Women and the Barbie weights...Let me explain to you what I mean by "Barbie Weights" with a little story: I record the Oprah show with DVR (much like TIVO) to watch her show because more often than not she has information about certain things on her show that causes MASSIVE confusion in our industry. On this particular show she has Gwyneth Paltrow gushing about her trainer. Of course, my ears perk up. Gwyneth's trainer has put her on a new regime that she has designed to give Gwyneth the "lean look". Gwyneth has had her second child and has been having some issues with getting off the dreaded "last 20 pounds". I'm excited, perhaps I get to learn something new!
After that segment they show them doing all sorts of waving motions and flapping around with their arms like chickens that lost their wings. As this is filming the trainer looks into the camera with 3 lb weights and says, "Women shouldn't lift any more than 3 lbs." (Be careful with your children and groceries!) I was flabbergasted! FLABBERGASTED, then annoyed. Keep reading, I'll explain why in a minute. The "weight training" session is then rounded out with dance moves and some sorts of gyrations - this is their cardio segment. The trainer also says that the room needs to be 80 degrees in order for her workouts to have its maximum effect. Huh? What you may not know is this: Before Madonna or Gwyneth (if I may be so bold as to use their first names) ever started training with this trainer they did what's called Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga is a very challenging type of yoga where you essentially hurl your bodyweight through the air reapeatedly for approximately 90 minutes (my guess is that they both weigh upwards of 3lbs). Yoga is about stretching, but there is more strength to it than people may realize. I know because I teach it. I am a certified yoga teacher trained primarily in Ashtanga Yoga. My point is this. They both have spent quite a number of years doing this vigorous type of yoga practice. YEARS! In order to affect the muscles at a deep level you must lift heavy, or perhaps do body weight exercises, you cannot change the shape of your body otherwise. So please do not get lost in the hype and don't use Hollywood stars and actresses to gauge your fitness. Contact a certified/trained fitness professional, or just contact me and I'll help you sift through the misinformation. And most importantly, please do not be afraid of heavy resistance, it's the only thing that works to change the shape of your body. If you don't alternate heavy weight workouts with lighter/higher repetitions, then it's like building a house on sand, you will have no foundation on which to "tone" or define your muscles. You need more than the "Barbie Weights" to get to the depth of the muscle fiber tissue. Please put away the little pink and powder blue "Barbie Weights" and start developing some serious lean muscle tissue. When you start at the foundational level by lifting heavier weights you work deep into the fibers of the musculature structure. The deeper you go (the heavier you can lift), the better the foundation. Gwyneth and Madonna have already built this foundation and they have a wonderful thing called muscle memory that supports them when they go back to "lifting weights". This is what makes it easier for them to achieve that sculpted look. Did I mention that these workouts last for 2 hours? Do you have that kind of time every day to work out? If you did, would you want to spend it working out? To view the video for yourself, go to this link: Gwyneth and her trainer on Oprah
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