Myths about strength exercises: how to lose weight and not pump up muscles?

To achieve beautiful slimness, you need to direct your body to burn fat and build muscle tissue at the same time. This is scientifically based: it is in the muscles that fat is mainly burned. They also give the body density and elasticity, preventing it from becoming flabby.

However, among women who are losing weight, there are many prejudices against elastic muscles. Ladies think that simple abdominal exercises will make their stomachs covered with overly masculine “cubes,” and that 2 kg dumbbells will make their arms lumpy, like those of “jocks.”

In fact, it is difficult for a woman to get seriously pumped up; to do this, she needs to rebuild her hormonal system, which cannot be done without special medications. And the fact that victims of a sedentary lifestyle are sometimes mistaken for “pumping up” is just a natural form of the human body, which we, alas, have lost the habit of.

So, let's deal with common prejudices.

1st opinion: You won’t lose weight from dumbbells and push-ups!

Losing weight does not depend on the type of training, but solely on its duration and intensity. If you move for 20 to 40 minutes at a minimum heart rate of 120 to 140 beats per minute, you will burn fat. Muscle growth will begin if you exercise for 15-30 minutes at a heart rate above 170 beats, but an untrained person usually cannot achieve this intensity. And such efforts are not safe for a beginner; you should not strive for them in the first year of training.

You can control your pulse based only on sensations. So, if you start gasping for air like a fish out of water, if the “hammers” are pounding in your head, and sweat flows through your body, your pulse is too high.

Reduce the pace or range of movement, switch to a calmer form (from running to walking, from standing exercises to exercises against a wall or on a mat).

2nd opinion: It is useless to go to the gym to lose weight!

Firstly, simulators are different. For example, cardio equipment - a treadmill, an exercise bike, a stepper, an ellipsoid and others - is an excellent analogue to walking, skiing, cycling or skating. On a rainy or frosty day you can’t do without them.

Secondly, the so-called “strength” exercise machines (with weights, blocks and cables) can also be used in fat-burning mode. So, “jocks” put heavy weights on them and do 8–10 repetitions with them, then rest for a long time. And those who are losing weight need to select a light weight and do 15-30 repetitions with a short rest before the next approach. Such training will strengthen the muscles, increase their tone and blood circulation in them, due to which fat burning will increase, but will not give significant growth. At the same time, training on simulators is relatively safe: the loads move along a strict trajectory, there is no risk that an arm or leg will turn in, go to the side and crush you under the weight.

Training for professionals

The principle of the exercise program for gaining the necessary muscle mass among professionals is very different from those described above. The system, even at home, resembles a full-fledged workout in a fitness club. Each session focuses on a different muscle group. This allows you to effectively combine heavy exercise and much-needed rest.

On Monday you should do the following exercises for the arm muscles, the weight of the equipment is heavy:

• Barbell curls for biceps. The back is straight, when returning to the original position, the arms should be relaxed and stretched as much as possible. 4 approaches are performed, during each of which the equipment is raised 7-8 times.

• Triceps exercise with French press. Due to the heavy weight of the equipment, it is recommended to perform it from a lying position to preserve joints. Perform 4 sets of 6-10 repetitions.

• You need to complete the set with a biceps exercise, but using dumbbells. Lifting dumbbells is performed alternately with each hand. The total number of approaches is 4, and the number of repetitions is from 10 to 12.

On Tuesday, exercises work the chest muscles, the weight of the equipment is heavy:

• The first and most important exercise is the classic bench press. The number of approaches is 3, in each of which 12-15 repetitions should be performed.

• Weighted push-ups. 3 approaches, performed at a slow pace until failure.
• You should complete the set with a dumbbell bench press. 3-4 approaches are performed, all should be done to failure. Perform at least 10 repetitions at a time.

On Wednesday, all muscle groups are given rest. Without proper recovery, the rate of muscle growth will drop to minimal levels and may even be negative.

On Thursday, they focus on the back muscles, the weight of the equipment is heavy:

• The main exercise is the bent-over barbell row. 3 approaches are performed, with a total number of repetitions per stage from 8 to 10.
• Then you should perform bends with a barbell on your shoulders. It is strictly forbidden to arch your back, which can lead to injury. Perform 3 approaches, with the number of repetitions from 10 to 12.

On Friday they do shoulder exercises, the weight of the equipment is heavy:

• The dumbbells are being raised. If the exercise is done in a straight position, then the front and middle deltoids are trained, if in a forward bend, then, accordingly, the rear deltoids. Perform 4 approaches, with a total number of repetitions at a time from 10 to 15.
• Perform the so-called “Arnold press” or in other words, dumbbell press up. 3 approaches are done, with the number of repetitions at a time from 12 to 15. The exercise is performed to failure.

  
  Here's how to do the Arnie press - a very effective exercise for gaining muscle mass at home

• Shrugs with a barbell or dumbbells. The total number of approaches is 3, and the number of repetitions is from 8 to 10.

On Saturday, leg exercises are done, the weight of the equipment is heavy:

• Squats with a barbell or dumbbells. Approaches – from 3 to 4, repetitions – from 6 to 9.

• Deadlift. Approaches – from 3 to 4, repetitions – from 6 to 9.
• Lunges with dumbbells or barbell. Sets 4, reps 12 to 15.

Sunday should be a day off, without any activity.

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3rd opinion: What are you telling me, I’ve grown so much muscle in two months!

We discussed above how to practice so that they actually grow. This is what is happening here. While you were leading a sedentary lifestyle, your muscles gradually atrophied. You start exercising and they have to increase slightly to accommodate the load. But how much will they increase? Over the first 6–9 months, large muscles (primarily at the front of the thigh) may increase in volume by 1–2 cm. If you lose excess fat at the same time, the volume of the thigh will not change, it will only become denser. But after these 1-2 cm you will have to sweat a lot in order to achieve any more noticeable muscle growth!

Often, immediately after a workout, muscles appear larger than they were. No wonder: they worked, filled with blood and simply swelled by 1–1.5 cm. This will go away in half an hour. Also, don't forget that muscles are a natural tissue of the human body. According to medical standards, they should account for 30% of body weight in women and 40% in men. Fat, by the way, according to the same standards, there should be less muscle - up to 25% in women and about 20% in men.

Classification

When systematizing the variants of a symptom, regardless of its cause, the so-called body mass index (BMI, Quetelet index) is taken into account, defined as the ratio of weight (in kilograms) to height (in meters), squared. Normally, the indicator is from 18.50 to 24.99. Taking into account BMI, pathological weight gain manifests itself in the following forms:

• Preobesity (overweight)
  : from 25.00 to 29.99.
• Obesity I degree
  : from 30.00 to 34.99.
• Obesity II degree
  : from 35.00 to 39.99.
• Obesity III degree
  : more than 40.00.

4th opinion: Exercises on “problem areas” burn fat!

This is true, but such exercises, by the way, work specifically on the muscles. Once activated, the muscles begin to more actively use the fat deposits surrounding them, receiving energy from the latter. In addition, their contractions literally displace fat and make fat cells flatter. That is why there is less fat, and cellulite loses its established positions. However, this process does not go quickly (which is not surprising, since you did not accumulate excess weight in three weeks, but over at least several years) and requires a responsible attitude: that is, exercise regularly and not haphazardly.

Let's touch on the fundamental truths, without which high-quality muscle building is impossible:

• It is imperative to warm up before the main workout, which includes heavy weight gain. The athlete must warm up well so that his joints and ligaments have time to warm up, and for this I would recommend that the athlete use a treadmill, running on which at an average pace for ten minutes will prepare the body for subsequent heavy exercises. Then you need stretching, aimed specifically at those areas of the body that are most “problematic” for you, for example, elbows or shoulders - these are the ones that need to be carefully and thoroughly kneaded first.
• Before each main working set, you need to do one or two warm-up sets using light weights, which should be about 40-50 percent of the working weight. Warm-up sets allow the athlete to also get a feel for this exercise.
• You shouldn't work out in the gym for too long - intense work for an hour is enough. And remember a simple truth: the main thing in training is not its duration, but only its intensity.
• The end of the workout should be a short cool-down to stretch the muscles and joints . A good option is swimming in the pool.
• During mass training, you should not be distracted by extraneous matters . The observed pictures of what often happens in the gym are depressing: someone is enthusiastically talking on the phone, someone is playing with a new toy on their iPhone, someone is talking with a neighbor, and the like. That is, people who train do not understand why they came here and waste time in the gym, allotted specifically for training, and then receive, as a natural result of this, the absence of any, even small, progress in bodybuilding. Make it a rule: since you came to the gym to train and your goal is to gain weight, then train without being distracted by extraneous matters or absolutely anything else.
• The key to success is to work in the working approach right up to the very last repetition, completing that too. It is the last one or two repetitions, done after overcoming muscle pain, that become the most effective in the training process and it is thanks to them that muscle mass is effectively built up.
• It is necessary to adhere to good nutrition , on which success in bodybuilding is half dependent. I can subscribe to every word I say and responsibly declare that without high-quality nutrition, weight gain is impossible and you will never be able to build decent muscles. My next article will be devoted to this - it will be convenient for you to follow the news using the newsletters of this blog.
• Sufficient rest before the next workout is also important . Don’t be surprised or scared now - the goal of bodybuilding training is precisely to injure muscle fibers, however, in the safe sense of the word - during heavy loads, the tissue of our muscles receives microtraumas, which the body then strives to heal and due to this, tissue growth occurs. So, for this restoration of muscle fiber, the body needs several days and therefore daily training is absolutely contraindicated for the average bodybuilder.

In this list, I have listed the rules that should be followed during training aimed at gaining mass. Now you can proceed directly to the training program itself.

You will have to work out three times a week: on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - whatever is convenient for you, and here the main condition is a mandatory break between workouts of at least one day.

As a rule, athletes separate the chest, legs, shoulders, triceps and biceps into separate muscle groups and, accordingly, each of our workouts will focus on pumping a specific muscle group.

The best program for gaining weight

5th opinion: You can’t strengthen your muscles without weights...

Not at all. You always have your own body weight at your disposal. Try to maximally load the muscles that require your attention. If it’s your legs or buttocks, learn to squat on one leg (first with support on a chair or wall), if it’s your chest, arms, back, do push-ups (when this seems easy, place books under your arms). At the same time, you should not artificially limit yourself: use what you have at hand for classes.

For example, in the winter you can take a membership to a gym, where there are exercise machines and barbells with dumbbells, in warmer times of the year you can go to the sports ground in the park or at the nearest school, and at home you can do exercises against the wall, with a chair or with bottles of water instead of weights.

Features of home weight training

A unique feature of the exercises necessary for gaining muscle mass, which are used in training at home, is the lack of much variety in sports equipment. This is a factor that does not allow increasing the load on a regular basis.

However, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive exercise equipment; you can make do with improvised means at the initial stage, and then gradually purchase a minimum set in the form of dumbbells, a horizontal bar, parallel bars, and, if possible, a barbell. In any case, you can make a completely effective home gym and save a significant amount of money without going to a fitness club.

6th opinion: Due to muscle growth, you can gain weight!

This is the truth. Muscles are 30% heavier than fat, so increasing them even by 1–2 cm gives a “plus” of 3–5 kg. However, do not forget that at the same time you must lose fat, of which there is much more. In general, you should focus not only on scales, but also on centimeters. Regularly measure your waist and hips, and if they (especially the first) decrease, everything is fine, even if the numbers on the scales increase. The fact is that physical exercise also affects the condition of the bones: they accumulate calcium more actively, that is, they become stronger. This may also affect your scales, but the risk of osteoporosis and fractures will decrease.

It also happens that in the first weeks of training both weight and volume increase. This is due to the fact that the muscles have already begun to grow, and the fat covering them has not yet burned off. Check your diet! It is possible that after training you have poor appetite control and eat everything you burn. Limit fatty and sweet foods for three to four months, and the balance will return to normal.

How to recover after a workout

Any physical activity requires good rest. During the rest period, you should give up all bad habits. They are incompatible with a healthy lifestyle. In addition to smoking and drinking alcohol, you should avoid night parties, as well as watching TV and using gadgets before bed.

You need to sleep a lot, especially at night. This is due to the fact that during this period of time chemical processes associated with the restoration and construction of muscles take place. New fibers are formed and damaged ones are repaired. This is a fact that has been proven by sports doctors and specialized scientists.