Iron is a girl’s best friend

Iron is a girl's best friend

by Emma Brace
My penis size is 5 inches. Will it satisfy my wife? (Sex query of the ...20 Sep 2013

They say that diamonds are a girl's best friend – I'm going to dispute that! Yes diamonds are pretty and sparkly and cost a fortune but seriously what else do they do for you? Now Iron, iron is a whole different ball game. Getting acquainted with the iron will reward a girl in so many ways, it will torch body fat, make you stronger, both physically and mentally, make you fitter, healthier and shape the body you want (possibly aiding in the quest for very large diamonds…), so I say iron is a girl's best friend!

The simple fact is, resistance (strength) training is essential for losing body fat and, more importantly, keeping it off. And before you think if you look at a dumbbell you're going to turn into Lou Ferrigno ready to do battle with Mr Schwarzenegger on the Olympia stage trust me when I say that will not happen. Women simply do not have the genetic make-up. And, if the truth be known, most men fail to make lean muscle gains of gargantuan proportions so you're quite safe!

What strength training will do for you is shape a body to die for; taught tushys, shapely legs, shoulders and arms (no bingo wings around here!), a strong back and flat tum to name but a few.

How does it do this? Well ladies, here comes the science bit

Lean muscle is what we call 'metabolically active', it burns calories 24/7, around the clock, even when we sleep, so the more lean muscle we can create, the higher our metabolic rate, the more calories we burn at rest. When we talk about strength training we're talking about weight bearing exercise and that doesn't mean you have to lift the equivalent of a small house; just some basic moves with weights that challenge you but don't crush you.

I've lost count of the number of girls I see day in day out smashing away at the cardio, never changing shape and perpetually on a starvation diet. Why is this? Killing yourself with hours of cardio will merely make you a smaller version of what you already were because the muscles you already have are capable of carrying your bodyweight, it follows that lose enough 'weight' (and note that amazing 5lbs you lost in the first week is water not fat) the less those muscles have to carry around; if they are not needed the body will lose them, it's called catabolism. With this catabolism comes a lowered metabolic rate, so we burn less calories throughout the day. Yes, do enough cardio and restrict your diet enough and you will drop body fat but you will also lose lean mass, so the second you even slightly over-eat the weight will go back on because you have less metabolically active mass. You won't create a toned shapely body, you will merely change the number on the scales, and that means nothing because dropping 'weight' does not mean dropping 'fat'. Introduce strength training in addition to a sensible amount of cardio and you will be able to maintain, and increase, the lean muscle you have at the same time as dropping body fat which will leave you with a greater proportion of lean body mass to body fat and you will not have to continually starve yourself for the rest of your life!

Now one thing is absolutely certain, it is much easier to lose muscle through catabolism than it is to build it. So, when you're busy dieting and 'cardio-ing' and losing lean muscle and then decide to hit the weights, it will take you far longer to regain your precious lost lean mass than it would have to maintain it in the first place. So hit the iron from the word go! Don't make your quest for a happy healthy body a painful one, work with your body and it will work with you. Strive not only to maintain your current level of lean mass but to increase it, and when you've stripped away that fat you will be left with tone, shape, strength and great skin tension. (Read: Firm 'em up: Expert tips to get the breasts you want without surgery!)

How else does the iron help?

We've all heard the adage 'fat is not burned in the gym but in the hours outside it'. Well, let's explain why this is the case and to do so we need to delve into the world of EPOC, and no I'm not talking about a small hairy alien from Star Wars, I'm talking about Excess Post-Workout Oxygen Consumption. Most people are far too concerned with the calories they burn whilst doing exercise when what they really should be concentrating on is the calories burned after exercise when the body restores itself to the rested state it was in prior to your workout. To do this the body must replenish muscle glycogen used in your workout, restore blood lactate levels, return the heart rate and body temperature to normal, all of which expends calories. So the level of EPOC is directly related to the intensity of your workout; the higher the intensity (increased load, shortened rest periods) the greater the 'after burn'. So the greater the weight you lift the greater the EPOC and we like EPOC, how fab to know that whilst resting post workout your body is furiously burning calories whilst you sit down! (Read: Top 5 fitness tips for women)

How do we increase EPOC? There are a number of ways in which we can benefit from the after burn to a greater extent. Shorten your rest periods, this will force your body to work harder and require far greater recovery post workout. Lift heavier, this will raise your heart rate (especially with lower body exercises). This increased heart rate is what helps generate EPOC, so the longer you can raise your heart rate the greater the number of calories that will be burned so girls get squatting, get lunging, use those legs! There is a reason the squat is the king of exercises! Don't fear lifting heavier, do so and you will increase the rate your body burns fat. Scientific fact!

A great body doesn't come from cardio or wishing, a great body comes from lifting, from hitting the gym and reminding the iron who you are, from a healthy diet and a will to succeed. Challenge yourself, challenge your body, it is adaptive, it will change. 

So I choose iron over diamonds any day. What do you choose?

Happy training girls! (Read: Developing Self-Motivation through others)

Content Source: PhysiqueElite 

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