Bulk Up like a Boss or Don't (If You're a Girl)

I don't normally re-link, retweet, etc. But I found Crossfit Southbay's WOD article today very interesting. Ever since I started The $1000 Bet, I've tried to infect family and friends with my new found love of fitness. And of course there are many different ways to achieve a healthy, fit lifestyle. 

I started with P90X and combined it with anything and everything else that I could get my hands on. I biked 15 miles each way to and from work 5 days a week. I trained and competed in Triathlons. And I played about as much volleyball as I ever had, just to name a few (seriously, check out the logs - did I mention that I have an incredibly supportive, amazing wife?). I think all of that contributed to the final results I achieved. But I also give a lot of credit to P90X for the muscle definition I was able to build. I always thought that P90X's quick hitting no rest workouts were a big factor to getting the rippedness, but I think there is a lot more to it.

After doing P90X, plenty of people asked me about it and whether I would recommend the product. I always sang its praises. After all, it pretty much changed my life (or at the very least was an integral part of the change I decided to make - did I mention that I have an incredibly supportive, amazing wife?). But not everyone that completed P90X after me got the same results. It was a mixed bag. The one constant was how good working out 6 days a week made people feel. There was no debate about that. But the visual and physical results varied. And I often thought why?

I assumed that others were pushing themselves just as hard as I was. Just completing the workouts is an accomplishment in itself (at least I thought so). But I think one of the things that may have been holding some of my friends and family back from seeing significant results was the one piece of not so good advice that P90X and the rest of the world gives. Lift heavy for bulk and lift light with many reps for lean and toned muscles. We've all heard that a million times. Well, the articles linked below delve into why that is simply not true. Apparently it's well documented in research, facts and best of all science that lifting heavy is the way to go for just about everyone. The top 10 list does an excellent job of boiling down just how silly the basic misconception of lifting heavy = bulk (especially for the ladies).

Go check out the Crossfit Southbay Article and be sure to click on the "Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don't Bulk Up the Female Athlete" 

And just to piggy back the sweet image they posted in relation to the article, here are a couple of my favorite entries posted at amiripped.com:

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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