Today I want to point to an excellent post I read about the "Ideal" female body by Leigh Peele. Click HERE to read it. In her post, she discusses a survey she gave to women, who all looked at a photo of a muscular woman and answered a few questions about it, and also answered questions about ideal celebrity bodies. What amazed me was the overwhelming percent of women who thought it was "very easy" or "easy" to achieve the bodybuilder's look. Ladies! You will not get "bulky" just by lifting weights! You would have to be a genetic freak to get that muscular that "easy". When I lift weights, I lift hard and as heavy as I can while maintaining good form for the number of reps I'm aiming for, and I certainly wouldn't say I was bulky. (On the contrary, I would like to gain more muscle.) More muscle burns more calories, and that, in turn, will help your body lose more fat. One of my favorite quotes (and I'm paraphrasing here because I don't remember the exact quote, nor do I remember who said it) is that before you get to 12 inch biceps, you have to get to 11 inch biceps. Meaning, you won't get "bulky" overnight. It's not going to sneak up on you. It takes months, years even, to gain that kind of muscle. So Today's Tip: please, please, don't be afraid to lift heavy!! OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. :)
Monday, June 22, 2009
What Is Ideal?
Today I want to point to an excellent post I read about the "Ideal" female body by Leigh Peele. Click HERE to read it. In her post, she discusses a survey she gave to women, who all looked at a photo of a muscular woman and answered a few questions about it, and also answered questions about ideal celebrity bodies. What amazed me was the overwhelming percent of women who thought it was "very easy" or "easy" to achieve the bodybuilder's look. Ladies! You will not get "bulky" just by lifting weights! You would have to be a genetic freak to get that muscular that "easy". When I lift weights, I lift hard and as heavy as I can while maintaining good form for the number of reps I'm aiming for, and I certainly wouldn't say I was bulky. (On the contrary, I would like to gain more muscle.) More muscle burns more calories, and that, in turn, will help your body lose more fat. One of my favorite quotes (and I'm paraphrasing here because I don't remember the exact quote, nor do I remember who said it) is that before you get to 12 inch biceps, you have to get to 11 inch biceps. Meaning, you won't get "bulky" overnight. It's not going to sneak up on you. It takes months, years even, to gain that kind of muscle. So Today's Tip: please, please, don't be afraid to lift heavy!! OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. :)
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4 comments:
I like it when you stand atop the soapbox. Your points are beyond valid and the words should be heeded. It is extremely difficult to bulk up (even for guys) when you are on a program that is designed for fat loss. Then take that workout designed for fat loss and add in a caloric deficit. The math simply states that lifting heavier will do nothing more than make you stronger and allow for an even more efficient means of burning fat.
Perfect post Abby!
later, MikeZ
Thanks, Mike!
I don't usually consider myself to be "soapboxy", but her post got me fired up!
Abby.
Great post!!! I hope all is well, haven't seen you on the TT board...?
Hey Shantay, I've been around, just reading and not posting as much. Hope you (and those babies) are doing well!
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