By
Paul Chek, HHP, NMT
Founder,
C.H.E.K.
Institute
If you ask any woman to describe the goals of her exercise program,
she will certainly tell you such things as:
- I want to lose fat!
- I want to tone my butt and thighs
- I want more energy
- I want to feel better
- I want to lose my pooch belly
In almost the same breath she tells you her goals, she will be
sure to tell you she DOESN'T WANT TO GET BIG!
Tarzan would certainly never want to stop Jane from achieving any
of these goals, yet females flock to the gym attempting to accomplish
these objectives with a battle plan skewed by misconceptions.
To aid Jane of the modern jungle in achieving her goals, let's
look at each issue, the common misconceptions and a logical approach
to its achievement. Unless your client has unusually large amounts
of testosterone in her blood stream, the fear of getting big is
unfounded! Competitive female body builders train approximately
three hours a day and perform five to 10 sets per exercise in hopes
of getting a fraction of the size their male counterparts achieve.
Getting big muscles is no easy task for a female. If it were, it
would have been Jane swinging from the vines and swimming with the
alligators, not Tarzan!
To assist Jane of the modern jungle in achieving her goals, let
us look at them individually:
1.
I Want to Lose Fat
Most females feel that they must wear the seat out on an exercise
bike or get a gold star for attendance in the aerobics studio to
get the fat off, but it obviously doesn't work that way! Initially,
most people will have a slight or moderate change in body shape
with aerobic exercise. In a relatively short time, their bodies
adapt to the specific stress of a given exercise, becoming very
efficient. The result is progressively fewer calories consumed per
minute exercised. This is exactly why you so commonly see the same
people on the same machines and in the same classes month after
month and their body shape rarely ever changes.
It is no different with those that run for exercise; at any city
park in the morning you can see hundreds of chubby runners pounding
the pavement, many wondering why they can still hold a roll of quarters
with their gluteal fold! Yes, some are skinny, and for three main
reasons:
- Distance running (aerobic exercise in general) stimulates the
production of stress hormones called glucocorticoids (see Chek.
P. "Program Design" Correspondence Course). Glucocorticoid
hormones are catabolic--tissue destructive hormones.
Their action antagonizes the development of muscle mass and
when any aerobic athlete's protein and/or cholesterol (saturated
fat) intake is too low for their needs, or by regular aerobic
exercise stimulus the body is chronically exposed to glucocorticoids,
gluconeogenesis occurs; you begin to breakdown and use your
own muscle tissue in an attempt to maintain critical steroid
hormone levels and blood sugar levels; your body thinks you
are running from a lion!
-
Those running over 30 miles a week may reach the point where
their energy expense is greater than their energy intake. This
can result in a net loss of energy (via fat or protein as available)
from the body, resulting in the typical gaunt look you see in
more accomplished distance runners.
-
Properly coached or elite distance runners and aerobic athletes
of most types use carefully planned periods of intense short
bursts followed by carefully timed rest periods, called interval
training. This type of training elevates metabolism in much
the same way circuit weight training does. In fact, sprinting
is nothing but short interval training and if the distance is
short enough for explosive efforts and the rest intervals allow
adequate recovery, you will often see athletes gain muscle mass
and lose fat!
Figure 1B |
Figure 1A |
Solution:
Incorporate resistance training into your program. Alternating
aerobic exercise sessions with resistance training serves to shock
the system, making it hard for the body to adapt. Using compound
free-weight exercises such as the "Squat Push Press" (Fig.
1A and 1B) requires the body to not only activate many large muscles,
but also to activate the stabilizer system to maintain the center
of gravity over the base of support at all times. This means that
there will virtually be hundreds of muscles on the job at once,
all consuming calories!
Another significant benefit of resistance training is the increased
post exercise metabolism; current research suggests high-intensity
weight training can elevate metabolism for as long as 48 hours after
a single workout. To appreciate that your body will continue to
consume calories long after resistance training, consider that some
of the leanest athletes in the world are sprinters, who despise
even the thought of aerobic exercise!
2.
I Want to Tone My Butt and Thighs
Although toning the butt and thighs is a universal desire among
females, many equipment manufacturers are quick to mislead females
into thinking their machines will strengthen and decrease the size
of the butt. A classic example of this emotional hook can be seen
in the ads showing a beautiful female with a near-perfect behind
standing next to a stepper machine. Such suggestion has been effective
for sales, although EMG activation of the gluteus maximus on such
machines is minimal at best; I've tested it!
Additionally, the use of abductor, adductor, knee extension and
hamstring curl machines provide such isolation that there is minimal
caloric expenditure in comparison with more functional compound
exercises for the legs. Plus there is an almost nonexistent carry
over to function with the use of such machines; this is easily proven
by simply asking anyone to attempt to match their Smith machine
bench press or squat with an Olympic bar and dumbbells respectively.
Solution:
Stay tuned for Part II of
Jane's Jungle Workout in the next eHealthy News!
Paul
Chek, Corrective, Holistic Exercise Kinesiologist and certified
Neuromuscular Therapist, is the founder of the C.H.E.K Institute
in Vista, California. A sought-after consultant to sporting organizations,
his services have benefited numerous professional sports teams
and athletes.
Paul
has produced over 60 videos, 17 correspondence courses and is
the author of several books, audio programs and articles. For
more information on Paul's recent book "How To Eat, Move
and Be Healthy!" or his popular "Equal But Not The Same"
correspondence course, or for any of Paul Chek's other courses,
videos and books, call 1-800-552-8789 or 760-477-2620 or visit
on-line at www.chekinstitute.com.
Feel free to request a catalog of CHEK Institute products.
Picture
Captions
Figure 1. Squat Push Press: Holding the dumbbells comfortably
in front of you, descend into a squat. As you rise out of the
squat position, simultaneously press the dumbbells over your head.
The timing of the arms and legs should always be symmetrical so
that the motion of arms and legs begins and ends together. When
performing this exercise, it is not necessary to do a full squat.
Just squat to the depth that you would if you were preparing to
jump up two or three stairs at once.
Figure 2.: Thigh parallel to ground or better for optimal
butt activation.
Figure 3. Multi-Directional Lunge: The Multi-Directional
Lunge is performed to five positions on each leg; straight-ahead,
45° front lateral, 90° lateral, 45° backward and straight
backward. The exerciser must always face the front. The trailing
leg should be slightly unlocked but the quad muscles should be
activated enough to stabilize the knee. When performing the 45°
lunges, allow the trailing foot to pivot naturally to prevent
excessive strain being placed on the medial (inner) knee. Always
maintain good upright posture.
Related Articles:
How to Choose and Use Swiss
Balls Correctly
How to Activate
"Survival Reflexes" for Improved Strength and Function
Fear the Squat No More!
Part I
The Power of Walking