by Colin Aina
These statements have long irked me and I've had enough…
" Men are strong, women are weak"
"I don't want to lift heavy weights because I don't want to get bulky"
"I want to get toned"
Before you continue on, watch this...
In case you don't speak metric (c'mon people!), that was 127 pound Kuo Hsing Chun, snatching 231 pounds, and clean and jerking 297 pounds. Let that sink in for a second.
Now watch this..
That was 195 pound Colin Aina, clean and jerking the same EXACT WEIGHT for a lifetime PB (personal best), and not as efficiently as Kuo I may add.
Somehow we have this notion that females are weaker than males. This is relative and subjective. It is relative to how physical performance and strength are defined. It is also dependent upon age. Structurally as a whole, men are better adapted to possess strength for certain movements. In my world, this means certain lifts and exercises, AND has to be very, very specific. Apples need to be compared to apples. For specific lifts, I know women that are much stronger then certain men for the exact same movement, but that same male may be stronger for other lifts. When looking at certain finite things like a running event, the records will almost always indicate a faster time or higher performance being held by a male. It is worth noting that there is no difference in cross-sectional muscle differentiating male and female. The amount of power that a cross-section of muscle can apply is dependent upon how many motor units are recruited. WTF is a motor unit?? A motor unit is a muscle fiber and the amount of nerves that act upon that fiber to produce said power.
I constantly here the "bulky" statement from women and it's untrue. A human does not go from having a high amount of body-fat to gaining muscle AND maintaining their body fat at the same time, yielding a bulky frame. If you have ever known a bodybuilder or figure competitor, IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK, HOURS IN THE GYM AND A TON OF CALORIES to get that way!! The average person that needs general fitness will never get to this point. Here are some facts about strength training protocol and its effects:
A. Optimal muscle gain is attained when using moderate loads not heavy loads- Think 5-7 reps.
B. Optimal strength gain is attained with loads that are heavy- 1-3 rep range.
C. Getting toned requires that muscle be gained on a given site for the desired "toned" look. If you want your arms to look less flabby and muscle to be more visible, those muscles will need to grow in order to burn the fat that's around them.
Why am I making a point about this and what the heck does this have to do with the cardio argument??? The fitness industry has always had a "black and white" approach in terms of marketing when it comes to exercise equipment, modalities and programs. Weights, resistance machines, and gaining muscle have been segregated to men, "toning", (I hate the notion of this...and the word!)…((and yes..I know you're not supposed to punctuate within a parenthetical expression, but you get the idea!)) getting lean, and cardiovascular health have been segregated to women. We still see this today and it gives women, in particular, this false idea of how to get results. So let's get with it people!!