Myths About Women and Strength Training

1. Women can't get as strong. Not true. Women have a potential for developing muscular fitness (particularly in their upper bodies) that often remains untapped. In fact, the average woman gains strength at a slightly faster rate that the average man does.

2. Strength training de-feminizes women.  Fortunately, the wide array of potential benefits of strength training (functional, physical, mental, and health) are just as appropriate and available to women as they are to men. Tight, firm, muscles have nothing to do with the objectionable term "de-feminize."

3. Lifting weights will cause women to develop relatively large muscles.  In reality, women don't have the genetic potential to develop large muscles because, except in very rare instances, they don't have enough testosterone, which is needed for the development of muscle bulk.

4. Strength training will make a woman muscle-bound. Muscle-bound is a term that connotes lack of flexibility.  Not only will proper strength training not make a woman less flexible, in most cases, it will make her more flexible.

5.  A woman's muscles will turn to fat when she stops training.  Muscles cannot turn into fat.  Muscles simply don't have the physiological capacity to change from one type of tissue to another.  Muscles have the property of "use it or lose it."  If a woman doesn't use a particular muscle, that muscle will literally waste away (atrophy).

6. A woman can take protein supplements to enhance her physique.  A woman cannot enhance how her body looks by using protein supplements, because her body can't use the extra protein.  An excessive amount of protein is not used to build muscle tissue. Rather, it is converted to fat and stored in the body.

7. Rigorous strength training can help a woman rid her body of fat. Research shows that, although strength training can firm and tone muscles, it does not burn away fat.

8. Strength training increases a woman's need for vitamins.  The vitamin needs of a physically active woman are generally no greater than those of a sedentary one.  Because vitamins do not contribue significantly to a woman's body structure and do not provider her with a direct source of energy, a woman who engages in strength training receives no benefit from taking an excessive dose of vitamin supplements.  Eating a variety of healthful foods will ensure that a woman's intake of vitamins is adequate.


9. Strength training is for young women.  It's never too late for a woman to enhance the quality of her life by improving her level of muscular fitness.  Proper strength training offers numerous benefits to women of all ages and fitness levels, including the fact that it can help extend a woman's functional life span.

10. Strength training is expensive for a woman.  Not true. Muscles respond to the stress applied to them, not to the cost of the machine.  All other factors being equal, muscles can't discern 50 pounds of stress on an inexpensive barbell from 50 pounds of stress imposed by a high-tech machine costing thousands of dollars.


James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is a freelance writer and consultant in sports medicine. From 1990 until 1995, Dr. Peterson was director of sports medicine with StairMaster. Until that time, he was professor of physical education at the United States Military Academy.


Copyright 2010 by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Nutrition And Diets : How To Get Fit In 4 Weeks

Fitness is a lifelong process, but four weeks can be a good starting point for seeing major improvements. Work on stretching, cardiovascular activity and strength training with advice from a registered and licensed dietitian in this free video on nutrition and diets.



Expert: Christine Marquette
Bio: Christine E. Marquette is a registered and licensed dietitian with the Austin Regional Clinic in Austin, Texas.
Filmmaker: Todd Green

BECOME BODY CONFIDENT

Top tips towards a more confident you!

Being body confident can help to improve all areas of your life. We ask personal trainer Caroline Sandry for her top tips towards a more confident you!

As a personal trainer and pilates teacher I have seen how dramatically peoples lives can change when they make positive changes to their bodies and their health. As people become fitter and stronger, their posture improves and they seem to grow taller as they stand up proud.

Improving your fitness and strength will give you the confidence to try new things such as joining a gym, going for that new job or even trying new clothes, and the great thing is that you will have the energy and stamina to carry out new activities with real vigour and zest for life!

Here are some of my top tips towards getting body confident :-

1) Improve your posture - simply by standing up tall with your shoulders back and your stomach in you will appear more confident and self-assured

2) Try Pilates exercises to strengthen your core plus lengthen and define your muscles

3) Aerobic exercise such as dance, jogging or aerobics can lead to a more positive outlook, burn fat and make you feel fantastic!

4) People who exercise in the morning go on to make healthier food choices throughout the day - so try a brisk walk or 10 minutes of aerobic exercise before breakfast

5) Try yoga or stretching to help improve your flexibility and range of motion - this will help your body move more fluidly and elegantly

6) Take every opportunity to move your body: walk up stairs and skip the elevator, get off the bus a stop earlier or walk the kids to school. All these small changes will help you to lose any excess weight and improve your health

7) Never buy clothes in a size too small. Ignore the label - it is better to buy a 14 than try and squeeze into a 12 and then feel self conscious because your clothes are too tight! A slightly looser fit is always more flattering

8) Start to love yourself! Instead of focusing on any flaws, start to concentrate on how great you are! Love your legs for carrying you around all day, play up your best features and congratulate yourself on every small achievement.

The Shocking Facts about Muscle Building Protein Sources

Current info about Muscle Building Protein is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Muscle Building Protein info available.

If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

Protein is the most fundamental nutrient for muscle growing, and this any veteran bodybuilder can tell you.

Novices take heed: If you aren't going to supply your body with the necessary number of muscle building protein that it needs to sustain muscle growing, you will not find any significant gains, no matter how much effort you put into your workouts.

So, why is protein so important, and what are the finest muscle building protein sources?

Let's figure it out.

A chain of smaller monomers called amino acids is what clears protein, which is a macromolecule.

The individual amino acids that are formed once protein is broken down, after it has been consumed and digested, are used for thousands of functions in the body.

It is very fundamental for people who want to increase muscle size and strength to get the right number of muscle building protein.

Protein is not only important for optimizing the muscle building procedure but also crucial for repairing damaged muscle tissue.

Now that we all know that you need muscle building protein if you want to get bigger and stronger, let's get out the best sources of this protein?

A list of foods that not only help you maximize your muscle gains but also supply you with a powerful protein-packed punch have been listed below.

Eggs - One of the finest quality sources of muscle building protein is eggs, and they need not be consumed in the raw form.

Adding eggs (scrambled, challenging boiled, or fried) to your breakfast ensures that your muscles get their protein fix, and it's a fantastic way to start the day.

Lean Red Meat - Don't bother about what you've read in all those diet blogs; lean red meat is an excellent muscle building protein.

As compared to any other protein source, red meat contains the highest concentration of evolution-supporting nutrients.

Opt for sirloin cuts or extra lean ground kick.

Poultry - Chicken and turkey are equally important.

These are excellent sources of protein.

Keep in mind that when eating poultry, you should focus on the white meat portions.

The white portions are extremely high in muscle building protein and very low in fat.

Milk - Milk offers a variety of muscle-building benefits and is other great muscle building protein source.

Every 250 ml cup of milk contains about 8 grams of protein.

The slowest absorbing form of protein out in the market is casein protein, and milk contains 80% of it.

Casein can get up to 4 hours to be fully digested, as it forms a gel in the stomach.

Casein helps your body stay in an anabolic state for longer periods of time, owing to its timed launch.

Milk also contains short-chain fatty acids that help to support muscle growing and provides a fantastic spectrum of amino acids.

You can add milk to your protein shake or to any other recipe, which is unquestionably an advantage.

So go grab a glass of milk today.

Fish/Seafood - You can throw your body a solid 30 grams of muscle building protein by eating a can of tuna.

The cracking thing is that it has zero carbs and fat.

Salmon, cod, and halibut make for some of the other solid choices.

Fish and seafood provide you more than just protein. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit in muscle building.

Peanut Butter/Peanuts - Peanut butter and peanuts can be beneficial to your health as the majority of fat that they contain is unsaturated.

Peanuts are also a bang-up muscle building protein source.

Rather of opting for the commercial stuff, opt for natural peanut butter that does not contain saturated fat.

Cottage Cheese - Cottage cheese is also casein protein, love milk.

As a result, it is digested very slowly. It also has a high content of natural glutamine, which is the most abundant amino acid in your body.

Whey Protein - Whey protein is the highest quality muscle building protein that you can put in your body, and it is one of the most popular and effective supplements in the bodybuilding industry.

Is there really any information about Muscle Building Protein that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.