Category Archives for "Women building muscle"
Women can build muscle without bulking up like a man.
January 20, 2017
Best Workouts: Women
The idea of working out has become enormously complicated these days. If you search for the best workouts for women, you’re going to come across 100’s of different answers. It’s so confusing.
This site is devoted to Baby Boomers building muscle as we age. It’s estimated that fewer than 25% of Boomer women workout regularly. Meanwhile study after study has shown that strength training has tremendous health benefits for all of us, women and men, especially as we age.
Resistance training will:
Reverse sarcopenia – age-related loss of muscle that begins fairly early in life but really accelerates in later years — if you fail to do something about it.- Prevent Type 2 diabetes and promote a healthy metabolism. Muscles store carbs and burns them for fuel when you move. The only other way your body stores carbs is with fat.
- Control obesity by burning those carbs as fuel. Muscle even burns fuel while at rest. In fact, strength training burns calories for many hours after you’ve finished.
- Reduce loss of bone density due to osteoporosis. Bones stay stronger that are put under loads like strength training exercises.
Fat, frail and wasting away. Very scary stuff. No one wants those things.
But why won’t we get off our butts?
A recent study in the UK by Sport England with large numbers of women aged 14-40 found that fear of judgement by others was the biggest factor holding them back. Even though a large percentage — 75% — said they would like to exercise, the fear stops them.
The two biggest fears were being judged by how they look and for their lack of skill in doing the exercises. Even experienced women said they feared being judged as being too manly because they were good at it and therefore unfeminine.
Those were younger women. What about Baby Boomers? Web MD put together a list of “myths” that hold older women back. Among them were:
- It’s pointless, I won’t get any benefit — not true, see the list above
- Not safe, I could get hurt — you don’t have to do Cross Fit or jump around
- I’ve never done it before, it’s too late — it’s never too late, ever
- No time — you can do a workout in as little as 30 minutes
- Can’t afford it — there are very affordable ways to get started
It’s Complicated
And if you throw the fear of being judged on top of all that, it’s a lot to overcome. It’s no doubt pointless to lecture someone who feels that way. It’s not really the facts, in this case, it’s all about perception and feelings.
So, rather than attempt a lecture on self-esteem, I’d like to direct your attention to a recent post of mine that focused on Simple Workouts you can do at home. The post will walk you through inexpensive equipment and a workout routine.Â
If cost is a major issue, you can do this workout with just resistance bands. Quality sets of these can be purchased for around $30. The article also shows some additional equipment that is nice to have but not completely necessary.
The Best Workout for Women
The best workout is the one you will actually do on a consistent basis.
If you start with a simple plan in the comfort of your own home, you can avoid the concerns about judgement entirely. And who knows, once you’ve built up some confidence, you just might want to join a gym.
If you’re a Baby Boomer, please start a strength building program. It’s never too late to begin.
If you don’t want to be judged at the gym, try my simple plan at home. It will work. It may feel awkward at first, so start slowly and just stay with it. The benefits for you life can be huge with just this simple, fast and efficient workout plan.
And to read more on the health benefits, please see this post.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Or drop me a line, I’ll answer any questions you may have and help you get started: Brian@BoomerMuscle.com.
Click here to get your FREE copy of the 5 Keys to Feeling Stronger – Right Away! You’ll get immediate access to a video and accompanying checklist, along with a report laying out the proof behind lighter weights being the best way to build muscle — especially for people our age.
January 11, 2017
Get Rid Cellulite Thighs
If there were an easy solution to get rid of cellulite thighs, the inventor would be the richest person in the world and there’d be no need for this post. Unfortunately, there is still no magical answer.
And this article is not going to try and sell you snake oil creams or potions. But it will provide a simple method you can use to dramatically reduce the appearance of cellulite on your thighs and lower body.
This condition afflicts almost entirely women. And it can affect any age or body size. Even thin, young models sometimes have to deal with it.
What is it exactly? It’s not just fat. It’s fat pressing through your connective tissue (collagen). According to Prevention:
“Everyone has strands of connective tissue that separate fat cells into compartments and connect fat to the skin. In women, these fibers form a honeycomb-shaped pattern, so any increase of fat tends to bulge out like stuffing in a mattress. You see less cellulite in men because their fibers run horizontally, forming a criss-cross pattern that prevents bulging or dimpling.”
So, cellulite is
fat pushing through this honeycomb, collagen web of connective tissue. Fat is very soft, unlike muscle, so it can bulge out through this honeycomb.
Virtually none of the beauty creams and potions for sale have any real impact. And even expensive surgical solutions like liposuction can actually make things worse because they do not address the top layer of fat.
However, most experts agree that building muscle while reducing fat can have a significant impact on cellulite. Simply losing weight alone does nothing to strengthen that fibrous connective tissue. Working out will strengthen it and have an impact on how much fat can bulge through. So the simple plan is this:
- Build up the muscle in those areas
- Eat a healthy diet low in processed carbs and sugar
- Stay hydrated
If that wasn’t enough, women are also especially prone to the effects of sarcopenia as they age. This is the wasting away of muscle that happens to many people as part of the aging process. Experts argue about when it starts. Some say 30 some say 40. Regardless, it can rob you as much as half your body’s muscle by 70 — if you do nothing about.
So building muscle has many benefits for women. In addition to improving conditions like cellulite, it can also have a tremendous impact on your body’s muscle and bone health. It improves your overall appearance, happiness, and freedom as you age.
Don’t worry about hulking out as you build muscle. It’s not going to happen unless you also take massive amounts of male steroids. Also, many of the freaky photos you see on the internet of hulked-out female bodybuilders are photoshop fakes.
Building Muscle Burns Fat
Building muscle is also the most effective way to burn fat. While it’s true cardio burns slightly more calories while you’re doing it (12 vs 10 for weight training), a muscle will burn calories for much longer. In fact, some estimate that you will burn calories for a full 38 hours after a strength training workout!
If you’re not already working out, odds are you’re not going to suddenly join a gym or spend hundreds on home equipment. Ha! I gotcha covered. Here is a simple workout plan you can do with an inexpensive set of Resistance Bands and/or a dumbbell or two. No excuses.
It’s a good place to start and if you follow it, you will build muscle in the right places and make great strides in controlling that cellulite.
Muscle does burn fat, click here to learn more.
To read more on sarcopenia and its effect on our muscles as we age, please click here.
