Women: Muscle, Fat, Shape, Reality
June 22nd 2008 13:56
Once again we address the issue that according to the latest fitness gadget infomercial strikes fear into the heart of any women who merely contemplates exercise: bulk.
Last time we actually said the “never to be spoken” of women’s fitness: women are getting bulky no matter what they do with exercise. That is the fat truth. The real issue, I think, when women talk about weight training is the fear that they will become covered with skeletal muscle which beneath clothing will look pretty much like fat looks beneath clothing. No women are so stupid as to be actually afraid that they will develop huge arms etc and look like Mr. Olympia.
You are female and you don’t like your present physical condition i.e. you are fat. What are you to do? You have few choices. You must lose fat. There is no way to do it except to take in fewer calories that you are going to use. If you starve you will find that eventually you are much smaller but retaining fat in quantities and places that do not please you. Your middle and hips will still retain fat and there will be a displeasing veneer of flaccid flesh over most of your body.
If you use lots of running or any other certain fat reducer to achieve fat loss a similar disappointment will be waiting for you: Flaccid flesh where fat used to be and plain old fat in stubborn places. You will also have attained a wan and sickly look. Why? Because you have dieted or run the muscles right off your body and really faster than you have dieted or run off the fat. Goodbye shape.
Fat is burned when the muscles of the body are in need of energy in the absence of recently ingested calories. The stored fat of the body is sent into the muscles to provide that energy. Let’s say that you are dieting properly and your muscles are making demands for energy that your diet is not really providing. The muscles will thus use fat. If you have less muscle there will be less demand made and less fat burned. The more muscle the more fat burned.
What about shape? Bulk? Yes, if you have a lot of muscles you will look bulky. If you have less muscles you will have much less to fear about bulk, but to the extent you possess muscle you will be the beneficiary of fat burning. You will not gain muscle in huge lumps because estrogen is not a muscle building hormone like testosterone. If you lack shape you will, after lifting weights, get a surprise-muscles create pleasing shape.
My point: If you lift weights, you will gain some muscle. Not enough to make you look bulky. However, as you gain muscle it will assist your weight reduction by making demands for energy that your fat stores will have to supply. Your servant, as always.
Last time we actually said the “never to be spoken” of women’s fitness: women are getting bulky no matter what they do with exercise. That is the fat truth. The real issue, I think, when women talk about weight training is the fear that they will become covered with skeletal muscle which beneath clothing will look pretty much like fat looks beneath clothing. No women are so stupid as to be actually afraid that they will develop huge arms etc and look like Mr. Olympia.
You are female and you don’t like your present physical condition i.e. you are fat. What are you to do? You have few choices. You must lose fat. There is no way to do it except to take in fewer calories that you are going to use. If you starve you will find that eventually you are much smaller but retaining fat in quantities and places that do not please you. Your middle and hips will still retain fat and there will be a displeasing veneer of flaccid flesh over most of your body.
If you use lots of running or any other certain fat reducer to achieve fat loss a similar disappointment will be waiting for you: Flaccid flesh where fat used to be and plain old fat in stubborn places. You will also have attained a wan and sickly look. Why? Because you have dieted or run the muscles right off your body and really faster than you have dieted or run off the fat. Goodbye shape.
Fat is burned when the muscles of the body are in need of energy in the absence of recently ingested calories. The stored fat of the body is sent into the muscles to provide that energy. Let’s say that you are dieting properly and your muscles are making demands for energy that your diet is not really providing. The muscles will thus use fat. If you have less muscle there will be less demand made and less fat burned. The more muscle the more fat burned.
What about shape? Bulk? Yes, if you have a lot of muscles you will look bulky. If you have less muscles you will have much less to fear about bulk, but to the extent you possess muscle you will be the beneficiary of fat burning. You will not gain muscle in huge lumps because estrogen is not a muscle building hormone like testosterone. If you lack shape you will, after lifting weights, get a surprise-muscles create pleasing shape.
My point: If you lift weights, you will gain some muscle. Not enough to make you look bulky. However, as you gain muscle it will assist your weight reduction by making demands for energy that your fat stores will have to supply. Your servant, as always.
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