Build Muscle w/Anita Ramsey

I want to get tone!
By Anita Ramsey CSCS, CFT, CSN
http://www.anitaramsey.com – Personal site, online training, etc…
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http://www.needtobuildmuscle.com – Sponsored Athlete, Supplements, Articles, etc…
I Want to Tone!

At least once a day I get asked the same thing. “How do I tone up?” And, may I add, with the same cliché; “but I don’t want to get big and bulky!” You would think in the 21st Century we’ve grown up a little bit. Well, I think not. This is probably one of the most absurd comments I hear from women. But, why do women say these ridiculous statements? One major cause could be the wonderful way the media outlets have illustrated bodybuilding and weight training in general.
Comments that refer to “getting bulky,” “putting on too much muscle,” and “I want to stay feminine,” need to be eliminated from our vocabulary. Almost everyone in every gym, now I said almost everyone, TV infomercials, and even fitness magazines give false and sometimes even bad information to women about weight training. The mumbo-jumbo ideas and advice given to women regarding weight training are, for the most part, archaic and pretty much taken from the 18th century. Does this ignorance make you angry? There are many misconceptions about female weight training and how we, as women, should weight train, eat, supplement and even go as far as how we should look! Still, to this date we, even other women, tell women that we should be soft, weak, and “”feminine.” So, I’m not “feminine because I lift Heavy weights and have a 15.5-inch arm? I’m sorry but pumping Iron for women is perfect for shaping and sculpting any physique to fashion great aesthetics and definition.
We have thousands of women entering gyms and lifting those little pink and purple hand weights that weigh all of what 3-pounds. Why? The average woman’s purse weighs around 10 pounds. Do you have children? A newborn in that carry case can weigh as much as 25 plus pounds. I see these same girls do way too much cardio and at the same time they’re gaining more fat and wonder why they are not loosing any weight or inches. Often, women who see me in the gym immediately approach me and ask how they should eat or how do they get legs like mine. Of course they don’t like my answer and sometimes there are even those that don’t ask me because they’re intimidated by my own style of training (I lift heavy and intense).
It doesn’t matter that I have the six-pack they want or the legs and butt they desire, they would rather continue being soft then build muscle. To help you understand me better and where I’m coming from here is a little background. I seriously started lifting weights for competitive bodybuilding reasons almost fifteen years ago. I am a NPC national level competitive bodybuilder who also does sanctioned bench press meets and is ranked top ten in the world in two weight classes. Yep, I know what you are saying – I don’t want to do that. No kidding, Buckwheat. This is what I do, but my training isn’t that far from what you should all be doing. What I am going to try and relay in this article is education – plain and simple – you all need to be educated and brought up to the current century that we are living in.
I am going to talk to you as if I am training you. OK, here we go. My word is Almighty! You have to trust me. Now let’s get started. What should be the first step into creating a more complete understanding on what style of training should be for women? That’s easy Ladies. Train hard and train heavy. You have to add resistance to your muscles so they get that shape you want. Stop doing reps of 10 on the leg press and instead do reps of 20. But first, take those 10-pound plates off and put a pair of 45’s on that leg press. Get your trainer to stop helping you on each and every rep. You can do it by yourself. When you feel like you can’t squeeze out any more reps, then do two more! Also, the old school rep schemes that 10 is for muscle size, and higher reps of 15-20 will get you cut, and 100’s are even better for getting you that “cut” look. Well, let me tell you, my husband is 280 pounds and can do 100 reps on the leg press with over 600 pounds, and with other exercises he’s done the 100-rep scheme. Ladies, he’s far from being “cut.” Sorry, but in all reality reps have nothing to do with getting “cut.” I’ll challenge anyone on that. Do-not let anyone tell you different.
Now this is the next stage in training: proper dietary habits. Diet and Nutrition or what ever you want to call it, it’s still the same; it’s about getting good eating habits. Most of you eat less. A very bad choice. Starving yourself is NOT the answer or eating LARGE amounts of carbs with LOW Fat foods is not the answer either. The latter way of eating will only make you fat, and I’m talking “Bulky” fat with an increase in your waistline, butt and hips. Everyone should eat five to six small meals a day with at least 1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight and then add just enough cardio to trim the fat off to show those muscles. So about 3-5 days of 30-45 minutes each. Yes, add that much protein to your diet. Eat throughout the day with the appropriate foods for energy as well as protein for the build up and repair of muscle tissue. The combination of moderate cardiovascular activity with eating five to six meals a day will turn you into a fat burning machine. Muscle increases your metabolism and that burns fat. It’s that easy.
Something more you all need to know and that is the truth about the gym. The gym is our domain as much as it is any man’s and training in the gym is all about ATTITUDE ladies. Do you think Rachel McLish cared what the men in the gym thought about her training next to them? Do you think she was afraid to lift heavy? From what she offered on each Bally’s commercial I don’t think so. She understood what she needed to do to get that shapely hard body and that was to lift heavy, get intense and sweat. For those who are already members of a facility or are looking to get started in a gym and you’re not getting anywhere with your current training you “must get hardcore.” Yes, I said hardcore. Get your butt out of that ladies only section of the gym or a women’s only facility. Self-esteem and confidence can only be accomplished with hardcore training. The primary goal for most big chain fitness centers is membership sales – Not fitness! When a large fitness center has a membership of 2000 members and a staff of 15 personal trainers, how much one on one instruction do the members receive? Very little, if any. This is why the success rate is so low in the average fitness center. Most people join gyms to make significant physical changes. Fitness Centers overemphasize entertainment and fun. Most fitness centers distract members with multiple televisions, wall to wall mirrors, and too many windows. This type of environment directs focus outward. Physical training requires internal focus. You need to be aware of your inner universe. Success is almost impossible for the majority of health club members. This is a sad fact.
Trust me on all this, and remember, you will not become a competitive bodybuilder or get “bulky” just from lifting heavy weights. I’ve been lifting hard and heavy for over fifteen years and when I say hard and heavy I’m talking lifting as much if not more then most men so if it were that easy, to get big and bulky like most of you think, I would be 300 pounds of rock hard muscle.
Now if you are going to ask a “certified” personal trainer about training and if they reference the above bogus stuff we just talked about then walk away from them fast – they cannot and will not help you. If you do not have someone to help you in your gym, then do what I did when I started lifting. I bought Arnolds Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding and another great book is SuperVixen by Negreta Jayde. There are also some very good online sites where you can get advice and even training. Personally I have clients that I train online all over the world, so this may be another avenue you may want to check into. Ladies understand this, its all bodybuilding, however you look at it – it’s building muscle! Still don’t believe me? Then you will never get what you want because bodybuilding is fundamentally building and shaping the body, which is just what you all want. To get those curves and the hard body you want, first you need to lift weights, weights that will stress your muscles, diet right, and then add some cardio. And take it from me, the bodybuilder; your legs, arms and mid section are only going to get tight by hitting the weights hard and heavy with an intense hard core attitude. The bottom line is this, physical change can only occur in focused environments with like minded individuals with similar goals. To quote a very wise person, “Go hard or go home!”

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