Ever Wonder the Daily Habits of the Most Muscular Guy in the Gym?

Last year I did a blog titled Ever Wondered How the Most Muscular Guy in the Gym Lifts? on SparkPeople.com.  I did it there and not here because my following here appears to be mostly female, and a lot of guys follow me on Spark.  I've always felt a follow-up blog about some of his daily habits would perhaps help someone else looking to make the most of their physique.  While the weight lifting is obviously what has put all of that muscle on Ivory, what he does day-in and day-out contributes heavily to his health and appearance, as well.  It really is a whole package if you want to get results as impressive as his:

*********NOTE***** I am not implying that anyone else should adopt ALL of these habits!  Even Ivory didn't take them all on at once.  Like anyone else who has made lasting lifestyle changes, he implement these bit by bit over the course of years.

So here, in no particular order, are some of the things I have observed and/or wrangled out of Ivory about what it is he does on a day-to-day basis:

Dietary:
- Never drinks soda.  Unsweet tea?   Yes.  The occasional sugar-free Rock Star before a workout? Unfortunately, yes. (This makes me batty!)  But carbonated beverages?  In three years I've never seen him ingest one.
- Never drinks alcohol.  No kidding.
- Drinks a LOT of water, although, surprisingly, he does not keep a bottle with him when he works out.  He either goes to the drinking fountain, or swipes some of mine.  (He's nice, though, and refills it for me if it is low.)
- Rarely ingests sugar.  I mean, hardly ever.  Around the holidays he may have a piece of sweet potato pie or banana pudding, but sugar for the most part is not in his diet.
- Keeps white flour to a bare minimum.  Maybe once every week or two he'll have pancakes (with sugar-free syrup) right after a workout, but almost every other starch Ivory eats is either potatoes or whole grain.
- Not afraid of carbs, but eats plenty of protein.  Protein is the center of most of his meals, but he always has some kind of a starch and usually either veggies or fruit along with it.
- Loves his veggies!
- Keeps fruit consumption fairly low- perhaps a piece of fruit a day.
- Eats an extremely wide variety of foods.
- Stops eating when he is full.  He'll leave half a plate of food because "I'm full"
- And, because everyone wonders this:  Doesn't go anywhere near steroids or other stuff purported to help you gain muscle.  Tried Creatine once, but it dehydrated him so bad that he wound up in the ER.  About the only thing supplemental he takes is the occasional scoop of protein powder and a multivitamin when he remembers it.  Really.  (I made him pinky swear on this one.)

Exercise:
- Cardio is short (usually 20-30 minutes) but very intense.  I'm tellin' ya, the guy is positively raining sweat when he gets done with a cardio session.
- Changes set/rep scheme and the exercises he does frequently. 
-  Hits every muscle group once a week.
- Takes more time to train shoulders than any other body part.
- Takes 1 day a week as rest day from gym.  He typically lifts weights Mon-Fri and does cardio Mon, Fri, and Sat.  Sometimes Tuesday.
- Gives full rest between sets.  This way, he's able to put maximum effort into all of his lifting.
- Asks for a spotter when he goes super-heavy.  If there is no one around to spot, he doesn't go heavy that day and does more reps.
- Does abbreviated movements on big lifts- stays in the tension. 
- Always keeps good form.  If he can't keep proper form, he lowers the weight.

Life in General:
- Keeps a relaxed attitude- What some would call stressful, he just accepts as life and rolls with it.
- Is hardly ever in a hurry.  For as fast as this guy moves during cardio, he kinda ambles around the rest of the time.
- Prioritizes taking time to do things he enjoys (coaching football, playing softball, going to his kids sporting events, fishing)
- Invests time in friendships.
- Keeps current on fitness information and is always willing to learn and try new things.
- Makes an effort to stand up strait- excellent posture.
- Lost weight when he needed to. Ivory told me that at 6'2" he weighed 330, if I remember correctly, for quite a while. It was affecting his health.  The doctor gave him what-for, Ivory listened and started eating better and adding cardio to his exercise routine (he'd been lifting all along).  He lost 50 pounds and the weight has stayed off.  Gotta respect that.


Lastly, I feel compelled to point out that it has taken years of doing these same things, day in and day out, to get to where he is now.  Genetically Ivory is indeed gifted, but the mounds of thick and well-defined muscle would not be there if he didn't work hard and stay consistent in his habits.  So if you aren't getting the results you want in a few weeks or months, remember that it takes sticking to doing the right things over and over for many years on end to be able to carry this kind of a look well into your 40's (Ivory is 45), and beyond.

Video Blog: Printed Rescources I Use!

Click here for a link to my video blog where I talk about the printed rescources I use to help me in my fitness journey!

Video Blog: Organizational Tools I Have Used in my Quest for Fitness

Here is a link to my very first video blog.  It's pretty self-explanatory! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSEWgllqDs

Binge Recovery

Okay, so you've done it- You ate way too much of the wrong stuff.  And in the middle of kicking yourself and wishing you could go back in time, you are wondering "Is there anything I can do to help reduce the negative effects of this?'  I have an answer for you, and that answer is "YES"! (And no, it does not involve the porcelain god and sticking a finger down your throat!)

This isn't going to be easy, no magic pill, but it will get most, if not all, of the garbage you just ate out of your system. There are basically three steps you will employ for the next 3 days:

1.  Drink water like it's going out of style!  This is NOT the time to shy away from water because you are afraid it will make you weigh even more in the morning.  It's time to guzzle.  It will give your cleansing organs a vehicle to carry all of that bad stuff (carbs, sodium, fat, chemicals) out of your body as fast as possible.  The sooner they leave the body, the harder it is for your body to store them as fat.  I'm not talking water toxicity levels, here, but make a concerted effort to drink more water than you normally would.  And water- not diet soda or any other kind of beverage you would rather drink. Water.  Water doesn't give your body one MORE factor to process and deal with.

2. Cardio like a mad person!  If you have any extra time for additional cardio over the next 72 hours, just do it, no questions asked.  I had a trainer friend of mine say that it takes the body 72 hours to turn unaccounted for carbs into fat.  You are trying to get 'em accounted for with cardio!  I have no idea if what he said was right or not, but putting as much time into cardio as possible for three days after a binge has helped me to keep the damage at bay.  Cardio uses glycogen, which is what the body turns carbs into, for fuel.  If glycogen doesn't get used for fuel, the body stores it as fat (future fuel).  You want to try to stop that from happening

As an aside- Don't abandon your weight lifting routine, though!  Lifting also uses glycogen, although not as much.  Keep up the lifting routine the same, but raise your cardio level. Two or three 30 or 40-minute cardio sessions a day is not too much right now, if you can squeeze that much in!

Oh! And expect the next day to have kick-butt cardio and lifting sessions.  With all of that glycogen now stored in your muscles you will be able to push harder than normal in your workouts.  (Proving that every cloud truly does have a silver lining!)

3. Focus your diet for the next day on protein, with only veggies for carbs.  It's Okay to have nonfat milk products.  My guess is that after the binge you aren't going to be wanting too many carbs, anyhow.  The next two days after that, go for small servings of things like oatmeal with breakfast and whole grains like 100% whole wheat or Ezekial breads and brown rice with lunch and dinner.

Why am I focusing on carbs?  Because I am almost certain you didn't binge on turkey breast.  You either binged on sweet carbs (cookies, ice cream, brownies), salty carbs (potato chips, crackers), or a combo (peanut butter, kettle corn).  None of these combinations is scale-friendly when done in excess, and the only way to get rid of the weight gain is to get rid of the carbs floatin' around in your body.

And the next time, if you can think about it before you immerse your head into that vat of peanut butter again, remind yourself that a binge is 3 days of hard work to (hopefully) undo the damage.  I've done this enough times that the thought of both the un-do process and the intestinal distress that is certain to arrive shortly after the binge has ended is almost always enough to stop me in my tracks.  It's taken a couple of years to learn my lesson, but now I can almost always say to myself "Ugh!  It's just not worth it!" and step away from the temptation.

Depending on your personality, when you get on the scale is up to you.  I make myself get on the scale the next morning because I can't stay in denial if I'm looking at the (temporary) damage I've caused.  Seeing a big jump motivates me to get right back on track!  I also like watching the numbers come down over the next couple of days- It's interesting to me.  But if you are the type it is just going to discouraged and want to dive into a bag of BBQ chips when the number is up, I'd advise waiting until after your 3-day recovery process is over.

Weight Lifting for the Very Heavy

Weight lifting is beneficial for just about everyone, but if you have a lot of weight to lose there are some special precautions you need to take.

First of all, bear in mind that your body is lifting weights every day just by moving around. Think about it: If you are 100 pounds overweight, that's literally lifting 100 pounds of weight every time you walk.  For this reason, you need to start out with very light weights, if any at all, because your bones can only take so much.  As your strength goes up, of course, you will be able to lift more.  But you will probably also notice that as your body fat goes down you will be able to lift heavier weights, also. This is because your body is used to lifting that much already, so adding more to your weights is simply asking it to do what it is used to because it has been doing it all along.  You will surprise and astound your weight lifting friends with your quickly increasing strength while you shrink before their very eyes!

Also, proceed with caution before raising the amount of weight you are lifting until your body weight starts moving down, and increase the amounts gradually when you do.  Because bigger bodies have more tissue to get oxygen and nutrients to, the heart already has quite the job.  Adding weights to this increases the load to the heart and internal organs.  You want to get the heart used to the added demand before you ask even more of it: We don't want you passing out with heavy stuff in your hands!

This should not discourage you from lifting weights if you have quite a lot of weight to lose, though.  There are added benefits that make it still very beneficial to you.  Two of the biggest benefits are: 1.) Muscle burns more calories at rest then fat, so you will lose weight quicker if you make some of that scale weight muscle instead of fat. And 2.) You will have a much more attractive body under there when you DO lose weight if there is some muscle to it, regardless of whether you are a man or a women. Ever see someone who loses a lot of weight but looks like a bag of bones?  Nor exactly the look most people are going for.  Don't let that person be you!

So start with no weights (particularly for arms).  You will still be getting an excellent workout!  Then increase the resistance slowly.  Before you know it, you will be a bonafide weight lifter well on your way to that shapely, fit body you've always dreamed about.  It really CAN happen, and the cool thing is that the power is all in YOUR hands!

Lunging Without Damaging Your Knees

My belief is that, after Squats, lunges are the best exercise out there for the lower body- Especially the butt! If yours is flat, lunges will help round it out. If it's too round, lunges will help it look more compact. The folks I've seen who do lunges religiously have nice firm backsides and hamstrings, and flared hips with reduced saddlebags.

But a lot of people are afraid to lunge and never realize the benefits of this compound move. And with good reason- Lunging wrong can cause some serious damage to knees. I avoided them for a long time, then started to do some experimenting and discovered a few very simple things that finally made lunging possible for me again:

1. Do walking lunges ONLY! Forget stationery lunges or back lunges- both types seem to aggravate the knee of my forward foot when going into the backwards part of either motion. (This would be pushing back into start in the case of front lunges, and lowering down in the case of back lunges). The tendency when going backwards is to stabilize with the toes, and my experience is that when I am stabilizing with the toes my knee will instinctively go in front of my toes to balance my body, which stresses it. Walking lunges enable me to leave my toes out of the equation entirely, if I really concentrate on pressing through my heels.

Also, in my opinion, walking lunges simply do a better job of shaping the lower body, since they use all the muscles together through the entire range of motion.

2. Push through the heel of the front foot! Just as with squats, I make a mindful effort to think "heels, heels, heels" when I am lunging. When I push through the toes of the front foot, there goes my knee too far forward again and I feel that old familiar twinge for the next few(or more) days.

3. Take a big, "This-feels-way-too-long" step forward. The farther out you step, the safer the position is for your front knee because it's as far away as possible from being over the toes.

4. When following through with your back foot (bringing it forward), pause slightly, touching your toes to the ground next to the stationary foot.  This allows you to regain your balance and center yourself.  THEN bring what was the back foot to the forward position. This will help keep you from landing on your toes to balance you when that rear foot moves to the front position.

One added note- I hate those short lunges people do to better hit quads. They just look to me to be a knee disaster waiting to happen. If you want to do a multiple-joint exercise that focuses mostly on quads, do front squats or close-stance leg presses.

And that's it! In a nutshell, do walking lunges with big, wide steps, pause before you bring the back foot forward, and stay in your heel on the front foot. You'll feel these the next day, and your backside will thank you!

Top 12 Things I Wish I Could Say to People in the Gym

1. Ask me for help!  I'm not going to bite, and I'd be honored!

2. You aren't lifting enough!  If you are still leg pressing the same weight you were pressing six months ago (or one year or five years ago), you aren't challenging your muscles and aren't going to see growth.  Women especially are guilty of this.  They seem to think "Eight pounds is what I curl", instead of "How much more can I curl?"

3.  You're lifting too much!  If you are losing your form (arching your back, using momentum to get the weight up, or otherwise employing bad technique), for Pete's sake, lower the weight and do it correctly!  Not only will you dramatically reduce your risk of hurting yourself and gain better muscle, but you also won't look like an idiot to everyone else in the gym.

4. You aren't going low enough on squats!  Check my blog "Squatting Re-learned" here: http://itallmakesadifference.blogspot.com/2009/12/squatting-re-learned.html to see what I'm talking about.

5. Your back isn't strait enough!  Hunching when you do ANY exercise is bad form.  You're back should feel so strait that it feels like you're butt is protruding.  I see a hunched back most often on Dumbbell Bent Rows and Tricep Kick Backs.  Look in the mirror and check your form!  You should be able to put a 3/4 full cup of coffee on your back and not have it spill.

6. Let go!  When you set the treadmill to an incline and then hold onto the handles and lean backwards while walking, you are no longer at an incline!  Let go and do an incline that you can manage withOUT hanging on!

7. Stop it with the cardio, already!  As I've said in the past, lifting weights does more for fat loss and body shaping than cardio ever could.  Cut your elliptical time in half and come lift weights!  We really aren't scary people at the lifting end of the gym.... really!  (Please refer to #1)

8. Unrack your weights!  Okay, all of you lugheads... Not everyone can take that 45 or 100-pound plate down from a bar that's 5-feet off the ground.  And it's just a hassle to have to put someone else's weights away.  Practice good gym etiquette and put ALL your weights away after you are done using them.  Even if you started with weights that were already racked.

9. Read a book!  Or a magazine...... Pick up some literature on correct lifting technique and setting up a program.  You'll be safer and see results quicker this way.

10. Try something new!   Ever seen the big guys that are in their 50's and played football in College and are STILL lifting the exact same way because "I've always done it like this!"?.  Notice that they don't look like college football players anymore?  This is because they are missing one very key component:  Football!  Look, when you're out there doing the stuff that a sport, particularly football, requires, you don't have to be as comprehensive in the gym because the sport itself is most of your workout.  But when you take the sport out of the equation, you need to change your gym routine to reflect that!  (And they wonder why their bodies never change.)......  This rule also applies to anyone who is not getting results in the gym- You can't do the same routine forever expecting to get the same results, because muscles adapt so quickly.  Keep 'em guessing and try new moves frequently!

11. Ask me to spot you! I may be a female, but my partner is the most muscular fella in the gym.  If I can spot him, I'm pretty sure that between me and you we can get that heavy weight off of you before it falls on your head and knocks you cold or crushes your sternum.  I'd rather spot you than perform CPR.

12. SHUT UP!  Just stop talking and exercise, already! :-D

The Evolution of a Muscular Back

Many years ago (20 or more), I saw an article in a magazine where the author gave kuddos to the best body parts in Hollywood. Raquel Welch got the vote for back, and the attached caption for the beautiful photo of her back stated that a muscular back on a woman is sexy.

I decided I was going to try and get a back like that.

And try I did. Back had always been my favorite body part to work, but at that point I started putting concentrated effort into building the back muscles when I lifted. The problem was that I couldn't really see my back and it didn't occur to me to have someone take a picture (bright, I know!), so I never knew if my efforts were paying off.

Then entered Ruben Sandoval, who I started working with as a nutritionist and distance coach in February of this year. He taught me some basic posing and I had my daughter take pictures to show him, so that he could see where my body was muscle-wise so he'd have a good idea of the work that needed to be done. When I looked at those first photos I was shocked for two reasons: 1) I was REALLY bad at posing, and B) I had developed back muscles! I truly was stunned. 24 or so years of weight lifting had paid off, I just hadn't known it until that very moment.

I think I can safely say I not only met my goal of having muscle like Raquel's, but surpassed it.

This isn't to say that it will take you 24 years of lifting to have a strong back, but it IS to say that when you concentrate efforts on building up this area, for Pete's sake, be sure to have someone snap flexed pics along the way!

Okay, so here is my prescription for building a strong back:

1) Diet. As I stated in my "Creating Abs You Can Be Proud Of" blog, if you don't get the fat off of the area, you'll never see all the beautiful muscle you are building. Having said that, many people gain fat in their backs LAST, so it could very well be that you will see development in this area faster than others. I know this is the case with me. But if you have excess fat to lose anywhere on your body, do it! A little will still come off of your back, and even a small amount of fat reduction can make a big difference in how much developed muscle you can see. Also, proper nutrition and a cleaned-up diet (ban the junk!) will help you to put on muscle much faster.

2) Lift heavy! You can't get a muscular back without resistance training. Push-ups alone aren't going to build a balanced and symmetrically muscular back. You are going to have to pick up the weights!

3) When I train, I target 3 different muscle groups: Lats, Rhomboids, and low back. The lats are the muscles that flare out to the side under your armpit and down the side of the ribcage when well-developed. These look wing-like on very muscular men, in particular. The rhomboids are what I call the tenderloins- they run on either side of the upper area of the back bone and attach to the scapula. The lower back is all the muscles that make up the lower region of the back area. As I said in my abs blog, if I have not done an exercise that brings low back in some other time in my workout week (stiff-legged dead lifts, hyperextensions, etc), I will include lower back exercises on back day.

So on back day, since I usually do deadlifts, squats, and/or hyperextensions on leg day, I concentrate most of my weight lifting efforts on Lats and Rhomboids.

Lat exercises are going to be mostly pull-down and overhead type moves, like different types of lat pull-downs and chin-ups.

Rhomboid exercises are going to be mostly squeezing-type moves, like various rows and and reverse flyes (which you have to be very careful to keep in a lower plane of motion, so as not to make them a shoulder exercise).

Having said this, both types of moves incorporate all muscle groups in the back, so don't be surprised if you feel one exercise in the rest of the back.

When I work my back, I really concentrate hard on contracting the muscle targeted. I put in max effort, and usually do three sets of 15-20, with the goal being exhaustion at the end of each set. If I were trying to build my back muscle, as opposed to maintaining it (I need to let the rest of my body catch up to my back), I'd do a pyramid setup of four sets of 12, 8, 4 then another set of 12, with the same goal of exhaustion by the end of all but the first set. This is pretty much the way I built my back to where it is now.

So my current back exercise selection once a week (the only muscles I work twice a week are quads, hams, and delts, sometimes abs), might look something like this:

3 Super-sets, 15-20 reps each to exhaustion, of:
- Wide-grip lat pull-downs (always front- I won't do behind-the-neck pull-downs without an experienced spotter)
- Narrow-grip seated pulley rows

Then separately:
- Dumbbell bent rows, single arm (to let one side recover while the other rests).

If I feel a need to work lower back, I'll perhaps jump over and do three sets of 15 hyperextensions, weighted or not, depending on how strong I feel that day after the back exercises. I might point out that when I first started working my back I did NOT max out on lower-back moves. I realized I needed to slowly build my strength to avoid potential injury. If you are just getting into the back-building business, I would advise that you do the same.

I usually work triceps with back, so will often super-set a tricep exercise with a back exercise (moving immediately from back exercise to tricep exercise). This helps to save time while my back recovers, and uses the back exercise to somewhat pre-exhaust my triceps, which gives them a better workout.

There is another big muscle back there- the trapezius (a kite-shaped muscle that runs from the base of your neck to about 1/2 way or so down your backbone). I never target it because I don't feel big traps bulging up between the shoulders and neck is a particularly attractive look on females. And I'm starting to get concerned that mine is almost disproportionately large compared to the rest of my back muscles. My traps don't need any more volume! If, however, you are either a female who feels your traps are underdeveloped or are male (big traps look great on guys!), you will want to find exercises to target this muscle, as well. Shrugs are the most popular exercise I know of to build traps.

I hope this information is useful to someone.

If you have questions, as always, please don't hesitate to ask!

Getting started with exercise at home, part III

Before you get started on an at-home (or any) exercise program, you'll need to know the "gym names" of the major muscle groups you'll be working. I realize most already know this, but I want to make sure this base is covered before I proceed any further.

I'm going listing these in the general order that one should work them, which is from big muscles to small per body area. Why? Because generally speaking, in order to fully work a big muscle group you must enlist the assistance of the smaller muscle groups. Therefore, if you work the smaller ones first they're likely to poop out from exhaustion before you can get max benefit out of working the bigger muscle groups. Make sense?

Oh, and by the way, if you are working your whole body in one day it doesn't matter if you do lower body first or upper, but I usually save core for last, because it seems to assist in almost EVERYthing.

So here we go-

Lower body:

Quads- These are the quadriceps, a set of four muscles that compose the front of the thigh.

Hamstrings- A set of mainly three muscles that compose the back of the thigh.

Calves- Er.... you DO know what the calves are.... right?

Glutes- These mainly are the three muscles (Gluteus Maximus, Medius, and Minimus) that make up the butt. I almost didn't mention glutes, because many people don't target the butt specifically- It generally gets hit when you work the hamstrings.

Upper Body:

Pecs- This refers to all the muscles of the chest.

Back- This refers to all the muscles of the back, although I'm gonna break it down a bit further, because there are three main areas of the back that people often talk about targeting. They are:
Lats- Short for Latissimus Dorsi, these are the big muscles that flare out to the sides of the upper back in muscular people.
Traps- Short for Trapezius, this is a big, kite shaped muscle that goes from the bottom of the head and flares out to the shoulder blades, then down towards the small of the back. This is the muscle that you can often see bulging between the shoulders and the neck on muscular people.
Lower Back- Many skip working this important area, but make sure that you don't, because a strong low-back makes for a tighter waistline.

Delts- Short for Deltoids, this refers to all of the muscles that make up the shoulders.

Tri's- Short for Triceps- These are the muscles that make up the back of the upper arm.

Bi's- Short for biceps, these are the muscles that make up the front of the upper arm.

Yes, I put triceps before biceps. Why? Tri's are quite a lot larger than Bi's. It's just that they don't stand up off of the arm as much, so people don't realize this.

And then the Abs (the tummy), which I always break down into three different groups, although a lot of people just lump them together:

Upper abs- generally between the belly button and the rib cage.

Lower abs- generally between the pubic bone and the belly button.

Obliques- the sides of the waistline.

Let me clarify something- the muscles that make up the upper and lower abs are the same. They run all the way down from the rib cage to the pubic bone. BUT, it is possible to target one area of a muscle, and I've found it beneficial to work the lower abs often as a separate group.

This is not an exhaustive list of muscles, it's just the main ones that you hear people referring to when discussing exercise.

Anyone reading this? Questions?

The incredible Hulk Woman

Let me try to clear up a little muscle confusion, if I may: Women's fear that they will build a lot of muscle:

I have heard on several occasions women express that if they lift weights, or increase weight load, that they will get big, bulging, manly muscles. This is a fear that I understand, but it's completely unfounded.

You can NOT, I mean, no way, no how, it's not happening, can NOT get "big bulky muscles" like a man. Yes, I know you've seen those magazines with women who have freakishly large muscles and they look..... well.... masculine. Let me assure you of something: They are taking steroids. That's the only way it happens for women. Why? We simply don't make enough testosterone naturally to get huge muscles. Well defined muscles? Yes? Great, big ones? Can't happen. It's just physiologically impossible.

Want proof? Look at me. I've been lifting weights fairly consistently for the past 23 years, and very consistently for the past 2, increasing my weight load and maxing out as much as possible. I lift a lot of weight for a woman. Most people reading this have seen me in the fairly recent past. Let me ask you a question- Do I look anything remotely close to masculine, big, or bulky? I think I can safely say you would be hard-pressed to find a more feminine figure than mine.

Now, there are a few women out there who are the very rare exception, and I do mean EXTREMELY rare, who will build muscle larger than most women, but they are so few and far between that it's barely even worth a mention. Trust me, you aren't one of them.

Muscle tone adds sleek, sexy tightness and definition to a woman and enhances her feminine shape.

So if you are just starting out or getting back into lifting after a long sabatical, get a good book or hire a trainer to make sure you have proper form, and start lifting!


I'm sorry it took me so long to get another blog out. Between being injured in a wreck that totaled my car, finding a new vehicle, and my husband visiting, I didn't have proper time until now.

Keep your mind on the muscle you are working!

Maximum effectiveness of an exercise. Isn't that what we all want? Of course! Otherwise we wouldn't be exercising, right?

I have a saying when I exercise: "As long as I'm taking the time to do this, I may as well get maximum benefit from it."

Here is my best tip for getting the most of any exercise: Concentrate on the muscle you are working.

Sounds simple doesn't it? But it is so easy to let our minds wander when we are lifting weights or doing toning exercise.

First of all, when you get to the gym leave your problems at the door. This is not the time to be thinking through the strategy for a problem at work or about the fight you had with your significant other the night before. This is one time you need to be really selfish and concentrate on just you and your muscles.

Now that you are fully focused on your workout, really think about the specific muscle you are working for that exercise.

Let's use the Lat Pull Down as an example: This exercise works the latissimus dorsi muscle (lats) in the upper back (the muscles that flares out to the sides when well developed). So, from the start of the movement with my arms in the air, I am thinking upper, outer back. I'm thinking of starting the movement by contracting that muscle in order to pull the bar down. All the way through the movement, from the initial lowering of the bar, to the peak of contraction when the bar is near my chest, and then all the way back up the the starting position with my arms over my head, I am thinking about my lats doing the work of lowering and raising the bar up. I don't stop focusing on my lats until the last repetition of that set.

With any exercise you do, apply this principle of concentrating on the muscle or area being worked. Trust me- your mind won't have room for anything else if you do it properly and you'll get a much more intense and effective workout for your efforts.

My apologies for taking so long to post a new blog entry. Life has thrown some major curve balls at me lately. And I don't know why this is saying it's August 10th- It's really October 28th.

Weights vs. Aerobics

As time has gone on, I've come to understand that weight bearing exercise is more important than aerobic exercise.

Let me say it another way: If I have to make a choice between lifting weights and doing aerobic activity, I'll choose the weight lifting. Every time.


I didn't always feel this way. I used to think the opposite was true. I believed the heart was the most important muscle in the body (still do), and that the best way to condition it was through aerobic activity.This is the part that has.

Here are some reasons why:

- Weight lifting shapes your body like aerobics can't. Ever seen a body that is aerobically fit but not muscularly fit? It's missing shape and, in the case of women, usually curve. You can actually CHANGE the overall line of your body by adding muscle. All aerobics does to your body shape, at best, is make is a smaller, less-fat version of itself. I've never been able to add pleasing lines to my body with aerobic activity the way I have been able to with weight lifting. Through weight lifting I've been able to build my naturally-very-slight-shoulders up and tighten my abs, which has helped to give me a more hour-glassed shape and therefore make my hips look more balanced.

Because of this, muscle tone makes men look more masculine and women look more feminine.

- Muscle burns more calories at rest, so when you have more muscle on your body your resting metabolism (how many calories you burn just to keep your body alive) rises. Additionally, the calorie burn from the actual weight-lifting exercises themselves can continue for up to 24 hours. On the other hand, aerobic activity burns calories while you are doing it, but that calorie-burning effect stops very quickly after the activity stops. So it's a better calorie-burning-investment over all to build muscle.

In a nutshell, weight bearing activities are more effective at helping you shed fat than aerobic activity.

-Weight bearing activities are more practical because they make you stronger for doing daily activities. You can't gain strength to lift heavy grocery bags or help someone build a fence with aerobic activity. I'm willing to bet that no one is going to ask you to run away from something any time soon. But help them lift a TV? That just might happen!

- Weight lifting makes bones stronger, therefore enabling you to be less prone to injury as you age. This is especially important for women, who tend to lose bone density much more rapidly than men, but is still a significant benefit for both sexes. In case you are wondering how this happens, the muscles are attached to ligaments that are attached to the bones. When the ligaments tug on the bone, the body reacts by making the bone stronger to be able to withstand the pulling. The more and heavier you lift, the more dense the bone becomes, therefore the less prone you are to bone breakage.

Pretty cool, huh?

- If you are really working out hard doing weight-bearing activity, it can very well become aerobic. Ever seen someone who is weight lifting huffing and puffing? That's because they are using oxygen! And the word "aerobic" means "With oxygen". 'Nuff said.

I could go on, but the thing I want people to take home here is that if given a choice, lifting weights is more important to your healthy functioning over the long-haul than aerobic activity. Do I want you to stop aerobic activity? NO! It's still important, but weight lifting needs to be at the top of your priority list.

If you're not sure if you have time to do both weight lifting and aerobic activity on the same day, do your lifting first. Then with whatever time you have left, do aerobic activity.

Likewise, if you don't enjoy weight lifting as much, do it first, so that it's over and done with and you don't have time to talk yourself out of it.

Next blog I'll talk about why women shouldn't be afraid to lift heavy. But in the meantime just trust me: The more muscle, the better!