Use Weights to Burn Fat
"I Don't Want To Look Like A Bodybuilder So I'm Only Going To Do Cardio To Lose Weight"
This is a statement I have heard hundreds of times, and a lot of people believe this for a very good reason. The belief partly exists because there is a stereotyped image that has been created by television, movies and mainstream media whereby you enter a gym and the only thing you see are Herculean men and Amazonian women lifting unfathomable weights, with the obligatory screams of anger bellowing out all around. It's almost as though everyone is trying to communicate with Odin of Asgard as the Vikings once did, while the veins in their heads pop out like they are about to explode.
I won't deny it, these stereotypes do exist, but this perceived reality is not the only truth. There are many dynamics that can be found in the gym environment and most of them are actually quite palatable. The most common individual you will come across in a gym is not the iron chewing character you might believe to see at every exercise station, but the exact opposite; a quiet, relatively meek person who is there to do their workout in peace, listening to their own music, and trying to hit a fitness and/or fat loss goal. The reason the bodybuilders stand out a lot more is because they tend to be a lot more comfortable in the environment, mainly because they have been native to the gym a lot longer and more regularly, and, quite often but not always, have slightly heightened ego's. After all, they have worked very hard to get where they are. Who wouldn't want to show it off a bit.
Now that I've set the scene for you, back to the point at hand. The most common goals people set themselves are to lose weight (this 'lose weight' statement is something I don't agree with but I'll explain why another time) and to tone their muscles so they become defined but not bulky. So, with these goals in mind A persons training regimen should always include an equal amount of appropriate intensity cardiovascular activity and lots of weights. And, the more weights the better. By doing this are people trying to turn into gods of the bodybuilding world? Not at all. That is not going to happen unless the weight programmes they are undertaking follow a very specific set of rules. The basic principles behind weight training are as follows:
Heavy weights with low repetitions, i.e. the number of times you complete a specific movement (e.g. Bicep curls with 30kg Dumbbells doing 1-5 reps), will cause more damage to the muscle, which will then, in turn, repair itself and become stronger and bigger, and as a result develop bigger and stronger muscles (see Figure 1).
Light weights with high repetitions (e.g. Bicep curls with 5kg Dumbbells doing 15-20 reps) will cause a slower strength development but will generate an increased ability for the muscle to last longer (muscular endurance) and will cause the muscle to tighten up and become more defined/toned (see Figure 1).
If you want the best of both worlds without having to do one or the other, aim for an appropriate weight range where you will be able to complete 10-12 reps. You will then fall around the middle of the spectrum, developing strength, at a slower rate than going heavy, but faster than going light, while also developing tone and endurance. The endurance you create will not be as long term as actually training each exercise for longer periods but will still generate more endurance than the person who works in the 1-5 rep range (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
The one contradiction to these points is comes in the form of testosterone, and, specifically, the variable levels that exists between men and women. This hormone is one of the building blocks behind the development of bigger muscles, and women generally don't have as much of the 'masculine' hormone in their systems; roughly only one tenth in fact. Therefore, when it comes to developing muscle size, bodybuilding women have a much harder time reaching their goals than their male counterparts do. As a result, regardless of how much weight they push in the quicker strength and size development range, they will only be able to reach their goals after much more effort and time, and they will never be able to get as big as the professional male bodybuilders, unless particular substances are included in their training programmes.
Therefore, "I don't want to look like a bodybuilder so I'll only do cardio to lose weight" is a bogus statement. Baring in mind all of the facts mentioned above, if you train like a bodybuilder then you will become a bodybuilder. To achieve your goals all you need to do is train with appropriate techniques and weights then those goals can become a reality.
