Is it fact or myth that women need light resistance and lots of reps when they work out? From The 90-Second Fitness Solution by Pete Cerqua.
Myth: Women Need Light Resistance and Lots of Reps
Let me tackle this myth by telling you a story. In the book One More Rep by John Little and Robert Wolff, the authors describe one of the workout routines used by a champion bodybuilder, Flex Wheeler. For his shoulders, Flex did four sets of fifteen reps of side laterals using only twenty-five-pound dumbbells (which is very light for him). For adding size to his shoulders, he added reps and took those twenty-five-pound dumbbells up to sixty reps per set! This is typical of what many top bodybuilders would do to get that freakish “Michelin Man” look. Most women’s workout routines resemble a version of a top bodybuilder’s workout. If a top bodybuilder would start doing my 90-Second Sets, he would lose his pump faster than most people lose diet willpower when they sit down to Thanksgiving dinner.
If I’ve learned one thing in more than twenty years of training thousands of people, it’s that high-rep weight training can result in only two outcomes:
- If the weights are too light, it does nothing at all.
- If the weights are heavy enough to do anything, it makes you look like Flex Wheeler.
But, you’re thinking, women can’t add bulk. At least, that’s what all the experts keep saying. Well that’s a bunch of hogwash. Yes, women don’t have the testosterone levels to add as much muscle as male bodybuilders do. (Okay, so I was exaggerating just a little when I said you’d end up looking like Flex Wheeler.) Women can add bulk, though. A woman with a ten-inch-circumference bicep is not going to be able to double the size of her bicep (at least not without some pharmaceutical help), but she can certainly add an inch of size. I don’t know too many women who want to grow their biceps by an inch. That’s not sexy in a spaghetti strap, but that’s what happens when you go low weight, high rep. To lose inches, you need to lift heavy. With my approach, you’ll gain strength without adding bulk. You’ll get stronger as your body grows smaller.
Take Wendy. Wendy was in her midforties when she came to me. Wendy knew she needed to exercise to age gracefully. She knew that strength training was the way to go. With a hectic schedule and limited information, she’d hired a personal trainer. Her trainer put her through the standard three sets of twelve reps on about a dozen exercises. Even though Wendy was getting stronger and healthier from her workouts, her arms were getting bigger than her husband’s.
A friend of Wendy’s was already getting great results with me. Wendy liked how her friend looked, so she decided to give my method a try. She was skeptical, of course. “I bulk up too easily,” she said. I said, “No problem. I’ll make you twice as strong and get rid of that pumped look you’re carrying around.”
In eight weeks, Wendy got rid of the bulk! Now twice as strong, she can wear spaghetti straps without feeling self-conscious about her arms.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pete Cerqua, author of The 90-Second Fitness Solution (Copyright © 2008 by Peter Cerqua), is one of New York’s most respected and in-demand fitness trainers. He has been helping people lose weight since the 1980s, and he continues to increase his fan base through the four gyms he owns and runs in the New York City area. Visit Pete online at www.90-secondfitness.com.
MORE ARTICLES BY THE AUTHOR
- 9 Motivational Tricks to Help You Stick to Your Diet or Exercise Program
- Fact or Myth? You Should Always Stretch When You Work Out
LEARN MORE
- Read the Introduction to The 90-Second Fitness Solution
- Watch a video about Pete Cerqua’s 90-Second Fitness Solution
- Read and Watch it: Discover The 90-Second Fitness Solution vook
- Learn more about Pete Cerqua
