Why lift weights at all?
The benefits of weight training are well-scientifically documented. It has to do with how our metabolism changes as we get older. Over time, our bodies slowly switch from an anabolic state to a catabolic state. Put simply, this means our bodies change from using anything we put in for energy and growth (anabolism) to breaking down our organic structure for survival (catabolism). Recent studies link inactive aging to accelerated dominance of catabolism in the metabolism. As we age, our bodies become very picky about what sorts of fuels it will use to survive. Whereas before our bodies might have used chocolate bars, burgers, and fries for energy and growth, now it will use (from the same unhealthy food) the sugars for energy, convert complex carbs and extra sugar into stored fat, and break down any lean muscle it can spare for the nutrients missing from the meal. Without proper nutrition, the body will eat itself and store the fat. Unhealthy diet combined with inactivity results in an accelerated signs of aging, depression, heart disease, loss of bone density, and obesity–to name a few.
So, what does this grim picture have to do with weights? Glad you asked. Here’s the rub: lifting weights causes the muscles to produce little tears that heal in the days following the training session. Over just a few training sessions, the demand placed on the bodies metabolism to rebuild the muscles slowly changes the nature of the metabolism from a catabolic one to an anabolic one. No one is too old to benefit from this phenomenon (given specialized appropriate training programs). When we exercise, we remind our bodies what it was like to be young. It remembers and slowly acts accordingly. This is great news, no?
The Difference Between Strength and Bodybuilding
The science around weight training in the last 50 years has sadly been dictated almost exclusively by the goals of bodybuilders. Their focus is to look a certain way: big bicepts! massive pecs! large manly calves!–not health, not strength, not endurance; just big muscles. These guys make for great magazine covers and so their goals have completely shaped the equipment in almost every gym, health club, and community centre. But this is changing. Movements like crossfit, TRX, kettlebells, martial arts, and circus schools are giving people new, challenging, entertaining, and (most importantly) more effective ways of building strength to facilitate the change to an anabolic-dominant metabolism.
The benefits of weight training will still be experienced by bodybuilders, so why am I so down on it?
What is the purpose of getting muscly if it doesn’t actually translate into real-world tasks that will make you more useful if you’re needed? I darkly question the psychological need some bodybuilders have of conforming their body to more closely resemble a magazine cover. And I speak from hard won experience that piece of mind about ones body comes not from becoming someone else, but becoming a better you.
Did you know that the the most common cheat in body building (beside steriods) are prosthetic implants into the chest and calves? In bodybuilding huge pecs are so important that the bench press became THE popular indicator of overall strength for many years–even for people who aren’t bodybuilding! Yet this misguided test actually has little to do with any real-world application one might encounter outside the gym. Outside the gym, weight is awkward, it’s unsupported, there are no benches to brace against that support the core while lifting. There is only me, that 18kg jug of water, and those four flights of stairs.
I don’t care about getting big. I care about getting strong. This is one reason I embrace kettlebells.
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More About the Bells
Simple and effective.
All but two of the foundation kettlebell exercises are done in ballistic motions called ’swings’. (The two exceptions being the press and the turkish get-up.) The power for these swings is generated with the entire body–from the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core outward to the limbs and the ground. Friends who come over to my place often gawk at my 20kg kettlebell and then pick it up and try to curl it like a dumbbell. Then they turn to me and say, “YOU use THIS?”. To which I reply, “Not like that, I don’t”.
The only way it makes sense for me to use a weight like that is if I’m using my whole body to throw it around. 20kg is way too much for a man of my size to curl like a dumbbell–but then again, dumbbell curls are not all that applicable in the real world–other than for bodybuilders. I’m more interested in my capacity to move that much weight as far a distance as possible with my whole body, over and over again. This translates into what the fitness industry is calling: Work Capacity and Functional Strength.
Instead of curls, I fire the large muscles like my glutes, quads, and hamstrings to get the weight moving, then I use the momentum of that effort to direct or guide the weight where I want it to go with my smaller muscles like my biceps, triceps, transverse abdominus, serratus anterior, whilst mostly stabilizing with my deltoids, rotator cuff, and lower back. The power for the swing comes from the legs and hips and the stabilization of the weight in motion is what works the rest of my body. So I’m not just training my muscles to be stronger; I’m training my body to move a lot of weight, a large distance, over and over again safely–without strain or injury.
This translates into kinesthetic awareness that combines strength with agility; coordination with explosive power. That’s why when done correctly, a 136 pound man (such as myself) can explosively hoist a 20kg (44lb) weight from the floor to a one arm overhead lockout for 20 reps without concern for personal safety or those around me. Doing this skyrockets my heart rate as almost every muscle in my body starts to scream for oxygen by the 6th or 7th rep. After this, I can go into an active rest like push-ups, horse-stance, plank, or simply passing the kettlebell around my body. Then once my heart rate has recovered, I can go back to the ballistic swings.
Kettlebells swings engage the large muscle groups first to generate momentum. Smaller muscle groups assist and guide the weight to the final position by culling the arc of momentum generated by the large muscle groups. Posture and core muscles stay engaged and active through the entire exercise. Strength, agility, coordination, and power are worked and practiced throughout the whole body. The cardiovascular system is severely taxed as the heart tries to pump blood everywhere at once. When using kettlebells for anaerobic-interval based cardio, the workouts are really fast–in most cases under 20 minutes. If you don’t want to spend your whole afternoon in the gym, this style of workout might be for you.
If you’ve got time for commercials, you’ve got time for kettlebells. So mute, the TV during the ads and blast out 100 swings before Grey’s Anatomy comes back on. Come on… it’ll make you younger–but it won’t fill in that bald spot.
(Disclaimer: Kettlebell exercises require instruction to do safely. Most people can learn the basic swing quickly, but please don’t try it without some certified instruction. Impinged shoulders, strained lower back, and bewildered egos await those too proud to take a quick lesson. Look for AKC or RKC certified instructors.)
I’m often asked why I train with kettlebells instead of traditional free-weights like dumbbells. Initially, I tried kettlebells because my old kung fu sifu and a fellow kung fu classmate both recommended it as a way to get an extremely efficient workout in a very short amount of time. As I eased my way into learning how to operate the devices without injuring myself, I inadvertently immersed myself in the online literature of a new exercise movement that is focussed of something called ‘functional strength’. Well, that seemed pretty sensible to me and now here I am. So without further ado, here are some of the main reasons, I enjoy kettlebells so much.
Lance Armstrong with great two handed swing form.
Elizabeth Quinn from SportsMedicine.About.com writes:
“Kettlebells require an athlete to focus on whole-body conditioning because lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body, and specifically the core, to contract as a group, building both strength and stability at the same time. Kettlebell workouts engage multiple muscle groups at once. In this way, they are a great option for getting a whole body workout in a short time.”
Kettlebells naturally train you for strength, not size. Since training with kettlebells, I’ve noticed significant gains in strength and definition, but not a lot in terms of size. This actually makes sense. The primary difference between proper kettlebell training and bodybuilding is that in bodybuilding, major muscle groups are isolated and trained for visible hypertrophy (growth). Even when lifting dumbbells as free weights, the traditional bodybuilder holds form in a static stance or is supported by a weight lifting bench–both techniques contribute to isolation of a muscle group for size gains. In contrast, kettlebell lifts and swings encourage full body participation.
A blog by kettlebell trainer Vanessa Bader, with a funny name, “HotBurningBody.com” has this to say about it:
“The vast majority of kettlebell exercises engage literally hundreds of muscles at once. This creates profound functional strength without bulky size. The reason for this is that the very nature of kettlebell training stimulates greater myofibril density, which causes myofibrillar hypertrophy. Myofibrils are contractile organisms within the muscle that are directly related to strength. What the majority of people may not know is that 50 percent to 70 percent of hypertrophy size in bodybuilding is from sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This type of hypertrophy contributes to very little direct strength and muscular force production.”
Another important difference in kettlebell training is that they train you from the middle-out instead of the periphery-in. The first move you should ever learn with a kettlebell is the basic two-handed swing. Contrary to the way it looks, the swing’s moving power is generated from the glutes, quads, hip flexors, and core–there are literally hundreds of stabilizing muscles at work here as well. (This moving force is NOT generated with the anterior deltiods–trying this is asking for shoulder injury.) The swing translates into hundreds of applicable ballistic sports applications from skiing and snowboarding to soccer, rock-climbing, martial arts… etc. The swing builds supporting muscles that allow more profound strength development in the limbs with a lower risk of injury to the primary joints and stabilizing muscle structures (like the lower back). For instance: done properly, the two-handed swing forces continuous contraction of the supporting shoulder muscles. This translates into shoulders that are continuously ready to withstand more shock without injury. Because of the swing training, the shoulders are used to being pulled into the socket in a strong impact-ready state. As you train your shoulders to do this more and more they are less vulnerable at their state of rest. This last bit is especially pertinent for me. My father has been plagued with shoulder injuries for half his life–footsteps I don’t plan to follow.
The internet is filled with people who have used kettlebells for rehabilitation from shoulders to elbows to hips. This is from an ex-ring gymnast turned chiropractor, Peter Lawton:
“I have been training with kettlebells for 8 years now. I am a former gymnast(ring specialist) who had chronic shoulder problems. Partial tears on MRI. A mess. The kettlebell gave me back my life. I am 50 years old and have better ROM and stability in my shoulders than I had when I was 20.”
Rocky with some bad, elbows out form… tsk tsk.
So hopefully I’ve started to communicate some of the fundemental reasons I believe in kettlebell training so strongly. In the next installment of “Why Kettlebells”, I’ll talk about some more personal experiences and results.
When it comes to kettlebells, “If you’re going to be dumb, you’d better be tough!” is especially true. Make sure to learn how to do it right–or you’ll get hurt.
Come see us at our new location: 99 Wynwood Drive – at the Kay Arena (Crossman Community Centre)
Joel Melanson is the only certified Kettlebell Instructor in the area (Agatsu, Level 1)
Kettlebell Training for Men and Women:
For a smokin’ butt, tight midsection, strong legs, and sculpted shoulders, try Kettlebell training.
A kettlebell is a cast iron ball with a handle on it, and it truly is a miracle fitness tool. Russians have been using it for centuries, and now we see why. Not only is it packed with essential fitness benefits that target strength, coordination and cardiovascular endurance, but it also has the potential to promote injury rehabilitation. They are a great fitness tool for athletes, dancers, and regular men and women who want to be in the best shape of their lives. Kettlebell training is for anyone willing to try something different. The implications for developing phenomenal fitness are undeniable.
In this class you will learn and practice the proper technique for handling the kettlebell followed by an intense workout designed to challenge all fitness levels.
Saturdays – 10am
$90 for 12 classes or $10/class
Kettlebell Foundations:
Prior to joining our regular class you will be required to complete the 4wk Kettlebell Foundations session. In this session you will learn the basic Kettlebell moves and techniques that are necessary for efficient, effective, and safe training.
Not long after joining us at Inertia Fitness Andrea told us that her goal was to be able to deadlift 200lbs. Well tonight was the night!!! Not only did she lift 200lbs once she pulled 200lbs 5 times!!!
For a smokin’ butt, tight midsection, strong legs, and sculpted shoulders, try Kettlebell training.
A kettlebell is a cast iron ball with a handle on it, and it truly is a miracle fitness tool. Russians have been using it for centuries, and now we see why. Not only is it packed with essential fitness benefits that target strength, coordination and cardiovascular endurance, but it also has the potential to promote injury rehabilitation. They are a great fitness tool for athletes, dancers, and regular men and women who want to be in the best shape of their lives. Kettlebell training is for anyone willing to try something different. The implications for developing phenomenal fitness are undeniable.
In this class you will learn and practice the proper technique for handling the kettlebell followed by an intense workout designed to challenge all fitness levels.
Saturdays – 10.15a
$90 for 12 classes or $10/class
Kettlebell Foundations:
Prior to joining our regular class you will be required to complete the 4wk Kettlebell Foundations session. In this session you will learn the basic Kettlebell moves and techniques that are necessary for efficient, effective, and safe training.
Saturdays at 1115am
$60 for 4wk session
Next session starting soon – space is limited to 6 register now!!!
Jeanette Pearson of Moncton’s Baladi Fitness demonstrates a move during a recent Bellyfit class.
I’m hardly alone.
Recent studies have shown that most Canadians are in need of more belly fitness, with bigger waistlines being linked to all sorts of health problems, from dementia and heart disease to asthma and breast cancer.
In my personal effort to battle the bulge, I’ve posted an oversized calendar on my office wall, one dedicated solely to exercise. (Some people keep a fitness log; I need more of an “in your face” incentive!)
I’m only four days in but am finding the calendar to be a great motivator, giving me a sense of accomplishment when I glance at what workout I did the previous day, encouraging me not to leave the coming day blank.
Also spurring on my desire to tummy tone was a recent call from Jeanette Pearson, owner and operator of Baladi Fitness in Moncton. She invited me to one of her Bellyfit classes.
“What a great name for a workout!” I thought after hanging up. Who doesn’t want a fit belly?
Bellyfit is what Jeanette describes as a fusion fitness experience for women. The one-hour group classes (maximum of nine ladies per session) offer a full-body workout with ample variety, a plus if you hate repetitive routines.
Before the class, Jeanette told me that in the first half hour, I’d burn calories and relieve stress with fun, easy-to-learn cardio moves infused with the fundamentals of belly dance and other dance elements. One of those “other” elements would be some “Bollywood” moves similar to dance steps popularized in recent Indian films.
In the class’s second half, I’d be sculpting and tightening with Pilates-type core work and yoga-ish stretches, Jeanette said.
The original concept of Bellyfit was brought to fruition by Canadian dancer and entrepreneur Alice Bracegirdle but is apparently being continuously expanded.
“Bellyfit is designed to connect you to the deep, primal feminine within while helping you find
strength to deal with modern day stress,” said Jeanette.
When I arrived to try Bellyfit at Baladi Fitness, located next to Fit for Her in Wedgewood Centre (1201 Mountain Rd.), I understood why the sessions are capped at nine. The studio is small, even cozier the night I visited since Jeanette was offering a free class. I gathered with a group of 12 and found a wee spot at the back of the room.
With enviable muscle tone and a very trim mid-section, Jeanette took the floor and gave a little intro info. She warned us not to be too concerned about getting all the right moves immediately since it takes a few weeks to learn routines. (In my unco-ordinated case, usually longer.)
Before starting the aerobic part of the program, Jeanette emphasized the need for women to bring more awareness to their pelvic floor area and encouraged us to frequently do pelvic tilt exercises. These involve tightening the abdominal muscles and squeezing the buttocks in order to press the small of the lower back into the floor and tilt the pelvis into a “neutral” position.
(A weak pelvic floor can lead to incontinence and other issues for women but research has shown that regular exercise can build those floor muscles.)
After our pelvic chat, the cardio portion of Bellyfit began. We did a series of moves reminiscent of a typical aerobics class but, as Jeanette had promised, livened up with belly dance, Bollywood and other dance styles.
Accompanied by a dynamic mix of music, we progressed through exercises ranging from leg lunges with undulating “snake arms” and a move involving a “shoulder shimmy” to a series of leg “kick backs” and a cool “Bolly hop” sequence.
By the time we hit the squats, everyone seemed to have worked up a good sweat. That continued as we followed Jeanette into “pelvic circles”, those hip-swaying, front-right-back-left movements that seem harder than they look (at least to your warrior, who – coincidentally – also struggles with hula-hooping.)
Jeanette then dimmed the lights and led us through a few basic yoga moves, including the Cobra, while still incorporating an interesting shimmy here and there.
I thought we were done but then came the planks, those push-up-like manoeuvres in which you keep your body in a straight line. They’re great to strengthen the arms and spine but hurt like heck when you haven’t done them in many moons.
After that core-burning segment, Jeanette led us through some final sitting-position stretches. Participants finished by giving her a rousing round of applause and grabbing schedules for upcoming classes.
Jeanette teaches a 9 a.m. Saturday session of Bellyfit, with others – taught by Julie Albert – offered at Baladi on Monday and Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. You can buy a punch card for the weeknight classes ($80 for eight sessions, $90 for 12 or $150 for 20). The Saturday class has a $10 drop-in fee.
I’d give Bellyfit an eight of 10 on my Fun Factor scale, an 8.5 if there was a bit more wiggle room.
The class reminded me of the fun I’d had at an all-women Zumba workout last fall. Though I have no problem exercising with guys, sometimes it’s nice to let loose with the gals (especially when discussion meanders to the topic of female body parts!)
I liked Bellyfit’s blend of dance elements spanning the globe and can see how the workout is a celebration of women’s bodies and spirit.
And there’s no question that it’s a good workout: a 7.5 out of 10 on my Sweat-o-meter.
There are tons of body benefits. Along with lots of cardio, Bellyfit can help you build a stronger core, improve your flexibility and balance, and no doubt help you on the path to awesome abs. Woohoo!
Of course, there are the mind and spirit perks too. It’s a super way to reduce stress and feel energized!
Joel Melanson is the only certified Kettlebell Instructor in the area (Agatsu, Level 1)
Kettlebell Training for Men and Women:
For a smokin’ butt, tight midsection, strong legs, and sculpted shoulders, try Kettlebell training.
A kettlebell is a cast iron ball with a handle on it, and it truly is a miracle fitness tool. Russians have been using it for centuries, and now we see why. Not only is it packed with essential fitness benefits that target strength, coordination and cardiovascular endurance, but it also has the potential to promote injury rehabilitation. They are a great fitness tool for athletes, dancers, and regular men and women who want to be in the best shape of their lives. Kettlebell training is for anyone willing to try something different. The implications for developing phenomenal fitness are undeniable.
In this class you will learn and practice the proper technique for handling the kettlebell followed by an intense workout designed to challenge all fitness levels.
Saturdays – 10.15a
$90 for 12 classes or $10/class
Kettlebell Foundations:
Prior to joining our regular class you will be required to complete the 4wk Kettlebell Foundations session. In this session you will learn the basic Kettlebell moves and techniques that are necessary for efficient, effective, and safe training.
Saturdays at 1115am
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$60 for 4wk session – Next session starting Saturday January 15th
David Adamson and I were driving to the IPA Nationals this past weekend talking training (yeah we’re pretty passionate about what we do) when the subject of training women with heavy weights came up. I’m in my ninth year at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as the head strength and conditioning coach, and David has been in strength and conditioning for three years. This is a subject we deal with every year regardless of how much training information is available to the public.
The best way to get information is to go to the source. So we asked Sarah Walls, another strength and conditioning coach at VCU. Sarah is also a writer for Muscle and Fitness Hers, a former figure competitor, and a women’s tri-fitness competitor—not to mention a strong female athlete who isn’t bulked up. Therefore, she has a great perspective on the subject.
We, being a good team, put our heads together to find a way to combat this never-ending dilemma. Our way of doing that is through education. And, only one answer to a question is never enough. If you know your job well, then you know that there is more than one way to skin a cat. So we came up with the following list:
Women do not have nearly as much testosterone as men. In fact, according to Bill Kreamer in Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, women have about 15 to 20 times less testosterone than men. Testosterone is the reason men are men and women are women. After men hit puberty, they grow facial hair, their voice deepens, and they develop muscle mass. Because men have more testosterone, they are much more equipped to gain muscle. Because women do not have very much testosterone in their bodies, they will never be able to get as big as men.
The perception that women will bulk up when they begin a strength training program comes from the chemically-altered women on the covers of bodybuilding magazines. These “grocery stand models” are most likely pumped full of some extra juice. This is why they look like men. If you take the missing link that separates men from women and add it back in, what do you have? A man!
For women, toning is what happens when the muscle is developed through training. This is essentially bodybuilding without testosterone. Since the testosterone is not present in sufficient amounts, the muscle will develop, but it won’t gain a large amount of mass. The “toned” appearance comes from removing the fat that is covering a well-developed muscle.
Muscle bulk comes from a high volume of work. The repetition range that most women would prefer to do (8–20 reps) promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth). For example, a bodybuilding program will have three exercises per body part. For the chest, they will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12. This adds up to 108 total repetitions. A program geared towards strength will have one exercise for the chest—flat bench for six sets of three with progressively heavier weight. This equals 18 total repetitions. High volume (108 reps) causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy. The considerably lower volume (18 reps) will build more strength and cause minimal bulking.
Heavy weights will promote strength not size. This has been proven time and time again. When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.
And, according to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.
6. Bulking up is not an overnight process. Many women think they will start lifting weights, wake up one morning, and say “Holy sh__! I’m huge!” This doesn’t happen. The men that you see who have more muscle than the average person have worked hard for a long time (years) to get that way. If you bulk up overnight, contact us because we want to do what you’re doing.
7. What the personal trainer is prescribing is not working. Many female athletes come into a new program and say they want to do body weight step-ups, body weight lunges, and leg extensions because it’s what their personal trainer back home had them do. However, many of these girls need to look in a mirror and have a reality check because their trainer’s so-called magical toning exercises are not working. Trainers will hand out easy workouts and tell people they work because they know that if they make the program too hard the client will complain. And, if the client is complaining, there’s a good chance the trainer might lose that client (a client to a trainer equals money).
8. Bulking up is calorie dependant. This means if you eat more than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you are burning, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most female athletes perceive any weight gain as “bulking up” and do not give attention to the fact that they are simply getting fatter. As Todd Hamer, a strength and conditioning coach at George Mason University said, “Squats don’t bulk you up. It’s the ten beers a night that bulk you up.” This cannot be emphasized enough.
If you’re a female athlete and training with heavy weights (or not), you need to watch what you eat. Let’s be real—the main concern that female athletes have when coming to their coach about gaining weight is not their performance but aesthetics. If you choose to ignore this fact as a coach, you will lose your athletes!
9. The freshman 15 is not caused by strength training. It is physiologically impossible to gain 15 lbs of muscle in only a few weeks unless you are on performance enhancing drugs. Yes the freshman 15 can come on in only a few weeks. This becomes more complex when an athlete comes to a new school, starts a new training program, and also has a considerable change in her diet (i.e. only eating one or two times per day in addition to adding 6–8 beers per evening for 2–4 evenings per week). They gain fat weight, get slower, and then blame the strength program. Of course, strength training being the underlying cause is the only reasonable answer for weight gain. The fact that two meals per day has slowed the athlete’s metabolism down to almost zero and then the multiple beers added on top of that couldn’t have anything to do with weight gain…it must be the lifting.
10. Most of the so-called experts are only experts on how to sound like they know what they are talking about. The people who “educate” female athletes on training and nutrition have no idea what they’re talking about. Let’s face it—how many people do you know who claim to “know a thing or two about lifting and nutrition?” Now, how many people do you know who actually know what they’re talking about, have lived the life, dieted down to make a weight class requirement, or got on stage at single digit body fat? Invariably, these so-called experts are also the people who blame their gut on poor genetics.
These so-called experts are the reason you see so many women doing sets of 10 with a weight they could do 20 or 30 times. They are being told by the experts that this is what it takes to “tone” the muscles. Instead, they are only wasting their time doing an exercise with a weight that is making no contribution to the fitness levels or the development of the muscle.
In case you haven’t figured it out by this point in the article, what is currently being done in fitness clubs to help female athletes tone their bodies is not working. It’s not helping these women get toned, and it is definitely not helping improve athletic performance. Maybe it’s time for a change. Contrary to the ineffective light weights currently being used, heavy weights offer many benefits for women including improved body composition, stronger muscles, decreased injury rate, and stronger bones (which helps prevent osteoporosis). Let’s try lifting some heavy weights and controlling our diet and watch this logical, science-based solution make the difference we’ve been looking for.
"My name is Patrick Arseneau and I’m 31 years old. I was skinny most of my life and never really felt the need to work out or watch what I ate. My poor food habit and lack of physical activities finally caught up with me to the point where I felt embarrassed to take off my shirt. I felt like that my fiancée deserved much better and I decided to change the way I looked - for both of us."
