5 Myths About Strength Training: 5 Reasons Now is the Time
03/31/21 • 20 min
Warning! If you believe any of these myths about strength training, my goal is to turn your thoughts before you're finished listening. If you're here, happening to read the show notes, and you're not strength training, I made this with you in mind.
But, there are three other women that I want to reach. Are you here?
- the woman who thinks yoga, Pilates, or walking are enough
- the woman who thinks she has to do Crossfit or follows a trainer who insists on "functional" only workouts
- the woman who is "lifting regularly" but never reaches muscular fatigue.
>> Myth #1: You don’t have time.
You will have to plan the time, but my question is how much time do you think it takes?
A quality workout is one where you reach muscular fatigue with major muscle groups. You can do it in 10 minutes or less if you have to, but a great workout requires about 30 minutes.
>> Myth #2: You’ll get hurt.
Your chances of getting hurt are much higher from frailty, falls, pulled muscles and poor balance due to weak muscles than from strength training.
>> Myth #3: You need a lot of equipment.
You need a few pair of dumbbells and an exercise ball. Substitute some water bottles and backpacks full of books if you need to.
>> Myth #4: You will bulk up.
There’s really a very small chance you have enough hormones to get bulky now.
>> Myth #5: You need to lose weight first.
Of all myths about strength training this one will prolong the problem you have more than others. Weight loss will happen from increasing metabolism.
The only way to do that is to strength train. Contrary to popular belief cardio will not help you boost metabolism long term. Minimal evidence exists to show small changes in muscle from HIIT in post menopause women.
Making Progress?
If these myths about strength training don't fit you, but you're thoughts are, "I never see results anyway?" it's not that it doesn't work. It's that the way you're lifting/resting/and eating aren't working together.
>> Reason #1: No other exercise will improve the way you age like strength training.
Countless studies point to strength training’s power to reverse aging effects of genes, reverse mitochondria damage, prevent Alzheimer’s, enhance muscle, bone and brain health and so much more.
>> Reason #2: Muscle loss accelerates during late-stage perimenopause and early post menopause.
The sharp decline in estrogen at this time removes the stimulus from estrogen for muscle. That stimulus has to come from a new and significant stimulus.
>> Reason #3: Bone loss is inevitable without strength training.
You can’t out-run, -Zumba, or -yoga your bone density losses. It requires a minimum effective stress of continued overload. Yoga might get you from 0-10 if you've come from the couch. It won't get your from 11-100.
>> Reason #4: Frailty, falls, and fractures lead to mortality.
Your weight – high, low, or average doesn’t exclude you from being frail due to what is called sarcopenia.
>> Reason #5: Muscle strength is much more within your control than fat loss.
Muscle strength is something you can monitor, manipulate, and control while fat loss has many variables, a chief one being stress. Then there’s inflammation. Your body won’t potentially shed fat with high stress and or inflammation. Myths about strength training negate this big piece of information. The better podcast would have been myths about fat loss.
Of course we know them, but the biggest? Is that if you lose weight you will be healthier, and live longer. Truthfully, you may or you may be more frail, and guaranteed of regaining weight. Your future self depends on strength and muscle.
Help Right Now
If you’re listening to this on the day I release it March 31, STRONGER is open. If you’re hearing it later you may get on a notifications list. Strength training is not one of those things that can be put off until there’s time, until it’s convenient. Disease, stress, and therefor muscle and bone losses continue even when you’re not looking and busy. They have a hey day when you say you don’t have time or energy to exercise or eat right.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Warning! If you believe any of these myths about strength training, my goal is to turn your thoughts before you're finished listening. If you're here, happening to read the show notes, and you're not strength training, I made this with you in mind.
But, there are three other women that I want to reach. Are you here?
- the woman who thinks yoga, Pilates, or walking are enough
- the woman who thinks she has to do Crossfit or follows a trainer who insists on "functional" only workouts
- the woman who is "lifting regularly" but never reaches muscular fatigue.
>> Myth #1: You don’t have time.
You will have to plan the time, but my question is how much time do you think it takes?
A quality workout is one where you reach muscular fatigue with major muscle groups. You can do it in 10 minutes or less if you have to, but a great workout requires about 30 minutes.
>> Myth #2: You’ll get hurt.
Your chances of getting hurt are much higher from frailty, falls, pulled muscles and poor balance due to weak muscles than from strength training.
>> Myth #3: You need a lot of equipment.
You need a few pair of dumbbells and an exercise ball. Substitute some water bottles and backpacks full of books if you need to.
>> Myth #4: You will bulk up.
There’s really a very small chance you have enough hormones to get bulky now.
>> Myth #5: You need to lose weight first.
Of all myths about strength training this one will prolong the problem you have more than others. Weight loss will happen from increasing metabolism.
The only way to do that is to strength train. Contrary to popular belief cardio will not help you boost metabolism long term. Minimal evidence exists to show small changes in muscle from HIIT in post menopause women.
Making Progress?
If these myths about strength training don't fit you, but you're thoughts are, "I never see results anyway?" it's not that it doesn't work. It's that the way you're lifting/resting/and eating aren't working together.
>> Reason #1: No other exercise will improve the way you age like strength training.
Countless studies point to strength training’s power to reverse aging effects of genes, reverse mitochondria damage, prevent Alzheimer’s, enhance muscle, bone and brain health and so much more.
>> Reason #2: Muscle loss accelerates during late-stage perimenopause and early post menopause.
The sharp decline in estrogen at this time removes the stimulus from estrogen for muscle. That stimulus has to come from a new and significant stimulus.
>> Reason #3: Bone loss is inevitable without strength training.
You can’t out-run, -Zumba, or -yoga your bone density losses. It requires a minimum effective stress of continued overload. Yoga might get you from 0-10 if you've come from the couch. It won't get your from 11-100.
>> Reason #4: Frailty, falls, and fractures lead to mortality.
Your weight – high, low, or average doesn’t exclude you from being frail due to what is called sarcopenia.
>> Reason #5: Muscle strength is much more within your control than fat loss.
Muscle strength is something you can monitor, manipulate, and control while fat loss has many variables, a chief one being stress. Then there’s inflammation. Your body won’t potentially shed fat with high stress and or inflammation. Myths about strength training negate this big piece of information. The better podcast would have been myths about fat loss.
Of course we know them, but the biggest? Is that if you lose weight you will be healthier, and live longer. Truthfully, you may or you may be more frail, and guaranteed of regaining weight. Your future self depends on strength and muscle.
Help Right Now
If you’re listening to this on the day I release it March 31, STRONGER is open. If you’re hearing it later you may get on a notifications list. Strength training is not one of those things that can be put off until there’s time, until it’s convenient. Disease, stress, and therefor muscle and bone losses continue even when you’re not looking and busy. They have a hey day when you say you don’t have time or energy to exercise or eat right.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Previous Episode
The Cardio for Fat Loss Myth and Other Menopause Fairytales
If you’re looking at exercise choices thinking you want cardio for fat loss, let’s break that down.
In this episode I’ll share:
The myth came from …
- More calories burned during cardio than weight training
- The calories in calories out myth
Why the myth still exists
- Doctors still give the advice
- Trainers still give this advice
- The advice isn’t ALL wrong... but without this…
What We Really Want
What happens when logical mind shuts off and your emotional one takes over
- We get very used to thinking about ourselves the way we’ve always thought of ourselves, and we get very comfortable with a certain body of knowledge
What you really want when you head for more cardio
- The days when you had an hour to spend, reading a magazine, enjoying yourself, letting your mind wander, problems were smaller, we weren’t so connected (literally we went to the gym without our phones)
More Cardio?
Where seeking more cardio for fat loss actually backfires on you…
- Muscle breakdown occurs due to lack of estrogen (it supports muscle and when it declines you’ve got to have some other stimulus to replace it)
- Cardio without the adequate hormone levels further breaks down muscle – in part due to the greater increase in cortisol
How cardio for fat loss especially of the endurance type (that zone 2-ish area) backfires
- Already tired? Already not sleeping? Already have inflammation? You’ll make it worse, much worse as you try to do more cardio > Zone 2 often becomes zone 3
Body Composition
Body composition changes occur negatively with loss of muscle that is more fat due to the loss of muscle, then causes even more fat because of slowed metabolism
Cardio for fat loss overall is not a girl’s best friend. At certain times it may be your nemesis in fact.
When it is appropriate, low-to-moderate activity especially for women in post menopause is an important needle mover. That’s not so blatantly true for women in perimenopause. For both however strength should be moving into your 1stposition after 40.
- High intensity interval training in small doses is also important, when the time is right.
The Problem with Moderate Exercise
“Moderate exercise” was a recommendation born in the late 80s. It’s in fact a problem more than a solution.
Imagine an equilateral triangle or pyramid. Divided into 5 zones of equal height. The bottom is largest and it’s your daily activities of life, even your yoga, your walk Truman around the block (okay, let’s be real, it’s so much more like pull Truman around the block)
Zone 2 is the second layer, zone 5 the peak of the pyramid and of course zone 3 is smack in the middle. You’ve got the picture. Make them each a difference color of the rainbow if you’re imagining this with me.
Zone Training
Zone 1 and 2 have purpose. Zone 4 and 5 have purpose. Zone 3 is what I can no benefits zone. It’s usually a lazy effort at an interval or it’s a drift.. a cardiac drift (not to be mistaken as a heart attack). Cardiac drift means you’re doing zone 2 and you go longer and get more tired, dehydrated then you will find your heart rate rising and you’re now in zone 3. But not because you’re consciously working harder… just because you’re not staying in the zone you wanted that workout to be in.
Every workout plan has workouts specifically designated at certain intensities.
Who Does Zone 3?
Zone 3 is never a place I’d put clients except for those who are going to do a ½ marathon for instance. And we purposefully keep them observing heart rate and drinking, eating, and slowing down in fact to complete workouts in a specific zone to accomplish the fitness level we want.
If you haven’t worked with a coach one-on-one who was focused on fitness level instead of weight loss you haven’t experienced this. Here’s the news: if you focus on fitness, you have more optimal body composition.
What You Focus on Grows
If you focus on weight loss you often have more frustration and more weight. Is some of it psychogical ? I think a lot of it is psychological. We get what we attract, what we focus on. If you focus on weight loss however, your mind/brain doesn’t grasp the negative. It only hears weight.
I’ve always preferred clients with goals, things they want to do, races, vacations, adventures… to those who want weight loss. Why? Because they’re most successful. So we create those kind of goals. We get them moving and outdoors. Doing things and dreaming about more things they want to do next.
Strength, Not Cardio for Fat Loss
Let me shift to strength mome...
Next Episode
How to Have Thriving Relationships Starting with Your Body, Yourself
Thriving relationships with anyone else start with the one you have with yourself. Your physical body and the nurturing you give it and your mind are propelling you forward or holding you back.
My guest
Sandy Sembler is an internationally recognized embodiment & feminine coach and creator of the SakredShe program, empowering women to “break up” with toxic patterns limiting their love, business, and success, and embrace a joy-filled, abundant life.
Sandy’s SakredShe program was created after her own 10-year healing journey and her desire to “make her mess a message and her test a testimony!” Sandy merged disciplines from teachers around the world to ignite clients towards change in their mind, heart, and body, tapping into the unlimited energy and creativity of their feminine flow, and releasing unhealthy patterns.
The transformation Sandy’s clients achieve is due to her compassionate yet ‘take no prisoners’ coaching style, her own personal journey, and her ability to deeply connect with each client as a unique soul.
Sandy’s deepest desire is for each client to intentionally claim their authentic purpose and abundance of self-worth, trust and live more fully, and create the quality relationships so deeply desired.
Questions we explore in this episode about thriving relationships:
1) Let's discuss your post about loving yourself. What's your experience been, and how has that shifted post menopause?
2) How did you get started in your work? What exactly is embodiment? I heard you say it is not just about dance. And how has that helped you and other women?
3) How does a woman use her masculine and feminine energies in her everyday life - not just in business? And how does using your feminine actually give you more energy?
4) I've heard you talking about finding joy - even in difficult/uncertain times -- at any given moment. I'm putting you on the spot -- show me now!
There you have it, thriving relationships outside of you happen first because of the one inside of you.
“I help women create a joy-filled, abundant life full of thriving relationships they've always desired.”
– Sandy Sembler, Embodied Results Coach
Curious For More? Join the SakredShe Society!
sandysembler.com/quiz
Social Media Links
Facebook => https://www.facebook.com/sandysembler/
Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/sandysembler/
LinkedIn => https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandysembler/
YouTube => https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4uanwh98rHybldEPwkOyA
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