| The myth that causes many women to
give up on weight training is the belief that lifting weights
creates large bulging muscles. The truth? Women simply do
not have enough of
the hormone testosterone to allow for large increases in muscle
size. In fact, women have ten to twenty times less testosterone
than males. Result? Toned, sleek, shapely arms, legs, butt and so
on, not hefty ones!
Large bulky muscles do not suddenly appear
because you start weight training and women who
believe this miss out
on many of the benefits
that strength training offers.
Women who incorporate
strength training into their workouts increase
their muscle mass. Muscle tissue is heavier than fat but takes
up less space - approximately five times less space. So your weight
may show the same on the scales BUT your shape will have altered
dramatically. You will have "personally downsized"! By this stage
you will feel great and look fabulous!
And the best bit? Building muscle turns you into a Lean, Mean
Calorie-burning Machine! Yes, it's true. Muscle tissue needs calories
just to exist...when you have muscle, you burn calories at rest...even
while watching TV or chatting on the phone!
The more muscle you have, the more calories
you burn at rest and while
doing your normal daily activities. For
each pound of muscle you gain, you can expect to use
30 to 50 more calories per day. This means, if you gain four
pounds of
muscle,
you could burn 40 extra calories per pound, which equals an
additional 120 calories used in a day, which equals
3,600 additional calories per month and could result
in a
weight loss of 10 to 12 pounds per year!
BUT remember...If you don't use it, you lose it. Muscle tissue
is expensive for the body to maintain in terms of calories. If
not maintained, it will be reabsorbed. Muscle does NOT change to
fat (different kind of tissue), but will eventually be replaced
by fat.
So remember. Weight training is an important part of a balanced
and
effective
fitness
programme. You will not end up looking
like Popeye and will reach your fitness
goal much quicker.
For more information on how to achieve your fitness goals please
click on the following links:
Personal Training (One to
One)
Group Personal Training (Groups
of up to 8 people)
Pilates Training (Groups of up to
12 people)
Carol Bartram (Dip.PT, IIHHT)
Personal Trainer
Pilates Instructor
Hull, East Yorkshire, UK
carol@zestforliving.co.uk
http://www.zestforliving.co.uk
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