Gaining Muscle

You've seen these e-cards right? They make me laugh so much and this one makes me shake my head. So many women really believe this, and no matter how many times they hear that it's just not true, they are still convinced that women will easily get "bulky" by lifting weights.


I try, I try so hard. Gaining muscle is not easy, for anyone. I talk with women who say this same thing "I just want to tone, I don't want to get bulky" and what this really shows is their ignorance.

Women have to bust their butts, lift very heavy weights on a regular and consistent and long term basis;  and eat ample, healthy foods to gain muscle (lean body mass, not fat).

And I am not talking 20 pounds in a year, I am talking a few. To gain much more you need to be taking anabolic ergogenic aids such as anabolic steroids or growth hormone, women just don't have the same testosterone that men do so they cannot naturally grow like men!

I have been working at it for years, and I slowly and slowly grow, it's funny when I run into someone I haven't seen in a couple years, they are shocked at how I look. But it is a very gradual process, so if you see me on a regular basis you may not really notice the subtle changes. A few people with good eyes do. I remember Huong used to be able to tell if my weight was up or down by a pound! I would walk in to train and she would immediately tell.

SC never really said much, he always wanted me to get bigger. But he was a strength coach, he was all about lifting and did everything he could to get me to discontinue all forms of cardio- it's counterproductive.

Roy- he has a good eye but doesn't say too much about weight. He may comment if he thinks I am getting a bit heavy in the middle, but I seem to have gotten the off-season diet better dialed in so that is only a temporary issue if I indulge in any alcohol or simple carbs on a weekend, then it's gone in a week or so. It's the temporary bloat- you are what you eat, believe me!

He does tell me when one muscle may be slightly less developed than another, such as my delts which I am forever trying to grow, so he has a keen eye for the symmetry and I count on him to let me know about these things.

If you are a woman and are striving to look fit and healthy, weight training must be the core of your exercise regime. Get rid of the endless cardio, of course keep some in to burn calories, but that's all it does. It burns calories it does not sculpt your body.

And of course, the diet is a huge part of it all. You can work like a fiend in the gym, but if you are not eating properly and in moderation, you will never achieve the results you are looking for.

Success does not come to those who wish and pray, it comes to those who work hard day in and day out.

Success in the Gym

Why are some people successful in their fitness goals while others are not? I think there must be a test to determine this, and the test probably has nothing to do with fitness.

Think about yourself and how you handle life in general. How do you deal with problems, with surprises, with schedule changes? I think that the way you conduct yourself out of the gym will determine how you conduct yourself in the gym.

If you are someone who is afraid of venturing out to a new restaurant, afraid to eat something you have never tried; if you are someone who never likes to take a new “short cut” just to see what it looks like, and how it turns out; if you are someone who is reluctant to wear a different color or style clothing than usual because “people might stare”…..you probably won’t be very successful in the gym.

I am in the gym a lot, I watch people every day and I make up stories about all of these people in my head. My stories may or may not be correct, but those people are stuck with them aren’t they LOL!

I talk with people quite a bit and this usually occurs as we are on a cardio machine, somewhere I am not found for long extended periods of time. They typically ask me what I do to look the way I look. It’s not something that I can sum up in 20 to 30 minutes, but I try to give them a quick answer anyway, I find that usually they don’t  listen, not really, really listen, they hear what they want to hear.

I will tell them first get off the damn cardio equipment and lift weights, heavy weights, it needs to be difficult! If this were easy, everyone would look good wouldn’t they? They usually nod their head and ask more questions and say they will do just that.

But where do I see them day after day after day? Back on the cardio equipment. I think because it’s familiar and they are comfortable. They don’t like the “unfamiliar”.

I see two women on the stairmill a couple times a week; they set the thing for an hour! Now these are not competitors and don’t look like competitors. I am assuming they are women who want to lose the “jiggle” of their hips and thighs and maybe some of the belly fat. But they have been doing this for quite some time, and I haven’t seen any changes.  They climb on, walk at a slow pace for an hour and talk. I suspect they are a bit intimidated by the rest of the gym, by the weights. I also think they like things the way they always have been, they are "comfortable".


Today I saw a big tall guy, I love to watch him because he squats and squats low and heavy. Today I watched him as he just added plate after plate after plate, and he slowly lowered himself all the way down, and he wears black tights too… Last time I looked he had three 45 pound plates on each side, so that means he was squatting 315. I think I would like this guy.

Now if you are someone who loves to venture out to new restaurants, take new routes to old places, wear whatever the hell pleases you and, sometimes wear something wild just to get a rise out of others, then I bet you are very successful in the gym!

The mentality required is one of “can do”; confidence; lack of fear; need for excitement, zest for life; someone with a passion for living, a person who does not back down easily.

A successful person in the gym is typically someone who knows what they want, and are willing to do almost anything to get it.

What kind of person are you?

If you want to change how things are working in the gym, change your life outside of the gym first.