They say something is better than nothing, but doing shoulder presses and bicep curls with dainty fluorescent colored dumbbells is close to doing nothing. It's a case of she who fears doing too much; does too little.
How many times have I heard this broken record, "I want to tone-up, but I don't want to get bulky?" But how does one tone-up without a sufficient amount of resistance to challenge the body? The answer is you don't. Secondly, weight training alone will not make you bulky - (which is a less accurate term for maximal muscular development).
Many women have an unfounded fear that lifting moderate to heavy weights will cause them to develop muscle size that of a competive body builder. Like all sports, competitive body building takes a refined deliberate effort beyond that of just general fitness. Maximal muscular development is not achieved by sheer accident or by just lifting heavy weights. There are other variables in play besides sets, reps, and load. Secondly, it's a bit more difficult for women to increase muscular size as compared to men. Mainly because men possess more of the hormone testosterone than women. But this is not to say that a woman is not capable of gaining significant muscle mass; just that the speed and size of muscular development is not the same between the sexes.
When women refer to toning-up it's usually with the following goals in mind: reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass. Resistance training with moderate to heavy loads has a desirable effect on both of these goals. Among the many unique qualities of the human body is its ability to adapt or adjust its functional capacity to meet desired needs. But the body will only adapt if it has a reason to adapt. So waving around 5 pound dumbbells no heavier than the briefcase you carry to work each day is not going to initiate a cause for change. You get out of your training what you put into it. So crank up the intensity if you want to see some changes.
How many times have I heard this broken record, "I want to tone-up, but I don't want to get bulky?" But how does one tone-up without a sufficient amount of resistance to challenge the body? The answer is you don't. Secondly, weight training alone will not make you bulky - (which is a less accurate term for maximal muscular development).
Many women have an unfounded fear that lifting moderate to heavy weights will cause them to develop muscle size that of a competive body builder. Like all sports, competitive body building takes a refined deliberate effort beyond that of just general fitness. Maximal muscular development is not achieved by sheer accident or by just lifting heavy weights. There are other variables in play besides sets, reps, and load. Secondly, it's a bit more difficult for women to increase muscular size as compared to men. Mainly because men possess more of the hormone testosterone than women. But this is not to say that a woman is not capable of gaining significant muscle mass; just that the speed and size of muscular development is not the same between the sexes.
When women refer to toning-up it's usually with the following goals in mind: reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass. Resistance training with moderate to heavy loads has a desirable effect on both of these goals. Among the many unique qualities of the human body is its ability to adapt or adjust its functional capacity to meet desired needs. But the body will only adapt if it has a reason to adapt. So waving around 5 pound dumbbells no heavier than the briefcase you carry to work each day is not going to initiate a cause for change. You get out of your training what you put into it. So crank up the intensity if you want to see some changes.
2 comments:
Bring on 'em weights!!!
Ooh, Elmo is trash talking...;)
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