Monday, February 14, 2005

Here is the article from my school newspaper about weight training:

Ladies, get off that treadmill

"Hang up your cell phones and pick up a weight. I know you're scared of those heavy metal things that we men call dumbbells- especially the ones that aren't coated in pink rubber.

"I know, I've heard it a million times, "But I'll get big"..."I don't want to get bulky"... Waaah, waaah, waaah! Frankly, I'm tired of the whinning. I don't know how you girls grow so big and fast, so easily. Even I, with the excess of free testosterone that flows within me, can't grow as easily as you women supposedly do.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bob Smith. I'm an excercise science major- for what it's worth. I think every girl should learn how to properly squat and eat red meat. From now on you need to listen to me. First, I'm going to dispel a couple big myths surrounding the issue and then offer tips that will help empower you to make a visually noticeable change to your body.

MYTHS
"If I lift weights I'll turn into a Russian prison guard named Olga."
No you won't... 1) Women have less Type II muscle fibers than men. These are fibers responsible for the most growth. On top of that, the ones women have are smaller; 2) Women also have 10 times less testosterone than men (except for maybe the dirty-haired, Ramen Noodle-eating, HALO-playing couch potato dude). Testosterone is largely responsible for increased protein synthesis (more muscle) in men; 3) Women also have more body fat than men (once again, except possibly the X-box dork). Fat takes up more space on the body. As a woman trains, her body fat percentage will drop, creating a more slender and lean appearance.

"Okay, I'll lift extra lite for super high reps so I can get that long, lean, toned look I hear so much about on the infomercials."
This one makes me want to curse! We all need to quit watching those Windsor Pilates infomercials. 1) You need to pick up a weight that's challenging. This would be a dumbbell that weighs more than your Nalgen bottle. You wont reshape anything until you achieve a certain amount of micro trauma in the muscle fibers. This means using challenging weights; 2) A higher intensity releases more fat burning hormones; 3) Light weights burn les calories and do not improve metabolism or insulin sensitivity as much as heavier loads; 4) Heavier weights will target more muscle fibers. The additional growth will indirectly enhance fat burning around the clock; 5) Heavier loads will promote more bone density and prevent osteoporosis.

"So here's my advice: 1) Spen more time on compound movements, such as rows, deadlifts, and bench press and less time on muscle isolation work. This will improve your overall body composition. Get either me or my friend "Joe" to show you how; 2) Ditch the "tea kettle" side bends; you can't spot reduce yourself into an hourglass figure; 3) Do less cardio and eat more. The hypothalmus is smart. I'll take your efforts and throw them right back into your face. You can't run and starve yourself into a firm body. However, you can run and starve yourself into a crawling metabolism and elevated cortisol levels; 4) Drink more watr, duh. Eat more protien. The extra fat loss from a higher-protien diet will make you laugh at the measly Food Pyramid recommendations. 5) Don't buy stupid, ineffective supplements like cortislim. Achieving good health and visually pleasing body it a lifestyle choice, not a 3-day supply of magic pills.

"The famale-to-male ration in the "Your School Gym" is easily 2:1. That's great for us guys, (inspiration) and greater for you girls, who have the hardest part down-the discipline. You've overcome one of the biggest challenges we all face: making the time during your busy schedule to be there. I implore you to use your time wisely and take these necessary steps to remodel you feminin physique."

Have you done your squats today????????????????

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