Newsletter

HotBod October 98
By Brad Schoenfeld, CSCS

Welcome All: Thanks for subscribing to the HotBod newsletter. Each month we'll explore issues relating to the three major areas of fitness: exercise, nutrition and supplementation. Your comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome.

EXERCISE CORNER/How Much Weight Should You Lift?

Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of weight training amongst women is the concept of using 'heavy' vs 'light' weights. Many women seem to feel that if a weight feels 'heavy', it will cause them to bulk up. In reality, 'heavy' and 'light' are merely descriptive terms that depict one's perception about a weight. The only way to maximize your genetic potential is to utilize a weight that makes it difficult to finish the last repetition of a set. Simply stated, when a weight is 'easy' to lift, it is too light!

In general, you can sculpt your body to achieve a desired result by varying the repetition range and rest interval of your sets. As a rule, low repetitions (four to six) should be utilized if one wishes to increase brute strength. A medium repetition range (eight to twelve) should be utilized if one wishes to increase size and muscularity. A high repetition range (fifteen+) should be utilized if one wishes to increase muscle tone and definition (which is the goal of a majority of women!). Obviously, a woman can train different muscle groups with different repetition ranges. For instance, one can use high reps to get definition in the legs, medium reps to achieve muscularity in the arms, and low repetitions to gain strength in the back and shoulders.

Whichever repetition range you choose to employ, you must utilize high intensity in your endeavors. Intensity is determined by two factors: the amount of weight used and the length of rest taken between sets.

First, a woman must use a weight that is heavy enough where the last repetition is very difficult to perform. This is called 'training to failure'. As soon as your body adapts to a weight and you can easily complete your desired repetition range, you must increase the weight if you wish to sculpt your body to its ultimate potential.

The other component of intensity, rest, will help to dictate how much weight can be utilized in an exercise. Short rest intervals will help to keep your heart rate up and provide a more aerobic type of workout. As a rule, rest intervals should be short (30 seconds or less) if one wants to get lean, and longer (one minute or more) to increase mass.

NUTRITON CORNER/Fruits: Are They Simply Sugars?

Many women aren't aware that fruits are actually made up of sugars. Fruits are composed mainly of fructose, a fruit sugar. On one hand, fructose is low glycemic in nature. It is metabolized directly by the liver and therefore does not have an adverse effect on insulin secretion, which often results in increased deposition of bodyfat. That's the good news.

Unfortunately, fructose can easily be converted into body fat. The liver can readily convert fructose into a long chain triglyceride (a fat), which is easily stored in fat cells. Thus, eating large amounts of fruit is generally not a good idea if you are looking to stay lean. Of course, fruit is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, so it certainly can be included as part of a nutritional regimen. However, one must be careful to limit consumption accordingly.

SUPPLEMENT REVIEW/Chromium Picolinate

Chromium picolonate has received a great deal of publicity in the recent past. It has been advertised as a product that helps to regulate the secretion of insulin and thereby reduce bodyfat. Some have even claimed that it increases lean muscle tissue and aids in exercise performance. Unfortunately, none of these claims have been substantiated in research.

There have been numerous studies on the benefits of chromium, and, at best, only minimal changes were seen in body composition when compared to a placebo. Moreover, no evidence was demonstrated to support the notion that it enhances exercise performance or muscle tone. My own experience with the product has not produced any visible results, anecdotally.

Considering all facts, the only people who might see any benefit from chromium are those who are insulin insensitive. However, since the product can be quite costly, its cost/benefit is quite poor. In sum, chromium picolonate has limited utility as a supplement and should not be viewed as a panacea. Save your money and look elsewhere.

SUPPLEMENT GRADE: D