Hey Ladies, Got Muscle????

Seem like many women have been asking me the same question this past week.  How do I get rid of the flab.  How do I tone up?  The picture above is me.  I'm lean and I do have muscle, however, I'm not as lean and muscular as some of my physique athlete competitors.  That's OK.  I'm no longer looking to do figure competition. At the age of 46, my goal is to be as healthy and physically fit as possible.


Getting back to the question that keeps popping up, in order to get rid of the flab and "tone up", you need to not spend as much time doing cardio/aerobics and spend more time in the weight room at the gym, and I'm not talking about the Nautalus or Cybex machines.  You need to hit the iron.  Dumbbells, Barbells and Cable. 

If you are using dumbbells, let's say for example you're doing bicep curls with 5 lb dumbells and you've been knocking out  15 - 20 reps of those, you're not building muscle.  Actually, you're not doing much of anything.  It's time to move on.  Don't be afraid to get aggressive with the weights.  Pick up a set of 10 lb dumbbells and if you're still able to do 15 reps easily with those, go for the 15 pounders.  You should be doing 10 -12 reps.  You should feel a burn and fatigue.  That's working the muscle.  To get muscle, you need to build it and to build it, you need to get aggressive with the weights.


Then the next comment I hear is, "but I'm afraid I'll get big and bulky".  No you won't.  That's the biggest myth out there.  We don't have testosterone.  We're not going to get big and bulky and I can assure you, you won't look like a female bodybuilder either.


Muscle is metabolic.  Muscle burns fat.  Strength training increases the metabolism 72 hours after exercise unlike cardio.


The other thing you need to remember to do is EAT.  Women tend to eat a diet high in carbohydrates and don't eat enough protein.  You should be having protein with every meal and never eat a carbohydrate without a protein. 


The easiest, most convenient way to get protein in your diet is with a protein shake.  You can supplement your diet with these by having one as a mid morning snack and be sure to have one after your workouts to help your body recover from the workout.  My protein supplement of choice is Eat Smart.



iSatori EatSmart, 30 Servings, Strawberry Cheesecake




Next time you're at the gym, remember to hit the iron to build a beautiful, sleek,body.