Men Vs Women On Body Type: Why The Disconnect? | 50 comments (50 topical, 0 hidden)
Since you brought it up (none / 0)
there are a LOT of misconceptions about nutrition and exercise that are generally accepted by most people.

The biggest for women is that they shouldn't work out with weights because it will make them look bulky and won't burn that many calories compared to cardio.

Both of those things are pure and utter bullshit.  Most overweight women (or women in general for that matter) would be far better served by a decent weight training program (in conjuction with some degree of cardio) than they would be by cardio alone.

Weight training strengthens bones and connective tissue, something that's unique to that form of exercise (sprinting is the exception but who sprints?) and is especially important with the high rates of osteperosis.
 
Not to mention that cardio generally only burns calories *during* exercise vs weight training which burns calories during *and* after when tissue repair kicks in. Also, every pound of muscle you add requires that your body burn another 20-40 calories a day (according to the most recent estimates I've seen).

So if someone adds 5 lbs of muscle (which is NOT that hard to do with a moderate weight training program and a few months or so), they'll be burning an extra 150 calories a day just to maintain that muscle (meaning you could go to a reduced maintenance routine 2 days a week or something).  That might not sound like much but that would mean you'd lose over FIFTEN POUNDS a year!

Contrast that with cardio where you only burn calories *during* the activity, because (again, unless you're sprinting) you're not really building much muscle (often times it can actually burn muscle depending on your caloric intake).

Finally, weight training also increases functional strength, which is much more helpful in every day life.  Think about it, when do you jog or run other than when playing sports or working out?  By contrast, how often do you shovel, carry groceries, pick up your kids (or your lover)?  Exactly.

PS---Think about this for a second. Which group has a better body generally speaking, marathon runners or sprinters?  Both are at the extremes, but the answer is obvious...sprinters (who engage in high intensity activity)!  It's not even close. Lots of low intensity cardio just doesn't build the kind of body that *most* people find attractive.

Don't get me wrong, if someone wants to do it to build endurance or run a marathon, more power to them, it takes a lot of dedication and persistance! But if they think they're building a body that will have wide appeal, they're wrong IMO, as are the people who think that only jogging/walking every day is the best and only way (obviously some people have joint conditions and can't do high intensity exercise, I get it, and yes it's better than nothing).

by Tom Hanc on 02/15/2008 04:29:31 PM EST

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I agree with this also. (none / 0)
I might add that muscle is known to be more dense than fat.  This means that someone who adds some additional muscle may actually over time see a net gain in weight even as they remain the same size or even reduce in size.  I knew a girl who was freaking out because she was gaining weight after she had been working out regurlarly for a while, yet she looked great.  I spent a lot of time trying to convince her not to be so obsessed with how hard gravity was pulling at her but to measure her progress by checking her measurements to see if she was increasing or decreasing in size.  After doing that for a while she began to calm down but still occasionally obsesses about that scale.  Sheesh.

by bfaul on 02/15/2008 05:16:57 PM EST

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I agree too (none / 0)
I used to work out with weights religiously 5 days a week when I was younger (I'm in my mid-40s now) and I never liked my body more or felt more self confident.  I did do a lot of cardio at the same time though.  I guess I had more time for working out when I was younger.  It sucks that most of us sit at computers all day now instead of getting our exercise doing constructive things.

by desertpear on 02/15/2008 05:28:35 PM EST

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I am shocked! (none / 0)
Shocked! I cant believe anyone would say that a good healthy computer addiction isnt  constructive. Posting on blogs may change the world. It will be a fat saggy world but changed none the less!


by Chinese Democracy on 02/15/2008 05:39:45 PM EST

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Another misconception most people have is (none / 0)
that you need to work out 5-7 days a week. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Most people can get a very nice body if they do a good, full body workout 3 days a week (coupled with a solid diet of course).

The problem is a lot of people get pumped up for some special event or New Year's and they go too far and have very vague goals (i.e., I'm going to "get in shape").  They do this instead of easing into a sustainable lifestyle change that they can actually stick to, including reasonable, measurable and specific goals (I'm going to lose at least 1lb each week and go to the gym 3 days a week).

You have people go straight from the beer, chips and the couch to working out for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week while eating the same chicken breast and rice meal over and over again.  Of course they give up after a few weeks, because such a routine is boring, excessive and just plain unsustainable (not to mention unnecessary) for 99% of the population.

Then the mistakenly believe (or make the excuse) that they can't get into shape because they'd have to spend 100 hours a week on it while eating cardboard and water every day.

Don't get me wrong, I put on my winter weight too (anyone who doesn't live in the south or CA understands) so I know how hard it is.  But the first step is to know *what* to do before you can actually do it.  So in that regard I can't 100% blame some people who can never get in shape, because they honestly don't know what they're doing and think they have to be extreme about it to get any results.

by Tom Hanc on 02/15/2008 05:43:02 PM EST

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Men Vs Women On Body Type: Why The Disconnect? | 50 comments (50 topical, 0 hidden)