Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don’t Bulk Up the Female Athlete

Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don’t Bulk Up the Female Athlete

By Tim Kontos, David Adamson, and Sarah Walls

For www.EliteFTS.com

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David Adamson and I were driving to the IPA Nationals this past weekend talking training (yeah we’re pretty passionate about what we do) when the subject of training women with heavy weights came up. I’m in my ninth year at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as the head strength and conditioning coach, and David has been in strength and conditioning for three years. This is a subject we deal with every year regardless of how much training information is available to the public.
The best way to get information is to go to the source. So we asked Sarah Walls, another strength and conditioning coach at VCU. Sarah is also a writer for Muscle and Fitness Hers, a former figure competitor, and a women’s tri-fitness competitor—not to mention a strong female athlete who isn’t bulked up. Therefore, she has a great perspective on the subject.
We, being a good team, put our heads together to find a way to combat this never-ending dilemma. Our way of doing that is through education. And, only one answer to a question is never enough. If you know your job well, then you know that there is more than one way to skin a cat. So we came up with the following list:

1. Women do not have nearly as much testosterone as men. In fact, according to Bill Kreamer in Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, women have about 15 to 20 times less testosterone than men. Testosterone is the reason men are men and women are women. After men hit puberty, they grow facial hair, their voice deepens, and they develop muscle mass. Because men have more testosterone, they are much more equipped to gain muscle. Because women do not have very much testosterone in their bodies, they will never be able to get as big as men.

2. The perception that women will bulk up when they begin a strength training program comes from the chemically-altered women on the covers of bodybuilding magazines. These “grocery stand models” are most likely pumped full of some extra juice. This is why they look like men. If you take the missing link that separates men from women and add it back in, what do you have? A man!

3. For women, toning is what happens when the muscle is developed through training.  This is essentially bodybuilding without testosterone. Since the testosterone is not present in sufficient amounts, the muscle will develop, but it won’t gain a large amount of mass.  The “toned” appearance comes from removing the fat that is covering a well-developed muscle.

4. Muscle bulk comes from a high volume of work. The repetition range that most women would prefer to do (8–20 reps) promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth). For example, a bodybuilding program will have three exercises per body part. For the chest, they will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12. This adds up to 108 total repetitions. A program geared towards strength will have one exercise for the chest—flat bench for six sets of three with progressively heavier weight. This equals 18 total repetitions. High volume (108 reps) causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy. The considerably lower volume (18 reps) will build more strength and cause minimal bulking. 

5. Heavy weights will promote strength not size. This has been proven time and time again. When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.

And, according to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.

6. Bulking up is not an overnight process. Many women think they will start lifting   weights, wake up one morning, and say “Holy sh__! I’m huge!” This doesn’t happen.   The men that you see who have more muscle than the average person have worked hard for a long time (years) to get that way. If you bulk up overnight, contact us because we want to do what you’re doing.

7. What the personal trainer is prescribing is not working. Many female athletes come into a new program and say they want to do body weight step-ups, body weight lunges,   and leg extensions because it’s what their personal trainer back home had them do. However, many of these girls need to look in a mirror and have a reality check because   their trainer’s so-called magical toning exercises are not working. Trainers will hand out easy workouts and tell people they work because they know that if they make the program too hard the client will complain. And, if the client is complaining, there’s a   good chance the trainer might lose that client (a client to a trainer equals money). 

8. Bulking up is calorie dependant. This means if you eat more than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you are burning, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most female athletes perceive any weight gain as “bulking up” and do not give attention to the fact that they are simply getting fatter. As Todd Hamer, a strength and conditioning coach at George Mason University said, “Squats don’t bulk you up. It’s the ten beers a night that bulk you up.” This cannot be emphasized enough. 
If you’re a female athlete and training with heavy weights (or not), you need to watch   what you eat. Let’s be real—the main concern that female athletes have when coming to   their coach about gaining weight is not their performance but aesthetics. If you choose to ignore this fact as a coach, you will lose your athletes!

9. The freshman 15 is not caused by strength training. It is physiologically impossible to gain 15 lbs of muscle in only a few weeks unless you are on performance enhancing   drugs. Yes the freshman 15 can come on in only a few weeks. This becomes more   complex when an athlete comes to a new school, starts a new training program, and also   has a considerable change in her diet (i.e. only eating one or two times per day in addition   to adding 6–8 beers per evening for 2–4 evenings per week). They gain fat weight, get   slower, and then blame the strength program. Of course, strength training being the   underlying cause is the only reasonable answer for weight gain. The fact that two meals per day has slowed the athlete’s metabolism down to almost zero and then the multiple beers added on top of that couldn’t have anything to do with weight gain...it must be the   lifting.

10.  Most of the so-called experts are only experts on how to sound like they know what they are talking about. The people who “educate” female athletes on training and   nutrition have no idea what they’re talking about. Let’s face it—how many people do you know who claim to “know a thing or two about lifting and nutrition?” Now, how many   people do you know who actually know what they’re talking about, have lived the life,   dieted down to make a weight class requirement, or got on stage at single digit body fat?   Invariably, these so-called experts are also the people who blame their gut on poor genetics.
These so-called experts are the reason you see so many women doing sets of 10 with a   weight they could do 20 or 30 times. They are being told by the experts that this is what it takes to “tone” the muscles. Instead, they are only wasting their time doing an exercise with a weight that is making no contribution to the fitness levels or the development of   the muscle. 
In case you haven’t figured it out by this point in the article, what is currently being done in fitness clubs to help female athletes tone their bodies is not working. It’s not helping these women get toned, and it is definitely not helping improve athletic performance. Maybe it’s time for a change. Contrary to the ineffective light weights currently being used, heavy weights offer many benefits for women including improved body composition, stronger muscles, decreased injury rate, and stronger bones (which helps prevent osteoporosis). Let’s try lifting some heavy weights and controlling our diet and watch this logical, science-based solution make the difference we’ve been looking for.


Tim Kontos is in his ninth year as the strength and conditioning coach for Virginia Commonwealth University athletes. A certified strength and conditioning specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Kontos designs, implements, and supervises all strength, speed, and agility programs for all the VCU athletic programs.
David Adamson is in his second year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for VCU.  He is directly responsible for program design and implementation for men’s and women’s track and field, women’s cross country, and field hockey. Prior to coming to VCU, David worked at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Arizona State University, and Winona State University.  In 2003, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and in 2006, he received his masters in sport leadership from VCU.


Sarah Walls is in her first year with the Rams’ strength and conditioning staff as a graduate assistant working with men’s and women’s soccer, golf, and men’s cross-country. Graduating magna cum laude, she earned a bachelor’s of science degree from Virginia Tech in 2003. Since graduation, she has spent time working at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia in the strength department. While there, Sarah worked with women’s tennis, men’s tennis, men’s volleyball, and men’s soccer. At the same time, she also worked for LifeTime Fitness and helped manage and develop innovative training programs. In addition, she is a contributing writer for the magazine, Muscle and Fitness HERS.


Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com

Whatever Daniel Day-Lewis touches turns gold

While running sprints the other day I came across a song on my iPod that brought back great memories. It is a slower song, but it makes my heart rate rise, my blood boil, it really feels like I'm going into battle.

A little background.

My favorite movie of all time would have to be Last of the Mohicans. If you haven't seen it, do it....now...stop reading and go.

The song Promentory, based off the famous gaelic tune "The Gael", is one of those movie themes you don't forget.
Before Lacrosse games I would watch the final 15 minutes and get ready for battle. It was a huge ritual of mine amongst drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee.
When I went down to college in North Carolina, my fellow teammates shared the same ritual with me. The best part is that we were walked out by bagpipes every game and more often then not we got them to play this:

It still jacks me up to this day.


I'll do you a favor boys, watch this 8 min clip and then go have the best workout of you lives after. you can thank me later.

I'm know I'm a geek for posting this....but everyone has to get their motivation from somewhere. 


Stay strong my friends!

Henry Rollins & Iron

Henry Rollins wrote a piece I come back to every once an a while. Give it a read. You won't be disappointed.

"Iron" by Henry Rollins

I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. Completely. When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me "garbage can" and telling me I'd be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn't run home crying, wondering why. I knew all too well.

I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy. I hated myself all the time. As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn't going to get pounded in the hallway between classes. Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside.

I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you'll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn't think much of them either.

Then came Mr. Pepperman, my advisor. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard. Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no. He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring.

On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn't even drag them to my mom's car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly. Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.'s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn't looking. When I could take the punch we wouldknow that we were getting somewhere.

At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing. In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn't want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in. Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn't know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.

Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away.

You couldn't say s**t to me. It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I havelearned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn't want to come off the mat, it's the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn't teach you anything. That's the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble.

That which you work against will always work against you. It wasn't until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can't be as bad as that workout. I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego.



I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn't ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you're not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control. I have never met a truly strong person who didn't have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self- respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone's shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr.Pepperman.

Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart. Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron.

Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body. Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn't see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness.

To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads. I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you're made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it's some kind of miracle if you're not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole. I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind. The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds. " -Henry Rollins

Hard work, dedication, & commitment

So the whirl wind week is over!

My wife, Jamey, just competed in her first ABBA Figure Competition and am happy to say she did great. She placed 3rd in Northern Alberta and has qualified for Provincials in two weeks.

I just wanted to say how proud I am of my wife's commitment, hard work, and dedication. She embarked down a road that 99% of us would of just thrown in the towel.

As of January 1, 2012, Jamey was strict with her eating and workouts. She first came to me and asked if I'd help coach her...I immediately declined! I want to thank Asha Belisle and her IFBB Pro husband, Rob. Without them we would of been in trouble.
This is important because all to often I see people with fitness or physique goals turning in the wrong direction. I understand the theories and principles around bodybuilding but by no means am I an expert. I have a good grasp on nutrition too....but I haven't been there, I don't know the little things, I don't know what the judges are looking for...
If you want to run fast, go see a sprint coach. If you want to get stronger, talk to a powerlifter. If you want to drop weight and trim down, talk to people that do it for a living, the bodybuilders.
All to often I see people looking to drop weight or add mass but they are talking to the wrong people. In my opinion education is key, but more importantly I trust more in taking advice from people that have walked the path. Without getting to deep in this I really want to stress on doing your homework when looking for your next coach or trainer. & if they try to blanket you with a 'one size fits all' program with the benefits of being bigger, faster, stronger, while looking like Brad Pitt in Fight Club, RUN!
Run faster if they've only spent at a weekend course for their certification.

But back to my wife.

I ate about 75% of my meals clean with her and try to support her the best way I could. I was inspired during holidays, my birthday, or any occasion where I cracked a couple beers. She would drink her water and never deviated from her plan.
It's those kind of sacrifices that separate the winners from the losers. I don't mean losers in a negative text but in terms of people who continues to fail at their goals.
Was the last six months fun? I can tell you for both her and I it wasn't, but it was worth it seeing her look great on stage. We spent a lot of nights in away from the temptation of the bars and lounges. She changed her lifestyle for her goals and succeeded.
I hear this all the time: You've tried every diet and workout program? Well, sweetheart, maybe its not the programs and diet....maybe it's you.
When you want to to meet goals you need to approach it as a lifestyle change.

I just wanted to write a blurb and tell my wife how proud I am of her choosing to do something hard and succeeding. You may of fell short of the first prize last night but always know you'll be number one in my heart. I'll support you in anything....except soccer....you're on your own there.

Stay Strong.

You know you're huge when...

Elite Powerlifter, Chad Aichs, wrote a comical article that I read this morning. For the full article click here.


This was my favorite:


"The absolute easiest way to tell if you’re truly huge is by taking a trip to your local zoo. Head to the gorilla exhibit. Watch the gorillas as you walk in. There are two reactions you can get from them that will mean that you are truly huge. The first one is that they will become very violent. They will start howling, jumping about, hitting the glass, and throwing things around. This will be because they have seen you and they are excited that a fellow primate has escaped. They think you are coming back to help get them out and then destroy the Statue of Liberty. The second reaction would be if all the gorillas come up to the glass and stare at you with a very confused look. This would be because they are wondering how you got out and why you didn’t bring them with you. Either reaction would let you know you are huge, the only difference is how aggressive those particular gorillas are."


Chad is a world class and elite powerlifter in the SHW division. He began training seriously for powerlifting in 1999 in Sparks, NV, where he still currently trains at American Iron Gym. In the ten years since he started, Chad has proven to be one of the strongest lifters in the world. Chad's best lifts are a 1173 squat, 821 bench press and a 755 pull. His best total is 2733 and which makes him one of the top lifters of all time.

Had a great time last night catching up with old friends and having a few pops.
Definitely not in the drinking shape I used to be in. I guess that's a good thing, right?


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Conditioning


Fox Dr Stairs
20 minute 'As many sets as possible'
I may have lost track but I'm sure I got 7-8 in.


Took the dogs for a long walk afterwards and brought the lacrosse stick with me. Played fetched and got some sprints in as well. 


Now, time for a good foam roll, good sunday night eats, and the season finale of Game Of Thrones!

That's a paddlin'

So most people may know how a teacher at Ross Sheppard High School suspended for giving his students zeros. What a bunch of horse shit.

Kids these days are wieners. God damn wiener kids.

Here's the article...I'd spend more time giving you my opinion on how the young generation (including some from my generation) has no work ethic, shitty attitudes, and thinks they can coast by and everything will be ok....They are in for a rude F#*@king awakening! That is all...

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1)1RM front squats worked up to 315
2)1RM press worked up to 165...didn't have any jam today.

3)3x8 Incline db press

4a) 4x8 Tri rope push done
b) 4x8 Kroc row

5) Ab wheel 3x10

6) Conditioned with a 10 min "every min on the min" of:
    3 Wide grip strict pull ups
    6 Hand release push ups
    9 air squats

Felt easy but I wasn't going to kill myself. Got a good sweat and got out of the gym and spent some much needed time with my family.