Two Scenarios:
(1)
Jill is a client who is 27 years old and looking to lose about 35 pounds. She has recently signed a contract with a trainer, Bob, who is going to put her on a 12 week program. Today is their first session.
Bob: Hi Jill, how are you doing today? Please tell me in detail what goals you’d like to accomplish within the next 12 weeks.
Jill: Oh Bob, I just plan on losing all this weight. I want to do as much cardio as I can and eat around 1,000 calories a day. My friend did it and she lost a lot of weight…so since it worked for her that is what I would like to try as well. Now, if you can just tell me how much cardio to do…I could get started!
Bob: Well unfortunately, that plan doesn’t sound like a very successful one. With doing excessive amounts of cardio you put yourself in danger of losing muscle mass, especially while on a low calorie diet and that is not going to be what we want if we are looking for long-term results. Losing muscle mass would stop you from burning high amounts of calories during the day…which means it will take us even longer to get you to your goal.
Jill: I don’t care if I lose fat or muscle loss, I just want to lose weight!
Bob: Well, let me explain to you the difference. If you lose muscle, it is true, you might become smaller…but your body will look the same. If you have love handles now, they will still be there in 12 weeks. What we need to do is put you on a balanced program of cardio and resistance training.
Jill: RESISTANCE TRAINING? No! I can’t do that! I don’t want huge muscles and my legs are already big enough. I can’t lift weights, I will end up looking like a man! No Bob, there has to be another way.
(2)
Marcus is a 35 year old who isn’t overweight or underweight. He is of normal stature and just wants to improve his physique. He is looking to tone up and become more athletic. Yesterday he signed a 6 week contract with Amanda, an experienced trainer who specializes in kicking butt. Today is their first session.
Amanda: Hey Marcus, are you ready for today? Let’s talk about your goals for our program and we’ll see what I can do to help accomplish them.
Marcus: Well, I am not looking to lose 20 pounds or even gain 15. I only want to change my physique. I want to look good with my shirt off and I want my abs to be awesome. However, I can’t lift weights Amanda. In the past I have tried this and the only thing that happens to me is that I get huge! I don’t want to look like Arnold and that is basically what happens, so we need to avoid that at all cost. I also can’t do any cardio because I drop weight fast and while I don’t want to look like Arnold I also don’t want to look like Urkel…please just tell me what to do.
Amanda: Well Marcus, I think that one problem we are having with you and your goals is that you have a lot of misconceptions about cardio and also about weight training. Just because you lift weights doesn’t mean you are going to turn out like Arnold…and just because you get on a treadmill once in a while doesn’t mean you are going to end up weighing 95 pounds. There is always a method behind the madness…all we have to do is decide which path of cardio and weight training is best for your goals. But let me assure you…you should never be afraid of anything that is inside the gym. Everything that is there is there to help you get to your goal, you only have to know how to utilize it.
Marcus: Alright, I’m trusting you. When do we start?
Both of these clients had personal goals that sounded reasonable, however their ideas of how to get to them were not. Many people enter the gym, look around and instantly decide what pieces of equipment will successfully help them get to their goal while at the same time crossing off many different types of equipment without even giving it a chance or knowing how it works. The most often that I see this happen with are the free weights and weight machines. People actually get scared that they are going to walk out of the gym looking like a body builder if at any time they add resistance training to their program. Let me ask a quick question…have you ever looked yourself in the mirror and actually said to yourself, “Wow, my arms are 19 inches around, I need to lay off the bicep curls” ? If you have, I am surprised. Most people do not gain a significant amount of size unless they are actually trying to gain muscle specifically. In fact, gaining muscle is quite difficult. Ask the thousands of people who eat 7,000 calorie diets and pump iron for 3 hours a day just trying to gain 10 pounds of muscle. However, people are convinced that they are going to get huge and “that’s the last thing they want”. Well, guess what? I’m going to ask you to get over that misconception right now. Ready? Okay great. Are you over it yet? Perfect. Now, let me explain to you the difference between getting toned and getting “huge”.
Ladies: You are the guiltiest of hating weights. I have had so many women tell me that they don’t want to lift weights because they don’t want to get all “muscular” and do you know what I reply? Look at me. Does it look like my biceps are about to burst out of my sleeves? How about my legs? Are they the size of tree trunks? No, they aren’t. Do I lift weights every day? Well…yes, yes I do.
Men: Stop thinking that you are going to look like Arnold if you pick up a weight. Unless you dedicate your life to weight lifting, supplements, and eating…that probably will never happen J Sorry. You can still lift weights and look how you want without gaining 40 pounds of muscle.
Free weights and weight machines are NOT the culprits! Who is? You are! Whether you tone up or gain size all depends on your routine, it depends on repetitions, and it also depends on diet. Yep, that’s right…you CAN use those things in the back of your gym J Did you just get excited? Awesome. Now let’s discuss which path you should take to get to your goal.
TONE:
When toning up, the most important part of your routine should be to count your repetitions. I see people go out onto the floor, do 4 sets of 10 repetitions and then complain to me about their legs getting too big. To keep your muscle lean and long you need to do high repetition at about 3 sets each. For example, bicep curls…three sets of curls at 15-20 repetitions each would not make you gain size on your arms. The key to toning is to fatigue the muscle with high repetition. A lot of people tell me that in order to get toned they aren’t going to lift over a 10 pound weight…well…that’s silly! You can lift as much as you want as long as you get in the range of 15-20 repetitions. So in the case of toning, don’t think about the weight you are lifting, but the amount of times you are lifting it. Here is a very basic full body workout which can be used for toning. However, since it is a full body work out, it will be necessary to lift one day and then take the following day to either rest or get cardio in. Do not lift two days in a row! Your body needs time to recuperate.
EXAMPLE:
Push Ups -20 times
Squats-20 times/ 10 lb weights in each hand
Sitting, overhead dumbbell shoulder press- 20 times/3-5 lb weights in each hand
Forward, Alternating Lunges-20 times each leg/5-8 lb weights in each hand
Bicep Curls- 20 times/8-10 lb weights in each hand
Overhead triceps extension- 20 times/5-8lb weight
Side Lunges-20 times each leg/5-8 lb weights in each hand
Dumbbell Row-20 times/8-10 lb weights in each hand
This is a very basic routine which could be used for anyone. Each exercise should be performed once before starting the circuit again. So for example, you would do 20 push-ups followed by 20 squats…etc. After you have completed one set of each exercise you start again at the beginning to perform the second set of each exercise. I suggest 3-4 sets for each exercise. By moving from one exercise to the next you give each particular muscle group a chance to rest and recuperate before performing the exercise again. The weights I have suggested would probably be for someone who is beginning. However, you can use whatever weight you want. If you want do bicep curls with 20 lb weights…then go for it J However, make sure that you can fulfill all the sets and reps with the weight you choose. If you can’t, lower the weight and gradually add weight each time you do the routine.
MUSCLE GAIN:
When trying to gain muscle, it is more important to pay attention to small details when writing up a routine. You need to consider reps, number of exercises which you include, resting periods, and muscle groups. If you are seriously trying to gain size then you need to spread your routines out specifically by muscle groups. For example, you may want to do something like this: Monday-Legs, Tuesday-Biceps and Shoulders, Wednesday-Chest, Thursday-Legs, Friday-Back and triceps, Saturday-Rest, Sunday-Rest or 20 to 60 min cardio. There is a lot of debate on if you should work back and triceps or shoulders and biceps together, but no matter what order you work them, you will always be getting a secondary workout in…so in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, it is okay to pair the muscle groups as according. Now, if you do not have enough time to get 5 days in a week at the gym you may also group your muscle groups like so: Monday-Back/Biceps/Triceps, Wednesday-Legs, Friday-Chest, Shoulders. It is up to you, just make sure that you have back and legs spread out a few days from each other because since they are such large muscle groups, your body needs time to recuperate. Now…here comes the more complicated stuff. One mistake that many people make when trying to gain size is overdoing it. Muscle gain isn’t about spending three hours in the gym every day, it is about using your time effectively to stimulate the muscles as much as possible within a short period of time. For example, each routine should entail about 3-4 exercises of which you will only do for a total of about 12-15 reps TOTAL for the whole routine.
For Example of Leg Day:
Leg Press- 8 times/250 lbs
Leg Extension-8 times/150 lbs
Calf Raise-8 times/300 lbs
Barbell Squat-8 times/300 lbs
Leg Curl-8 times/115 lbs
Leg Extension-6 times/175 times
Leg Press-6 times/300 lbs
Leg Curl-6 times/125 lbs
Barbell Squat-6 times/325 lbs
Leg Extension-6 times/185 lbs
Leg Press-6 times/325 lbs
Barbell Squat-6 times/340 lbs
Leg Press-6 times/345 lbs
Calf Raise-6 times/350 times
That is just an example and those weights may be too heavy for some people or maybe not enough, but that is an example of how a leg day might go. Between EACH exercise, you need to wait 90-120 seconds to allow your body to recover. Now, all you have to do is take your other muscle groups and form the same type of routine. However, if you are working more than one muscle group then you may only work each group 4-7 times…so instead of having 12 exercises for your biceps and 12 exercises for your shoulders, you may only have 6 or 7 exercises for each. That means you will need to lift heavy to feel the burn. Understand? There are many ways to train for muscle gain, but this is just a method that I prefer when training clients.
Last but not least: Diet J Yep, you all knew I was going to talk about it. Why? Because it’s important. If you aren’t eating enough calories, enough protein, or getting enough complex carbs, you aren’t going to see the gain that you want. It is essential to eat a lot so that your body can process the energy and use it towards the recuperation of your muscles. It is also important to eat correctly when trying to tone as well. Whether gaining or toning, you should take a protein shake when leaving the gym, try to get in enough protein during the day and stay away from unrefined carbs. It doesn’t matter what your goal is, you will always have to fall back on your diet if you want to get the results you want.
There are many things that I could write about when talking about weight lifting, there are many questions I could answer…and I wish I could answer them all, but if I did, this particular blog would never end. However, the most important thing that I want you to get out of this today is that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF LIFTING WEIGHTS! Weight training tightens up your body, it gives you the figure you want, and it gives you more muscle mass (not necessarily bulky muscle mass) which enables you to burn more calories throughout the day. What does that mean? Oh, that means you do less work, burn more calories, and maintain your figure more easily. Sound like something you might want to do? That’s what I thought. So, get out there and lift some iron! Pump some steel! And send me some updates on your progress! If you are truly looking to change your lifestyle, your body, and well….just feel better about yourself then you are going to have to trust me…and give this a shot. Every day is a struggle…but every day that you put up a fight…you are winning J
Remember,
YOU ONLY FAIL WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO SUCCEED!!
So hey…go succeed J Until next time! -Natalie
(1)
Jill is a client who is 27 years old and looking to lose about 35 pounds. She has recently signed a contract with a trainer, Bob, who is going to put her on a 12 week program. Today is their first session.
Bob: Hi Jill, how are you doing today? Please tell me in detail what goals you’d like to accomplish within the next 12 weeks.
Jill: Oh Bob, I just plan on losing all this weight. I want to do as much cardio as I can and eat around 1,000 calories a day. My friend did it and she lost a lot of weight…so since it worked for her that is what I would like to try as well. Now, if you can just tell me how much cardio to do…I could get started!
Bob: Well unfortunately, that plan doesn’t sound like a very successful one. With doing excessive amounts of cardio you put yourself in danger of losing muscle mass, especially while on a low calorie diet and that is not going to be what we want if we are looking for long-term results. Losing muscle mass would stop you from burning high amounts of calories during the day…which means it will take us even longer to get you to your goal.
Jill: I don’t care if I lose fat or muscle loss, I just want to lose weight!
Bob: Well, let me explain to you the difference. If you lose muscle, it is true, you might become smaller…but your body will look the same. If you have love handles now, they will still be there in 12 weeks. What we need to do is put you on a balanced program of cardio and resistance training.
Jill: RESISTANCE TRAINING? No! I can’t do that! I don’t want huge muscles and my legs are already big enough. I can’t lift weights, I will end up looking like a man! No Bob, there has to be another way.
(2)
Marcus is a 35 year old who isn’t overweight or underweight. He is of normal stature and just wants to improve his physique. He is looking to tone up and become more athletic. Yesterday he signed a 6 week contract with Amanda, an experienced trainer who specializes in kicking butt. Today is their first session.
Amanda: Hey Marcus, are you ready for today? Let’s talk about your goals for our program and we’ll see what I can do to help accomplish them.
Marcus: Well, I am not looking to lose 20 pounds or even gain 15. I only want to change my physique. I want to look good with my shirt off and I want my abs to be awesome. However, I can’t lift weights Amanda. In the past I have tried this and the only thing that happens to me is that I get huge! I don’t want to look like Arnold and that is basically what happens, so we need to avoid that at all cost. I also can’t do any cardio because I drop weight fast and while I don’t want to look like Arnold I also don’t want to look like Urkel…please just tell me what to do.
Amanda: Well Marcus, I think that one problem we are having with you and your goals is that you have a lot of misconceptions about cardio and also about weight training. Just because you lift weights doesn’t mean you are going to turn out like Arnold…and just because you get on a treadmill once in a while doesn’t mean you are going to end up weighing 95 pounds. There is always a method behind the madness…all we have to do is decide which path of cardio and weight training is best for your goals. But let me assure you…you should never be afraid of anything that is inside the gym. Everything that is there is there to help you get to your goal, you only have to know how to utilize it.
Marcus: Alright, I’m trusting you. When do we start?
Both of these clients had personal goals that sounded reasonable, however their ideas of how to get to them were not. Many people enter the gym, look around and instantly decide what pieces of equipment will successfully help them get to their goal while at the same time crossing off many different types of equipment without even giving it a chance or knowing how it works. The most often that I see this happen with are the free weights and weight machines. People actually get scared that they are going to walk out of the gym looking like a body builder if at any time they add resistance training to their program. Let me ask a quick question…have you ever looked yourself in the mirror and actually said to yourself, “Wow, my arms are 19 inches around, I need to lay off the bicep curls” ? If you have, I am surprised. Most people do not gain a significant amount of size unless they are actually trying to gain muscle specifically. In fact, gaining muscle is quite difficult. Ask the thousands of people who eat 7,000 calorie diets and pump iron for 3 hours a day just trying to gain 10 pounds of muscle. However, people are convinced that they are going to get huge and “that’s the last thing they want”. Well, guess what? I’m going to ask you to get over that misconception right now. Ready? Okay great. Are you over it yet? Perfect. Now, let me explain to you the difference between getting toned and getting “huge”.
Ladies: You are the guiltiest of hating weights. I have had so many women tell me that they don’t want to lift weights because they don’t want to get all “muscular” and do you know what I reply? Look at me. Does it look like my biceps are about to burst out of my sleeves? How about my legs? Are they the size of tree trunks? No, they aren’t. Do I lift weights every day? Well…yes, yes I do.
Men: Stop thinking that you are going to look like Arnold if you pick up a weight. Unless you dedicate your life to weight lifting, supplements, and eating…that probably will never happen J Sorry. You can still lift weights and look how you want without gaining 40 pounds of muscle.
Free weights and weight machines are NOT the culprits! Who is? You are! Whether you tone up or gain size all depends on your routine, it depends on repetitions, and it also depends on diet. Yep, that’s right…you CAN use those things in the back of your gym J Did you just get excited? Awesome. Now let’s discuss which path you should take to get to your goal.
TONE:
When toning up, the most important part of your routine should be to count your repetitions. I see people go out onto the floor, do 4 sets of 10 repetitions and then complain to me about their legs getting too big. To keep your muscle lean and long you need to do high repetition at about 3 sets each. For example, bicep curls…three sets of curls at 15-20 repetitions each would not make you gain size on your arms. The key to toning is to fatigue the muscle with high repetition. A lot of people tell me that in order to get toned they aren’t going to lift over a 10 pound weight…well…that’s silly! You can lift as much as you want as long as you get in the range of 15-20 repetitions. So in the case of toning, don’t think about the weight you are lifting, but the amount of times you are lifting it. Here is a very basic full body workout which can be used for toning. However, since it is a full body work out, it will be necessary to lift one day and then take the following day to either rest or get cardio in. Do not lift two days in a row! Your body needs time to recuperate.
EXAMPLE:
Push Ups -20 times
Squats-20 times/ 10 lb weights in each hand
Sitting, overhead dumbbell shoulder press- 20 times/3-5 lb weights in each hand
Forward, Alternating Lunges-20 times each leg/5-8 lb weights in each hand
Bicep Curls- 20 times/8-10 lb weights in each hand
Overhead triceps extension- 20 times/5-8lb weight
Side Lunges-20 times each leg/5-8 lb weights in each hand
Dumbbell Row-20 times/8-10 lb weights in each hand
This is a very basic routine which could be used for anyone. Each exercise should be performed once before starting the circuit again. So for example, you would do 20 push-ups followed by 20 squats…etc. After you have completed one set of each exercise you start again at the beginning to perform the second set of each exercise. I suggest 3-4 sets for each exercise. By moving from one exercise to the next you give each particular muscle group a chance to rest and recuperate before performing the exercise again. The weights I have suggested would probably be for someone who is beginning. However, you can use whatever weight you want. If you want do bicep curls with 20 lb weights…then go for it J However, make sure that you can fulfill all the sets and reps with the weight you choose. If you can’t, lower the weight and gradually add weight each time you do the routine.
MUSCLE GAIN:
When trying to gain muscle, it is more important to pay attention to small details when writing up a routine. You need to consider reps, number of exercises which you include, resting periods, and muscle groups. If you are seriously trying to gain size then you need to spread your routines out specifically by muscle groups. For example, you may want to do something like this: Monday-Legs, Tuesday-Biceps and Shoulders, Wednesday-Chest, Thursday-Legs, Friday-Back and triceps, Saturday-Rest, Sunday-Rest or 20 to 60 min cardio. There is a lot of debate on if you should work back and triceps or shoulders and biceps together, but no matter what order you work them, you will always be getting a secondary workout in…so in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, it is okay to pair the muscle groups as according. Now, if you do not have enough time to get 5 days in a week at the gym you may also group your muscle groups like so: Monday-Back/Biceps/Triceps, Wednesday-Legs, Friday-Chest, Shoulders. It is up to you, just make sure that you have back and legs spread out a few days from each other because since they are such large muscle groups, your body needs time to recuperate. Now…here comes the more complicated stuff. One mistake that many people make when trying to gain size is overdoing it. Muscle gain isn’t about spending three hours in the gym every day, it is about using your time effectively to stimulate the muscles as much as possible within a short period of time. For example, each routine should entail about 3-4 exercises of which you will only do for a total of about 12-15 reps TOTAL for the whole routine.
For Example of Leg Day:
Leg Press- 8 times/250 lbs
Leg Extension-8 times/150 lbs
Calf Raise-8 times/300 lbs
Barbell Squat-8 times/300 lbs
Leg Curl-8 times/115 lbs
Leg Extension-6 times/175 times
Leg Press-6 times/300 lbs
Leg Curl-6 times/125 lbs
Barbell Squat-6 times/325 lbs
Leg Extension-6 times/185 lbs
Leg Press-6 times/325 lbs
Barbell Squat-6 times/340 lbs
Leg Press-6 times/345 lbs
Calf Raise-6 times/350 times
That is just an example and those weights may be too heavy for some people or maybe not enough, but that is an example of how a leg day might go. Between EACH exercise, you need to wait 90-120 seconds to allow your body to recover. Now, all you have to do is take your other muscle groups and form the same type of routine. However, if you are working more than one muscle group then you may only work each group 4-7 times…so instead of having 12 exercises for your biceps and 12 exercises for your shoulders, you may only have 6 or 7 exercises for each. That means you will need to lift heavy to feel the burn. Understand? There are many ways to train for muscle gain, but this is just a method that I prefer when training clients.
Last but not least: Diet J Yep, you all knew I was going to talk about it. Why? Because it’s important. If you aren’t eating enough calories, enough protein, or getting enough complex carbs, you aren’t going to see the gain that you want. It is essential to eat a lot so that your body can process the energy and use it towards the recuperation of your muscles. It is also important to eat correctly when trying to tone as well. Whether gaining or toning, you should take a protein shake when leaving the gym, try to get in enough protein during the day and stay away from unrefined carbs. It doesn’t matter what your goal is, you will always have to fall back on your diet if you want to get the results you want.
There are many things that I could write about when talking about weight lifting, there are many questions I could answer…and I wish I could answer them all, but if I did, this particular blog would never end. However, the most important thing that I want you to get out of this today is that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF LIFTING WEIGHTS! Weight training tightens up your body, it gives you the figure you want, and it gives you more muscle mass (not necessarily bulky muscle mass) which enables you to burn more calories throughout the day. What does that mean? Oh, that means you do less work, burn more calories, and maintain your figure more easily. Sound like something you might want to do? That’s what I thought. So, get out there and lift some iron! Pump some steel! And send me some updates on your progress! If you are truly looking to change your lifestyle, your body, and well….just feel better about yourself then you are going to have to trust me…and give this a shot. Every day is a struggle…but every day that you put up a fight…you are winning J
Remember,
YOU ONLY FAIL WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO SUCCEED!!
So hey…go succeed J Until next time! -Natalie
No comments:
Post a Comment