Don't Train for Fat Loss-Train for Strength
Pic from a park workout
Sometimes Training for Fat Loss Sucks
I am sick and tired of all this politically correct B.S. saying that women can’t and shouldn’t train the same way as men. Nope: women should stick to their machines, aerobic classes, and “designated” workout rooms filled with old machines and dumbbells that go up to a whopping 15 pounds. But, if they want to come over to the “men’s area” to use an empty barbell or a bench for some “toning” exercises, than it’s okay. After all, everyone knows that endless triceps kickbacks and dumbbell curls are the best way to get great arms. Right . . . . . .
I keep waiting for things to change. I keep waiting for women to see their true potential in the weight room. I keep waiting for women to step off the elliptical for the final time and explore the new exciting future that awaits them with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, sandbags, and bodyweight exercises.
It hasn’t happened. In fact, we may be going in an even worse direction.
I don’t apologize for being in the weight room. In fact, I find it quite amusing when I’m standing next to a guy by the dumbbell rack and he grabs the 35 pound dumbbells for his flat bench presses and then I grab the 45’s for my incline presses. I like that I can bench 150 pounds and deadlift 300 at a bodyweight of 125. I love the look on people’s faces when I’m doing sets of deadlifts with 245 on the bar. I love watching guys do lat pulldowns with 80 pounds and then I'll bust out 10 chin-ups from a dead hang on each rep. And I'm not done. I will get stronger . And you know what else: I'll still look like a woman . Please, don't believe the B.S. your personal trainer tells you about lifting heavy weights. You will not get huge.
I will never apologize. And I will never encourage a woman to spend time on any machine, do “toning” exercises, or waist their life away by performing hours a week of “cardio.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. The best exercises a woman (or man) can do to improve her body composition and appearance are squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, pushups, dips, rows, chin-ups, lunges, and intervals with bodyweight exercises and/or dumbbells.
Those exercises, and their variations, will give women (and men) the body they desire that will have true functional strength. You won’t get that with machines and wimpy exercises like triceps kickbacks and adduction and abduction machines. And I don’t even want to hear about how you drove 15 minutes to the gym, searched for the closest parking spot, and then spent 30 minutes on the elliptical, and then drove 15 minutes back home. If you’re going to take 60 minutes out of your busy life, make sure those 60 minutes bring you closer to your personal goals. An elliptical machine won’t do it.
The tide will turn. I will keep saying that “women should train for strength .” By training for strength, the body composition goals they desire will happen and their training will be filled with purpose.
Life is short. Train smart. Train hard. Get results and get on with it.
If you're ready to lose fat and transform your body in a whole new way, then check out Fat Loss Detour.
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Comments for This Entry
Great post!
Love your passion! When go to the gym, I have TOTAL contempt for most people in there. I wish I didn't feel like this , but i do!
Jack-
It's either all or nothing in my opinion. If I'm going to the gym I'm going to give 100 percent.
I know you're feeling. I have to remind myself that most people just don't have the right information. It's not entirely their fault. Some many fitness sources are full of crap and have no clue what they're talking about.
Nia,
Thank you for this post, because this is something I have been struggling with. Altough I am not at 300 lbs on my deadlift yet, I do use quite a bit of weight, and that means I work out in the "mens" area of the gym. I feel patronized going in there. I am constantly being asked by men "do you need help with that?" I see their concern when I am putting 100 lbs on the bar or grabbing the 35 lb weights. Its very frustrating, and so recently I have been taking the "heavy" weights from the "mens" area and carrying them across the gym into the "womens" area to do my workout. Reading this post made me decide that I am not going to do that anymore. I deserve to be anywhere in the gym that I want to be. And I should feel proud that my hard work has led me to training with the big boys. Thank you again.
Jenn-
Hell yeah! Make absolutely no appologies to anyone for lifting heavy and being strong. Be proud of your abilities and rightfully claim your spot in the weight room.
I have been there myself. Just wait until you are lifting more weight than the guy next to you. : ) Don't ever feel bad for training hard. Just focus on your accomplishments and keep getting better.
Once again, that's awesome!
-Nia
Fantastic post Nia. You are so right! It wasn't until I started really strength training and lifting heavy (though I'm not to your numbers yet) that I started to really see body recomposition. I weigh more now than I used to, but fit into smaller clothes. It's great! It has completely reversed the way I think about scale-weight. Lucky for me, I workout in a gym where there are regularly other women working the olympic lifts, etc, and no one seems to think twice about it. I will always remember the day I succeeded on my first unassisted pullup. I worked HARD for that! Ask me a year ago if I'd be doing olympic and barbell lifts, I'd have thought you were nuts. But I love it!
Best,
Charlotte
Charlotte-
I am so glad to see women who know the truth about strength training!
Congrats on doing unassisted pull-ups! That is even something a lot of men have problems doing.
Furthermore, I love that you realize that it's more important to focus on how you feel and how your clothes fit instead of the number on the scale. Too many women get caught up on that number.
I hope you can get other women to realize that fact as well. I know I am.
Keep up the great work and keep me informed on your progress. I would love to know how your training goes.
-Nia
You mentioned "....intervals with bodyweight exercises and/or dumbbells." would this be one's cardio session. I do 20 minutes (5 min warm up/cool down) intervals on an elliptical or treadmill 3x per wk for my cardio. Should I just drop the "running cardio" and do 3 weight session that'll elevate my heart rate.
This is my workout schedule:
3 total body w/o's.
3 HIIT days
6 days total
Rachel-
Those could be used to replace traditional cardio workouts.
For example, do dumbbell swings for your interval training:
-30 seconds of swings
-30 seconds rest
Repeat for a total of 10 rounds
You can also do bodyweight circuits.
If you've been doing your interval workouts with machines, definitely try doing intervals with dumbbells and/or bodyweight circuits.
Let me know how that works for you!
Would dumbbell swings be with kettlebells. My gym doesnt have them. Just dumbbells. Those things always look like your going to throw your shoulder out of socket. Can you give me some examples of some bodyweight circuits.
Thanks
You can use dumbbells for the swings.
Look at these article for some ideas:
http://thefatsolutions.com/blog/Bodyweight+Workouts+and+Other+Fat+Loss+Information/
You're probably better off checking out my videos. Go here and you'll get a bunch of bodyweight workouts:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NiaShanks
Let me know how it works for you.
Thoses circuit are great. Thanks.
But if I'm doing total body workouts on the other days, how can I rest my muscles if I hit them again with the body circuits the day after. For example I do push ups and squats in one total body workout then the next day I'm doing pushups and squats in my circuit. Then the next day I do another total body working my chest and legs (along with ever other body part) again. Isn't that too much?
Rachel-
The bodyweight circuits shouldn't be too taxed because you shouldn't be going to failure.
As long as you are eating enough and resting properly, you should be fine. If you want, you can do the BW circuits at the end of your training sessions, and then simply go on walks or do very light cardio on your off days.
Just track your performance. If it starts to decrease, or you no longer increase, then we'll have to change things up.
I would do the circuits at the end of my session but I'm too whooped from my w/o. Plus, I don't want to go too long with my workouts. I rather do it the next day. So if I do the circuits on the other day, keep the weights very light? Just keep moving enough to elevate the heart? Focus more on the heart rate not the muscles being fatigued?
Well you won't be using weights with the bodyweight circuits. Just watch the videos that are bodyweight only and use those. Those should not be too taxing. You'll be breathing and working hard, but it shouldn't hurt your recovery.
Give that a try and let me know.
Videos are great! thanks
I will try them out
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