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Common concerns
Is strength training the same as bodybuilding?
Bodybuilding is a sport in which the goal is to increase muscle size and
definition. This increases the endurance of muscles, as well as strength, though
not as much as if it were the primary goal. Bodybuilders compete in bodybuilding
competitions, and use specific principles and methods of strength training to
maximize muscular size and develop extremely low levels of body fat. In
contrast, most strength trainers train to improve their strength and endurance
while not giving special attention to reducing body fat below normal. Strength
trainers tend to focus on compound exercises to build basic strength, whereas
bodybuilders often use isolation exercises to visually separate their muscles,
and to improve muscular symmetry. Pre-contest training for bodybuilders is
different again, in that they attempt to retain as much muscular tissue as
possible while undergoing severe dieting. However, the bodybuilding community
has been the source of many of popular strength training's principles,
techniques, vocabulary, and customs.
Bodybuilding, strongman competitions and other sports are illustrations of how
the basic principles and methods of strength training can be applied to achieve
very different goals.
Is nutrition relevant for strength trainers?
Most people think of dieting in terms of weight loss, but strength trainers can
also adjust their diet to improve the results from their workouts. Adequate
protein is required for building skeletal muscle. Various sources advise weight
trainers to consume a high protein diet with anywhere from 0.6 to 1.5 g of
protein per pound of body weight per day (1.4 to 3.3 g per kg). Protein that is
not needed for cell growth and repair nor consumed for energy is converted by
the liver into fat, which is then stored in the body. Some people believe that a
high protein diet entails risk of kidney damage, but studies have shown that
kidney problems only occur in people with previous kidney disease.
A light balanced meal consumed prior to the workout (usually one to two hours
beforehand) ensures that adequate energy and amino acids are available to
perform the intense bout of exercise. Water is consumed throughout the course of
the workout to prevent poor performance due to dehydration. A protein shake is
often consumed immediately following the workout, because both protein uptake
and protein usage are increased at this time. Glucose (or another simple sugar)
is often consumed as well since this quickly replenishes any glycogen lost
during the exercise period. Some weight trainers also take ergogenic aids such
as creatine or steroids to aid muscle growth. However, the effectiveness of some
products is disputed and others are potentially harmful.
Will women gain mass comparable to men?
Due to the androgenic hormonal differences between men and women, women are
unable to develop large muscles regardless of the training program used.
Normally the most that can be achieved is a look similar to that of a fitness
model. Muscle is denser than fat, so someone who builds muscle while keeping the
same body weight will occupy less volume; if two women weigh the same but have
different lean body mass percentages, the one with more muscle will appear
thinner.
The results obtained by female bodybuilders are extremely atypical: they are
self-selected for their genetic ability to build muscle, perform enormous
amounts of exercise, their musculature is exaggerated by very low body fat and
like many male bodybuilders their results may be enhanced by anabolic steroids.
Unless a woman dedicates her life to bodybuilding, she will not achieve the same
results as a professional female bodybuilder. In addition, though bodybuilding
uses the same principles as strength training, it is with a goal of gaining
muscle bulk. Strength trainers with different goals and programs will not gain
the same mass as a female professional bodybuilder.
Are light, high-repetition exercises effective for 'toning' muscles?
Some weight trainers perform light, high-repetition exercises in an attempt to
"tone" their muscles without increasing their size. This comes from
misunderstanding the meaning of the word "tone." What most people refer to as a
toned physique is one that combines reasonable muscular size with moderate
levels of body fat. The use of the word "tone" in this sense is inaccurate: a
more appropriate term would be "definition".
Muscle tone is a physiologic term that refers to the constant, low-frequency
contractions that occur in all muscles all the time, even at "rest", which
prepare them for future activity. This continuous slight tension in torso
muscles contributes to maintaining good posture. High-repetition exercises
should increase muscle size, but will not improve the latter type of muscle
"tone". Even performed as aerobic exercises they will have limited benefit,
since aerobic exercise is most effective when it engages the whole body.
To define muscles requires a combination of weight training to increase muscle
size and low levels of body fat.
Is strength training safe for children?
This depends on what type of strength training is utilized. Orthopaedic
specialists used to recommend that children avoid weight training because the
growth plates on their bones might be at risk, but recent studies have shown
that this concern is unfounded. The very rare reports of growth plate fractures
in children who trained with weights occurred as a result of inadequate
supervision, improper form or excess weight. "Growth plate injuries have not
occurred in any youth strength training study that followed established training
guidelines." The National Strength and Conditioning Association also confirms
that "a properly designed and supervised resistance training programme is safe
for children."
Young children must be supervised around weight training equipment. They are at
a greater risk of injury if they drop a weight on themselves, and like adults
they can be injured if they perform an exercise incorrectly. Due to lack of
understanding and general immaturity they may also fail to follow safety
guidelines or act irresponsibly.
However, generally speaking, resistance training does not result in the same
types of injury. Because your muscles push against a force without the hindrance
of gravity, few to no injuries occur.
Can strength training help with weight loss?
An exercise like sit-ups or abdominal crunches uses a much smaller volume of
muscle than whole-body aerobic exercise and is therefore less efficient at
burning calories than an exercise like jogging. Instead, high weight/low rep
exercises can be used to maintain or increase the body's muscle mass while
dieting. This helps to prevent the metabolic slowdown that otherwise often
limits the effect of dieting and causes post-diet weight gain.
This too depends on the type of strength training utilized. Because weight
training generally is used for bulking, this type of exercise more than likely
will increase weight because of the muscle gain. However, when resistance or
circuit training is used, because it is not geared towards bulking, women tend
to lose weight more quickly.
Because most strength training builds lean muscle, it is natural for a person to
gain weight, initially, since muscle is heavier than fat. However, as lean
muscle is built, as a result, the weight will begin to regulate and decrease.
Lean muscle helps raise the metabolism which helps keep weight down.
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