Fit Geek

A few months ago I mentioned that I was changing my workout routine. It’s usually good to switch things up, and I definitely learned a few things from it.

At the time of the switch I was working out 4x a week doing an upper and lower body split. Cardio was usually Bodyrock or something similar twice a week. Before that, I had been doing 3 heavy full-body workouts a week.

When I changed my routine, I decided to do Jamie Eason’s Livefit program. It lasts for three months, with the first two months being dedicated to building mass and the last month to cutting (fat loss). Honestly, I didn’t make it to the third phase because my diet was not on point, but more on that later.

Obviously, girl knows what she's doing.

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The first month was pretty easy for me to adapt to because it was an upper and lower body split, which is what I had been doing anyway. The only difference was that there were more exercises and I had to raise the reps and lower the weights. I quickly realized that I was not a fan of doing that because of some ridiculous ego issues that are tied into how much weight I can move.

The second month had me doing a body-part split, which is where you work only one or two muscle groups a day, 5 to 6 days out of the week. The goal is to put on muscle mass. This was the first time I’d ever done a body-part split, and I feel like focusing so much on hypertrophy (gaining muscle) made me lose some strength.

More muscles, plz!

I know that seems counter-intuitive, but my focus before this program was doing lots of compound movements and staying within the 5-8 rep range for the most part. Now I was doing a lot of isolation work (but still doing some compound movements, just not as many) at higher reps and for a much higher volume of exercise per body part. I was also using more machines than I was used to.

Here’s an example of strength loss:
Squats. Before I was doing 4×4 of 125 lbs. I haven’t even tried to go that heavy in months because I’ve been doing higher reps. I record just about every lift that I do in my phone, so I know that a few months ago I was squatting 3 sets of 10 reps for 110 lbs. I’ve moved up to 110 lbs again and I’m almost reaching failure by the 8th rep.

One of the most challenging things for me was dealing with the dramatic increase of exercise volume per body part. When I was doing an upper and lower body split, I’d work each muscle group about twice per session, for a total of 4 exercises per week per muscle group. Although the volume was kind of low, it allowed to me lift heavier. With the Livefit program I was doing something like 6-8 exercises per body part in one day. By the third exercise I felt like my strength was zapped. But I stuck with it because I’ve been wanting to put on more muscle for a long time, and if this is how it’s done then I’m gonna do it!

By the end of a chest day, I could barely do any push-ups.

Now I didn’t move into the fat loss phase of the program because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to tighten my diet. Instead I decided to take advantage of the fact that I was eating at a surplus every few days and stay in the muscle-building phase for maximum gains.

I *think* I may have put on some muscle mass. But 1) it’s difficult for women, especially someone who is experienced at lifting weights and a hard-gainer to begin with, to put on muscle in just two months. And 2) I can’t really tell how much muscle, if any, I gained unless I lose some fat. Right now my body fat percentage is a bit too high to see any real definition. Despite that, my arms and shoulders seem a little more muscular, but that just might be fat

So, I still think the Livefit program is a good one for changing your physique. However I like my workouts to be a little more well-rounded and athletic. For my own preferences, things like chin-ups, heavy squats and deadlifts, glute-ham raises, pistols and bench presses (although Livefit had plenty of those) should be the main emphasis of the workout. More free weights and more things that challenge your CNS (central nervous system) and balance…yeah, that’s my motto.

As of right now I’m still doing a body-part split, but I’m putting more emphasis on doing heavier compound exercises. One day I will probably go back to doing full-body workouts because I feel like I was the strongest and most athletic during that phase. And even though I wasn’t doing much cardio, my aerobic endurance was through the roof. But alas, I want more muscles, so for now a body-part split it is. Stay tuned to see what happens!

Sometimes I think there should be a sitcom called “Gym Rats” because of all the characters that find their way there. And I think this morning would qualify as an episode.

So I arrive at the gym around 7:15 a.m., and as I step into the free weight area I see a couple working out together. The girl is doing walking lunges with a 30 lb barbell.

Enter character #1–A very loud, large Bulgarian trainer with a penchant for cursing. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he bellows out things like, “What the fuck are you doing sitting on your ass? Get the fuck up!” in a Schwarzenegger-esque accent. Last week I heard him talking about his sex life to his clients, saying that one time he got so drunk he passed out and when he woke up some girl was on top of him, if you know what I mean.

So anyway, this Bulgarian trainer walks up to the couple and says to the guy, “What are you trying to do to this girl? She shouldn’t be lifting anything that weighs more than 10 lbs. Women get muscles in their legs like that *snaps*. She should do body weight or very light weight and 30 to 50 reps. If not, she’s going to put on a lot of muscle and not lose the fat and look bigger.”

Now, I generally try to not be judgmental, but I could not keep my cool in this situation. In fact, I was fuming. I couldn’t believe that a trainer of all people was saying this. And the sad thing was that the couple ate it up. For those of you who are not familiar with muscle building protocol, THIS IS FALSE. Women do not bulk up just like that. Doing lunges with a 30 lb barbell is not enough to make your legs huge. And if anything, having more muscle helps you burn fat.

As he was talking to that couple, I wondered what he would think of my workout and my HUGE, BULKING muscles. (At the time I was doing cable lat pulldowns with 85 lbs for 3 sets of 10.) I did feel a strong urge to speak up, but I didn’t. As much as it bothered me, I didn’t want to get involved.

This trainer has also come up to me and told me not to deadlift because I was going to mess up my back. I asked him if my form was bad and he said that it was fine, it’s just the exercise that’s bad. This is something I strongly disagree with. I think it’s easy to hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing, but I am very confident that I was executing it correctly. Ever since then I haven’t put much stock into his opinions about fitness.

Moving along…just as I had finally managed to get over being upset/annoyed about that incident, character #2 came up to me. He’s probably in his late forties or early fifties. I’ve talked to him before, so I didn’t think much about him approaching me. He asked me how my writing was going, and what I was writing lately. I thought he was just being friendly, so I told him where I work. I usually do not volunteer this information to people unless they press me, and he was asking a lot of questions but seemed harmless enough.

This is my saving grace when I need to block people out at the gym. Why didn't I use it today?

He got way too excited about it. He kept telling me how cool it was, and that could “give [me] some ideas, because [he’s] a total freak.” Umm. No thanks. I keep working out. He’s babbling about how he likes to write and how awesome my job is. I shrug and tell him I’m over it. Finally, I’m done with my workout and say bye to him. The following conversation ensues:

Self-proclaimed freak: So do you want to get coffee sometime?
Me: Um…I don’t know…
Self-proclaimed freak: Well, how about I get your number?
Me: I have a boyfriend.
Self-proclaimed freak: Oh. Well, why don’t we get coffee anyway?
Me: No.

Give me a break, dude. You don’t want to just get coffee. It really bothers me when guys pull the whole “Oh, you have a boyfriend? We can still be friends” thing. I don’t think that’s ever their intention, but whatever.

So yeah, that was my morning at the gym. That’s a lot more excitement than I’m used to before 8:30 a.m. If you’re curious about my workout, it was a back/biceps day. Here’s what I did:

Bent-Over Barbell Row: 3 sets of 10 at 85 lbs
Machine Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 10 at 135 lbs (I had a plate on each arm lever thingie)
Wide Grip Cable Pulldown: 3 sets of 10 at 85 lbs
Seated Cable Row: 3 sets of 10 at 85 lbs
Back Extension: 3 sets of 10 at bodyweight
Barbel Curl: 3 sets of 10 at 30 lbs
Incline Dumbbell Curl: 3 sets of 10 at 12 lbs
Alternating Hammer Curl: 3 sets of 10 at 15 lbs

And in more non-weirdo news, I heard this song on the radio on the way to the gym and dug it.

I see a lot of gender segregation in the gym. And one of the most marked separations involves the dumbbells.

On one small stand, there are several sets of dumbbells weighing 5 to 15 lbs. I feel like there’s some kind of invisible sign that says “Women Only” hanging above them. Along the rest of the wall is a much larger rack of dumbbells that range between 20 to 100 lbs. And yep, there must be some invisible “Men Only” sign hanging above those.

And to think I was once afraid of this little thing.

Well, slap a banana between my legs and call me a man ‘cause I sure as hell don’t pay any mind to these invisible signs. Today I did a one-arm bent-over row with a 50 lb dumbbell. It was cool.

It all started with the 25 lb dumbbells. When I had decided that I wanted to get seriously stronger, the first step was progressing from a shoulder press with 20 lb dumbbells to 25 lbs. And I think this is relevant to a lot of women, because they seem to stick with 20 pounders and below.

I was scared to do it. I thought I was going to look like a dumbass trying to lift these weights over my head and failing miserably. But I did it anyway, and I succeeded. I did 5 sets of 5 without too much difficulty. Now shoulder presses with 25 lb dumbbells are a breeze.

I don’t want to put down girls who lift light weights because I think it’s awesome that they’re even lifting at all. But lifting with the 12 lb dumbbells just wasn’t working for me. So let’s say you are a woman (I’d say men too but I think they are more eager to go heavy) who lifts weights, but sticks to the “women only” dumbbell section. Why not try going heavier? I’ve already discussed how women don’t get bulky from lifting. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Fear my huge, bulking muscles.

I mean, progress. That’s what life is all about, right? I think it’s important to want to move forward. Whether it’s with your education, career, romantic life, mental well-being, or (as it was in my case) strength.

If you’re still not convinced then how about this: lifting weights that are challenging to you increases your metabolism way more than doing cardio for up to 24 hours after training. Going heavier is a great way to break through plateaus as well. If there haven’t been any changes in your physique…well, first of all clean up your diet. Then try going heavier. It’ll make you look toned, not “bulky.” If you’re already lifting, just TRY going heavier. You will like it and you will feel like a badass.

So now, the how.

Start off small. This is going to be easier if you’re on a machine. Just move the weight pin down to the next heaviest plate. Don’t expect to be doing the same amount of reps you were doing at a lighter weight. If you can do the same amount of reps, consider going even heavier. Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 8 reps. And the end of those 8 reps should be HARD. Don’t feel cheated if you’re used to doing 12-15 reps. This is a situation where quality beats quantity.

If you’re feeling enthusiastic, you can try aiming for 5 sets of 5. If you’re not used to lifting heavy, this is going to shock your body, but in a good way. You are doing less reps, but at a heavier weight. This rep range is better for building strength than it is for muscle, although you will get some muscle gains from it. Just not as much as you would by going SLIGHTLY lighter (i.e. 4 sets of 8 reps). And like I said, by the time you get to that 5th rep you should feel almost (but not completely) maxed out.

One thing though: your form should always be your first priority. If your form is suffering because the weights are too heavy for you, then lighten it up. You never want to compromise your form. Keep those backs straight!

If you do any barbell work, increasing your weight is easy. Just start off by adding the 2.5 lb plates and work your way up as you get stronger. And as far as the dumbbells go…those 25 pounders are waiting for you

This stuff is pretty much all common sense. The bottom line is that you should just DO IT! And remember, heavier weights with less reps is GOOD! Now go strap on your fake ding-a-ling and pick up heavy stuff.

Usually, mornings are full of promise for me.

But this morning wasn’t. It was full of loathing and grumpiness. Yet somehow I managed to drag myself to the gym. I used to workout first thing in morning, but dropped the habit a while ago. Hence me feeling like one of Lovecraft’s monsters, only less cool.

6:45 a.m.: half-dead.

But as crappy as I felt, I was really glad to get it out of the way.

And I was also able to avoid the usual annoying morning characters. (Mainly the guy who, for months, tried to hook me up with his son and constantly referred to me as his “granddaughter.”)

While I was there I noticed, as I usually do, the lack of women in the weight room. There was one bunch working with steps and stability balls along with a trainer, but no ladies pushing any iron. Except for me. I have to say that about 80% of the time, I am the only girl lifting weights in the gym, especially anything that weighs more than 20 lbs.

If you’re at all curious about my routine, here’s what I did today:

Split squat – 4 sets of 12 – 90 lbs.
Barbell bench press – 2 sets of 7, 2 sets of 6 – 90 lbs
Seated row – 2×9, 2×8 – 95 lbs
Leaning lateral raise – 1×12 – 8 lbs, 1×12 – 10 lbs
Standing lateral raise – 2×8 – 15 lbs
Glute-ham raise – 3×8, 1×7 (body weight)

8:10 a.m.: Much better!

(Yes, I record every lift that I do.) I don’t know if you’d consider that heavy, but I consider it decent for a small girl like myself. And guess what? I’M NOT BULKY!

That’s what I’m trying to get at. Ladies, lifting weights is not going to make you bulky. Women do not have the hormones to grow “big, bulky, manly” muscles. I feel like I need to dispel this notion because I still hear it all the damn time.

If you exercise in a gym, but don’t want to lift weights just because you don’t like it, that’s fine (although you really should.) But if it’s because you think you’re going to turn into a bodybuilder, I promise you that’s not going to happen. Even if you did have the body type to put on muscle easier than most women, getting bulky doesn’t happen by accident and it doesn’t happen overnight. Serious bodybuilder women look the way they do because of years of hard training and steroids. If you’re just an average woman who cares about being healthy, you shouldn’t let these baseless fears stop you from weight training.

There are so many benefits that come with lifting weights. It makes you stronger and helps to prevent osteoporosis. The more muscle you have the more you can eat, and generally the easier it is to stay lean. It helps to prevent injury and diseases like diabetes. It can even help to alleviate lower-back pain. And maybe I’m just speaking for myself, but I feel like a badass moving something that’s as heavy as I am. (I’m not going to site this stuff because it is literally all over the Internets.)

So why is it that women have such an aversion to lifting weights? I figure because it’s traditionally a manly thing to do. Some men even think that women shouldn’t lift too heavy. But why not? Because women shouldn’t be physically strong? That’s some sexist BS if I ever heard it.

Personally, I find strong, athletic-looking women attractive, but I know a lot of people are turned-off by the idea of a woman with muscle. But I think that a lot of women (and perhaps men) don’t realize how large a role muscle–even a small amount–plays in defining and re-shaping your body. I think it’s pretty common to hear a woman say that she wants to look “toned.” First of all, all toned means is losing fat so that the muscle underneath can show. You can lose all the fat you want, but cuts and definition in your triceps and hamstrings aren’t going to show unless you have a little muscle going on.

I also realize that bulky is relative. What I find to be the optimum level of muscle in a woman might seem bulky to someone else. So let’s say you prefer a softer look for yourself. You can still maintain that by doing strength training (albeit a load that’s a bit lighter), and by doing so you would achieve your goals faster than by doing cardio alone. You don’t have to be bench pressing and squatting loaded barbells to improve your strength and trim your waistline either. You can get good results just from doing intense body-weight workouts (push-ups, chin-ups, etc.) But if you really want to take it to the next level I’d still recommend lifting weights.

In my opinion, the payoff of lifting weights far exceeds cardio. Don’t get me wrong, cardio is great. But still, weights > cardio in my book. I’d rather lift weights all day than run for 30 minutes. Doing weight training is almost like a form of meditation for me. I don’t mean to get all Rollins on everyone, but the man had a point when he said, “The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.”

It’s not just about lifting weights. It’s about being strong, inside and out. Mentally and physically. It’s about pushing yourself to be better than you were the day before. That’s why I like to lift. The empowerment.

And for women who do make an effort to lift weights, congratulations. Just don’t be scared to move up. The next time you’re in the gym, go for a slightly heavier weight, even if it means you won’t be able to knock out as many reps. That’s how you make progress.

So now what I want to know is who out there lift weights? Why or why not?

Chocolate milk makes it all worthwhile.