FITNESS FAQs
MYTH: Many women believe weight resistance training will make their muscles large and bulky.
FACT: The ability to increase total muscle mass is highly dependent upon circulating levels of testosterone.
• Men have between 20 and 30 times the testosterone level of women and, as a result, tend to build more lean body mass. However, genetics and individual differences can play a role at the rate in which muscle mass increases.
• Women lack the proper hormones to increase muscle to be as large and bulky as men.
• Furthermore, women, as compared to men, have thinner muscle strands.
MYTH: All forms of resistance exercise will make your bones stronger.
FACT: It is unfortunate … many weight training routines designed for women (light weights with high repetitions) simply don’t impose enough stress on bone to stimulate remodeling. I always suggest the advice of a professional is essential in putting together a proper program.
Bone growth is directly proportional to the degree of stress put upon it. The greater the overload (within limits of safety for each individual), the greater the growth.
MYTH: Cutting Carbohydrates from your food choices will help you to lose fat and be slimmer.
FACT: Low carb diets start with 20 grams or less per day…when everyone should be getting 120 grams per day.
• Cutting carbohydrates this drastically is dangerous. It can lead to metabolic syndrome by causing the person to have insulin sensitivity.
• The best idea is to take out, or at least cut back in, refined carbohydrates such as soda and white flour…going to whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
MYTH: With the right exercise, you can get rid of trouble spots.
FACT: The truth is small muscle exercises for the arms do not reduce the size of any specific part of the body.
• There is no such thing as spot reduction. The genetic structure of a person’s body determines where fat will come off first.
• Only a good balance of proper large muscles exercises, cardio vascular work, and a balanced meal plan can achieve a healthy change in the size of anyone’s body … and it is the body that will choose which part it will reduce first.