August 15, 2016
Strength Training
…aka weight training, weight lifting, etc. You are literally training your muscles; not yourself, if you know what I mean. You are training your muscles to not accept the status quo.
For those of you who’ve been at a fitness facility, you’ve probably seen the guys lifting weights more so than gals. Guess what? Many of them are doing it wrong! That’s because when they first started going to a gym, they probably went with a buddy who showed them the wrong way, or they went by themselves and didn’t ask for instruction because, well, because they are guys.
You can talk to a million different certified trainers or read a ton of material online and get a different opinion on how to do it. Disconcerting, yes. So, again, you have to consider and listen to your body.
For years I was doing the standard 8-12 reps, using the heaviest weights possible to stay in that range. Then a massage therapist told me I should be using even heavier weights and decreasing the number of reps. I needed to build up my shoulders (women tend to be weak in that area). After a few months of that regime, I woke up in the middle of the night with EXTREME pain in my right shoulder…..couldn’t move my arm. Very close to having frozen shoulder. Chiropractic and physical therapy. The physical therapist knew that I liked to hike so he asked, “When you go out to hike, do you go out for 5 minutes and then turn around and go home?” I said no. He said that you don’t do that with weights either. You go for endurance. Besides, he said I was lifting too heavy of weights for my small frame…..the two were not compatible. So I changed up my routine to doing 25 reps with lighter weights…..but the weights are heavy enough to allow me to get to 25 and nothing more. If I could do more than 25, then I up the weight. So much better!
Oh, here’s something funny…….men pump iron and women “tone” their bodies. Hahahaha. It’s all the same.
Strength training is for the whole body; not just one area. If one area is strong and another area weak, your body tries to compensate and then you have a mess. Before starting a set, be sure to warm up first!!! A fast walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes is good. Cold muscles + weight = possible injury. Then start with the larger muscle groups, such as your legs, and move up.
Always seek instruction from a certified trainer first before attempting any strength training!!!
The process of weight lifting actually creates small tears in the muscle fibers. Don’t freak out. That’s normal and that process creates more muscle. What is super important is replacing those nutrients that you burned from your workout. Protein and carbs within 1 hour. Here’s the easy way to do it: On your way home from the gym, eat a protein bar made with whey protein. I like Pure Protein because it has 21 grams of whey protein, 17 grams of carbs, and only 3 grams of sugar…..and it actually tastes good! You could also do a shake with whey protein. Nothing with fat because fat slows down digestion. A note about whey protein: It is the fastest digesting protein there is. Then when you get home, have your lunch/dinner, which will have whole food protein and carbs to help rebuild the muscle over the recovery period. Also, be sure to drink a full glass of water within 30 minutes of eating the protein bar; otherwise, it sits like a rock in your tummy for a while and the protein will not absorb fast enough.
https://www.transparentlabs.com/blogs/all/when-should-you-eat-protein-bars
May 2024 update: With any workout routine, especially weights, you have to change up your routine every so often to address different muscle groups. Last February I started working with a personal trainer at LA Fitness on improving my upper body strength. Goal: I want to do a regular push-up (not the girl kind on your knees). I also added another day to my previous one-day-a-week weight routine. After three months, I already see improvement! Now I’m in the groove and enjoy it.