The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (128 page)

• Another type of drug to be aware of are diuretics or water pills
. These pills dehydrate you and as a result your body temperature will rise (one of the things that you need to avoid). Unfortunately, in an effort to reduce the normal swelling that occurs during pregnancy due to water retention, some people recommend these drugs. They are dangerous and harmful to yourself and to your baby. The following are some of the side effects that these drugs produce:

Diarrhea.

Dizziness.

Nausea and vomiting.

Headache.

Even while eating a healthy diet, swelling is a natural part of pregnancy. If the swelling in your feet is bothering you too much, lie down on the sofa and raise your feet above your head. You can repeat this procedure several times a day. It should help to reduce the swelling. But no matter who recommends diuretics,
Don’t use them!

BODY SCULPTING FOR SENIORS

During the past several years, many studies have been conducted that point to the many benefits and safety of weight training exercise for aging adults. Among these benefits are the usual benefits of reduced cholesterol, reduced blood pressure, reduced resting pulse rate, increased levels of muscle mass, increased levels of bone density and decreased levels of body fat. In addition to those benefits, weight training for seniors offers the following:

• Improved digestion.

• Improved blood glucose levels.

• Reduced discomfort caused by arthritis.

• Reduced lower back pain.

• Increased mobility (due to an increase in muscle strength).

• Reduced possibility of a fall due to loss of balance caused by loose joints and weak leg muscles.

In order for seniors to get all of the benefits strength training has to offer the following guidelines must be followed:

• First and foremost, consult with your doctor and/or physical therapist before you start any exercise program
. Depending on your present condition, you may or may not need someone to supervise you during your weight training session. If you have been physically active all your life, you should have no problems going into a weight training routine. If you have never been very physically active and you suffer from ailments like loss of balance, then supervision may be required.

• Educate yourself on how to perform the exercises correctly!
Read the exercise description section of this book as many times as necessary. Study the illustrations and practice the movement mentally. It is crucial that exercise form is followed in order to avoid injury.

• Ensure that you follow the nutritional guidelines of our Nutrition Chapter
. Many senior citizens in this country are malnourished, as their appetites have decreased over the years. Also, certain medications cause a loss of appetite. Force yourself to follow our nutrition guidelines and we guarantee that you won’t be malnourished. Remember that in order to get the maximum effect from training, the diet has to be in order. Being malnourished leads to a loss of muscle mass (the body is using such mass as fuel) and a resulting loss of strength and bone density (which leads to brittle bones).

As far as the exercise program, you have two choices. If you have always been physically active and you are in good health, go ahead and start with our Break-In Routine and progress to the 14-Day Body Sculpting Workout. If on the other hand, you suffer from ailments like loss of balance and have perhaps limited mobility, use the following program that utilizes machines:

• Leg Extensions

• Seated Leg Curls

• Leg Press

• Calf Press

• Lower Back Machine

• Abdominal Machine

• Pulldown to Front

• Close-Grip Pulldown

• Overhead Press Machine

• Rear-Delt Machine

• Biceps Curl Machine

• Triceps Extension Machine

HOW TO PROGRESS:

Follow the same structure of the 14-Day Body Sculpting Workout:

• Use weights on Monday/Wednesday/Friday alternating between Day 1 and 2.

• Do cardio on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.

• Sundays are for complete rest.

Weeks 1-2
perform 2 sets of 15-18 repetitions per exercise. Take 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 to lower it. Rest 1 minute in between sets. No weight training techniques such as modified compound supersets are to be utilized. Perform one set after the other in straight set fashion.

Weeks 3-4
increase to 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions. Take 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 to lower it. Rest 1 minute in between sets. No weight training techniques such as modified compound supersets are to be utilized. Perform one set after the other in straight set fashion.

Weeks 5-6
go up to 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Take 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 to lower it. Rest 1 minute in between sets. No weight training techniques such as modified compound supersets are to be utilized. Perform one set after the other in straight set fashion.

On cardio days
, build up to 25 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise performed at 70-75 percent of your maximum heart rate. Start with 5 minutes of aerobics 3 times a week, and add 2 minutes every week to the original 5 minutes. At the end of 10 weeks you should be able to do 25 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise with no problems. Use Sundays as your complete rest day from diet and exercise. If after a while using this routine you feel that you are in shape for the 14-Day Body Sculpting Routine, then by all means do so by using the exercises listed above. If you feel that you are ready to incorporate some free weight exercises as well, then go for it!

YOUNGSTERS AND WEIGHT TRAINING

At what age a teenage girl can start working out with weights has always been a topic of debate. Some people say that weights should not be touched until after all growing is done or else the growth platelets could be affected and and stunt growth. Others say it is okay to start lifting weight at an early age. We have arrived at the following conclusions based on the latest research on this subject.

We believe that youngsters (anybody
less than 12 years old)
are better off doing exercises with just their body weight. The following exercises should compose a youngster’s program:

• Running

• Dips

• Push-ups

• Pull-ups

• Chin-ups

• Squats with no weights

• Lunges with no weights

• Calf raises with no weight

• Crunches

• Leg raises

Depending on the age and motivation of the person, anywhere between 2-5 sets of each exercise for the maximum amount of reps possible
is sufficient. There should be 30 seconds of rest in between exercises and they should be performed 3 times a week.

An additional 15-20 minutes of running on the rest day is enough exercise for anyone who wishes to start an exercise program before the age of 13.

13-year-olds
can start working out with weights as long as they’re using weights light enough to allow 20-30 reps per set. They should basically follow the same program described above with the same set, repetition and rest scheme, plus adding the following dumbbell exercises: dumbbell curls, dumbbell overhead triceps extensions, and lateral raises. In addition, dumbbells can also be used to perform lunges, squats and calf raises. The complete program will look like the following:

• Running

• Dips

• Push-ups

• Pull-ups

• Chin-ups

• Lateral raises

• Dumbbell curls

• Dumbbell overhead triceps extensions

• Dumbbell squats

• Dumbbell lunges

• Dumbbell calf raises

• Crunches

• Leg raises

Continue this program for the next three years.

15-year-olds
can start increasing the weight but should stay within 13-20 reps. For the next two years they should concentrate on perfecting their exercise technique. They must make sure to only increase the weight when they can do over 20 repetitions easily. They should not go to absolute muscular failure or use any fancy weight training techniques, since there is still some bone growth and development occurring in their bodies. Remember, strenuous and heavy weighted exercise can interfere with the growth process, so keep it simple!

At this age it is okay to use the 14-Day Body Sculpting routines from this book as long as the 13-20 repetition rule is kept (Weeks 1-2: 18-20 reps are used, weeks 3-4: 16-18, weeks 5-6: 13-15).

After 18
, you can start using heavier weights with no problems; by then all of the growth platelets, bone and joint structure should be fully developed.

FITNESS WHILE TRAVELING

We always use traveling as an excuse to not get in shape. Getting in shape while traveling is more challenging, but it is certainly possible. Provided that you are determined, the key is planning and preparation.

Before you go on your next trip, find out if the hotel that you are going to stay in has a fitness facility or at least a set of dumbbells. If not, then find out where the closest fitness facility is and plan to work out there. If, by some twist of fate, there are no fitness facilities in the area (hard to believe), then try to do the youngsters weight training routine which consists of dips, push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, squats with no weights, lunges with no weights, calf raises with no weight, crunches and leg raises performed 3 times a week for 5 sets with 30 seconds of rest in between sets of as many reps as possible. Run for 20-30 minutes first thing in the morning on rest days. All
you need for this routine is a park with a chin-up bar and parallel bars. If there is no park within the area, then you can still do pushups, pull-ups, chin-ups, squats with no weights, lunges with no weights, calf raises with no weight, crunches and leg raises. All you need to carry is a portable chin-up bar that you can place in the hotel room. Once you get back home, you can start doing the 14-Day Body Sculpting Workout as laid out with the only exception being that you should start it on Week 3, since you have already done high repetition, light weight work.

With diet, you will need to get creative. Follow the rules from the section on eating out. Also, carry with you protein bars so that you are prepared with all of the required meals for the day. Missing meals too often guarantees failure with this program.

As you can see, even though it will take more effort to get in shape if you travel, it is not impossible. If you are determined enough to change your body, then nothing is impossible!

TRAINING WHILE YOU ARE SICK

Nothing can bring progress to a halt more than when you are sick. We are often asked the question, should I train while I am sick? The answer to that question really depends on what you mean by sick. Is it a cold? The flu? Allergies? Most people confuse the common cold for the flu. However, these are different types of illnesses. The flu is caused by viruses known as Influenza A or Influenza B, while the common cold is caused by viruses called coronaviruses and rhinoviruses. There are over 200 different types of coronaviruses and rhinoviruses. If one of them hits you, your immune system builds a lifelong immunity to it (therefore, the same virus will never hit you twice). However, you have the rest of the viruses that have not yet affected you to worry about; and there are enough to last a lifetime.

The flu, as you may have already found out by experience, is much more severe as it is usually accompanied by an array of body aches and fever. Therefore, your body’s immune system is taxed much more by the flu than by the common cold. At this time, training would not only be detrimental to muscle growth, but it would also be very detrimental to your health as well. Remember that while training can help us gain muscle, lose fat, feel good and energetic, it is still a catabolic activity. The body needs to be in good health in order to go from the catabolic state caused by the exercise to an anabolic state of recuperation and muscle growth. So if you have the flu, your body is already fighting a catabolic state caused by the Influenza virus. In this case, weight training would only add more catabolism, which in turn would negatively affect the efficacy of the immune system against the virus, causing you to get sicker. Therefore, absolutely no training if you have the flu. Instead, concentrate on very good nutrition and on drinking large amounts of fluids (water and electrolyte replacement drinks like Gatorade in order to prevent dehydration). Once the flu completely runs its course, you can slowly start up the 14-Day Body Sculpting Workout on week 1 starting with light weights. Don’t push yourself too hard during this first week. The next week you’ll repeat week 1 again, but pushing yourself closer to muscular failure. By the second week of the program you should be back on track.

If it is the common cold that is hitting you and the particular virus is mild (you know that it is mild when your symptoms are just a runny nose and slight coughing), you may get away with training as long as you stop the sets short of reaching muscular failure and you decrease the weight poundages by 25 percent
(divide the weights that you usually use by 4 and that will give you the amount of weight that you need to take off the bar) in order to prevent you from pushing too hard. Again, if the cold virus is causing you to feel run down, achy, with a sore throat and headaches, it would be best to stop training all together, until the symptoms subside. If this is the case, follow the exercise program start-up recommendations described above for after the flu. Remember that we do not want to make it any harder for the immune system to fight the virus by introducing more catabolic activity, so intense training is out during that time.