03/23/2013
Hit the Weights ladies, just once a week if you dont already. Cardio alone doesn't get you tight, lifted, toned, or strutting your bikini this summer:)
Gym myths?.....
There are so many out there and here are a few of my favourite, these tips will be featured in the new womens health and fitness australia tomorrow. So check it out!!!
Common mistakes or misconceptions around training the female body to be a lean and toned fat burning machine
1. Lifting heavy will make me big
This is probably the biggest myth out there, lifting heavy weights will not make you big or manly! When it comes to gaining muscle size women genetically do not have high enough testosterone levels to build muscle easily, it's actually a very slow steady process that requires large amounts of food to support the growth as well as a lot of volume training no so much even heavy weights or low reps, hypertrophic training is much more complex. If your goal is fat loss and some lean muscle gains for a toned and shaped physique it's not a lot the weight your lifting but how your executing it. It's about the overall effect of the training in relation to your goals, not the weight of the dumbbell. At the end of the day it comes back to nutrition it's not the weights that make you look bulky it's the excess body fat on top! If your gaining muscle and fat it's probably an overall over consumption of excessive energy. Watch your portions and try adding in some interval or HITT training.
2. Higher reps burns more calories and gets you leaner and more toned
False! As the point above its more about the overall training method and your nutritional intake than a rep range. Your body won't change unless you challenge it and make changes to your training. If you constantly lift the same weights within the same rep range and same tempos (speed) your body will use less and less calories to perform the exercise. Mix up your rep ranges and tempos for effective calorie burning workouts, for 3-4 weeks work in a 10-12 rep range, slow tempos them 3-4 weeks 15-20 faster tempos. It's more about the overall exercise time fat loss has been shown to be enhanced by exercises perform,ed from 45-60 seconds tapping into your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. So rather than going for reps time your exercises or change the tempo to fit this time frame e.g 8-10 with a 3 second eccentric and a 2 second concentric= 5 second x 10= 50 seconds or 12 reps 2 eccentric, 1 concentric = 52 seconds. It comes down to time under tension.
3. Cardiovascular training aids weight loss faster than resistance training
Cardiovascular training may seem like it often burns more calories when performed compared to resistance training but if your crunched for time and can only fit in one or the other the most effective training for calorie burn is full body metabolic resistance training. Full body high intensity, short recovery resistance training sessions not only work many muscles in your body giving your shape and definition but they also assist in raising your metabolic rate post training. After your train under resistance
Resistance doesn't have to mean weights it can be as simple as your own body weight, try some plyometrics, one of the biggest calorie burning, toning and metabolically firing exercises out there.
4. Females and males should train completely different
False, males and females do not need to train completely different, your training method should be built upon your overall goals. Males and females may have different areas of there bodies that they want to target more sure the exercises chosen may differ but the methods the,selves are goals based. For example if its fat loss or muscle hypertrophic both sexes can train under the same base principals, same reps, tempos, rest periods sets etc. always go back to your goals when choosing your training method, e.g fat loss more full body calorie intensive workouts, for muscle hypertrophic or toning/definition in a specific muscle group split program's and more isolated workouts under resistance.
5. Always stay in your 'fat burning' zone
The fat burning zone has been referred to as a desired heart rate which burns more fats for energy than carbohydrates or protein, when in fact again it comes back to nutrition. Yes there are different energy systems within the body 3 in fact which utilise different energy sources for periods of time and also cross over. But think about your body like a car whatever fuel you put in it will be the fuel that is used. If you eat a high carbohydrate intake which turns to muscle and liver glycogen storage you will utilise this first for fuel when exercising. If your glycogen levels are depleted your body has to create glucose through other processes predominantly fats. For fats loss at the end of the day you want the most efficient works lout possible, ignore the fat burning zone and aim to burn as many calories as possible. Performing 20 minutes of high intensity vs 40 minutes of low intensity can mean similar calorie burn, I know I'd rather spend 20 minutes than 40! Your body also doesn't like change, if you do the same training or cardio day in and day out your body becomes more efficient and uses less calories for the sa,e exercises, shock your body to male it change! Mix up your workouts every 3-6 weeks for a regular trainer for the most benefit.
6. Doing core work daily will give you a flat stomach or 6pack
If you do 500 sit ups a day, eat whatever you like and don't have overall healthy or low body fat levels you will not get a 6 pack! Have you ever hear the old abs are made in the kitchen not the gym! It's very true, I find the best methods for leaning out the mid section are cut down on alcohol, remove processed sugars and translate rated fats from your diet, increase your water intake, green tea daily and high intensity interval training. Even if you have the strongest core in the world with a layer of body fat on top they will never be seen unfortunately no matter what core work you do without adequate nutrition and other training. Aim to also include full body movements into your program that utilise your core as well as burning large amounts of calories such as a T dumbbell push up, rotational lunges or a squat press with weight.
7. I'm to sore to train
People often begin a new training program and are often to 'sore' and don't see it out more than 2-3 weeks. When you begin a new training regime you will be activating muscle groups which haven't had to work hard in a long time, when you train under resistance you make minor tears in muscle fibres which promotes re synthesis, growth and improvedym composition although initially it also means muscle soreness and stiffness. It's not a bad things it means your body is making changes! Stick to it the soreness will reduce but re,ember to include efficient warm ups, cool downs, adequate stretching, foam rolling and once a month invest in a good massage! If the soreness feels more than a tightness or stiffness or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and is giving you sharp or chronic pain then see a Physio or GP you may have overdone it! Injuries happen but with correct form, adequate recovery mechanisms and progression they are very unlikely I'm the gym, resistance training has been shown to reduce injury risk. Re,ember to keep fluids up, electrolytes and post workout nutrition to also prevent dehydration which can lead to stiff joints, soreness and fatigue. Try a bath with Epsom salts and some magnesium rich foods to reduce DOMS.
8. Spot reduction through training alone
This ones a tricky one, spot reduction is very difficult to do as body fat is stored differently in all people but body fat generally reduces evenly from all sites meaning those problem areas are possibly more a case of genetics, body typing or even hormonal or nutritional issues. Weight training will be able to target the area and possibly firm, shape and tighten it or build muscle in that area but not specifically prop body fat from the site. By resistance training your raising your metabolism overall by promoting lean muscle development and with a well balanced diet this will be your best method for overall body fat reduction. Storage of body fat I'n different areas has been highly linked with hormonal responses in the body and your current food intakes, nutrition will play more of a role I'm spot reduction than training.
Alice round: MetaFit.com.au
Metabolically charged health & fitness
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