Toning Muscles But NOT Building Bulk

One of the most common question, or rather, trouble, amongst ladies with regards to exercising is the worry of building bulky muscles instead of slimming down. Well, to start with, it's really not easy to build bulk. If it's that easy, there wouldn't be guys out there buying supplements and visiting the gym every other day and working on those heavy metals... The simple principle to prevent your muscles from bulking, is that you shouldn't be using too much strength when carrying those weights or doing any exercising, 'cause as soon as that happens, you are most likely causing microscopic tear to your muscle fibers which will then heal itself to gain in size and mass as a natural response to ensure you can lift that amount the next time you do it again!

Of course, such advise is not detailed enough. The scientific advise will then be, in terms of frequency and intensity, to use only about 70% of your available strength, to perform 8 to 15 reps, 3 times a day.

70% of your available strength:

If you are working out in the gym, find out your maximal strength by challenging yourself to lift at least once or twice of the heaviest weight you can handle. (Tips: Don't start small, if not, muscle fatigue will most likely result in a lighter maximal than your true ability.) For eg. your maximal manageable weight is 10kg on a bicep curl machine, 70% of 10kg will mean you should only be using 7kg at the bicep curl machine each time you are at it.

Take note that your maximal weight changes as you gain strength with your muscle, you can readjust your maximal but do not add to the point that you start aching, if not, bulk will be built.

8 to 15 reps:

Take note that this is dependant on individual. If you are already feeling the strain after 8 reps, please do not continue. But if you only feel fatigue after 15, then carry on till 15. This discrepancy could be due to the errors that could have occured when you were measuring your maximal weight. The rule of the thumb is, do not cause damage to your muscle fibers. (Tips: It's not easy to tell how many reps could result in muscle fiber tear, so do some trial and error, the pain due to the tear usually comes in a day later or so.)

3 times a day:

It's not exactly practical to need to exercise 3 times a day, don't we have to work?? A shortcut to this will be to do all 3 times in a single gym session, intervening aerobic exercises (like running, rowing and cycling) in between sets to ensure circulation of oxygenated blood to all parts of the muscle to aid recovery for the next set. Again, rule of the thumb is, not to damage the muscle fiber.

The muscles that are toned will in turn burn more calories throughout the day to maintain themselves. Also, keep in mind that, your weight might not decrease but stay constant due to the fact that muscles are heavier than fats. So while the exercising helped to lose fats and the muscles help to prevent storage of calories, your muscles' mass will offset the decrease in weight from the fats. But it will also mean that you feel healthier and fitter!

Happy experimenting!

What is mitochondria?

Basically, mitochondria are the energy factories of our body cells. They are responsible for producing the fuel needed for all of our bodily activities. These fuels are produced, using the food that we eat, as the raw materials. So naturally, the more of them, the better our body can metabolise fat.

Cells with high energy needs often contain more mitochondria, therefore, exercising will help increase this need for energy thus raising the numbers. However, not all kinds of exercise will work for raising the metabolism efficiently enough to lose weight quickly.

The best way to increase the number and size of the mitochondrial mass is to exercise at around 80% of maximum heart rate (MHR) for at least 15 minutes. The changes occur within the exercised muscle cells and may happen within a few weeks if the workout schedule of at least 3 times a week is adhered to. *A word of caution though that not all abled persons are able to exercise at 80% of MHR for 15min, some unfit ones may find this hard to maintain and passing out is a probable response. To give you a feel of what 80% of MHR is like, imagine sprinting up a flight of 50 steps at your best possible timing, to effectively increase the number and size of the mitochondrial mass, do that for 15min.... panting hard already??

It is thus vital to raise the HR gradually over the course of 2 weeks or more, NO ONE should be exercising at 80% of MHR within the first few workouts, it will only reduce the ability for cells to develop at later stages. It is recommended to start off at around 40% of MHR increase it by 10% at each workout as deem fit.

Some of the recommended activities to help raise the heart rate to 80% of maximum are swimming and rowing as both require the use of the major muscle groups (the limbs). This places a greater demand on energy production to raise calorie expenditure making it easier to reach a higher level of one’s target heart rate. Also the more muscles involved in the activity, the more mitochondria involved in the adaptation process. There are other good exercises that raise the heart rate however some, such as running, tend to be traumatic to joints like the knees, ankles and hips.

To calculate your MHR, check out the formula here.

Myth 1: I can't do exercise, I'll gain weight!

How many a times have we heard our friends say this or even encounter this myth ourselves. 'Myth'... what do I mean by this is a myth?? It is a FACT! After we gain muscle mass from exercising, we DO gain weight!! BUT.... this is healthy weight gain.... allow me to explain.

Weight gaining is not a sin as long as it is not fats gain. Muscles, due to its protein nature, weighs more than fats, which is mostly made up of water. When we lose fats and gain muscles instead due to the exercising that we do, our weight will naturally go up, but in turn, we'll look toned and healthy!

Also, another important thing about gaining muscle is that, our metabolic powerhouses known as "mitochondria" will increase in number, which will increase our metabolic rate in converting food energy into energy for daily usage --> meaning, we burn fats more easily! Find out more about this building of mitochondria in another post of mine.

Just to clarify, when we say gain muscle, we do mean those tough-looking bulging muscles, but rather, imagine a toned and non-flabby arms which looks the same whether you have it down beside your body or flagging for a cab, nothing is waving in the air with every wave...

To conclude, do not fear weight gain, rather, we should be looking forward to the weight gain after some exercising to confirm that we have lost some fats and gained some muscles which will ultimately contribute to an increase in metabolic rate.

exercise = loss of fats = muscles gain = weight increase = increase in metabolic rate = a toner looking body

HURRAY!