Last updated at 09:54, Thursday, 19 June 2008

David Little talks about fitness training for women

SOME months ago I watched a programme on women bodybuilders. It was amazing to see the dedication these women put themselves through to obtain a championship- winning body.

It followed a British woman on her quest to beat the very best that America has to offer. Unfortunately she fell a little short, but her will to win was commendable.

It’s been a common perception that women bodybuilders don’t look like women. Their manly frames and bulging muscles would put most men to shame. How stupid this perception is.

The world of bodybuilding is so strict on steroid abuse that it’s very hard to cheat. It’s been the train of thought that most people who have huge muscles take steroids but after watching this programme it’s obvious that the strict diet and training regime they put themselves through is high intensity at its best.

Every gym would benefit from a man and woman bodybuilder. Remember, bodybuilders generally have very little fat on them – in fact at the time of the competition they are at their weakest because they have starved and dehydrated themselves to the brink. But they know what to eat and when to eat it; they know all the major and minor muscle groups to train which make them predominate on competition night. Knowledge is power and bodybuilders have both.

How many women in the gym hammer the treadmill and the cross trainer for an hour then go home feeling content? Quite a number I would imagine. Let me ask the question a different way: how many of you have been told to stay away from lifting heavy weights because it will put too much muscle bulk on you and you won’t look feminine?

It’s a sad fact but inexperienced gym instructors will give you the worst advice possible. They will show you the basic machines, oh yes the abductor and adductor machines are the worst. They should have a warning on them.

I encourage any female gym user to lift heavy weights for a short number of reps. In fact I would encourage that more than 15 reps on any one exercise. It’s a misconception that this will build dense muscle because women generally perform more cardio than men.

Stick to the hour on the treadmill but then mix that up with an heavy session on the free weights. Free weights are a must and you should never use weights machines unless it’s maybe a cable machine.

Perform four reps on any exercise you desire. What this will do is promote muscle strength which will benefit your cardio and it will burn fat more because your body is working that bit harder to lift the weight.

This is the bodybuilders’ way, heavy weight reduced reps. These women then change their workout nearer time to higher reps to gain the pump. What you need is to maintain the heavy weights for six weeks then vary your workout to lighter weights.

Women bodybuilders don’t have problem areas, they only have areas that need improving. This is how you should look at your body. Bingo wings, cellulite, a spare tyre are improvements waiting to happen. Women bodybuilders work the full body and this is what you should do also.

The weight you lift is generally dependent on what you can push out for one rep. This is known as one rep max.

For example I can push four reps of 160kg on bench press. For a one rep max I could bench press 200kg. So basically I am lifting 80 per cent of my one rep max. It’s trial and error really but you’ll know what the maximum amount is.

Take this workout as a trial for six weeks.

n Monday

n Cardio +

n Bench Press - 3*4 reps

n Incline Bench Press – 3*4 reps

n Tuesday

n Cardio +

n Single Dumbell Rows - 3*4 reps

n Lat Pull Down – 3*4 reps

n Wednesday

n Day Off

n Thursday

n Cardio +

n Barbell Squat, 3*4 reps

n Deadlift, 3*4 reps

n Friday

n Cardio +

n Barbell Curl, 3*4 reps

n Seated Dumbell Curl, 3*4 reps

n Kickbacks, 3*4 reps

n Tricep Extensions, 3*4 reps.

DR Mark Bellamy, the owner of the Powerbag, called me to tell me how much he enjoyed the articles I produced on Powerbag training.

It surprises me even now how little is known of the powerbag and its benefits. In a world where the most useless of inventions are being promoted, the powerbag stands tall as one of the best.

How many of you have picked up an uneven weight and fought with it just to keep it still? The hardest items to pick up are the ones which create an uneven weight balance, not the items that work one part of the body but create a stress on the whole body.

Making the full body work harder is what extreme fitness and conditioning is all about. The conventional barbell exercises have a balance, they don’t allow you to fight to maintain that balance.

Visit www.performt.com to see the benefits the Powerbag can bring.

First published at 15:55, Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk