2011/10/16

Resistance training and weight gain, confused?

Question by Yogini: Resistance training and weight gain, confused?
Hi, I'm a 34-year-old who had an eating disorder for a long time thus forcing myself to maintain a weight of 115 @ 5'6" for years by starving, binging, purging etc. So, 6 years ago, I stopped all of that, ate very cleanly but no starvation, and added power yoga and resistance training into my workout. I weigh between 120-125 (always depends on the day, as we know) and am wondering if you can put this type of weight on through resistance training with cardio. I am not bulky just much more muscle mass than I've ever had in my life. Anybody have words of wisdom? I have been in recovery for a while now but the number is freaking me out. I usually don't weigh myself and now I know why......Thanks!


Best answer:
Well first off, congrats on getting over an eating disorder. It's probably one of the hardest things to do. It show that you have determination.

Second---dump the scale!! Scales can be so misleading. Although muscle takes us less room on your body than fat does it does weigh much more. You can have two people side by side and the one who is the thinner one may weight 15-20 pounds more than a fatter person due to muscle. The muscular person will wear a smaller size and have no visible fat but the scale will trick them in to believing that they are fat when they aren't.

Don't freak out--dump the scale!!

You'll be fine with what you have been doing over the last few years.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training: An Illustrated Guide to Your Muscles in Action




Learn how your muscles work before you work your muscles Perfect for beginning and advanced fitness practitioners alike, this is an in-depth look into the most magnificent machine ever created--the human body. Using detailed anatomical illustrations, Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training provides you visual insight into what happens to this organic machine during exercise--muscles and tendons working in concert to strengthen your body's building blocks. With a basic knowledge of ho






List Price: $ 19.95

Price: $ 11.32


The Benefits of Yoga & Pilates

Article by Linda Marie


Achieving goals of fitness and practicing wellness in life will take patience and perseverance. There is not only one type of exercise that can be done to achieve a completely fit and toned body. Aerobic exercise and cardiovascular workouts are important for burning calories, getting the oxygen flowing through the body and revving up the metabolism. Strength training with weights is another component of maintaining a fitness routine because it strength training builds muscle more than cardiovascular workouts can. The body has to stay balanced and there are two types of workouts that can help to work the core muscles in the body, improve flexibility and balance and even ease the pains of injury. Yoga and Pilates tone the body and build strength but are not cardiovascular workouts.

Yoga can be practiced indoors or outdoors but in either case the yoga instructor usually stands at the front of the room or group of people to demonstrate the moves and postures as the class follows along. The yoga instructor will also usually verbally dictate what you are to do and how the body should be positioned during that specific pose. The amount of talking in a yoga class is usually limited to the verbal instruction and sometimes soft music is played during the practice. There are several different types of yoga and each type of practice is a bit different. Vinyasa yoga and Bikram yoga are different from each other because one focuses more on moving with the breath and the other focuses more on deep stretching.

Pilates is more about floor work and working the core muscles. In a typical Pilates class the pilates instructor will be in front of the class dictating and showing the students what to do. Pilates is a great way to strengthen the abdominal muscles, legs, and arms without using machines or a lot of free weights. The practice of Pilates is more about using your body itself to increase your strength rather than using weight resistance to build muscle. Because Pilates and yoga are very much about being in proper alignment and balancing your body it can be difficult for a beginner to "find your center" as it is commonly said in yoga. When taking a Pilates class you will know that you have a good Pilates' instructor if the instructor walks around the class and helps people adjust their body into the correct position.



Orignal From: Resistance training and weight gain, confused?

No comments:

Post a Comment