Females and Heavy Weights

Why do females feel that it is necessary to lift light weights? I have watched females in the gym lift 5 pound dumbbells for over three years. Did it help? What do you think?

Here are some highlights of an article I read this morning:

NUMBER 1:  YOU BURN MORE FAT! Bottom line. The more lean body mass you have in your body, the higher your metabolism is throughout the day. This blog says it all.  

One study showed that adding heavy lifting 2x per week can reduce your body fat by up to 3%....and that's without cutting calories! WHAT!? See what a trainer can do for you! 

NUMBER 2: TONE UP! The heavier the weight, the less reps, will cause better definition. You know all those females that you see that have sculpted arms, and I am not talking about the bodybuilding type, but the average gym rat. Well, it's easy to accomplish. Add weight to your work out, and decrease the amount of reps you do. Instead of grabbing 5 pound dumbbells for your bicep curls, grab a 10# and only do 8 reps. If you can't do even one, then switch down to the 8# and see how many you can get in. If you use any accessory muscles during any workout (ie back work to swing your arm up for a bicep curl), the weight is TOO heavy and STOP! 

Women are scared of using heavy weights because they think they will bulk up.  NOPE! We don't have enough testosterone in our bodies to cause that like the guys do. Women that get larger muscles, such as bodybuilders, are typically using supplements to allow this to happen.

NUMBER 3:  Osteoporosis. It doesn't matter how young you are, you don't want this disease. It limits your livelihood. Who wants to be 50 and can't walk or lift up a coffee cup because they are too weak? 

Research shows that moving heavy weights can maintain bone mass and CAN actually help build new bone. 

NUMBER 4: BURN MORE CALORIES!  Here's the DL on this tid bit:  You burn more calories during cardio BUT there are studies out there that show that you actually will burn more calories in a 24 hour period following your workout with heavy lifting. So, I say yes, DO BOTH! 

With all that being said, let's go back to NUMBER 2.  There was a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise that showed women who lifted 85% of max load 8x versus 45% of max load at 15x burned nearly 2x the calories during the two hours following their workout. 
Hmmmmm....makes you think, doesn't it!?

NUMBER 5:  Build Strength Faster. Add some compound exercises to your regimen. ie. squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc. 

NUMBER 6: LOSE BELLY FAT! Oh yes, you heard me right and all the ladies complain of belly fat....even the ones we think don't have any! There was a study at the University of Alabama that showed women who lifted more weight also lost more intra abdominal fat (aka visceral fat - see picture below) than those who did just cardio. 

This also helps lose the pouch even though you can't SPOT TRAIN but the biggest effect - it's a HEALTH exercise. Losing visceral fat will help decrease diabetes and even some cancers. This is the fat the hangs out around your organs. EESH! SCARY!

NUMBER 7: Feel EMPOWERED! Oh, I like this one! Do I need to say more?

NUMBER 8:  Decrease the risk of injury. Strengthening the muscles around joints can help prevent injury as well as increase joint integrity. 


To sum it up, if you are currently lifting weights, change it up. Add more and decrease your reps. If you aren't doing any weight training, START NOW!  Don't forget your cardio! Not only is it still good for your fitness life, it's good for your health! 

Signing off -------  
      Dawn, CPT of NASM and Owner of Body Core Fitness
               STAY FIT! 
                     OWN IT!
                 

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Grandma DD

My Grandma DD.

92nd Birthday Party!

An amazing woman that I can't say enough nice things. She is so caring and so thoughtful in every aspect. She is a social butterfly of her network of friends and always has been. She is 92 years old and up to about three months ago, used to exercise twice a week in an exercise class and walks all the time. (I am trying to get her back into the class....it makes her happy and she misses it too much!)

Last Wednesday, she woke up with a really bad sore throat and as the day progressed, it got harder for her to swallow. I received a phone call from my mom Sunday morning telling me that she isn't much better. I immediately headed that direction to see her and took her some chicken soup. I told her to drink lots of water and eat some food. She didn't have much energy which I am sure derived from lack of food. She seemed in good spirits and a little better by the time I left.

This morning, my dad calls and tells me that they are heading to Cambridge to take her to the ER..........

10/21/2012

I can't believe that I actually ran a half marathon! Seriously! If you would have asked me about doing this five years ago, I would have laughed in your face....and then lit up another cigarette. Now, five years after I quit, I can't get enough of running and wouldn't think about lighting up! I love running and the more I do, the better I feel.

But this sticker is what I have been wanting for about a year now! And the time has finally come! It is on my jeep! Right above my running sticker! There is one more sticker I want to get about running and then I should be good. Wish I could find a cover for my tire. That would be awesome! :)

What a GREAT day!

 

Looking forward to next year!

 

02:01:16

So close!

6 days and counting! That's it! I don't believe that I have trained enough for my goal but I know that I have trained enough to finish. I ran 11 miles last Sunday and 8 miles yesterday with my first four miles (alone) was averaged at 8:57 for time and the last four (with a friend) was averaged at 10:07 and felt great after it....could have ran more but I didn't want to overdo it with my race being only 7 days away. 

I'M READY!

13 Days

.....and counting!

I ran 11 miles yesterday and actually felt great and thought "I could do more but why push it". I just finished 7 miles two days prior. My last mile was paced at 8:54 min but it took me 1:55:22 to finish the 11 total. I want to get under 2 hours. I HAVE TO DO THIS!

I WILL DO THIS!

Period.

Counting Down

Less than a month.....24 days to be exact. Butterflies are setting in. The anxiety is taking over. Sometimes I think I should just pull out and not even try. But then reality comes back and smacks me in the face! I am soooo running this half marathon! Why would I think that I shouldn't or even couldn't run it? I have ran a total of 10 miles so far, including hills, and still had wind left in me. I wasn't dragging on the last mile...actually I was running at almost the fastest of the entire span.

I can do this! I WILL do this!

And it will be AWESOME!