Archive for the ‘Weight Training’ Category

A few years ago I walked into my bosses office building where I worked and saw a lady doing a bone scan. She asked me if I would be interested and I said sure- it was free! At the time I was about 25 (maybe 26) years old so I thought surely I’m doing fine as far as bone health. To both my and the technicians surprise my bone density was below average for my age. She encouraged me to keep the document and show my doctor. I don’t remember taking her advice. Now that I am slightly older, married and have a child, I have begun to realize that taking caring for my bones is important. The good thing is, it’s never too late to start caring for your bones and one of the easiest ways is through weight bearing exercise.  I try to lift weights two sometimes three times per week. So today I wanted to share with you some information about weight training and osteoporosis; but instead of me rewriting what has already been written, I thought I’d direct you to some sights and articles.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation has an article entitled Bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. You may also want to peruse their site to learn more general information about osteoporosis and general bone health.

 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services women’s division answers common questions regarding bone health in women including a definition of osteoporosis and what to do if you do not like dairy products.

If you are in the Knoxville area and would like more information about osteoporosis or would like to speak with a physician you may contact:

Dr. Randall Hartline

930 Emerald Avenue
Suite 713
Knoxville, TN 37917
Phone: 865-544-1345

If you are not in the Knoxville area but would like to consult a physician who specializes in osteoporosis please consult your general practitioner or visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation for a referral.

(Note: I cannot promote all articles or information contained in the sites I have provided. I do not endorse the sites I have provided. They have been provided for informational purposes only.)

If you’ve been to a fitness facility you have most likely seen a room packed with people lifting what appears to be enormous amounts of weights on a barbell. I have recently completed a training to be a Body Pump Instructor. I am also trained toteach Powerflex. After each training I have left with the same thought- barbells really are “the way to go” if they are available to someone. One advantage to using a barbell is that each muscle has to work at the same time. This provides a balance, helping both sides grow stronger together. So what can you do with a barbell? The answers simple, almost everything!

My first suggestion before we get started is to attend a class such as Body Pump, Flex-n-Pump or Powerflex. This will allow you to get a better understanding of how to use the bar most effectively and safely. And as always, consult a physician before beginning any fitness workout/program.

Use the barbell for:

Squats

Place the desired amount of weight evenly on each end of the bar. You can max out the weight on squats, in other words, don’t be afraid to go a little heavy. Place the bar on your shoulders and not your neck. Make sure shoulders are back and down and feet are slightly wider than shoulder width a part. Bend knees, keeping knee over your ankle and hips back. Your core should be tight and pelvis tucked in.

Bicep Curl

Using heavy to medium weights place wrap your hands around the barbell and place hands right outside of your thighs. Make sure not to rest your elbows on your hips but do keep them tucked into your side. Curl up and fully extend down.

Tricep Dips

Sit in a chair or on an aerobic step. Place weighted barbell on your thighs/lap. Lift yourself off of the step. Legs should be straight or slightly bent. Begin to bend with your elbows pointing straight back, shoulders are back and down away from your ears. Keep the small of your back close to your step. Rise up but don’t lock out your arms, keep a soft bend and repeat.

Dead Lifts

Grab that weighted bar and stand with your shoulders back and down, tummy in, chest lifted, and chin straight with a slight tuck downwards, feet should be hip width a part. Bend forward hinging from the hip with knees slight bent. This is not a squat.  The barbell should be straight ahead and at your knees. Hands can be shoulder width to slightly wider than shoulder width a part. Back is straight and chest is lifted. (Variation: Dead Row- take the bar from the knees, while still in the bent over position, straight to the belly bottom and back down.)

Shoulder Press

Standing with your shoulders back and down, chest lifted, tummy tucked, and feet hip width a part, take a weighted bar (less weight than all other exercises) and place your hands around the bar slightly wider than shoulder width a part. Tuck your elbows in so they are positioned underneath the bar. Hold bar to the level of your chin and drive the bar straight up. Keep your eyes forward and chin down. Don’t lock out your elbows at the top. Slowly bring the bar back down to chin level.

We have barely touched the surface and I’m already tired! These are only a few (and I mean a few) ways you can use the bar. If you don’t own a bar or have a gym membership all of these exercises may be done with dumbbells.

Enjoy your workout!

I get a lot of questions at the gym about exercise, most of which are about reducing belly fat. I do not mind thinking of ways to help a lady slim down her waistline.  The truth is belly fat contributes to heart disease and diabetes.  So I’m not talking about a vain pursuit to be thin, but a desire to be healthy. I think we can have a healthy, God glorifying desire to loss belly fat as a means of maintaining health and taking care of the bodies He has given to us. With that in mind, let’s get to work!

Safety and Positioning

Most abdominal exercise is done lying flat on one’s back. Here are the keys to performing a safe and effective ab crunch:

1. Make sure your lower back is flat to the ground. You do this by rolling your pelvis up. I also imagine that my belly button is trying to sink down into the floor.

2. Position your head so that your neck is straight and in line with the rest of your spin.

3. Rest your head in the palms of your hands or rest your hands across your chest.

4. Place your knees at an approximate nintey degree angle with feet pointing straight ahead.

5. When you lift do not lift with your neck, pulling your neck with your hands. Instead tighten your core muscles and lift your shoulders off the ground keeping everything straight and your lower back engaged to the floor.

Let’s Train:

You can do several different exercises to work your core muscles. Today I’m only going to focus on three.

The basic crunch

In the above safety section I discussed the basic crunch. To do them effectively you must do them properly. Practice doing singles, straight up and down and then add variations by going up for two and slowly coming down for two. While you are doing them place your hand at the small of your back, if you can get your hand through you are not doing them with proper form. Make sure your lower back is engaged with the floor.

Oblique work

All of the other technique applies (neck straight, lower back flat to floor, etc.) now we are just taking the basic crunch to one side. Place one hand behind your head and the other straight out to the side. Lift your shoulders off the floor and turn the shoulder towards your straight arm or opposite knee. Slowly return to the beginning position. Repeat on the other side.

Lower abs

Lying flat on your back lift your legs in the air with your feet pointing towards the ceiling. Place your hands by your side. Slowly lift your hips off the ground simultaneously tightening your lower abs. Do not swing your legs.

Now that you have three areas to work go and try it! But remember to consult a physician before starting any exercise program.

For more information about the health benefits of working your core muscles and reducing belly fat you may visit the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.

Are you ready to start lifting? Okay then, what are you waiting for? Grab your 30 lb weights and get started. Wait, wait!  Strength training is pretty simple, but if it’s done incorrectly it can be catastrophic to your body. So before we starting lifting I thought we would go over some general saftey guidelines. I will focus mainly on form while using body weight as weight, free weights and barbells. Believe it or not, there is a proper way to perform every exercise. I am going to break these posts up into exercise segments. I thought we’d start with the areas most women want to work, their legs and abs.

Squats

To perform a squat properly sit down like you are sitting in a chair (you may even want to grab a chair to practice and hover over it). Your knees should be over your ankles, in other words there is a straight line from your knee to your ankle. Your weight should be in the back of her heels and not towards the front of your foot. Feet and shoulders are facing forward.  To squat you go down as far as you can without breaking your form (knees over your ankle, hips back, weight in your heels, feet facing forward).

Squat Variations

Plie squat:your feet are facing out, away from each other. Your stance will be wider. When you squat your knee stays over your ankle and lift by squezzing your inner thigh muscles.

Squats with a barbell: If you own a barbell you can perform a squat using it by placing the weight on your shoulders. You want to avoid resting the weight on your neck. It is very important to remember your form when performing squats but it’s even more important when doing a weight barring squat. Without proper form you could injure your knees, back, and neck.

What are you working?

Squats work the thigh muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, inner thighs, and gluts. If you are wondering what to do to work your legs; I think we’ve found the answer!

Okay- now that we’ve finished talking about saftey feel free to give it a try.  Remember always consult a physician before starting any workout. Drink pletny of fluids and warm up and stretch.

How often am I suppose to lift?

During the next post I’ll give you some general frequency guidelines for weight training. We will also focus on our abs or core muscles.

We see body builders on television, on magazine covers and occasionally at the gym usually with a layer of shinny grease (a.k.a baby oil) and we think to ourselves, “I can barely fit into my pants now, if I lift weights- forget it!” Dr. Gary Hunter in an article for the American College of Sports Medicine explains,

“Although women can definitely increase muscle size, it should be understood that there is little chance of a woman becoming a behemoth and ending up with a body like Arnold Schwartzenegger. Without drug use or some very specialized training is undertaken for many years, women who resistance train normally just become very fit looking.”

Dr. Hunter goes on to explain the physiological differences between men and women and how that limits our mass making potential.“During maturation, women develop much less muscle mass than men. This means that an untrained woman has fewer muscle cells than an untrained man. This is especially the case for the shoulders and arms. Most if not all muscle growth in an adult occurs through increases in size of existing muscle cells, so the total potential for growth in a woman is less than in a man…”This is great news for the woman who is afraid to pick up weights. God has designed us so that the potential for “bulking up” is almost non-existent without the help of an outside stimulant. God has also designed our bodies to be different. Some of us are short, round, narrow, lean, broad, and tall. With that in mind, I would caution you not to have an unrealistic goal for “fit looking”. This post is meant to encourage you to lift weights not because you might become “fit looking” but because it’s beneficial for your body. Before I talk about the benefits I find it neccessary to debunk this myth.
There are many articles and resources available pertaining to this topic, to continue reading Dr. Hunter’s article click here.
Note: I do not know Dr. Hunter personally and cannot/do not endorse him nor his writings.

[1]WOMEN AND RESISTANCE TRAINING, The Right Program Brings Results for Females Who Train, Hunter, Gary R, Ph.D., CSCS, FACSM, ACSM, Fall 2002

When I was in high school I was afraid to lift weights because I thought I would bulk up. Now that I am in the fitness industry I speak with women every day who too are afraid to lift because of a fear of “bulking up”. This is just one misconception that women have about weight training. This month I hope to reveal to you the truth and benefits of pumping iron! Like always, I will give you practical information for you to try at home or in your local gym along with safety guides (this time with picture demonstrations!).Here are the topics we will discuss:

Misconception #1: I will bulk up if I lift weights

This is one of the most common misconceptions about weight training. We’ll explore what really happens when you lift and if you’ve never learned about weight training, you might be surprised.

Misconceptions #2: All I really need to do is “cardio”

Cardio is great but weight lifting will help burn fat, increase strength and help with bone mass.

Misconceptions #3: Really I don’t need to worry about lifting until I’m older

We start losing bone mass early. We will explore the realities of osteoporosis and how to begin taking preventative steps now.