When Skinny is Fat: Who Needs Muscle?

Are you Skinny Fat? You are finally a size four. You have given up meals and killed hours on the treadmill. Your clothes are hanging off your body, but still, something is not the way you pictured it. You still have cellulite and feel “squishy.” You don’t have that toned muscle look at all. Welcome to being “Skinny Fat.”

There are a few reasons celebrities and models look they way they do. Granted there are those who eat what they want and don’t have to work for it and have genetics to thank (and we hate them). Then there are those who are young and in their prime, when the years begin to add on, they will not have the same look (welcome to reality). For the most part, those looks are worked for, hard.

When most people think about muscle, they think about people like Arnold Swarchenegger. Looking into the weight room at most gyms, you see muscle bound guys, grunting and looking admirably in the mirror. It is little wonder why most women stick to the treadmill and spin classes.

Putting in time on cardio machines seems like a great way to lose weight, and it is. But, the bodies in the magazines (you are reading to pass the time) did not get that way from cardio alone. Cardio is a part of the equation, but it is not the whole answer.

Those sleek, lean bodies that grace the covers of top magazines, both fashion and fitness, are tight and tone because they work at it, on and off the treadmill. It does not matter how much weight you lose if what is under the fat is not what you want to show.

There are a couple rules to building sleek, sexy, toned muscles:

• If it isn’t burning, it isn’t working.
• If you don’t change your workout, you won’t change your body.
• If you don’t focus on your butt, no one else will (I can’t take credit for this one).

Building lean muscle does not mean you are a bodybuilder. Those men and women did not get that way from putting in a little time in with the weights. They got that way from relentlessly pouring their life into the gym, day in and day out. Their entire lives are built around building the fullest, largest possible muscles their body can hold.

The bodybuilding community makes up a VERY small percentage of the overall gym community. In fact, there are far more figure athletes alone than bodybuilders, we are talking probably 100:1 (the girls in popular magazines like Shape, Muscle & Fitness, Oxygen and Fitness Rx).

I can honestly tell you, their sleek toned bodies come from hours in the gym, split between resistance training and cardio training, and proper nutrition. Resistance training is not just weights; it encompasses any exercise that includes resistance (weights, machines, bands, bars and bodyweight). Cardio training is not limited to the “cardio vascular section” in the gym. Cardio is more than treadmills and bikes and stair-masters. Cardio extends to classes designed to keep your heart rate up, track workouts, trail running and more.

When I start talking about weight training and building muscle, many women say, “I don’t want to get ‘big,’” or, “I don’t want to look like a man.” That is just not the case. There is NO way you are going to get big muscles or start looking manly from getting into the weight room, unless, you change your ENTIRE life and start living only to reach that goal. It is not something that happens from training 4-5 days every week. However, if you find yourself starting to lift 2-3 times your body weight, you just might be the exception to the rule and should ease off!

Part of the problem is many women don’t know where to start or stop and don’t know how to start a muscle toning program. Even though the very magazines that keep you distracted on the treadmill have article after article about exercising, still many women are afraid or do such a minimal workout it ends up not doing anything.


How to Get Started:

The key to starting any program is to show up. Waiting until next month or next week will just give you opportunity to keep pushing back the start date. Start today! Most gyms have an orientation session where you can meet with a trainer and learn how to use the equipment, take advantage of it; just know that they will try to sell you more sessions. Generally, if you are not interested in having training, you can avoid some of the sales pitch by telling them up front that you are just interested in learning the machines.

Make a plan. Building muscle tone and having that tight, swim suit body, requires some planning. Figure out how much time and how many days each week you have to dedicate to the gym (aim for 3-5 days). Divide up your muscle groups (legs, back, chest, arms and shoulders) through out the days. Then stick to it. Make sure what ever you plan is, you are working the muscle. It should burn. It should be hard. You should sweat. Your muscles should get sore.

Make the Most of Your Time:

The only thing worse than not working out is wasting your time at the gym. Here are a few tips to help you stay on track:

• Do cardio after you train, not before.
• Don’t chit-chat, working your mouth won’t help your legs.
• Increase the weight; just because you are a girl doesn’t mean you are a baby.

Use Products that Help:

It is hard to get all the nutrients you need from food. It is equally hard to prepare all the food you need to make the most of your gym efforts. Eating 5-6 small meals a day is ideal, yet time consuming. To help properly feed your muscles using supplements is recommended.

• Muscle Recovery: Glutamine Select Plus-chalked full of vital amino acids that assist in recover and reduce muscle soreness.
• Protein Supplementation: Tight Curves-protein designed for the nutritional and hormonal needs of women.
• Multi-vitamin: Opti-Women-combines vitamins and essential minerals with Ostivone, Soy Isoflavones and more to create an all-inclusive female formula.

Find out your potential by getting off the treadmill and into the weight room. Turn skinny fat into fit and fabulous.