“To lift or not to lift”? This is the question

Written by Shoshana Pritzker Tuesday, 18 May 2010 19:19

by Angie Lee

As a group fitness instructor and personal trainer I often hear “I do not want to build, I want to tone.”   To me, this translates in to, “I want the absence of fat and the presence of muscle.”  I’m sorry ladies but there is no such thing as “Toning” a muscle.  You either build it, or leave it in atrophy.  That hard and lean look is possible and achievable only through the incorporation of heavy weights.  This might sound counterproductive, but what it all comes down to is correctly manipulating the hormones of the human body.

Women are estrogen dominant which results in the accumulation of fat in the lower half of the body.  It stubbornly wants to stick to the thighs and glutes, for child bearing purposes.  This creates a huge evolutionary barrier that makes it hard to reduce fat in those areas and reveal hard tight muscles.

The answer to this is training with heavy weights from different angles to challenge the body.  This will result in naturally increased levels of testosterone and Human Growth hormone.
I can already sense the panic that the words “increased testosterone and HGH levels” are creating!  The common belief among women is that lifting heavy will result in bulky “She Hulk” muscles.  The increased levels of testosterone and HGH levels that I am talking about are not enough to produce that look, that is unless there is artificial induction of those hormones in the form of anabolic androgenic steroids.  Women only have one tenth of the testosterone level that men have which makes it impossible to create hypertrophy.

Another huge misconception is that “Pilates” will give you long lean muscles.  I mean no disrespect to Joseph Pilate’s method, I am actually teaching his stuff, but no amount of it is going to give you the tight look you are striving for.  The only way to change the shape of a muscle is to break it down by increasing overload and resistance (weight lifting) so it rebuilds and reshapes.  The problem is that “Pilates” is a workout favored by dancers who are genetically “long and Lean.”  More often than not women will confuse muscle with fat.  I’ve proven this to my clients by asking them to perform plyometric jumps or sprints; muscle has power and strength and it is inconsistent with weak performance.

That feared “bulked up” look is often the result of too many calories and poor nutrition.  This now takes me to the aforementioned four letter word, D-I-E-T!!!!

Unfortunately women pay way too much attention to exercise and little or no attention to the proper way of eating.  I see ladies workout for hours on the cardio machines or cardio classes on a daily basis, and sadly they end up looking exactly the same, if not worse. This is because they think that endless hours spent working out gives you the green light to eat whatever you want and often they reward their efforts in the gym with food.

As long as the diet is in check “bulking up” is not possible.  You Eat to Grow.  The consumption of proper nutrient quantities, increased fat burning activity in the form of cardio, and again heavy training, will result in lost inches and lean muscle definition.

Creating a desirable body takes a lot of hard work, commitment and perseverance.  Now that you are informed on the hormonal environment, start paying close attention to the changes that are happening.

To sum it all up clean up your diet, use heavy weights, do proper amounts of cardio and get adequate rest. I guarantee you that soon you will have the body you always dreamed of!

About the Author:

Originally from athens Greece, moved to London UK where she studied Classical Ballet, contemporary dance and musical theatre.  In 1994 she moved to NYC and after a short career as a dancer, she got involved with her other passion Fitness.  She is now dedicated to developing and leading signature classes at Equinox Fitness clubs and Reebok Sports club in NYC. Those classes are " Strengthworks" "Athleticworks" and " Pilatesworks". Currently developing " Bellworks", a class that uses Kettlebells in a group fitness format.She is also a trainer to Celebrities and Manhattan socialites.

Her many certifications include, Schwinn Cycling, Mad Dog® Spinning, Pilates Initiation 101, 201 and Standing Pilates,  KBC Group Exercise Instructor, CST Circular Strength Training 101, M.E.L.T (Myofascial Energetic Lengthening Technique), BOSU , Will Power and Grace, Powerstrike®,  Kickboxing, Powerstrike ® Impact, Powerstrike  FORZA® and Urban Rebounding.

For more information log on to Angie's website at www.AngieLeeFit.com

Photos of Angie Lee by Photographer Robert Caldarone