“Pump it up”
Do you remember that silly Saturday Night Live skit with the two body builders, Hans and Franz? “We’re here to PUMP you up!” Anyway, I want to talk to you a bit about what we in the biz call “Resistance Training.” Some people refer to it as “Muscle Training” and sometimes it’s “Weight Lifting.” No matter what it’s called, it’s about building up our bodies’ muscles by causing little, tiny, itty-bitty tears that our bodies repair to make them even stronger. It’s recommended that we all do some sort of resistance training, not just the “Hans and Franz” among us.
“Muscle Training” is about making all of the muscles in your body strong. So many people see this kind of exercise as something “jocks” or “muscle heads” do. Lots of women are STILL convinced that lifting weights (or lifting heavy weights) will make them bulky and big. Women can’t get bulky and big without some SERIOUS effort and steroids; we just don’t have the hormones to make it happen! Here’s a question I have for women afraid of lifting weights: How much does your 1 year old weigh? Do you have body builder arms from carrying him around all day? Of course not, you just won’t bulk up.
Besides the benefits of stronger muscles, denser bones (preventing osteoporosis), strength training will provide these benefits:
- Increase calorie burning at rest. Muscles burn more calories than fat so you can weigh the same but burn more calories.
- Look great. Muscle is denser than fat so even if you don’t lose much weight, you will probably take up less room in your jeans.
- Look great (yeah, I said it again). Muscle is what give us pretty, strong shoulders and shapely legs.
- Be strong! It’s great to be able to move furniture without my husband’s help.
How heavy should the weights or resistance bands be? I think this is something that is confusing, especially for women, but these guidelines apply to both men and women. Have you ever read a magazine article that says to do “3 sets of 12-15 reps”? Well, a “rep” is a repetition and means the number of times you do the exercise right in a row. A “set” is a group of repetitions. You don’t rest between repetitions, but you may rest between sets. (All right, enough with the vocabulary lesson!)
One HUGE clarification about this is that when they say “12-15 reps” that means THAT’S AS MANY AS YOU CAN DO! If you get done with 15 reps and could do another 20, you’re lifting way too little weight and you’re not getting the benefits of weight lifting. Choose a weight that is heavy enough that you can only DO 12-15. You’re probably much stronger than you think and will be surprised that you can do bicep curls with 12 or 15 pound weights.
Here are a few of my tips about exercise:
- Wash your hands! Gym machines are notoriously germ-y. You don’t want to get sick and have to stop working out.
- Get weight lifting gloves. I’m a drippy, sweaty, wet mess at the gym and really appreciate having weight lifting gloves so I don’t drop weights or have them slip. Also, they’ll help you from getting callouses.
- Have comfortable clothes when you exercise. Yup, that means having a good bra, ladies. Here’s a link to good sports bras.
- You will be sore! This is normal. It means it’s working. That said, if you’re sore to the touch, you’ve overdone it and need to take a couple days off. If you’re a little achy and stiff, it means that you’re doing it right. As you continue with your weight lifting, it gets better, I promise.
- Allow a day of rest between weight lifting/resistance training.
If you’re a little confused, hire a certified personal trainer. (If you live in Cedar City, you can hire me!) The personal trainer should ask you what your goals are, should ask you if you about your health history and, ideally, do some fitness assements. You have the right to know what they will do for you before you sign a contract with them. A good personal trainer will build a program around you and your goals and preferences.
May you be happy, healthy and strong,
Regan
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