Toss the teeny weights, please

Okay, it's time to rant.  I just got back from the gym. I almost told a complete stranger she was wasting her time, but I bit my tongue and moved to a different area of the weight room so I wouldn't have to watch her work out.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that there is more than one approach to strength training.  But what I saw wasn't an approach I'd advocate unless you're in rehab after surgery or an injury.  What I saw was a woman, probably in her early 50's, doing several different exercises for her upper body with little pink 3 pound weights.  EVERY exercise..........the same little 3 pound weights.  She did her program fluidly, and might I say, effortlessly. Kinda like the weight wasn't really hard to lift at all.  Hmmmmmmmmm.

First let me state I'm not worried about the color of her weights.  Hey, I like pink. I'm worried about the miniscule resistance she was using, not to mention that she used the same weights for a chest exercise and a triceps exercise.  I'm also bothered that the routine looked effortless for her (which is why I doubt she was rehabbing a joint or muscle group). 

One major tenet in strength training is that we must overload the muscle in order for it to adapt and become stronger.  Simply put:  If your muscle isn't getting pooped out towards the end of your last set, you need to increase the weight you're using.   Larger muscle groups (like the chest) will usually require more weight to become fatigued than a smaller muscle group (like the triceps).

This isn't to say that every workout has to be a "beat me, whip me" workout.  But, if you  don't progressively overload the muscle, it will cease to adapt.  Although a very light weight might be appropriate for a person working on joint stability or injury rehab, it's not appropriate for muscle development if it doesn't fatigue the muscle.  Unless we give a muscle a little more than it can currently  handle, it has no reason to adapt and become stronger.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if I had struck up a conversation with this woman at the gym and asked her why she was using the little pink weights, she might have said something about not wanting to become "too muscular", or that women in her age bracket shouldn't lift weights that are heavy.  I say hogwash to both of those reasons.  Women in general don't have enough testosterone in their body to become muscle bound, and I believe women over 50 should absolutely lift weights to ward off osteoporosis and a slowing metabolism.  I truly believe that strength training for women over 50 is the hidden secret to a more youthful appearance and more graceful aging.

Gosh, I'm so riled up, I almost feel like I should go back to the gym to see if that lady is still there!

In any case, the lesson for today is for all my female readers:

Use your time in the gym well:  Lift weights that fatigue your muscles.  Use heavier weights for larger muscle groups.  Wear pink, but don't lift it if it's tiny!

Yours in health,

Becky

Have your checked your waist/hip ratio lately?

You should. It can tell you a lot about your risk for cardiovascular disease. Many of us are slaves to the scale. Be a slave to your measuring tape instead. It holds more valuable information for you. Now, full disclosure: I own a scale, and yes, I hop on it from time to time. So I get why you weight yourself, I really do. Instant feedback. Problem is, sometimes that feedback doesn't tell you the whole story. Waist/hip ratio (WHR) adds another dimension to the story.

I'm challenging you to pull out your measuring tape and check your waist and hips. I ask all my Bay Area personal training clients and bootcampers to do this when they start with me. Here's why:

There is a direct correlation between your waist/hip ratio and your risk for Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. It's been shown in many research studies that "gut" fat is much more dangerous to our health and longevity than stored fat in the thighs or butt. If you're an "apple" with narrow hips and a bigger belly, you're at much greater risk for cardiovascular disease than a person who is a "pear" with heavier hips and thighs.
Where our stored fat goes on our body is largely genetic. How much fat is there is largely up to YOU.

So, here's what you do: Grab a flexible measuring tape and measure your waist at it's smallest part (or about 1/2 inch above your navel if you can't find a smallest part!), and your hips at their widest part. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.

Women's WHR should be .75 or below (some references will say .80). Men's should be .90 or below.

You can't change your genetic predisposition as to where your body deposits excess calories (read: body fat), but you CAN change your girth measurements. If you're an "apple", you'll always be an apple, but if your WHR is too high for your gender, do something about it to become a smaller apple. You'll decrease your risk for a heart attack--at you're gonna look better, too.

Research shows that exercise (especially strength training) can help mobilize fat from the abdominal region. So get out there and start lifting some weights and compliment it with high intensity interval training.

Yours in fitness,

Becky

A killer cardio-interval workout!

Whew!  Just got finished with a great cardio interval workout.  For those of you who think you don't have time, please read on.  I'm crunched for time today, but I really wanted to get in some kind of cardio. Here's what I did:

Five minute warm up at an easy pace on my stationary bike

2 minutes jump rope at a moderate intensity

40 seconds of burpees**, followed by 20 seconds of recovery

2 minutes jump rope at a moderate intensity

40 seconds of a FAST lateral shuffle, followed by 20 seconds of recovery

2 minutes of jump rope at a moderate intensity

40 seconds of "quick feet" ***, followed by 20 seconds of recovery

1 minute of HARD jump rope (I basically do a high knee run while jumping)

That's it!  I was having SO much fun (okay, so I'm a little weird), that I actually repeated the cycle twice through for a total workout time of 20 minutes (not including warm up and cool down).

Try this for a quick, intense work out this weekend!  Please remember to cool down and stretch after your workout, and pay special attention to your Achille's tendons and calves, as the jumping and shuffling works them pretty hard.

P.S.  My bootcampers know what all these exercises are, but I'll describe a couple below.  

**Burpees:  Squat down with hands touching the ground outside of your feet, thrust your legs out behind you (into a push up position), jump your feet back to the squatting position, and then stand up.  For added fun :-), add a jump as you come up from the squat.

***Quick Feet:  Think of a kid doing a foot work drill with a soccer ball: Tap one foot, then the other on the ball, going as fast as you can.  I use my back porch step instead of a ball.

Have a great day!

Becky

Summer is officially here!

My son graduated from 8th grade yesterday.  My daughter finished her sophomore year of high school two days ago.  It's HOT outside.  Summer is officially here!

For some of us, summer really changes our routine.  For others, it's business as usual. In either case, we still need to get our workouts in--we just might need to tweak the routine a little to fit our schedule.  I've got the perfect solution for busy moms, business travelers and vacationers.......the high intensity interval workout.

So many folks think that if they don't have 60 minutes, they can't get a decent workout in.  WRONG.  You can.

Below you'll find a brief workout you can do on vacation, at home, or in the back yard that needs no special exercise equipment (except a good pair of sneakers).

Warm up by jogging in place a little or going up and down a flight of stairs a few times if you've got stairs near your workout spot.

-Jumping jacks:   1 minute

-Push ups: 40 sec.  followed by 20 seconds of recovery

-Side shuffle (back and forth, 3 steps left 3 steps right): 1 minute

-Body weight squats:  40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of recovery

-Jumping jacks:  1 minute

-Dips off a bench, chair or coffee table:  40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of recovery

-Side shuffle:  1 minute

-Walking lunges:  40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest

There.  That's it.  Eight minutes out of  your day (plus a little warm up and cool down time).  If you've got more time, go through this workout for 2 or 3 rounds.  I guarantee it will get your heart rate up.  It will burn calories.  It will continue to burn calories for you after the workout is over.  

Please, no more "no time" or "no place to work out" excuses.

Your workout doesn't have to take up your summer vacation.  

When you're crunched for time, do intense stuff in short spurts.

What do YOU do to stay in shape when you're on vacation, entertaining your kids all summer or traveling for business??  

Please post a reply and share how you make summer fitness happen.

Enjoy your summer and please don't forget the sunscreen!

Becky