A recent article posted on the AskMen.com site made me cringe. I’m not going to cite the official link, because I don’t really want to promote them. I’ve never read anything at this site before, as it’s a little risqué for my tastes, but one of the other sites I regularly read had a link to it. The title was “Maximum Muscle Definition in One Week”.
I thought the title was provocative. So I bit.
Before I even started reading though, let’s clarify something. There’s a difference between “maximum”, meaning “the best you can get” and “sufficient”, meaning that you actually achieve muscle definition.
Nobody can go from undefined, fat, or flabby and one week be ripped. And I had my doubts about this article, that it would promise overnight results.
Sure enough, it starts out talking about “getting ready for an unexpected beach event” or even “suddenly getting that date with a particular girl” as the impetus for the overnight cure they were (supposedly) about to unveil.
There were a few nuggets of good advice, including the need to lift heavy; intake sufficient protein; carb load on day one then reduce carbs steadily.
But the author condenses what should really be an 8+ week program into 7 days. Not only will it not work, but at only 800 words, all the details are left out. Unless you are already an intermediate to advanced weight trainer (and thus, probably already in pretty good shape), most of the advice will go over your head.
Plus, this hurts the entire weight training movement – it’s hard enough to get people to realize how important resistance training (like weight lifting) is. Now, some people will try this guy’s 7-day advice and when it doesn’t work, they’ll quit. They’ll say “weight training doesn’t work to burn fat“. It’s a shame really.
And I’ll say again, it won’t work in 7 days. [If you have a personal story of seeing significant results in 7 days, please share your story and your program – I’m ok with being proven wrong!]
Now summer is around the corner, and I can appreciate that you might want to be ready and comfortable for the beach and a more active time of year. But don’t wait until the last minute.
If you need to be “ready” in 7 days from now, you really better have started out weeks ago! Don’t get your fitness advice from a site that ranks celebrities by their “hotness” (in fact, run away from such sites).
Want trusted sources for getting in shape by Summer? Check out our own “3 Months To A New You” and especially “The Truth About 6-pack Abs” if you really want good advice.
Looking to burn fat with weight training? Tired of typical routines?
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My weight training has generally been focused on muscle gain (hypertrophy) or strength training.
But the third type – fat burning – hasn’t ever been a priority for me. I do my fat burning through diet and cardio. In fact, part of the reason I do hypertrophy training is to prevent muscle loss from my running.
I’ve been really pushing myself over the past 3 months with heavier weights. And my joints are screaming.
But I’m getting ready for the Oklahoma City Marathon on the 26th of this month. So I decided now would be a good time to try a fat-burning weight training program.
Wow – these workouts are kicking my butt. It’s so intense, but a different kind of intense compared to lifting heavy stuff. But I’m getting ahead of (more…)
I love running. I love weight training and bodybuilding. By trying to do both, am I destined to be ineffective at both?
Many of you are runners too. And if you subscribe to this blog, you are no doubt into weight training. I keep hearing and reading on other blogs that you can’t do both. That’s bull. Here’s their theory: pumping iron builds muscle mass that will add weight to your body; that added weight will slow you down and add stress to your knees and other soft tissue ultimately leading to injuries if you run. And on the other hand, steady-state cardio (medium or long distance running) will burn more muscle than it burns fat. [Some experts even go so far as to say "give up cardio totally". I've got an upcoming post to dismiss that, but back to today's post...]
Bottom Line: They’re partially right – yes, it presents big challenges to try to do both, and their theory is correct. But their conclusion is wrong – of course you CAN do both! I say – forget the science. Do what you love!
Did He Just Say To Ignore Science?
Well, sort of. I’m not saying ignore it – I’m just saying that life is too short to live in fear. So a more pragmatic (but less pithy) way of saying is: learn the science so that you can compensate for the hard realities and still do what you love.
What is “Running”?
For simplicity, let’s break running into two categories (yes, I know there are a million ways to slice it, but stay with me here for my point):
a) steady-state, medium- to long-distance (like jogging or at the high end, marathons); in this running you are keeping your pace and heart rate pretty constant
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