Great Article!

[MuscleMama]

4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know (http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1490871)
by Tony Gentilcore, CSCS, CPT


I really liked this new article. Erik was quoted, which was cool! :)

[Erik]

This sure looks familiar ... :lol3:



Ditch the light weights (especially when you're dieting). You'll just end up with a fragile, weak, and soft looking body, otherwise known as the "skinny-fat" look. Your muscles will lack what's known as good neurogenic or myogenic tone (basically fancy words used to express muscle hardness).

What's with the pink dumbbells!

Simply put, there are two types of muscle tone: myogenic and neurogenic. The former refers to your muscle tone at rest; the latter refers to muscle tone that's expressed when muscular contractions occur.

Low(er) rep training increases the sensitivity of various motor units resulting in increased neurogenic tone. On the other hand, myogenic tone is correlated with the overall density of your muscles (specifically the contractile proteins myosin and actin) and is vastly improved by lifting heavier weights.

This pink thing is outta hand!

This is going to come as a shock to most women, but utilizing light weights (anything above twelve reps in my book) while dieting will likely result in loss of muscle, which is the exact opposite of what you want to happen.

When dieting, the body will adapt to the caloric deficit by down-regulating many of the hormones involved with metabolism (T3, T4, leptin, etc.), as well as getting rid of metabolically active tissue (muscle.) Obviously you'd want to prevent this from happening in the first place, which is why I always recommend that women drop the 20 rep sets and start training with heavier weights.

[Erik]

High Reps vs. Low Reps for Fat Loss

A certain woman's goal is to simply lose some body fat and get "toned" (not big a bulky)....just enough to get "cut up". She has been under the assumption that high reps with low weight is the best way to achieve this goal.

Fat loss is going to, or should, come primarily from diet (as much as 80%) with the rest coming from cardio (primarily HIIT or interval training). Your weight training should be focused on getting strong, and keeping your muscle, not fat loss. Let the other 23 hours of the day take care of that.

Do not train with light weights. You'll just end up looking soft, as your muscles will not have, what is known as, good neurogenic or myogenic tone. Basically a measure of muscle hardness. Simply put, there are two types of muscle tone: myogenic and neurogenic. The first refers to your muscle tone at rest, the second refers to muscle tone that is expressed when movements occur. Lower reps increase the sensitivity of various motor neurons resulting in increased neurogenic tone. Myogenic tone is affected by the density of your muscles and is improved by stimulation of the contractile proteins myosin and actin. Higher rep ranges result in more sarcoplasmic (fluid) effects, which in turn yields a soft look and is temporary.

Light weights while in caloric deficit will likely also result in muscle loss, as your body, while attempting to adapt to a caloric deficit will try to 'slow down' and does so via various hormonal responses (ie leptin for example) as well as eliminating metabolically active tissue - muscle. If you don't need it, you'll lose it. You're not going to be building significant amounts of muscle in a caloric deficit. You can't build a house out of sweat - you need raw materials. However, what builds muscle is what keeps muscle, and while dieting for fat loss, you want to keep every last ounce you have. So, quite simply don't bother with these 20 rep sets. Train heavy and try to get/stay strong.

[Erik]

4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know (http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1490871)
by Tony Gentilcore, CSCS, CPT


I really liked this new article. Erik was quoted, which was cool! :)

I missed that the first time through. Mind you, that other stuff looks like it was from me as well. :lol:

[Noel Clark]

:clap:

[Jen]

:thumb:

[Karoliina]

Would this be a good article to show a girl from my work who is trying to lose fat? she keeps hearing from her husband that she shouldnt lift weights cuz they'll make her bulk up and to not have protein powder cuz that also makes people gain weight. then she hears from our kinesiologist co-worker that she needs to lift very light weight with high reps...

[char-dawg]

Would this be a good article to show a girl from my work who is trying to lose fat? she keeps hearing from her husband that she shouldnt lift weights cuz they'll make her bulk up and to not have protein powder cuz that also makes people gain weight. then she hears from our kinesiologist co-worker that she needs to lift very light weight with high reps...
She's doomed. :sad:

[Karoliina]

I know she's so overwhelmed and confused with all this different info she keeps hearing from people. Then her sister in law tells her to not worry about how many calories she's eating but to worry about carbs instead.

[Erik]

I know she's so overwhelmed and confused with all this different info she keeps hearing from people. Then her sister in law tells her to not worry about how many calories she's eating but to worry about carbs instead.

So. Much. Misinformation.

:sad:

[Karoliina]

Yes i know!! So i e-mailed that article to myself at work so that i can print it out for her... her husband is probably going to try to convice her not to listen to me. and her sister in law has a "great body" so she knows what she's talking about.:gosh:

[Ali]

Would this be a good article to show a girl from my work who is trying to lose fat? she keeps hearing from her husband that she shouldnt lift weights cuz they'll make her bulk up and to not have protein powder cuz that also makes people gain weight. then she hears from our kinesiologist co-worker that she needs to lift very light weight with high reps...

I've been lifting since I was 15. And I'm huge. :lifter: :funny:

[MuscleMama]

What about something like the book "Body for Life" for your friend? Covers the basics without being too overwhelming and is pretty motivating, too. It's certainly not the be-all-end-all, but it would be a good starting point.

Good luck! :)

[Karoliina]

Thanks for the suggestion MuscleMama... i'll mention that to her...
I saw her today and she said she definetly wants to stay away from protein powders cuz her husband said those will make her gain weight since that's what he uses to "bulk up".