On Friday, I had a guest blogger, Becky, write about her experience at a big box gym. If you missed it, you can read it here ==> Why A Big Box Gym May Not Be Right For You
Unfortunately, Becky's experience was not an isolated incident. Obviously there are plenty of good trainers out there but there are bad ones, too. Just like there are lousy doctors, plumbers, lawyers, contractors, accountants, etc.
Contrary to popular misconception, gyms are not filled with superfit people who know all about exercise.
You don't need to be in shape to join a gym.
You don't need color coordinated spandex outfits.
You don't need to know anything about exercise.
You just need to find a gym where a knowledgeable trainer will work with you at your current fitness level.
Obviously, the key word here is knowledgeable. Becky, clearly, didn't have that during her trial workout and it's obvious on so many levels.
* There are differences of opinions about how best to warm up but everyone should warm up before lifting weights. Period. If your trainer says something like, "I/we don't do that", run.
* Personally, I would not have someone who hasn't exercised in 20 years doing 3 sets of 15 repetitions of any one exercise their first day in the gym. Others may disagree but I don't see the point unless your goal is making the person so sore they don't want to return.
* No one should be putting a novice exerciser through a workout using weights that are too heavy for the person to lift. If on your first visit to a health club, you can't lift the weight the trainer has selected, it needs to be reduced. No debate. If the trainer says s/he'll help you lift the weight, run.
If you're a former athlete or someone who's exercised most of their life, the gym you select may not be that big of a deal. However, if you never belonged to a fitness center, haven't exercised in years, have medical issues, or are intimidated by rows of strange looking equipment, you need to find a place where someone will work with you.
At my gym, Body & Soul Fitness Studio, every new member gets an individualized program designed specifically for her based on her specific goals, current fitness level, medical issues, exercise experience, etc. There are places like mine out there, you just need to look for them.
Yes, it will probably cost you a few bucks more than the bargain gym with little or no service. But is it a bargain if you join there and...
* don't get results because you're confused about what to do?
* hurt yourself?
* don't go or stop going because you feel overwhelmed and stupid?
You are an individual and you deserve to be treated like one. Find a gym that will. Just say no to one-size-fits-all exercise programs. :-)
If you're in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area, call me today at (717) 509-7777 so we can discuss your goals and schedule a tour of Body & Soul.
It took a year before Becky ventured back into another gym. Tune in next time to read about that experience.
.
Showing posts with label women's training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's training. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Should Men & Women Train Differently? by Mike Geary
I received this e-mail a few days ago and wanted to pass it on. It's a must read for women who are afraid of "bulking up" and for guys who think that 1-rep maxes are the way to build muscle.
Should Men & Women Train Differently?
by Mike Geary
This is one of my biggest pet peeves in the fitness industry... So many men and women "think" they need to workout drastically different from one another.
For example, many women think they need to do 20 or 30 reps per set of every exercise with little pink 3 or 5 lb barbie weights, because if they actually lift heavier weights, they falsely believe they will "bulk up".
Also, many men think they need to do 1-rep maxes to build muscle... this is simply not true... overall training volume and a caloric surplus builds more muscle than does 1-rep maxes... although I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for 1-rep maxes.
One of my biggest frustrations over the years when I was training lots of females and I would show them the workout I wanted to take them through... they would say something like... "I don't want to do those exercises. That looks like a man's workout!"
And they would go back to their little pink 5 lb dumbbells and endless cardio routines and keep getting NO RESULTS at all for months or years.
However, the females I trained that were open-minded enough to trust me that if they used heavier weights they would not "bulk up" (as long as their caloric intake was in the correct range), always got tremendous results.
As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females I've trained over the years were the ones that actually trained with the heaviest weights. I had a few female athletes that could deadlift 175 lbs and they were VERY lean, and NOT overly-muscular. In fact, they had very feminine, but lean bodies.
They lifted HEAVY weights in relation to their size and they NEVER bulked up.
Another example is that the majority of females that I trained thought they couldn't use more than 5 or 8 lb dumbbells for an overhead dumbbell press or a dumbbell chest press. However, when they were open-minded enough to actually try to train their body under more resistance (and thereby create a REAL stimulis for change), most women were almost always able to press 20 or 30 lb dumbbells instead of the 5's or 8's they were used to using.
So my rant in this email is for us all to please stop with the insanity of thinking that we all need to train so radically different whether we're a man or a woman, but rather realize that we are all HUMAN BEINGS.
I don't care if you're a man or a woman... the laws of exercise physiology will always show that variations of squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses, and rows are some of the best exercises for humans, regardless of gender.
And this applies whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building!
Yes, even if your goal is just fat loss and not muscle building, you still need to train your body under progressively heavier resistance (relative to your current strength) to stimulate your body to actually want to change over time.
*Note - when I say "heavy training", I mean heavy resistance in relation to your individual strength level. For example, a heavy resistance in a particular exercise such as a deadlift or squat may be 300 lbs for one person, and only 60 or 70 lbs for another person. All that matters is if the weight that you use is challenging for you.
Now I will concede that I use slightly different styles of training whether the goal is fat loss or muscle building (notice I said different styles, not different exercises per se), but the bigger factor is actually your caloric balance...
Creating a caloric deficit for fat loss or creating a caloric surplus for muscle gain, while still training intensely for either goal.
So I say let's all stop training like men or training like women, and let's all start training like human beings in order to get RESULTS!
If you haven't already done so, you can gain access to my extremely effective training program for HUMANS for a special $4.95 trial offer at this page: http://truthaboutabs.com/trial-offer.html
And you will see why over 100,000 humans, both men and women, have gotten tremendous results by following this program.
Til next newsletter,
Don't be lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com
PS - if you liked todays article, feel free to fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
If you're looking for gimmicks or a bunch of traditional ab exercises, skip Mike's program. If you're serious about getting 6-pack abs through good nutrition and challenging exercises, check it out.
.
Should Men & Women Train Differently?
by Mike Geary
This is one of my biggest pet peeves in the fitness industry... So many men and women "think" they need to workout drastically different from one another.
For example, many women think they need to do 20 or 30 reps per set of every exercise with little pink 3 or 5 lb barbie weights, because if they actually lift heavier weights, they falsely believe they will "bulk up".
Also, many men think they need to do 1-rep maxes to build muscle... this is simply not true... overall training volume and a caloric surplus builds more muscle than does 1-rep maxes... although I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for 1-rep maxes.
One of my biggest frustrations over the years when I was training lots of females and I would show them the workout I wanted to take them through... they would say something like... "I don't want to do those exercises. That looks like a man's workout!"
And they would go back to their little pink 5 lb dumbbells and endless cardio routines and keep getting NO RESULTS at all for months or years.
However, the females I trained that were open-minded enough to trust me that if they used heavier weights they would not "bulk up" (as long as their caloric intake was in the correct range), always got tremendous results.
As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females I've trained over the years were the ones that actually trained with the heaviest weights. I had a few female athletes that could deadlift 175 lbs and they were VERY lean, and NOT overly-muscular. In fact, they had very feminine, but lean bodies.
They lifted HEAVY weights in relation to their size and they NEVER bulked up.
Another example is that the majority of females that I trained thought they couldn't use more than 5 or 8 lb dumbbells for an overhead dumbbell press or a dumbbell chest press. However, when they were open-minded enough to actually try to train their body under more resistance (and thereby create a REAL stimulis for change), most women were almost always able to press 20 or 30 lb dumbbells instead of the 5's or 8's they were used to using.
So my rant in this email is for us all to please stop with the insanity of thinking that we all need to train so radically different whether we're a man or a woman, but rather realize that we are all HUMAN BEINGS.
I don't care if you're a man or a woman... the laws of exercise physiology will always show that variations of squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses, and rows are some of the best exercises for humans, regardless of gender.
And this applies whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building!
Yes, even if your goal is just fat loss and not muscle building, you still need to train your body under progressively heavier resistance (relative to your current strength) to stimulate your body to actually want to change over time.
*Note - when I say "heavy training", I mean heavy resistance in relation to your individual strength level. For example, a heavy resistance in a particular exercise such as a deadlift or squat may be 300 lbs for one person, and only 60 or 70 lbs for another person. All that matters is if the weight that you use is challenging for you.
Now I will concede that I use slightly different styles of training whether the goal is fat loss or muscle building (notice I said different styles, not different exercises per se), but the bigger factor is actually your caloric balance...
Creating a caloric deficit for fat loss or creating a caloric surplus for muscle gain, while still training intensely for either goal.
So I say let's all stop training like men or training like women, and let's all start training like human beings in order to get RESULTS!
If you haven't already done so, you can gain access to my extremely effective training program for HUMANS for a special $4.95 trial offer at this page: http://truthaboutabs.com/trial-offer.html
Til next newsletter,
Don't be lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com
PS - if you liked todays article, feel free to fwd this email on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
If you're looking for gimmicks or a bunch of traditional ab exercises, skip Mike's program. If you're serious about getting 6-pack abs through good nutrition and challenging exercises, check it out.
.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Try It, You'll Like It
I strongly believe that if you're serious about getting results from your exercise routine, you need a solid plan. Cobbling together a training program from magazine articles and exercises you did in high school or college is not the way to fast, efficient workouts.
I've written often about Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program for those who don't have access to Body & Soul and me. I actually use TT and I now base the programs I design on Craig's training principles. Not only does it work but I also recommend Turbulence Training because it's easy to follow. There are some great fat loss programs out there but some of them are overly complicated for the average Joe or Josie.
However, as worthwhile as I know Craig's program is, I understand the reluctance of some of you to buy products sight unseen over the internet (even with a money-back guarantee). If you're one of those people, I have a great deal for you.
Craig just started offering a 21-day trial of Turbulence Training for just $4.95. You get to read through all the info, visit the private TT forums with questions or for support from Craig and other TT members and try the workouts for 3 weeks. If you don't like the program, just let Craig know and he'll refund your money. Only at the end of your 21-day trial, after you've had time to use the workouts, will you be billed for the remaining $35.00 (if you haven't requested a refund).
There's no longer an excuse. For less than an automated car wash, a meal at a fast food joint or fancy drink at Starbucks, you can try out this great fat burning system. Check out all the details here.
I've written often about Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program for those who don't have access to Body & Soul and me. I actually use TT and I now base the programs I design on Craig's training principles. Not only does it work but I also recommend Turbulence Training because it's easy to follow. There are some great fat loss programs out there but some of them are overly complicated for the average Joe or Josie.
However, as worthwhile as I know Craig's program is, I understand the reluctance of some of you to buy products sight unseen over the internet (even with a money-back guarantee). If you're one of those people, I have a great deal for you.
Craig just started offering a 21-day trial of Turbulence Training for just $4.95. You get to read through all the info, visit the private TT forums with questions or for support from Craig and other TT members and try the workouts for 3 weeks. If you don't like the program, just let Craig know and he'll refund your money. Only at the end of your 21-day trial, after you've had time to use the workouts, will you be billed for the remaining $35.00 (if you haven't requested a refund).
There's no longer an excuse. For less than an automated car wash, a meal at a fast food joint or fancy drink at Starbucks, you can try out this great fat burning system. Check out all the details here.
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