If you're looking for the post Tony Gentilcore referenced in his blog, it's here. It also contains a link to my original comments from September 22nd on the subject.
Thanks for stopping by.
Showing posts with label light weight high reps to tone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label light weight high reps to tone. Show all posts
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Women Should Not Lift More Than 3 Lb. Dumbbells, Part 2
In my original post, which you can read here, I didn't mention the specific trainer, celebrity or even the show but everybody else on the internet has so it's no secret.
Apparently, I'm not the only person appalled at the advice that Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer gave during her taped segment on Oprah recently.
Check out the posts at Oprah's own message board which is filled with exercise aficionados and fitness pros alike taking swipes at the notion that woman should never lift more than 3 pound dumbbells. As many people pointed out, most women carry purses, grocery bags, children, etc. that all weigh more than 3 pounds.
Let's be clear here, sometimes 3 pounds is the right weight for starting out on certain exercises or for deconditioned folks or exercise newbies. However, saying that a woman should not increase her resistance above that is ridiculous.
Strength, fat loss and bone building all require the body to be challenged with more resistance as our bodies adapt.
You need weight bearing exercise to help prevent osteoporosis. And, how is doing hundreds of reps with a 3 pound dumbbell going to help you lift your child or grandchild, or help you get up if you fall.
"But, but...what about toning", I imagine some of you are thinking. Read this from Craig Ballantyne.
There are some knowledgeable trainers out there who believe that lower weights work better for women. Valerie Water's Red Carpet Ready is one such program. However, Valerie uses challenging bodyweight exercises, doesn't restrict women to 3 pound dumbbells, and doesn't expect her clients to work out for 2 hour sessions, 6 days a week in 80 degree heat. (Remember, we're not talking about getting in super shape for a role, this is Gwyneth's and supposedly Madonna's regular exercise schedule.)
Not to be totally negative, I do think Tracy's resistance band set-up at Gwyneth's house looked interesting and would be worth exploring more.
If you want to read what others are saying about this, check out the links below. Warning, although highly entertaining, some of the blogs contain course language so if you are easily offended stay away from the last two.
Clothes Make The Girl
Daily Spark
The Fitness Fixation
Boston Herald - Tony Gentlicore blog
I love this quote from Tony Gentlicore:
I’m pretty sure if she were still alive today, Susan B. Anthony would shit a pink dumbbell if she knew there were women still walking around with this “I’m a frail, delicate creature” mentality.
Amen, Tony.
.
Apparently, I'm not the only person appalled at the advice that Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer gave during her taped segment on Oprah recently.
Check out the posts at Oprah's own message board which is filled with exercise aficionados and fitness pros alike taking swipes at the notion that woman should never lift more than 3 pound dumbbells. As many people pointed out, most women carry purses, grocery bags, children, etc. that all weigh more than 3 pounds.
Let's be clear here, sometimes 3 pounds is the right weight for starting out on certain exercises or for deconditioned folks or exercise newbies. However, saying that a woman should not increase her resistance above that is ridiculous.
Strength, fat loss and bone building all require the body to be challenged with more resistance as our bodies adapt.
You need weight bearing exercise to help prevent osteoporosis. And, how is doing hundreds of reps with a 3 pound dumbbell going to help you lift your child or grandchild, or help you get up if you fall.
"But, but...what about toning", I imagine some of you are thinking. Read this from Craig Ballantyne.
There are some knowledgeable trainers out there who believe that lower weights work better for women. Valerie Water's Red Carpet Ready is one such program. However, Valerie uses challenging bodyweight exercises, doesn't restrict women to 3 pound dumbbells, and doesn't expect her clients to work out for 2 hour sessions, 6 days a week in 80 degree heat. (Remember, we're not talking about getting in super shape for a role, this is Gwyneth's and supposedly Madonna's regular exercise schedule.)
Not to be totally negative, I do think Tracy's resistance band set-up at Gwyneth's house looked interesting and would be worth exploring more.
If you want to read what others are saying about this, check out the links below. Warning, although highly entertaining, some of the blogs contain course language so if you are easily offended stay away from the last two.
Clothes Make The Girl
Daily Spark
The Fitness Fixation
Boston Herald - Tony Gentlicore blog
I love this quote from Tony Gentlicore:
I’m pretty sure if she were still alive today, Susan B. Anthony would shit a pink dumbbell if she knew there were women still walking around with this “I’m a frail, delicate creature” mentality.
Amen, Tony.
.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Was It The Nutrition Or The Workout?
Yesterday, I wrote about a fitness trainer who was recently featured on T.V. with one of her celebrity clients.
The post was pretty long as it was so I didn't add this important info regarding the results her featured client got.
The client changed her diet.
That is a key fact. The celebrity admitted to going through a stage of consuming too much junk food. She went back to her previous good nutritional habits of eating healthy, fresh foods with little or no processed crap.
So, what do you think? Is her body primarily the result of two-hour workouts with practically no resistance or good nutrition?
Maybe I should rephrase that for more clarity. If the star hadn't cleaned up her diet, do you really think that all those reps with little or no resistance would have made her lose 20 pounds?
Any decent trainer will tell you that you can't out-train a lousy diet but maybe those 3 pound dumbbells have magical powers that I'm unaware of. ;-)
Disclaimer: I'm not dissing anyone who uses 3 pound dumbbells if that is truly a challenging weight for them. Some of my older clients use them on certain exercises until they get stronger. It's not about the weight / resistance; it's about the challenge / intensity of your workouts.
The post was pretty long as it was so I didn't add this important info regarding the results her featured client got.
The client changed her diet.
That is a key fact. The celebrity admitted to going through a stage of consuming too much junk food. She went back to her previous good nutritional habits of eating healthy, fresh foods with little or no processed crap.
So, what do you think? Is her body primarily the result of two-hour workouts with practically no resistance or good nutrition?
Maybe I should rephrase that for more clarity. If the star hadn't cleaned up her diet, do you really think that all those reps with little or no resistance would have made her lose 20 pounds?
Any decent trainer will tell you that you can't out-train a lousy diet but maybe those 3 pound dumbbells have magical powers that I'm unaware of. ;-)
Disclaimer: I'm not dissing anyone who uses 3 pound dumbbells if that is truly a challenging weight for them. Some of my older clients use them on certain exercises until they get stronger. It's not about the weight / resistance; it's about the challenge / intensity of your workouts.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Women Should Not Lift More Than 3 Lb. Dumbbells
The name of this blog tells you that I totally disagree with that statement but I actually heard a celebrity trainer say that on T.V. recently. Unbelievable.
I'm not going to post the trainer's name or those of her star clients. I googled her and found her website but, not surprisingly, it listed absolutely no exercise credentials. Then again, maybe she has a degree or a certification and just didn't bother to mention it (although I did find multiple comments around the internet claiming that she had no certifications or degrees).
I'm also the first one to say that there are trainers out there with alphabet soup after their names who say / believe some pretty stupid stuff. So, I'm not automatically dismissing this trainer's opinion strictly due to her lack of formal education. I'm slamming it because it makes no sense.
So, what's her magic formula for a killer body?
Two-hour workouts 6 days a week doing hundreds of reps using no more than 3 pound dumbbells.
Are you kidding me?
1. Who has the time for this?
2. How incredibly monotonous to be performing moves over and over and over and over, all because of the irrational fear that actually challenging muscles with some decent resistance will "bulk."
I would think that even most celebrities have better things to do than spending 2 hours exercising every day. Oh, excuse me, it's not every day- it's "just" 6 days a week.
Many actors spend months at a time working 12 hours on a T.V. or movie set. Two-hour workouts are an incredibly inefficient use of time. They could use those wasted hours playing with their kids, enjoying a hobby, reading, visiting friends, or a million other things.
Any of my clients who could workout for 2 hours straight are not working hard enough. Period.
You want the kicker? During the clip, the celebrity said that because she carries her child around in her one arm that her trainer makes her exercise the other arm more because the arm that she carries the kid in is in better shape. Did you follow that run on sentence?
The arm that lifts and carries the obviously heavier than 3 pound child is in better shape than the other arm!
Can you say contradiction? Too bad it's lost on this fitness "guru" who's making a tidy sum bilking uninformed celebrities and other moneyed clients.
If you're in the Lancaster, PA area and looking to drop body fat, get stronger and improve your health, call Mickey at (717) 509-7777.
If you're not close by and you're not afraid of quick, challenging workouts, check out the programs listed below, all of which were designed by knowledgeable, reputable fitness pros.
Turbulence Training
7 Minute Muscle
Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss
.
I'm not going to post the trainer's name or those of her star clients. I googled her and found her website but, not surprisingly, it listed absolutely no exercise credentials. Then again, maybe she has a degree or a certification and just didn't bother to mention it (although I did find multiple comments around the internet claiming that she had no certifications or degrees).
I'm also the first one to say that there are trainers out there with alphabet soup after their names who say / believe some pretty stupid stuff. So, I'm not automatically dismissing this trainer's opinion strictly due to her lack of formal education. I'm slamming it because it makes no sense.
So, what's her magic formula for a killer body?
Two-hour workouts 6 days a week doing hundreds of reps using no more than 3 pound dumbbells.
Are you kidding me?
1. Who has the time for this?
2. How incredibly monotonous to be performing moves over and over and over and over, all because of the irrational fear that actually challenging muscles with some decent resistance will "bulk."
I would think that even most celebrities have better things to do than spending 2 hours exercising every day. Oh, excuse me, it's not every day- it's "just" 6 days a week.
Many actors spend months at a time working 12 hours on a T.V. or movie set. Two-hour workouts are an incredibly inefficient use of time. They could use those wasted hours playing with their kids, enjoying a hobby, reading, visiting friends, or a million other things.
Any of my clients who could workout for 2 hours straight are not working hard enough. Period.
You want the kicker? During the clip, the celebrity said that because she carries her child around in her one arm that her trainer makes her exercise the other arm more because the arm that she carries the kid in is in better shape. Did you follow that run on sentence?
The arm that lifts and carries the obviously heavier than 3 pound child is in better shape than the other arm!
Can you say contradiction? Too bad it's lost on this fitness "guru" who's making a tidy sum bilking uninformed celebrities and other moneyed clients.
If you're in the Lancaster, PA area and looking to drop body fat, get stronger and improve your health, call Mickey at (717) 509-7777.
If you're not close by and you're not afraid of quick, challenging workouts, check out the programs listed below, all of which were designed by knowledgeable, reputable fitness pros.
Turbulence Training
7 Minute Muscle
Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss
.
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