Body Sculpting for Women – 12 Common Myths Debunked
Let us remove some of the infamous myths thrown around which at best are confusing and to allow you the chance with getting on with yuor training and enjoy it.
Myth 1 Weight training makes you bulky
Due to the fact that women do not produce as much testosterone (the hormone responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is extremely difficult for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass.
The image that may come to mind is of professional female body-builders. Many of those women unfortunately use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity. In addition, most also have good genetics that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights.
Believe us when we say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness shows these days.
Myth 2 Exercise increases your chest size
Women’s breasts are composed of mostly fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase their size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat (which we don’t recommend), your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants.
Myth 3 Weight training makes you stiff
If you perform all exercised through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises like flys, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumb-bell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.
Myth 4 If you stop weight training your muscles will turn into fat
This is like saying that gold can turn into brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also drop the diet as well. Therefore bad eating habits, combined with the fact that metabolism is lower due to inactivity and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the subject’s muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated.
Myth 5 Weight training turns fat into muscle
More alchemy. This is the equivalent of saying that you can turn any metal into gold. The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics simultaneously. Again, muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. We cannot turn one into the other.
Myth 6 As long as you exercise you can eat anything you want
How we wish this was true! However, this could not be further from the truth. Our individual metabolism determines how many calories we burn at rest and while we exercise. If we eat more calories than we burn on a consistent basis, our bodies will accumulate these extra calories as fat regardless of the amount that we exercise. This myth may have been created by people with such high metabolic rates (lucky them) that no matter how much they eat or what they eat they never meet or exceed the amount of calories that they burn in one day. Therefore their weight either remains stable or goes down.
Myth 7 Once you lose motivation, it’s impossible to get back to a healthy routine
It’s true that it’s difficult to get back on track after losing motivation, but it’s not impossible. When you get bored, it’s easier for you to get depressed and our productivity can come to a screeching halt. Your body reacts similarly and stops producing results when you do the same exact activities day in and day out. How do you create results consistently? Change your action plan!
Myth 8 There’s not enough time to exercise if you’re working full-time
Even if you’re feeling like your work schedule leaves you with no time to exercise, keep in mind that exercising can actually improve your work performance. Incorporating 30 minutes into your daily schedule for working out will be well worth it as exercise has been proven to elevate mood, which naturally leads to far better results and more productivity in the work place.
Myth 9 The gym is intimidating!
The gym actually intimidates more people than you think. Even those so-called “gym rats” don’t always feel confident. Any time you’re feeling nervous about being in the gym, remember that you’re in there to do a job and you owe it to yourself to conquer your fears by facing them head on! Motivate yourself by thinking about the fact that you’re doing what most people won’t do or don’t think they have time to do. It’s all about getting in great shape by doing what you gotta do!
Myth 10 The gym is crowded, dirty and just not for me!
If you really don’t like the gym, build one in your own home – it’s not as difficult as you would think. All you need is a pair of adjustable dumbbells. This is all the equipment that many of our Body Sculpture Programs require. If you want to get more fancy, you can get a weight bench as well. Remember: It’s quality, not quantity that matters. You can still get a great workout with very little equipment.
Myth 11 It’s impossible to find the time to work out if you have a baby
Consider bringing your baby with you – many gyms and health clubs now have child-care services. If your gym doesn’t offer this service find a friend or family member to baby-sit for an hour or so while you work out. You can make it work if you really want to.
Myth 12 You need to stretch before training with weights
Not necessarily. You should not do any static stretching (also known as isometric stretching, in which you hold the stretch for a certain amount of time) before weight training. This actually sends a signal to the muscles that they should relax, which is the last thing you want your muscles doing before a set of exercises. You should instead be using dynamic stretches, which warm and ready the muscles for the upcoming workload by performing active stretches with no holding point. You can also prepare the muscles for the lifting activity by performing the actual weight training movement that you are about to perform, using either light weight or no weight.
