Formosa Fitness

There are so many myths out there regarding health and fitness. Here's my pass at a few of them.

First of all, thin does not necessarily equal health and it sure doesn't automatically equal fitness.

I see this all the time, "How can I get thin really fast?" My answer, "Heroin."

Drug abusers are thin. They often have six-pack abs. Are they healthy? No. Are they fit? Absolutely not. Do people really want to be like them?

Health is more than having 4% body fat or fitting into a size zero dress. It's about how well your organs function, actions you're able or unable to perform, and how you feel. If you feel lousy all day everyday then you're probably not very healthy.

If you've used extreme dieting to strip so much fat and muscle from your body that you can't climb flights of stairs, then what has your thinness gained you? You may look good on the outside but what's happening inside? Health is more than looks.

I see this is a lot of women here in Taiwan that want to lose weight. They eat like birds and lose what very little muscle they have in the first place along with the fat they're carrying. Then their legs start bowing in at the knees because of muscle imbalances. They can't maintain good posture because they don't have enough upper body muscle to hold the bones in place. But hey, they're thin and that's all that counts, right? Let me know how having osteoperosis when you get older feels.

Second, going to the gym will NOT solve your fitness problems. I've worked out at gyms for a long time. What do many people do when they go to they gym? Read the newspaper, talk to their friends, watch the walls of TVs that are now in almost every gym. Folks, you can do that at home! Fitness problems are surmounted through effort. That means intensity. Work hard and work smart. Don't waste your time at the gym doing things you could be doing at home. And please, if you don't go to the gym to WORK then don't sit on the equipment I want to use!

Third, running on the treadmill is one of the worst exercises you can do. Walking on the treadmill is even worse. Why do people do this? If you want to walk or run then GO OUTSIDE. Walking and running are basic actions. Everyone needs to be able to do them. And they are the cheapest exercises you can get. Just tie your shoes and step outside. Why would you get a gym membership or buy one of these things to do what you can do for free outside?

But go to a commercial gym and what do you see? People walking on walls of treadmills with their eyes glued to the TV. Look at those people a year from now and you'll see they haven't changed a bit. Why?

Becuase treadmills do almost nothing for you. The machine does the work! The motor moves the belt you walk/run on, meaning the only work you do is to pick up your foot and move it forward. The machine moves it back. Half the exercise is gone!

Save yourself a ton of money buy getting a good pair of shoes and make walking for 30-45 minutes a day part of your life. You'll benefit so much more than using a worthless treadmill!

Finally, using heavier weights will not automatically make a woman get big muscles! I see this all the time. The problem is that people just don't know. They seem to think that gaining muscle is just so easy to do. Apparently all you have to do to become a top female bodybuilder is pick up a heavy weight a few times and the muscles just pop out. It's no where near that simple.

Female bodybuilders are often freaks of nature. They tend to have much more testosterone than normal women. The sport self-selects for that. You must have the genetics to get like that. 99.9% of women do not have those genetics. Female bodybuilders also must work out hard and heavy for years to gain that muscle. It doesn't happen quickly, even for them. Finally, almost all of them are on drugs to make them that big. Even with genetics and good training, most of those physiques are aquired through drug enhancement. Women's bodies just can't pack on the mass like men because they lack enough testosterone. In short, if you're a woman, you're not going to look like them because you lift heavier weights.

Again in terms of fitness, results often come from intensity and that means not curling 5lbs. dumbbells 1000's of times. That's not intensity. This applies even to fat loss.

The main problem is that most people just don't know how to work out. I see it all the time. I hand a dummbell or kettlebell to someone and what do they do with it? A squat? A deadlift? An overhead press? Never. They do a bicep curl instead. How many bicep curls do you have to do with 5lbs. dumbbells to lose weight? A ton.

Bicep curls are what people know so it's what they do. Hand a woman who's used to working out ilke that a heavier weight and she won't likely want to use it because it'll make her biceps bigger. The answer is simple: stop doing bicep curls!

Use heavier weights to work compound joint exercises like deadlifts, squats, etc. and the weight will come off as you build muscles you can actually use. Carrying your child or groceries home from the store will become easier and you fight osteoperosis to boot. You take a lot less time to work out using heavier weights because of the intensity, burn more calories because of the heavier weight, and build good posture because you're working major muscle groups instead of smaller muscle groups like biceps.

Ladies, if you want your chest to look bigger then working the chest and back with heavier weights can help (if you have a good program with good exercise form) because it improves your posture by pulling your shoulders back and opening the chest. As your posture improves, your bustline looks bigger. But working out with 5lbs. dummbells or water bottle isn't going to cut it.