Make Your Workout More Macho
here is a great article for women who are still on the fence about working out harder. This really jumped out at me when I first saw it and I wanted to pass it along. Don't worry guys, I have some good old fashioned Male only articles coming along shortly. I have been talking to women for years now about the fact that they just don't train hard enough. They think cardio is the end all - be all of exercise. Women need to incorporate strength training and more protein into their diet. This is a really good read
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No matter how liberated we think we've become, there are certain
gender stereotypes that still exist.
By Margaret Littman
And perhaps nowhere are they more ingrained than sports and
exercise. Men fish; women walk. Men drive racecars; women go to
aerobic dance class. Men pump iron; women stretch.
These are generalizations, of course, and fitness experts say more women are pushing the boundaries of female-friendly fitness than ever. That's a good thing because when it comes to flexing their muscles, all those years men spent practicing in front of the mirror have paid off. As much as it may hurt us to admit it, we can learn a thing or two from men about how to improve our physical I.Q.
"There are a lot of myths that need to be exploded," says Paul Kennedy of Bally Total Fitness. "Most women who come in tell us, 'I want to lose weight.' What they are really telling us is, 'I want to lose fat.' They do some aerobics, go to a dance class, get on the treadmill. They don't want to strength-train; they think it will make them big. [But] that just won't happen."
In fact, Kennedy and others say nonaerobic exercises with weights offer one of the best ways to lose weight, stave off osteoporosis, increase energy and live longer. Of course, if you ask your spouse, brother or even father for a few pointers, they might say you're not strong enough to work like a man.
That was the case when Lori Braun, a fitness trainer, started weight lifting. She saw her brother and his friends doing it, then did the workouts when they weren't around.
Even if your male mentors aren't the disparaging types, they might never let you live down your request for help. So, we decided to ask for you. Take our tour through the men's locker room to see what secrets you can adapt for your workout regimen.
Boxing.
What could be more macho than hooks and jabs? Even with Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila, getting into the ring, few women think about donning gloves to burn calories.
"A boxing workout does not necessarily entail getting your head punched in," says James Ferrari, owner of Blue Velvet, a boxing club in Manhattan.
More than 30 percent of punching power comes from the legs, Ferrari says, meaning you'll work your abdominal muscles, shoulders and hips and as much as your arms.
Because the sport engages so many different body parts, it burns more calories. Ferrari estimates that an hour on the StairMaster would burn 720 calories for an average woman, compared with 900 calories in an hour of boxing.
Weight loss isn't the only advantage. Because of necessary choreography, boxing improves balance (that's why they talk about fancy footwork), releases stress and improves hand-eye coordination.
Racecar driving.
Pro drivers put the pedal to the metal, reaching more than 240 miles an hour, which translates to excellent cardiovascular health. To control a car going that fast, drivers need a fit heart, calm nerves and some serious upper-body strength. Plus, those cars get hot, and some estimates indicate that a pro sweats off up to 10 pounds in one race.
Of course, you won't be going that fast for that long, nor will you have the chance to race as often as you can jump on the stationary bike. If you think you have the personality to enjoy that sort of adrenaline boost, it may do both your ticker and biceps some good.
Weight lifting.
Pros often sport what look like sausage casing for limbs, and many women worry they'll end up looking like that if they pump up. But fitness experts say it's almost impossible for the average woman to look that way - even if she becomes serious about weight lifting - without using steroids.
Miriam Nelson, author of Strong Women Stay Young (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 2000), says weight lifting helps women look more feminine because muscle is sleek and smooth and "takes up the volume of jiggly fat."
To change the perception of man-centric weight lifting, many trainers prefer to call it strength training. "I firmly believe that strength training is much more important for women that it is for men," Nelson says."We have less muscle and less bone than men."
Because women don't typically lift heavy items during the course of the day and tend to live longer, building strong muscles and bones is particularly important. Once you start to build muscles, your muscles help your body burn fat all day.
At Bally's, trainers recommend that beginners follow the time-honored rule of giving muscles at least 24 hours to recover between lifting sessions. At-home tapes and 8-pound or 10-pound dumbbells also work well for women who can't get to a gym. For more tips, go to www.strongwomen.com.
Boot camp.
You're in the army now. OK, not really. But if you were, you'd be building muscles and shedding pounds. There are many boot camp-type programs out there, offered through gyms and independent schools.
Optimum Boot Camp includes running, obstacle courses, wall climbing, kickboxing, netting crawls and nutrition classes. Founded by former U.S. Marine Raphael Verela, the Optimum secret to shaping up is combining traditionally female aerobics with macho weight training, as well as good nutrition.
"A lot of women don't like to go to the gym because of the meat-market aspect. There is also an embarrassment factor when they are first starting, especially if they are overweight," Verela says. "It is different when you are doing it with a whole group of your peers."
Skeet shooting.
This animal-friendly sport uses clay disks that move through the air as targets. It's been more popular with men, thanks to the stereotype that males need some way to release natural aggression. But we women have plenty of pent-up aggression, too.
The shotgun weighs close to 8 pounds, so as you're aiming and firing, you're getting a good upper-body workout. Add hauling the gun from station to station and walking briskly as you do it, you may end up burning off as many calories as you would on the treadmill.
Visit www.nssa-nsca.com to find skeet-shooting facilities near you.
[Rob's Note:] Skeet shooting? um.. that's a new one.
Hmmm...
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Muscle building / Strength Training Resources
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http://www.formerfatguy.com/go/mbn/index.asp
Maximum Fitness: Gary Matthews shows you his
time saving techniques for w eight l oss or bodybuilding
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Fit over Forty: Role models for excellence at
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60's and over who have taken their health and fitness to a new
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the same results
http://www.formerfatguy.com/go/fitover40/index.asp
Firm and Flatten Your Abs: Core training secrets by David Grisaffi, certified fitness trainer. My trainer uses these exercises and I've incorporated a lot of them into my routine. Core strength is the key to better lifts.
http://www.formerfatguy.com/muscle/abdominals/firmandflatten/index.asp
Creatine: get the fr-ee report on how it works
and what it can do for your health at any age (right Ed?)