Train
Like a Woman
By Kristin
J. Reisinger
When
I was asked to write a response article to Robert "Fortress"
Fortneys "Train Like A Man," I envisioned myself writing
a highly charged rebuttal piece to a sexist rant chock full of testosterone,
andro and a bit of GH thrown in for good measure. After much thought about
the topic at hand, I realized that a lot of Fortneys attitudes and
beliefs towards training apply to everyone. Especially us women!
Let
me explain. Through the years I have seen many women in the gym lifting
these rinky-dink, pink and purple hand weights barely breaking a sweat.
I see the same girls do three cardio classes in a row and spend countless
hours on the treadmill like hamsters on a habitrail pondering why their
bodies look exactly the same as they did six months ago. These are the
same girls that come up to me and ask me repeatedly what I do to look
the way I do or what do I eat or do I even eat. I even overheard a girl
once say, "Im doing so good today
I only had a bagel
and a salad." The list is endless and it is endlessly frustrating.
I wish I
had a megaphone right now. Ladies
you need to lift HEAVY to have
a physique like the chick from Terminator! When you feel like you cant
squeeze out any more reps
do two more! Get calluses on your hands
your man will love it. So many of you comment on how much youd love
to have a body like Madonna or Angela Bassett or Gabrielle Reece but most
of you dont do anything to get it! Do you think these women work
out with tiny little dumbbells and their bodies look like that by mistake?
Do you even know how hard it is and how much meticulous planning and preparation
(and testosterone!) it takes to put on muscle and "bulk up"
like a professional bodybuilder? Ive been lifting as hard and heavy
as any guy I know for two years and I keep getting smaller and leaner!
I look sexier and more feminine than ever before, too. By really lifting
weights and stressing your muscles you will increase your lean mass, and
since it is this lean mass (muscle tissue) that burns fat, you will have
the capacity to burn more fat even at rest. Combining this with a moderate
amount of cardiovascular activity (not three step classes in a row) will
turn your body into a
fat burning machine. Too much cardio works against you and will eventually
begin to utilize your hard-earned lean muscle tissue for energy which
is NOT the desired goal.
"It's
all about ATTITUDE," says Fortress, and I agree wholeheartedly.
I would venture to say us women need to dish out even more of it than
men...." |
You also
need to EAT. Your need to fuel your body with the appropriate foods for
energy as well as protein for the build up and reparation of muscle tissue.
Starving yourself is NOT the answer and is more detrimental than most
of you realize. It will slow down your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and
hang on to every last bit of bagel you consume as stored energy (fat).
By eating small, low-fat meals throughout the day incorporating a protein
source with good sources of fibrous and complex carbohydrates will stabilize
your insulin levels and sustain your energy levels. This will prevent
your body from going into starvation mode while giving you all the building
blocks you need for developing and shaping your muscles. Plus, you actually
get to eat more!
"...the
gym is our domain as much as any man."
"Its
all about ATTITUDE," says Fortress, and I agree wholeheartedly. I
would even venture to say us women need to dish out even more of it than
men. If I had a nickel for every time I witness some girl feeling intimidated
in the gym because of the presence of a man or give up a machine or a
bench because some dude is waiting for it, Id have a bank account
like Arnold. I have gone up to girls in the gym and yelled at them for
doing that. Wheres your damn backbone?! Self-esteem, confidence
and an all-around, I dont give a st attitude are all part
of the package that go along with my philosophies on training like a woman
which is far more attractive than a whole heap of mascara, lip gloss and
eye liner. And the gym is our domain as much as any man. Training like
a woman is a synergistic framework allowing everything else in life to
fall into place that much smoother including relationships, career or
whatever you allow it to flow into. Having a great body is merely a fringe
benefit. So ladies, to quote a very wise person, "Go hard or go home,"
especially if youre a woman.
Kristin J. Reisinger is a Certified Personal Trainer/Freelance
Writer
as
well as a Nutrition and Weight Loss Consultant
Find
out more at her web site: www.kristinreisinger.com
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