Strength Training For Firmer Butts
Strenth training helps you to lose weight and tone up, especially in those wobbly areas such as the derriere! And the great thing about strength training is that you won’t end up looking like Arnie (well, not unless you train REALLY hard, take loads of supplements, and become a masochist.) The rest of us can benefit from gentle strength training. Here’s an example of a 58 year old who is as firm as she was when she was in her 30s.
Janet Zimmerman reports:
Linda Wilkin took up weight lifting in her 30s, after she checked her rear view and saw with dismay that her behind wasn’t where it used to be.
Now 58, she has no hint of the sagginess that drove her to strength training. “I saw a difference pretty quickly,” said Wilkin, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Cal State San Bernardino.
Even more important for her was the physical strength and youthfulness that came from weight lifting.
“I’m almost 60, but I don’t feel old one iota,” said Wilkin, an exercise physiologist who teaches about physical activity and aging. “I don’t have any problem getting up off the floor.”
Wilkin epitomizes research showing that women need more than diets and aerobic activity to remain fit. Strength training must also be part of the mix, fitness experts say.
“The problem is that women lose five pounds of muscle every decade of life once they hit their 20s. That loss translates to approximately a 5 percent reduction in resting metabolic rate, which means they’re using fewer calories every day,” fitness researcher Wayne Westcott said. “The average woman adds 15 pounds of fat per decade.”
With that muscle loss, women also lose the force needed to perform simple tasks, such as getting up out of chair, Wilkin said. “It’s use it or lose it” with muscles, she added.
That can be turned around after about 10 weeks of lifting two to three times a week for 20 minutes, said Westcott, who has collected data on thousands of cases as fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass.
Wilkin cautioned that there is a learning curve for people who have never trained before. During the first 10 to 12 weeks, the brain and muscles have to learn to communicate and can delay noticeable results, which often causes people to drop out, she said.
To start out, Wilkin urges newcomers to get a personal trainer who is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, which requires a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and passage of a written test.
Many women, particularly those over 40, are hesitant to hit the weights because when they were growing up, weight lifting was mostly a man’s domain, Westcott said. And many have the notion that they’ll bulk up too much, but the typical female doesn’t have the testosterone levels needed to build big muscles, he said.
The benefits are more than just a sculpted body. Research shows that weight lifting strengthens bones and connective tissue and reduces lower back pain, cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and the risk of colon cancer.
Donna Orta, 52, of Riverside, has seen all of those benefits since she started weight training in October 2003. Her doctor urged her to begin aerobic exercise and weight training as preparation for the gastric bypass surgery she had in January 2004.
Since then, she has dropped 225 pounds, shrinking from 385 pounds to 160.
The weight loss and exercise eliminated many health problems. Her blood sugar has dropped, her cholesterol went from 300 to 146 and her blood pressure is about 98/56. She sleeps better at night, can walk without becoming breathless and is stronger and more energetic.
It wasn’t just the surgery that helped her lose the weight, but also daily workouts that include water aerobics, Pilates and weights, she said. The weights gave tone and definition to her muscles and even to the saggy skin left by such a drastic weight loss.
“I have not lost a pound since December but I’ve gone down two dress sizes, from a 12 to an 8,” said Orta, a retired probation officer.
Orta was never afraid to pick up weights. Her father was a boxer and professional football player, so she was always active growing up. She’s been heavy since she was 6, and morbidly obese since her 20s, when her father died and she began taking care of her mother.
Orta was surprised that working out became a habit for her, calling her to the gym even after her initial weight loss.
Through her journey to health and strength, Orta said she’s gained a sense of empowerment. “I feel a zillion times better about myself,” she said. “I feel like I can do most everything now, physically.”