I'm going to share this question and answer from the magazine (I did not write it though!), because I know it helped me realize I need to eat more during my next round of P90X to help get the tone I want! I am sorry if this gets a little long, but worth reading!
Dear Alicia,
I bet you haven't heard this one before. I am to skinny! I ear an extra-small and I am five foot two and 114 pounds. I look great in my cloths but I jiggle.
My wake-up call was when my best friend (and frequent gym buddy) actually said to me last week, "Yes Jessica, you are skinny, but you could use some toning up." I was mortified. I workout boatloads on the elliptical and with weights by don't seem to be making progress. When I am at my best with my food, I get skinner but I still remain jiggly with cellulite on the back of my legs and I have a mini muffin-top. - Jessica, Dissed and Disappointed
Dear Disappointed,
On the contrary, you're not alone. I actually do get QUITE a bit of mail regarding putting on muscle, or "size" as we call it in the industry. Listen up: in order to get "tight," which means building lean muscle tissue, YOU MUST EAT. Sounds crazy, right? I'll explain.
Most people who are in the thin or "ectomorph" (i.e., high metabolism, have a hard time putting on muscle, don't put on weight very easily) category want to tone up, but they go about it in a way that someone who is heavier or trying to lose a greater deal of weight would: by doing a whole lot of cardio, cutting back in their overall calorie/protein intake and avoiding weights for a fear of getting "to big."
Based on what I am hearing from you, if your goal is increased lean muscle growth and decreased overall body fat, you are going to need to do a complete 180 on what you think you might know about "dieting" and "eight loss." If you're serious about making a change, this is what you have to do.
Alicia recommends:
- EAT - What? Yes, eat. I don't mean roll up to your nearest Fat Burger and set up shop, I am talking CLEAN eating with an emphasis on protein and carbohydrates combined (drink your water!). This will give you energy to workout harder and longer AND support muscle growth/protein synthesis. In order to gain LEAN MUSCLE TISSUE you have to feed it. Then rest it. Then work it girl!
- MORE PROTEIN - Eating protein i the key to building muscle and losing fat. THIS IS WHY it is so important to get it in after training. Protein is the foundation of any good supplementation and diet program. Muscle growth STOPS when protein intake stops. The usual formula is one to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, spread out over five small meals.
- TO MUCH CARDIO?! - For an ectomorph trying to build lean muscle there IS such a thing. Unfortunately/fortunately I fall into this category as well. I like cardio so much that my trainer calls me "Catabolic Women" meaning that I work to build lean muscle only to "eat it up" or "catabolize" my gains by running like wild women on the treadmill. In your case, low-intensity cardio is just want you need.
- WEIGHTS ARE GOOD - You aren't going to get "too big." Take that thought right out of your head and go STAT to the nearest gym and start pumping iron. If you are unsure of what kind of weight workout you should do and a personal trainer just isn't in the budget right now, well, just pick up a copy of Oxygen magazine and DO the included workouts. DON'T rest to long in between sets. (Or for all use follow he P90X program! Its a perfect workout with cardio and resistance!)
- THROW OUT YOUR SCALE - Your particular focus, DISSED, is NOT weight loss, so do yourself a favor and avoid the "head game" that early morning weigh-ins may elicit. Most of us fitness girls weigh more on the scale then we look like because we carry a lot of muscle and less body fat. Instead, concentrate on how your cloths fit and even better - your overall body fat percentage.
Article take from Oxygen, October 2008
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