Female Athletes - You've Got the Power!

Ok all you female athletes out there, this is your page!  For the past 12 plus
years, I have had the privilege to work with and assist a number of female
athletes (from girls as young as eight years old, to adult women) train and
prepare for their sports.  I've worked with athletes who participate in a variety
of sports including, basketball, fast pitch softball, field hockey, gymnastics,
power-lifting,  running, soccer,  and tennis.  These athletes represent all
levels of competition, from nationally ranked players, to those competing at a
high school, local league, or recreational level.  While their level of play may
vary, one thing that doesn't is their commitment to being healthy and fit to
play their sport!  This will help make them a better athlete, reduce the risk of
injury, and better enjoy their competitive experience!  I've competed in sports
my entire life (several decades), and my motto continues to be "You get fit to
play the sport, not play the sport to get fit!"

It is my intention to use this page to pass along some of my training ideas,
opinions, and general information for you female athletes out there, get your
feedback, and answer some of your questions.  Here, you'll find links to some
of my articles, and an invitation to ask me a question concerning your
training.  Thanks for visiting this page - your page.

LEC Fitness, LLC is pleased to offer our Online Training Program to Female
Athletes looking for experienced, professional training programming and
advice, at a fraction of the cost. Please CLICK HERE for a brief
demonstration of how this program works.

Question of the Month:

Q I keep hearing that muscle weighs more than fat, and so I'm afraid that if I
start a weight training program I'll gain weight.  Since one of my goals is to fit
into a smaller sized clothes, shouldn't I just forget weight training and
concentrate on aerobics?

A Thanks for your question.  First, let's get one misconception out of the
way.  Muscle does not weigh more than fat!  Let me repeat that, muscle does
not weigh more than fat - but it does take up less room.  Muscle is a denser
tissue than fat, so this translates into it taking up less space.  Here's an
analogy I like to use.  If I stacked a box containing 100 pounds of bricks and
feathers in front of you (50 pounds of each), the feathers would take up a lot
more room than the bricks.  This is because the bricks are much denser than
the feathers.  Now, if I wanted to reduce the box size while still having a total
weight of 100 pounds (or less) of bricks and feathers, I'd need to change the
existing ratio to include more bricks and fewer feathers.

Think of your body as the box, your muscles as the bricks, and body fat as
the feathers.  As you add resistance training to your workout routine, you
start to add more bricks to the box, and take out some of the feathers.  As
that ratio begins to change, you'll find that you can start using a smaller box
to hold the same 100 pounds.  This translates to your being able to wear
smaller sized clothing (the goal that you mentioned above).

Continue to do your aerobic workouts (this is great on several levels - calorie
burning, good for your heart etc.).  But don't neglect adding some safe
resistance training to your routine!  Remember "bricks," not "feathers!"

Archived Questions of the Month

Exercise for Overweight Clients

As with all forms of exercise, you should consult with your physician or health
care professional, before undertaking any of the fitness training discussed in
this article.  Any application of the techniques, ideas, and suggestions
discussed on this page is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.  

Would you like to send me a question?  Click here to send your question by
email.

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