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Strength-training for sisters too - Body Talk: Black health and fitness
Ebony, Nov, 2002 by Kimberly Davis
THERE was a time, and this probably still happens in some places, that women were intimidated out of the weight room at the local gym. It's a man's game, some shouted.
"Why are you trying to look like a dude?" others asked.
But the exercise boom of the last decade has changed perceptions and language. Weight-lifting is now called body-sculpting, resistance-training or strength-training, and almost everybody concedes that weight-training is a crucial component to any exercise program.
"A benefit of strength-training is the increased strength of bones, muscles and connective tissue," says Lisa Taylor, a certified personal trainer and owner of Taylor Made Fitness in San Diego. "[Strength-training] increases lean muscle mass, which will also increase your metabolism."
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For women particularly, fitness experts say, resistance-training is crucial because it can help prevent the onset of osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bone and decreases bone density. Weight-training can also help prevent diabetes and help you burn calories.
Angela Hill-Wilson, a married mother of twin 18-year-old daughters, had been exercising for years, but recently took a 9-month hiatus because of a lung illness related to severe asthma. When she started working out again at the Bally Sport Club in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, it was to become mentally and physically stronger.
"I just decided that I was going to defy the illness with nutrition and exercise," says Hill-Wilson, a self-employed image consultant and mentor/coach for youth through her company, Bridging the Gap. "Six months ago I decided I was going to go back to the gym in spite of the illness. I started going back to the gym, and I got better, actually."
Hill-Wilson, who is married to Curtis Wilson, began having severe asthma attacks and was prescribed medication that, she says, led to serious weight gain. She got so sick, she says, that she started thinking about what would or could make her better. Becoming physically strong was the answer. And that answer has led to a deeper sense of peace. She proves that you can become fit and stay feminine even if women lift weights.
"It's been very spiritual. I just decided to aspire to this higher person that's in me, to be positive," says Hill-Wilson, whose daughters Crystal and Christina began college this fall. "Part of that was going back to the gym and doing strength-training. Once I began to get stronger, I got healthier."
Now, Hill-Wilson heads to the gym almost every day, working on different muscle groups each day, so she can give her hardworking muscles time to rest. She has even hired a personal trainer to help plan her diet.
And she says she can see and feel the results in her body and in her mind. She has more overall muscle definition, and she can wear jeans she hasn't been able to wear since last year, she says. Also, working out and doing the resistance-training help her cope with the stress of her job as a mentor and self-esteem coach to disadvantaged youth.
And while many women such as Hill-Wilson have started resistance-training, there are still some obstacles. Some women don't know where to begin, which gym to join, or just don't have the money to join a gym. There are solutions, says Jan Bond of San Diego, a financial analyst who trains with Lisa Taylor.
Bond, who has been training with Taylor for about a year, says she knew she couldn't start on her own and knew she didn't want to have to deal with working out with guys. So she joined a San Diego gym called For Women Only and asked for information on hiring a personal trainer.
Bond says she wanted to improve certain areas of her body, particularly her arms, where she felt she didn't have very much strength, and her rear end, where she didn't have the tone that she wanted.
"I didn't know very much about strength-training, but what I did know is that cardio by itself wasn't sufficient," Bond says. "Actually, I started looking for a gym because I knew that I was dissatisfied with my body, and I knew that I needed somebody to help me."
She had an evaluation session with Taylor, who devised an intense training schedule for her based on her strengths and what she wanted to accomplish. Now, Bond works out twice a week. In addition to her cardio workout, on the first day, she actually uses her own body strength for resistance, doing push-ups, pull-ups, calf raises and lunges.
The second day incorporates some of the weight machines, as well as exercises from the first group. Before each session, Bond says she has to make sure to warm up for at least 5 to 10 minutes and stretch thoroughly before and after each session. Exercise specialists say that stretching is essential because it helps return blood flow to the area and decreases muscular tension, which helps to ease muscle soreness and prevents discomfort.
Bond began to feel a difference in her body almost immediately. The strength she's gained has even helped her in her yoga class.
"It's not easy," says Bond. "But I definitely have strength in my upper body that I didn't have."
