I don’t want any muscles!

I don’t want any muscles!

“I don’t want any muscles, I want to be lean like a ballet dancer!”

When speaking about strength training, this is the one most common arguments we hear; on average, 95%  of the women we consult with say that.  So just for the record, women do not have enough testosterone to bulk up like  men do and ballet dancers train seven to ten hours a day, rain or shine, and subject themselves to hardcore dieting. Now that we have briefly addressed those two arguments, let’s take a realistic look at this “I don’t want any muscles” subject.

SOMETHING ABOUT MUSCLES YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF

Here is a diagram of the Body Composition, (muscle / fat) during adult life.

Age                           20                   30                   40                   50

Body weight (lbs.)    126                   136                 146                 156

Muscles (lbs.)              45                   40                   35                   30

Fat (lbs.)                       29                   44                   59                   74

Percent Fat (%)           23                   32                   40                   47

Do you notice how muscle mass diminishes proportionally to fat accumulating? Yes there is a relationship between the two!

WHY YOU REALLY  WANT MUSCLES ON YOUR BODY

Here are ten reasons why you absolutely need to engage in muscle building activities:

1. We lose an average of 5% muscle mass per decade after age 30

2. Muscles hold the spine and the body together, allowing you to perform daily tasks, such as walking, carrying grocery, playing with your kids or grandkids, being active…

3. Muscle loss leads to bone loss (osteoporosis).

4. One week of being bedridden, with surgery or illness, for example, equals one year worth of bone loss, leading to osteoporosis

5. Muscles have direct impact on internal organs and overall health

6. Muscle loss causes the metabolism to slow down (gaining weight)

7. Muscle loss causes the posture to shift creating back and neck problems and/or injuries

8. Muscle loss creates hormonal imbalances, decreases testosterone and HGH production

9. Muscle loss accelerates the aging process

10. Muscle loss diminishes the quality of your life

MUSCLE LOSS SYNDROME IS GENERALLY NOT OBVIOUS UNTIL ABOUT AGE 40, BUT BY AGE 50 THE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE CHANGES BECOME PERMANENT AND THOUGHT TO BE IRREVERSIBLE!

 

YOU DIDN’T SEE IT COMING

MUSCLE BUILDING ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

Strength training
Bodybuilding
Weight lifting

NEXT MOST FREQUENT RESPONSE

“But I do yoga, Pilates, dancing, aerobic, that should take care of my muscle building activities, right?”

Stay tuned, we’ll explore the topic next…..

DrFitnessUSA.com