I get a lot of women telling me they don’t want to lift weights and bulk up, they just want to “Tone” a certain area. Just tighten it up, tone it. I’m here to tell you, You Can’t “Tone” What Doesn’t Exist. The reason that area jiggles, is because there’s no muscle.
The Problem Is The Solution.
In order to tighten a problem area, you need to build lean muscle through resistance training (aka. Lifting weights). And not the pink ones either. You’ve got to lift weights that are heavier than your purse.
Don’t worry about looking un-feminine. The amount of muscle you put on is completely controllable. It is extremely hard for a women to build muscle in the first place because we do not have much testosterone. It is also well know that the use of steriods is required for the huge, bulky look.
Muscle burns a ton of calories so the more lean muscle you build, the more fat you will burn. Think of muscle as pac-man eating up the fat.
Lifting weights and building muscle also makes the body more insulin sensitive. Most people find they can actually start eating more carbs the more muscle they build, as muscle is what burns glucose during exercise. Carbs are the main fuel used by muscles during a weight training workout. Glycogen (carbs stored in the muscle cells) provides energy for workouts and allow you to lift heavy weights. After a weight training workout, you body will be looking to replace the depleted glycogen stores in the muscle cells and will soak carbs up like a sponge. If you consume carbs right after your workout, those carbs will be shuttled directly into your muscle cells rather than fat cells. And the more muscle you develop, the more carbs (glycogen) you will need to replace what you depleted during your workout.
Lifting weights also helps with bone density so it becomes increasingly important to lift as we age. Falls put more elderly in the nursing home than illness so start the habit of lifting weights now. It’s NEVER too late to start.
Just checkout these weightlifting rockstars.
Ernestine Shepard, personal trainer, 71 years old.
Kathy Smith, 60 year old fitness icon
Tawnia Justice, 55 year old personal trainer
Sandra Foli, 73 year old power lifting record setter
Betsy Finley 60+ crossfit athlete
Winifred Pristell 75 yr old reigning World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters champion
And not to leave out the guys, 91-year-old Svend Steensgard
Remember, when you see someone with nice toned arms or a nice ass, they have more muscle and less body fat so start lifting and reshape your body!