Copyright (c) 2008 Karen Sessions

Guys. . . your wife is watching your biceps getting bigger! Is she jealous? Does she want to start “bodybuilding” but is afraid of getting TOO big? She secretly wants that finely chiseled body, too!

Here’s how she can build muscle for a lean, sexy physique without the fear of embarrassing you with bigger arms as you walk down the beach. . .

There are a lot of myths around women and bodybuilding and they just don’t seem to die. I’d like to share with you an article that sheds light on women and weight training that will pave the path for your wife or girlfriend to adopt the bodybuilding lifestyle with you.

That’s right. We’re going to bust the women and weight training myths right NOW!

Who better to do that than a woman who weight trains and understands your wife’s fears regarding women and weights?

Women and Weight Training Myth #1 – Weight training will make woman huge and manly.

BUSTED – Like most people, when you think of women and weight training you automatically relate that image to the professional female bodybuilder strutting her oiled-up mammoth physique across stage and striking a pose.

What’s NOT mentioned is that 99. 9% of the professional female bodybuilders supplement with steroids to develop superhuman muscles.

By the law of nature, women do not produce near the amount of muscle building hormone, testosterone, necessary to build huge swollen, vein-popping muscles. A woman is just not capable of building that type of massive muscle simply by lifting weights.

Bottom line: Weight training will NOT make a woman big and overly muscular.

Women and Weight Training Myth #2 – Women who weight train will lose their breast size.

BUSTED – (pardon the pun) Breast tissue is made up of primarily fat tissue. A loss of body fat will results in smaller breast size.

Weight training develops muscle tissue. Adding strength training will develop the underlying chest muscle on a woman and can add more shape to her upper body, creating those eye-pleasing and sexy curves. In addition, a good chest training program will add stunning high cleavage for that perfect fit in a dress or bikini.

To put it bluntly, the only way for a woman to lose her breast size is if she loses a lot of body fat.

Women and Weight Training Myth #3 – A woman’s muscle will turn into fat if she stops weight training.

BUSTED – There is an astronomical amount of women who won’t weight train for fear their muscle will somehow magically turn into fat if they stop weight training.

Again, muscle and fat are two completely different tissues responsible for their own functions. Muscle is metabolically active (calorie burning) and fat is metabolically inactive (fat storing).

Muscle CANNOT Ever, In Any Case, turn into fat any more than fat can turn into muscle. One can only build or lose muscle OR gain or lose fat. The two separate tissues are not interchangeable.

Women and Weight Training Myth #4 – Muscle weighs more than fat.

BUSTED – It’s no wonder women believe this ridicules statement. Dr. Phil has been known to say it in his highly publicized weight-loss book.

It’s a fact that a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same, a pound. What most women don’t realize is that a pound of muscle is denser and takes up less space than a pound of fat.

Therefore, having more developed muscle on the female frame with less body fat will make her leaner, tighter, and give off that “toned” look they are after.

Bottom line: Adding natural muscle mass through weight training accentuates a lady’s femininity.

Endless Benefits for Women Who Weight Train:

Has training partner by default

Improves stamina

Improves sex life

Lifts and shapes the booty

Relieves depression

Builds a shapely physique

Improves posture Controls weight

Builds positive self-image

Creates a positive attitude

Builds character

Boosts immune system

Clears the mind

Creates more energy

Benefits other sports

Raises resting metabolic rate

Slows the aging process

Decreases chance of injury

Builds a stronger heart

Creates an anti-aging effect

Improves digestion

Relieves chronic pain

Builds stronger bones

Improves circulation

Improves flexibility

Lowers LDL (bad)

Increases HDL (good)

Lowers hypertension

Lowers risk for cancers

Lowers risk of heart disease

Lowers the risk of diabetes

Makes you a happy partner

A woman with a well-shaped body through weight training will feel better about herself. In addition, she’ll better understand the process you go through to develop your physique, and have a better appreciation for weight training.

There’s a special bond with a couple that trains together.

Eating To Build Muscle Mass
In order to gain weight you must eat a lot more than you think. I am not talking about overeating, because that is a good way to get fat. I am talking about eating right and proportioning your food so you can have 6 different meals a day. I know this sounds like a lot for some and not to mention many of you will think you do not have that amount of time during your day. We will explore how to make it all work for any situation and or circumstance.
If you have a fast metabolism you need to consume more calories in your diet, and stay away from simple carbohydrates, eat more quality protein. Having the right quantity of foods in your diet will help you build leaner looking muscle. The number one mistake you can make is overlooking the simple fact that you need to eat more than usual to gain muscle. My plea to you is “Do not overlook at this factor”.
First order of business: get yourself a food scale. You need to measure and calculate your daily food intake. How do you expect to know how much is too little or too much if you do not measure? Eating To Build Muscle Mass
Guessing the amount of food you eat can be dangerous. You will not always get it right every time. Measuring your meals can only get easier as times goes by.
The normal three meals a day is not going to work for you. Your body needs a steady flow of energy, and nutrients to grow on a regular basis. Three meals a day is no going to give you that. So you are going to have to increase your food intake to about 6 meals a day, which will work out to a meal about every 3 hours. If you are serious about gaining weight and more muscle mass, come up with a plan that will help you do that. We will discuss this a little later but first let us see why this is important.
Energy gain from food is important for building muscle mass. By only eating 3 meals a day you are slowing your progress, and if you have a fast metabolisms, your body will go into starvation mode. Your body will start breaking down muscle tissue and using it for fuel. After a hard workout your body needs nutrients to help repair and build more muscle. Six meals a day will definitely do the tricks.
Let’s discuss a way to make six meals a day work. Many of you have busy schedules so you need to take that into consideration. I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest supplements but only for people who have crazy schedules. If you have more time on your hands then natural fresh food is your friend. Some people might tell you supplements do not work. It is a matter of opinion; they seem to work for some people just fine. Make sure to do your due diligence before investing in a load of crap you do not need. The absence of a well balance diet, over training your body, and the lack of ample rest in between your workouts are recipes for failure.
A little dedication will go a long way. Motivation is your new best friend so stay in touch with it. Eating To Build Muscle Mass

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Read On To Learn About The Most POWERFUL Way To Lose Fat Effectively. . I know. You don’t want to look bulky. But you won’t, unless you use steroids or just have superior muscle building genetics that most guys will be envious of. I mean, how often do you see a muscular woman? To those who are ‘bulky’ and think they have ‘big bones’ or have too much muscle, please, stop cheating yourself. It’s fats you need to lose to achieve your ideal figure. This will be a long article but if you finish reading it I’m sure you will benefit from itI’ll first touch a bit on nutrition and dieting since I feel it’s the most important aspect to fat loss. It sounds simple enough- eat less than you expend and you lose weight, eat more than you expend and you gain weight. This is true till a certain point where further decrease in food intake does not result in a decrease in weight anymore. This happens due to a decrease in metabolic rate. The body tries hard to preserve whatever it has, so it essentially shuts the body down. Hormonal levels are also affected. You feel weak, restless and lethargic. Frustrated too, due to lack of progress. You overeat and the weight piles back on. What you need is strength training which helps build muscle, or at least allows you to preserve whatever muscle you have during dieting (harsh dieting causes quick muscle loss). It does so by placing stress on your muscles, constantly challenging them for the body to feel a need to keep them or even build them. A note about cardio or aerobic work. Believe it or not, doing cardio (running swimming etc) is not essential for fat loss, at least not for individuals with high bodyfat levels. It is because cardio only expends calories during the period you’re doing them. This can be easily achieved by eating less. It does nothing to help increase metabolic rate after exercise. On the other hand, weight training builds muscle, thus having an indirect effect on increasing metabolism. In addition, studies have shown that metabolic rate can be elevated for 24 hours after a weight training session! Clearly it is the superior choice for people seeking fat loss. However, cardio is recommended for cardiovascular health, duhI’m gonna bet that 99% of you reading this wants a better figure. I’ll elaborate on how weight training will accomplish this. One huge benefit of weight training is its effect on raising metabolism and keeping it elevated for extended periods. This effect is more profound in weight training than aerobic type workouts like running. Your metabolism drops back to normal after you complete such activities, unlike weight training. An elevated metabolism causes a greater amount of fat loss due to a greater calorie deficit. So you achieve your goals faster. Imagine this – You diet for extended periods of time without weight training and you lose WEIGHT – muscle plus fat. As you continue your metabolism becomes lower and lower and you take more time to lose the same amount of weight. Besides that, you feel flabby all over due to muscle loss, not to mention decreases in strength, which may even affect daily activities. So in the end you get a smaller version of your overweight self before, only weaker and hungrier. Just a short note. You might think I’m bullshitting cause I said eat less than you expend and you lose weight. Common sense tells you to eat less during a fat loss phase. How then is it possible to gain muscle? Well, here’s the good news for beginners. Since weight training is new to them, this new stimulus (stress by weights on body) builds muscle effectively, sometimes even on a negative caloric diet. I should add that this applies to beginners with higher levels of bodyfat only. Meal timings especially around workouts help in muscle building too. That is why it’s common to hear beginners gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously while it’s very hard for experienced trainees to do that, unless they’re on drugs or have laid off training for an extended period. Bone mineral loss and osteoporosis are major problems for women and steps should be taken to build strong bones from young. Strength training is the only activity that can continually place stress on your bones for them to maintain strength and slow bone loss. It can be taken up by anyone young or old. Hip fractures are not fun at all really. Another little benefit : Increased chest size. This is not due to an increase in the amount of fatty tissue in your breasts (although we hope so) but the hypertrophy or growth of muscle tissues in the chest and back area. This gives the illusion of a bigger bust line. In addition, some flesh in the hip area helps too. Combined with a small waistline, this gives you the hourglass figure everyone is talking about. While we’re on this I also want to talk about this huge misconception we have of weight training. High repetition work does not burn fat and tone muscle, at least not to that specific area of your body. Doing high repetition with light weight may increase muscle glycogen depletion and may increase rate of fat loss but that is done in conjunction to a negative caloric intake. Your main training should still focus on moving heavy weights since that’s the only way to provide stimulus for the body. So doing 500 situps per day will not give you a six pack, not when your tummy is covered by a thick layer of fats. Similarly, working your biceps with pink baby weights for 5 minutes a piece won’t ‘tone’ it up. Training with light weights and high reps will not help much in strength gains too (except endurance strength, which isn’t really important in real life unless you require it in your activity). Another popular dogma is that muscle will turn into fats when you stop training them. I shake my head when I hear this. How ignorant can people be? Muscle tissues and fat tissues are different altogether, just as skin is to bones. You can’t simply turn your skin into bones can you? Some people do get fat when they stop training, as with many bodybuilders. They lose muscle without training, causing a drop in metabolism rate. Yet, they continue to eat equally large amounts of food like when they’re training. Hence, the excess calories consumed results in fat gain. The loss of muscle coupled with the fat gain makes people think that muscles turned into fats. So,Dieting without weight training = loss of fats and muscle = smaller version of yourself, but flabby and weakDieting with weight training = loss of fats and maintaining muscle mass = toned and strongIts clear who is the winner. To recap:Dieting breaks down muscles, weight training builds them backMuscles are crucial in boosting metabolism. Strength training is more beneficial than cardio workoutsStrength train for bone healthHigh repetition work is quite uselessOther benefits of strength training:Weight training energizes youWeight training makes you strong. Strength gives you confidence and makes daily activities easier. Weight training makes you less prone to low-back injuriesWeight training decreases your resting blood pressureWeight training decreases your risk of developing adult onset diabetesWeight training decreases your gastrointestinal transit time, reducing your risk for developing colon cancerWeight training increases your blood level of HDL cholesterol (the good type)Weight training improves your postureWeight training improves the functioning of your immune systemWeight training lowers your resting heart rate, a sign of a more efficient heartWeight training improves your balance and coordinationWeight training elevates your moodSupercharge your fat burning capabilities today with strength training!If you think this article is helpful, do your friends a favor and send this link to them!What Are You Waiting For? Take Your Butt Off The Computer Chair Right Now & Head Straight To The Gym!