Men and women in gym

15 Jul, 2018 - 00:07 0 Views
Men and women in gym

The Sunday News

woman weight lifting

Simon Gama

I WOULD like to answer several questions about women and bodybuilders that people have asked me over the years. It’s no secret that there has been an explosion of interest in weight training among women in the past few years. Today there are almost as many women pumping iron as there are men.

There are some physiological differences between men and women in regard to bodybuilding. In general men are stronger than women and have greater endurance, primarily because they have larger hearts and their blood has more oxygen carrying molecules. Women are as strong in their legs as men when you consider their lower body weight. Many men train hard with weights, while many women shy away from going all out in the mistaken belief that they might harm their bodies or might make them appear masculine.

I have been asked if the weight training can be used by women especially now that more and more women are taking up weight training and bodybuilding for women, it’s becoming a popular and highly visible sport. The answer to this question is an emphatic yes. All you who have to do is look at some of the great female bikini champions, to see what I mean there is no doubt that men and women are different automatically and physiologically. But in many ways they share a common physiological system. For example women have basically the same complement as 600 plus skeletal muscles as men. Those muscles need exercise to remain strong and healthy and they respond to progressive resistance training by becoming firmer, stronger and shapelier.

The only thing new students (men or women) should be aware of is not to do too much too soon especially if you are not used to strenuous exercise. Remember this progressive resistance weight training is geared to having you work to your limit, never beyond it. Other than this caveat a woman’s body is designed to flourish when exposed to the proper programme of exercise recuperation and diet, the same as a man’s and when you follow the weight system you can look forward to achieving results.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS
To be perfectly safe anyone who has been physically inactive for more than a year as well as anyone over 35 years old should have a thorough physical examination before he or she starts a weight training programme. Such an exam is intended to detect heart problems and other physical irregularities before they cause you harm. I also recommend an electrocardiogram for everyone over 40 who plans to begin weight training.

It’s vitally important that you follow the advice of our physician on weight training and other exercises. You should follow your doctor’s advice even when it’s contrary to my own. Your doctor has examined you, I haven’t. I should point out though that my courses are prepared to help anyone who is in good medical shape. The examination should include also a nutritional assessment. It will help you to support your bodybuilding programme with the right diet.

HOW TO WORK OUT
You must remember that exercise alone does not build muscle mass. Other factors such as diet, the amount of sleep and rest you get and the general regularity of your life etc also counts. I will give you everything you need to know about sleep, diet, nutrition and emotional control later in the course. I want you to train three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or whichever you prefer, you must train regularly three days per week for the first three months then consistency in training is the key to bodybuilding success.

HOW TO WORK OUT
1. Get plenty of rest and sleep.

2. Initially train three days a week.

3. Train on alternate days.

4. Arrange your schedules so that you train at the same time each day.

5. Eat good, quality and properly prepared foods, high in protein, vitamins, minerals and unrefined carbohydrates.

6. Drink plenty of pure water (at least 12-16 eight-ounce glasses daily.

7. Maintain the constant positive attitude that you will succeed in building the body you always wanted.

HOW TO EXERCISE
Keep in mind that as a beginner in weight training you will gain nothing by plunging into a heavy programme. You must make certain to not only follow my advice and handle fairly moderate weights but also alter any exercise that causes you the slightest pain. Reduce the weight 25-30 percent and try it again, slowly working up the poundage. You will usually find that it can do the movement with discomfort if you work up slowly. Some beginners are weak in certain body parts. I have taken all this into consideration in outlining the causes so if you are extremely under par my lightest recommended poundage may still be too heavy for you and you should use less weight. This will in no way hinder your progress. Some of the greatest bodybuilding champions were once much weaker than the average man or women.

You must expect mild muscle soreness after your first few workouts. This merely means that the exercises are reaching muscles that haven’t been used rigorously for a long time and that are being stimulated to grow.

WHAT TO WEAR
Two factors must be considered when deciding what to wear when working out. First your clothing must be loose enough to allow you a full range of motion. Secondly it must be warm enough in cold weather and cool enough in warm weather to keep you comfortable during a workout. Most importantly you should dress in whatever clothes that make you feel good when in training. — Additional information from Online sources.

The writer, Simon Gama is a fitness trainer at Bodyworks gym in Bulawayo.

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