Cumberland News

Ask a bodybuilder how to lose that flab

Last updated 20:45, Thursday, 05 June 2008

A NUMBER of months ago, I watched a programme on women bodybuilders. It was amazing to see the dedication these women put themselves through to obtain a championship winning body.

It followed one British woman on her quest to beat the very best that America has to offer.

Unfortunately for her she fell a little short, but her will to win was commendable.

It’s been a common perception for years that women bodybuilders don’t look like women.

There manly frames and bulging muscles would put most men to shame. How stupid this perception is.

The world of bodybuilding is so strict on steroid abuse that it’s very hard to cheat . It’s been the train of thought that most people who have huge muscles take steroids. Certainly where these women are concerned the look automatically leads people to believe that.

After watching this programme, it’s now obvious the strict diet and training regime they put themselves through is high intensity at its best.

This may sound daft, but every gym would benefit from a man and woman bodybuilder.

Remember, bodybuilders generally have very little fat on them in fact at the time of the competition they are at their weakest because they have starved and dehydrated themselves to the brink.

If you’re new to the bodybuilding world, it’s something that may take some getting used to.

However they know what to eat and when to eat it, they know all the major and minor muscle groups to train which make them predominate on competition night. Knowledge is power and bodybuilders certainly have both.

How many of the female gym population hammer the treadmill and the cross trainer for an hour then go home feeling content? Quite a number of you I would imagine. Let me ask the question a different way.

How many of you have been told to stay away from lifting heavy weights because it will put too much muscle bulk on you and won’t look feminine?

Yes it’s a sad fact but inexperienced gym instructors will give you the worst advice possible.

They will show you the basic machines, oh yes the abductor and adductor machines are the worst. They should have a warning on them saying don’t use.

I encourage any female gym user to lift heavy weights for a short number of reps.

In fact I would encourage that more than 15 reps on any one exercise.

It’s a misconception that this will build dense muscle because women generally perform more cardio than men. I say stick to the hour on the treadmill but then mix that up with an heavy session on the free weights.

Free weights are a must and you should never use weights machines unless it’s maybe a cable machine.

Perform four reps on any exercise you desire.

What this will do is promote muscle strength which will benefit your cardio and it will burn fat more because your body is working that bit harder to lift the weight.

This is the bodybuilders way, heavy weight reduced reps.

These women then changed their workout nearer time to higher reps to gain the pump. What you need is to maintain the heavy weights for a period of six weeks then vary your workout to lighter weights.

Women bodybuilders don’t have problem areas, they only have areas that need improving. This is how you should look at your body.

Bingo wings, cellulite, a spare tyre are improvements waiting to happen. Women bodybuilders work the full body and this is what you should do also.

The weight you lift is generally dependant on what you can push out for one rep. This is known as one rep max. For example I can push four reps of 160kg on bench press. For a one rep max I could bench press 200kg. So basically I am lifting 80 per cent of my one rep max.

It’s trial and error really but you’ll know what the maximum amount is.

Take this workout as a trial for six weeks.

Cardio plus

Bench Press - 3x4 reps

Incline Bench Press – 3x4 reps

Cardio plus

Single Dumbell Rows - 3x4 reps

Lat Pull Down – 3x4 reps

Day Off

Cardio plus

Barbell Squat, 3x4 reps

Deadlift, 3x4 reps