine”) consisted of: Leslie Sansone Walk Away
The Pounds DVD’s, Occasional walks outside in the summer, 20 minutes on the
Elliptical at the local “hole in the wall” gym that I got a free membership to
for attending our local community college. When I was really motivated, I would
go for a jog (but never in the winter), use 2 lb. dumbbells in the occasional aerobics
classes at the gym, and sporadically attend Pilates at the gym.
I once bought one of those big stability balls
and vowed to do 100 crunches every day because I read in an article once that
Britney Spears did like 500 per day. Crazy, I know.
This was my logic, do what other people do that
look good, even if it sounds ridiculous & continue doing cardio until you
hit your goal weight, and then pick up those 2 lb. dumbbells to really start
toning and getting some definition. There was NO WAY in heck I wanted to build
“muscle over fat”, and get all “big”. All crazy myths I lived by, while never
achieving anything besides hitting that goal weight (but feeling pretty crappy
and lethargic all the time). How many times did the owner at the gym tell me during
my annual health test, “women need to stop being afraid of strength training,
it boosts your metabolism, and makes your cardio workouts more effective”.
Obviously this went in one ear and out the other.
It wasn’t until this past year, when I wised
up. Something must happen when you almost hit 30. Oh yeah, that’s right, you
stop being so stubborn, and become more open-minded to learning again. If only
I could go back to the owner at that gym, and say, “look at me now! I finally
listened to your advice”. I don’t know if he’d be thrilled, or annoyed to know
it took only 8 years for me to “get it”.
Here is the thing ladies… no matter what your
goal is, to lose weight (anything from 5- 100 lbs.), to get some definition and
“tone”, we need:
1)
Be open-minded to learning
2)
Dis-spell irrational thoughts and
myths about “strength training”
3)
Commit to 2- 3 days per week of
strength training (30-60 minutes)
5)
Put all of the above into action
I can’t tell you how to do #1 on this list; it
is something that will need to come from you when you are ready.
With that being said, let’s start with #2:
“Dis-spell irrational thoughts and myths about “strength training”. Here were
some of mine:
a) Strength training will “bulk” me up and make
me look “manly”.
b) I will build “muscle over fat”
c) The number on the scale will go up because
muscle weighs more than fat.
d) Light weights + Lots of Reps= sculpted body.
NOW it is your turn: (use mine or write down
your own)
a)
b)
c)
d)
I also can’t tell you how to do #3, or enforce
it. I’d like to think I could all jump in to check on you at home or at the gym
to make sure you are committed, but that may be going a little too far. I’ll trust you to believe that you have now
identified this as important, and will put your goal into action!
What I can do though, is suggest that you get a
calendar and schedule these workouts in as non-negotiable appointments. Don’t
use the excuse of “I have no time” because I don’t care how busy we are, we can make the time (ie- cancel other events, or
appointments that can wait, or rearrange things to squeeze in some time). Shoot
for just 2 days per week (30 mins each to start).
Now we have #4: Identify the positives to
Strength Training. And no, meeting a hot meat head at the gym is not one of
them (well maybe, if you are single that
is)… Here are the real positives:
a)
Strength training is scientifically
proven to provide the most effective results for fat loss.
b)
As we get older, our metabolism
slows down (sad, but true), the only way to combat this is through Strength
Training. Guess what? We aren’t getting as much out of our cardio routines when
that metabolism slows down, but if we are strength training, we are!
c)
“Though any strength training is
beneficial, slow, controlled reps working to create momentary failure in less
than 12 reps is one of the best ways to improve muscular strength and therefore
reduce body fat”.
d)
Helps us become more effective with
functional, everyday activity. Ie: Carrying groceries, carrying the baby,
lifting boxes, moving furniture, going up or down stairs, etc.
(Johnson, Chalene. PUSH. 2011).
Okay,
your turn, what do you see positive about strength training (now that you know
some of your “past thoughts” were myths) :
a)
b)
c)
d)
And lastly, # 5: Again, something you will have
to do on your own… but if Strength Training is something brand new to you here
are a few suggestions on how to get started: Take a “pump” or “strength
training” group exercise class. Ask about beginners. Set up a session or two
with a personal trainer who can help develop a tailored routine for you, once
you have learned the routine, you can do it on your own. There is a WONDERFUL
at home workout program that I suggest if you have a few dumbbells at home (I
suggest getting a 5 lb. pair for warm-ups, an 8 to 10 lb pair, and potentially
there is a set at Wal-Mart that goes up to 20 lbs.). This program is called:
ChaLEAN Extreme. The workouts are about 35 mins each. You will learn proper
form, and begin seeing changes in your body quickly. You’ll be astonished at
the lbs. you will be able to lift after a few weeks. A great book to use as a
guide is PUSH by Chalene Johnson- where she will give you a routine you can do
at home starting on page 211.
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