Common Concerns of Weight Training
Is weight training the same as bodybuilding?
In contrast, most weight trainers train to improve their strength and endurance while not giving special attention to reducing body fat below normal. Weight trainers tend to focus on compound exercises to build basic strength, whereas bodybuilders often use isolation exercises to visually separate their muscles, and to improve muscular symmetry. Pre-contest training for bodybuilders is different again, in that they attempt to retain as much muscular tissue as possible while undergoing severe dieting.However, the bodybuilding community has been the source of many of weight training's principles, techniques, vocabulary, and customs.
Is nutrition relevant for weight trainers?
Most people think of dieting in terms of weight loss, but weight trainers can also adjust their diet to improve the results from their workouts. Adequate protein is required for building skeletal muscle. Various sources advise weight trainers to consume a high protein diet with anywhere from 0.6 to 1.5 g of protein per pound of body weight per day (1.4 to 3.3 g per kg). Protein that is not needed for cell growth and repair nor consumed for energy is converted by the liver into fat, which is then stored in the body. Some people believe that a high protein diet entails risk of kidney damage, but studies have shown that kidney problems only occur in people with previous kidney disease.A light balanced meal consumed prior to the workout (usually one to two hours beforehand) ensures that adequate energy and amino acids are available to perform the intense bout of exercise. Water is consumed throughout the course of the workout to prevent poor performance due to dehydration. A protein shake is often consumed immediately following the workout, because both protein uptake and protein usage are increased at this time. Glucose (or another simple sugar) is often consumed as well since this quickly replenishes any glycogen lost during the exercise period (see Gainer). Some weight trainers also take supplements (such as creatine) to aid muscle growth. However, the effectiveness of some products is disputed and others are potentially harmful.
Do women who train with weights look "bulky"?
Very few women are able to develop large muscles regardless of the program they follow; they simply lack the testosterone required to achieve this. Normally the most that can be achieved is a look similar to that of a fitness model. Muscle is denser than fat, so someone who builds muscle while keeping the same body weight will look slimmer.The results obtained by female bodybuilders are extremely atypical: they are self-selected for their genetic ability to build muscle; they perform enormous amounts of exercise; and they often take anabolic steroids, or other drugs with similar effects. The muscular look is exaggerated by their very low levels of body fat. Unless a woman wishes to dedicate her life to weightlifting, they will never achieve the same results as professional female weightlifters.
Are light, high-repetition exercises effective for "toning" muscles?
Some weight trainers perform light, high-repetition exercises in an attempt to "tone" their muscles without increasing their size. This comes from misunderstanding the meaning of the word "tone." What most people refer to as a toned physique is one that combines reasonable muscular size with moderate levels of body fat. The use of the word "tone" in this sense is inaccurate: a more appropriate term would be "definition".Muscle tone is a physiologic term that refers to the constant, low-frequency contractions that occur in all muscles all the time, even at "rest", which prepare them for future activity. This continuous slight tension in torso muscles contributes to maintaining good posture. High-repetition exercises should increase muscle size, but will not improve the latter type of muscle "tone". Even performed as aerobic exercises they will have limited benefit, since aerobic exercise is most effective when it engages the whole body.
To define muscles requires a combination of weight training to increase muscle size and cardiovascular training to reduce bodyfat levels.
Is weight training safe for children?
Orthopaedic specialists used to recommend that children avoid weight training because the growth plates on their bones might be at risk, but recent studies have shown that this concern is unfounded. The very rare reports of growth plate fractures in children who trained with weights occurred as a result of inadequate supervision, improper form or excess weight. "Growth plate injuries have not occurred in any youth strength training study that followed established training guidelines." The National Strength and Conditioning Association also confirms that "a properly designed and supervised resistance training programme is safe for children."Young children must be supervised around weight training equipment. Like adults, they may be injured if a weight is dropped, or if they perform an exercise incorrectly. Children may also forget to follow the safety guidelines, or be tempted to act irresponsibly.
Can weight training help me slim?
Yes, but not via the low weight/high repetition approach that is usually used. Five minutes of crunches will expend only a small fraction of the energy used up in five minutes of running, because the abdominal muscles are so much smaller than the leg muscles. Instead, high weight/low rep exercises can be used to maintain (and possibly even increase) the body's muscle mass while dieting. This helps to prevent the metabolic slowdown that otherwise often limits the effect of dieting and causes post-diet weight gain.Sponsored Resources
 |