Independent
Articles About:
1. Strength Training for Women
2. Weight Loss Training
3. Osteoporosis Prevention
Strength Training and Weight Loss
By Chyna Dolores So you've started out on your weight loss journey.
Congratulations on making the first steps. By now, you will have looked
at your nutritional needs and added some sort of cardio such as walking,
swimming or a fitness class to become more active. It's time now to make
that daunting step into weight (or resistance) training.
There is a common fear among some people, especially women, that if they
were to start weight training they will start to look like the next Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Truth of the matter is, those kind of results only happen
when you specifically train for them.
5 good reasons to add a weight training program to your exercise program:
* It strengthens weakened joints, making them more stable and less injury-prone
* It not only works the muscles - it also strengthens bones
* Results are fast - regardless of age & sex. Your strength can increase
by up to 72% in the first 4 weeks
* It not only improves the overall tone of your body, it will also improve
your posture - which will help in making you look slimmer
* It helps to burn kJ faster. Lean muscle tissue is 17-25 times more active
than fat. This means you will burn more kJ even at rest! By adding 1-2kg
of muscle to your body - you'll burn an extra 290-418kJ a day
When you first start a weight program, don't be disheartened if you gain
a couple of kilos. It is often said that Lean Muscle Tissue weighs more
than fat. Do not listen to this hype. 1kg of fat weighs the same as 1kg
of muscle - muscle tissue is more toned and compact than fat so you will
start to look much slimmer.
If the scales are not moving, don't despair. Weighing yourself is not your
only means of tracking you progress. Several other ways exist to help keep
track of your progress and find out if your gain is muscle or fat.
* Measure yourself. Get out a tape measure and measure various parts of
your body - common areas to include are hips, waist, thighs [mid and top],
bust/chest, arms, calves & stomach. You won't need to measure yourself
every week - once every 4 weeks is usually best, as you won't see much of
a difference on a week-to-week basis.
* Use an article of clothing to help measure your progress. That pair of
jeans or skirt that is a little tight is perfect.
If you know absolutely nothing about weights and their proper use it is
best to visit your local gym and see the staff there. They will show you
exactly what to do and even draw up a program for you if you wish. If you
are at school, visit your PE department and ask one of your teachers to
help you out. Most high schools have their own weights area for student
use. They can show you what you need to do, how to do it and help you keep
track of your progress.
If seeing someone or exercising with someone is intimidating for you (or
you don't have the money for the gym) you could try an 'at home' video or
DVD. You will need to buy some free weights (dumbbells or barbells) check
out the program before you buy any equipment. A couple of things to remember
if you go this option:
* Watch the video before you actually start participating. This way you
can see what you will be doing and the equipment needed to participate.
* Make sure the instructors give a "beginners option". This means
there should be someone in the group using no weights - follow them until
you are comfortable and confident with the program to add weights. In addition,
there should be a section at the beginning of the video (or DVD menu) the
focus on showing you the proper form and technique of the lifts required.
* When you first start using the weights, if at anytime, the weights become
too heavy for you, STOP. Change to a smaller weight or revert to the beginners'
option. The old saying "No pain, no gain" is completely outdated
- you can do more damage then good. Listen to your body, it'll tell you
if it isn't coping.
* Another point to keep in mind - the video/DVD should have a cardio/warm-up
section at the start - this is important because you shouldn't start a weights
session with cold muscles. A warm-up should last between 5-15mins and include
gentle aerobic activity. Some programs alternate between cardio and weights
workouts but it is important that the starting warm-up gets the heart beating.
If you don't feel that it is good enough or you want to make sure you warming
up properly - go for a walk [15mins minimum] before you start the session.
* On that same note, make sure that the video/DVD has a "cool down"
at the end of the session. This can include a number of things, most usually
include mini Pilates/Yoga like sessions at the end to stretch out the muscle
groups.
* Aim for good technique when every time. Don't try to keep up with the
instructors. If you need to take a break or slow a section down then do
it. You want to get healthy not injured!
Weights not your thing? Going on holiday?
Try using resistance bands. These bands are usually used by people in rehab
or older people who can't lift weights. They give the same kind of workout
as actual weights but they tend to be a little easier on you.
The added bonus with resistance bands is that if you go away for a holiday
or for the weekend to visit family, etc they are easy to pack into your
bag so you don't have to miss out on your workouts. They also weigh less
and don't take up much space in the suitcase. Add in a daily walk or swim
and you've got your cardio covered as well, so there's no need to 'slack
off' while abroad.
Strength Training Tips for Osteoporosis Prevention
By Isabelle Boulay What's one of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis?
According to many experts in the field of bone health, it's exercise. More
specifically, strength training offers many benefits for men and women at
risk of bone loss from osteoporosis.
Strength training, also called resistance training, uses resistance from
free weights, resistance bands, and water exercise or weight machines to
help build strength in muscles. It also can help work on the bones to prevent
the loss of minerals that weaken them. In fact, according to sports doctors,
strength training can increase your bone strength, reduce your risk of osteoporosis,
improve the strength of your connective tissues, which increases joint stability
and increase the functional strength of your muscles.
If you already have osteoporosis, say doctors, strength training can still
benefit you in many ways, but you should work with your doctor or an experienced
physical therapist to design a workout that will benefit your bones without
increasing the risk of stress or compression fractures.
If your main intent is to prevent osteoporosis, you should work with heavier
weights and more resistance. A study conducted at the University of Arizona
and published in Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise gives some
answers to that. In that study, scientists recruited 140 post menopausal
women with a history of sedentary lifestyle for a year-long regimen of three
time's weekly workouts. The women performed eight exercises specifically
chosen to work on particular muscle groups .Scientists took bone scans both
before and after the study. The results showed that the chosen exercises
had a measurable effect on the bones of the hips, site of the most common
fractures in post menopausal women. They also found that the greater the
amount of total weight lifted over the course of the year, the greater the
benefits to the bones.
If you're just starting a resistance and strength training program, doctors
and physical therapists offer the following tips:
Consult your doctor and follow a program designed by a physical therapist
which takes your strengths and needs into account.
Work out at a gym or health club under the supervision of professionals
who can help monitor and adjust your workout program.
Start slow and build gradually. Strength and resistance training is a slow
process.
Never increase weights in resistance training more than 10% at a time.
Increasing more than that risks injury.
Lift and lower weights slowly. Avoid 'jerking' them up to avoid injury.
Perform your resistance workout every third day.
Avoid exercise that puts a lot of strain on your joints and bones, and
stay away from the rowing machine. The bending required puts your spine
at risk of compression fractures.
If any area is particularly tender or stiff immediately after a workout,
apply ice to it for 10-15 minutes to reduce inflammation.
Proper exercise, weight control and a healthy diet all contribute to keeping
your bones strong and preventing the loss of bone density due to osteoporosis.
Do your bones a favor and give them a good workout a couple of times a week.
3 Biggest Benefits of Strength Training
By Jeffrey Bedeaux Strength training is exercise that uses resistance
to strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system, improving muscle
tone and endurance. "Strength training" is used as a general term
synonymous with other common terms: "weightlifting" and "resistance
training." Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training
include an increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscular strength,
and increases in tendon, bone, and ligament strength. Lifting weights has
also been shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem,
confidence and self-worth.
Improved Physical Appearance and Performance
One important result of strength training is increased physical performance.
Muscles quite literally utilize energy to produce movement, functioning
as the engine or powerhouse of the body. Strength training increases the
muscles' size, strength, and endurance, which contribute to improvements
in our work, favorite sports hobbies, and our general day-to-day activities.
Another benefit of a good strength-training program is its effect on our
overall appearance and body composition. Which can directly influence self-esteem,
self-worth, and level of confidence. Take, for example, a 170-pound man
who has 20 percent body fat; 34 pounds of fat weight and 136 pounds of lean
body weight (muscle, bones, organs, water, etc). By beginning an effective
strength training program, he replaces five pounds of fat with five pounds
of muscle. He still weighs 170 pounds, but he is now 17 percent fat with
29 pounds of fat weight and 141 pounds of lean body weight. Although his
body weight remains the same, his strength, muscle tone, and metabolism
have improved, giving him a fit appearance.
Both our physical appearance and our physical performance can be improved
by muscle gain or hampered by muscle loss. Research indicates that unless
we strength train regularly; we lose about one-half pound of muscle every
year of our lives after age 30. Unless we implement a safe and effective
weight lifting program, our muscles gradually decrease in size and strength
in the process called "atrophy."
Lifting weights is therefore important for preventing the muscle loss that
normally accompanies the aging process. A common misconception is that as
we reach the age of senior citizens, it is normal to stop being active and
to start using ambulatory aides like canes and wheelchairs. Many people
think we have no choice; they think this is normal.
But this couldn't be further from the truth. There is absolutely no reason
why all of us can't be physically, mentally, socially, and sexually active,
living a healthy vibrant life until our last day on Earth! The reason many
elderly people rely on ambulatory aides and become slower and fatter is
simply that over the years their muscles have been wasting away, so their
physical performance and metabolism also decrease, becoming less efficient.
Increased Metabolic Efficiency (your ability to burn excess calories)
That one-half pound of muscle loss every year after age 30 produces a one-half
percent reduction in basal metabolic rate (BMR) every year. A reduction
in BMR means that our bodies are less able to use the food we consume as
energy, thus more gets stored as body fat. "Basal metabolic rate"
refers to the energy used by our body at rest to maintain normal body functions.
Our muscles have high-energy requirements. Even when we are sleeping, our
muscles use more than 25% of our energy (calories). When you implement the
principles of effective strength training and you are consistent in your
program, you will achieve an increase in lean muscle mass throughout your
body and increase your BMR. In other words, you can actually condition your
metabolism to work better and more efficiently even when you are at rest.
An increase in muscle tissue causes an increase in metabolic rate, and
a decrease in muscle tissue causes a decrease in metabolic rate. You can
see that anyone interested in decreasing body fat percentage and their risk
of disease as well as in increasing physical performance and appearance,
should be strength training to help condition their metabolism (BMR).
One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a weight-management
program is not including a strength training routine with their cardiovascular
exercise and low-fat eating regimen. This is unfortunate because when we
cut calories without exercise, we can lose muscle as well as fat.
Decreased Risk of Sustaining an Injury
Our muscles also function as shock absorbers and serve as important balancing
agents throughout our body. Well-conditioned muscles help to lessen the
repetitive landing forces in weight-bearing activities such as jogging or
playing basketball. Well-balanced muscles reduce the risk of injuries that
result when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group.
To reduce the risk of unbalanced muscle development, you should make sure
that when you are training a specific muscle group, the opposing muscle
groups are being trained as well (though not necessarily on the same day).
For example, if you are doing bench-pressing exercises for your chest, you
should include some rowing exercises for your back muscles as well.
By now you have probably realized that weightlifting should be an important
part of your exercise routine. Weightlifting provides many important benefits
that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. When you begin
achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make
the change well worth the effort. Good luck; I hope you enjoy all the wonderful
benefits of an effective strength training program.
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I have been weightlifting since the age of 15 and been training individuals for 12 years. Over the past 16 years I have read 100's of magazines, almost 100 books, attended about a dozen seminars and consumed any other type of information on the topic of bodybuilding to advance my knowledge in this area. I also have a Bachelors of Science degree in Biochemistry with minors in Chemistry and Microbiology from Colorado State University, 1998.
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Dispelling the Myths
By Physicallyelite Attention women: Do you not lift weights because
you think it will make you become muscle-bound? Do you only do a couple
sets of 15 reps on exercise machines because you only want to "tone"?
If so, this article will show you that these and other myths aren't true
and also explain why lifting weights using barbells and dumbbells is the
best workout possible. As an added bonus, this article also has a workout
to help you begin building the body you desire.
Dispelling the Myths
1. Lifting Weights Makes You Muscle-Bound
While strength training will help you build muscle, women simply don't have
enough testosterone, a key hormone for building muscle, to become muscle-bound
and appear masculine. The muscle you are able to build lifting weights will
only improve your appearance and femininity.
2. If You Lift Weights, Do High Reps to "Tone" Your Muscles
Most strength training workouts for women prescribe 2-3 sets of 12 or more
repetitions. While higher repetitions have their place in your workout,
they do little to improve your appearance. If looking and feeling your best
is your goal, most of your workouts should utilize sets of low to moderate
repetitions (5-8) for multiple sets. Performing 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps is
especially beneficial when dieting, as it is the best rep range to use to
ensure you hold onto your muscle. The more muscle you can hold onto when
dieting helps you burn fat faster and keep it off once you achieve your
weight loss goals. Sets of 12-15 reps will only make you look and feel worse
during your diet.
3. You Should Use Machines Instead of Dumbbells and Barbells
While training with machines has its place, such as helping you learn the
basics of strength training, workouts using free weights (barbells and dumbbell)
are the way to go. Free weight training produces greater benefits than machine
only workouts for many reasons with the most important being the fact that
it enables you to perform exercises that train many large muscle groups
at once. This means you burn more calories for every set you perform and
will get better results faster. The following example illustrates this,
doing a set of barbell or dumbbell squats trains your calves, quads, hamstrings,
glutes, lower back, and abs. Compare this to a popular machine exercise
for legs such as leg extensions which targets only your quadriceps. Other
benefits of barbell and dumbbell based workouts is that they are superior
to machines for improving your strength, balance, and bone density. These
benefits become especially important as you get older, since being stronger
and maintaining balance will help you better perform daily tasks and decrease
the risk of injury from falls. Increasing bone density will help decrease
your risk of osteoperosis and its related complications.
4. You Must Lose Weight First Before You Lift Weights
Last but not least is the myth that you should lose weight before you start
lifting weights. This myth exists because women often become discouraged
when they diet and lift weights since the weight loss that occurs isn't
reflected on the scale. This is because the weight lost is body fat, not
the muscle you need to stay healthy. Lifting weights while dieting will
help you keep the muscle you have ensuring the weight you lose is body fat.
Studies confirm this showing that combining aerobic exercise, dieting, and
strength training leads to greater losses of body fat and weight than when
you only diet or diet and do aerobic exercise.
Getting Started
Below is a workout that will help you build the body you desire. It's a
3-day a week workout that should be performed on alternating days, Monday,
Wednesday, Friday for example. Each workout includes exercises for the entire
body, and uses sets of 8 reps to help you burn as many calories as possible
at each workout while building, or at a minimum, holding onto your hard
earned muscle when dieting. Combine this workout with 2-3 days of aerobic
exercise and a proper diet and you will get the best results of your life.
Guidelines
1. Always use correct technique. If you need any of the exercises explained
to you, consult with a qualified personal trainer. If one isn't available
there are many web sites that give animated demonstrations of correct exercise
technique. One good source is http://www.exrx.net.
2. Use a weight that you can perform for 2-3 more reps than what is prescribed.
There is no need use a weight that causes you to 'fail' at the end of each
set. You should leave the gym feeling energized, not exhausted.
3. Increase the weight used when you can do 2-3 more repetitions than the
8 prescribed on the last set of a given exercise. Only increase the weight
used if you can do so without sacrificing proper technique.
4. Start a new routine after doing this one for 4-6 weeks. This will help
keep your progress on track and keep your workouts enjoyable.
5. Lift weights before aerobics. If you want to do an aerobic workout on
the same day you lift weights, that's fine. Just make sure to do it after
you lift. This ensures you have ample energy to perform all of your exercises
with correct form.
6. The exercises in the workout below are divided into groups (A1/A2, B1/B2,
etc.). Each group is to be performed one after the other with about a minutes
rest between sets for the total number of sets given. Once you have completed
all of the prescribed sets for each exercise in a group, move on to the
next group of exercises after 1-2 minutes rest. Doing the workout this way
burns more calories, and you'll accomplish more in less time. Also, if you
are just getting into shape you may need more than a minutes rest between
sets and groups of exercise. If this is the case, rest for as long as you
need in order to perform the exercises with proper form, decreasing the
amount of rest as your conditioning improves until you reach 1 minute.
Below is an example of how this workout is to be performed.
* A1 Lunges: Set 1
* Rest 60 seconds
* A2 Dumbbell Bench Press: Set 1
* A1 Lunges: Set 2
* Rest 60 seconds
* A2 Dumbbell Bench Press: Set 2
* Rest 60 seconds
* A1 Lunges: Set 3
* Rest 60 seconds
* A2 Dumbbell Bench Press: Set 3
* Rest 60 seconds and move onto the next group of exercises.
The Workout
Monday
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Between Sets
A1 Lunges 3 8 60 sec
A2 DB Bench 2 8 60 sec
B1 Leg Curl 3 8 60 sec
B2 DB Row 2 8 60 sec
C1 Crunches 3 8 60 sec
Wednesday
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Between Sets
Seated Row 3 8 60 sec
Stiff Leg DL 2 8 60 sec
Inc DB Fly 3 8 60 sec
Dumbbell Squat 2 8 60 sec
Back Extension 3 8 60 sec
Friday
Exercise Sets Reps Rest Between Sets
DB Shldr Press 2 8 60 sec
DB Step-Ups 3 8 60 sec
Reverse Fly 2 8 60 sec
Calf Raise 3 8 60 sec
Reverse Crunch 3 8 60 sec
Physical Activity for Women's Health
By James Hunt Cleaning is an inexpensive and effective way
to help you get more exercise. You might not see too many men using brooms
or vacuums at your gym, but you can turn your home into a private health
center. And as an added advantage, make your home spotless clean.
Over the past decades, a women's work time has increased while time spent
doing housework has declined. Modern conveniences such as washing machines,
dryers and housekeepers have all helped lessen the housework burden. While
liberty from such everyday jobs may appear to be a good thing, it has progressively
mechanized a stress-filled society. Today, about 22 percent of adult Americans
are active at a level suggested for any significant health benefits, but
fewer than 10 percent of adults exercise at an intensity that is adequate
to improve cardiovascular fitness. This is where housework can help?
Physical activity is the single most important activity you can do to improve
your health.. Even if you don't have the time or the money to spend on a
fitness club, you can still improve your fitness by engaging in daily activities
such as housework. Engaging in any regular activity at all can provide considerable
health benefits for those who have deskbound jobs which involve sitting
for a large part of the day and who do not partake in any regular physical
activity or sports in their spare time time.
Recent research recommends spending at least 60 minutes each day in a "on
your feet" activity. This type of activity uses the large muscle groups
of the legs in walking, stair climbing, gardening or housework. Housework
combined with walking the dog, yard work and using stairs can help form
a foundation upon which you can build your fitness program. Mopping that
floor and scrubbing the tub suddenly takes on a whole new meaning when you
consider the benefits of this type of housework.
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James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher
covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more
at www.womens-health-central.info |
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