Here's our new site: http://wootimestwo.wordpress.com AND yesterday's post!
Alright, so I'm sure everyone (mostly girls) have heard that lifting heavy weights or just lifting in general bulks you up.
Sound familiar? I thought so!
Well this is so not true! First off, God made women differently than he made men (uh duh..) so to begin with, we're already not going to "get big" like they do or try to (he he (; ). I'm not saying it's not possible to "bulk up" because it definitely is, as evidence by women body builders and those who participate in figure competitions. However, these women intensely train their muscles every day or according to a schedule because they are trying to improve their strength and bodies for the competition. If your goal is to "get bigger," then most likely you'll be doing exercises to help you achieve that goal.
Women do not automatically start bulking up when they begin lifting weights because we don't have the same hormones that men do which allow them to gain muscle like this. By lifting heavy weights, we're overriding our hormonal influences which only allow us to increase our muscle mass a portion of what men are capable of. We also have less muscle mass to begin with, because that's how God created us!
So it's good to lift weights on a weekly basis! Having muscle makes life easier, and it makes cardio workouts more effective! Weight training helps with toning too, so don't worry about getting big. Make sure you don't work the same muscles every day. Giving your muscles a break and switching up your workouts creates muscle confusion, essentially keeping your muscles "on their toes." Workouts get easier the more times you repeat them, which is good and bad. Good because you're improving your fitness level, but "bad" because then you're not challenging yourself, which will help you improve at a slower rate. Plus, by switching up your workouts and exercises to target your entire body will help you to become more proportional! Don't be that one guy or girl who only workouts his/her upper or lower body!
We try to lift or do strength training at least 3-4 times per week. We love cardio, so building muscle helps get us going! Benefits of having muscle include:
- boosting your metabolism (even when you're at rest)
- muscle burns fat
- helps make you leaner
- toning your body
- burning more calories
- etc, etc!
So, grab a dumbbell, resistance bands, or create your own resistance and lift today!
Oh, and P.S. muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle = a pound of fat. Right? Muscle is more compact, which means that more muscle tissue/cells can fit in an area than fat cells can. Think back to your biology days: muscle cells are longer and thinner, while adipose (fat) cells are big and round! So fat just takes up more volume than muscle does.
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