Sherry Gideons

There is no question that the fitness field has evolved. Just forty years ago there was no such thing as a co-ed health club. The universal jungle gym was loaded with sate of the art exercise equipment and the word aerobic was not even in the dictionary! When a young president Kennedy took office he reminded the nation that our children's fitness was as important as academics, and thus began one of many reforms to make physical activity and exercise part of our school's curriculums.

Time has passed and as the boomer generation faces fifty, we are now a nation obsessed with our fitness. According to statistics, over 20 million Americans belong to heath clubs. Countless more exercise at home. And thousands of people every our click on the TV infomercials and then spend countless dollars buying the latest fitness gadgets or machine. Still, statistics show that American's are fatter than ever and heart disease is on the increase due to our sedentary lifestyles. Obviously, something is wrong.

What is wrong is that the fitness industry, especially in regards to woman, has managed to evolve without any common sense or logic!

Let's just look at some of the fallacies that are perpetuated by the fitness industry:

ONE ROUTINE WORKS FOR EVERYBODY.
Now there's a good one. Walk into any health club in America, and men and woman will be handed the same beginners routine. The only difference is that woman usually train with lighter weights. Yet the fact of the matter is the goals of a woman and man are radically different. For instance:
* Women usually want to reduce; men want to get bigger.
* Women want fat loss and muscle tone; men want strength and size.
* Women want an attractive bust line; men want thick, square pectorals.
* Women want firm arms; men want big biceps.
* Women want flat lower bellies; men want six-pack abs.
* Women want fat free thighs; men want striated quads.

While it seems perfectly obvious that women's bodies are different than men, and the same routine regardless of sex. Therefore their goals for the ideal body are different; it seems that fact went unnoticed by the fitness industry. And the industry was perfectly complacent in recommending

IT"S JUST COMMON SENSE AND LOGIC

Believe Me, I speak from the voice of experience. If many of you have read my story, and then you know that I have walked in the shoes of the average human being seeking greatness by following others. I have tried it all! From powerlifting, bodybuilding, fitness, and now figure. It was when I asked myself the question: What type of body is it that I am really seeking to create, and how will it benefit me in years to come? I realized the type of body and lifestyle I visualized inside, was that of a well-toned sexy feminine physique. One with small muscle not bulky.

THE FORGOTTEN FACTOR IN FITNESS

FREESTYLE WILL NOT BUILD LARGE, BULKY MUSCLE.
Women have only been weight training a short while. It was in the late 70's amidst cries for equal pay for equal work, that women also demanded equal status in the health clubs. This zealot attitude of the early woman's movement brought women into the previously male-only gym environment and soon woman were lifting weights with the same intensity as men. Of course, they were following the men's routines and soon the sport of woman's bodybuilding evolved. I know, because, I teach the Freestyle System Seminar's with George Snyder, the creator of woman's bodybuilding shows. He was there from the beginning, holding the first woman's bodybuilding contest. He say's, in the beginning it was good. But after a few years of following the men's routines, women began to look just like men.

George Snyder goes on to comment that the sport of women's bodybuilding did about as much to wreck a woman's figure as the introduction of the chocolate truffle. As ESPN and the bodybuilding magazines began to publicize photos of these she-men, the general public grew increasingly disgusted with the idea of women and muscle. So much so that many women retreated to the aerobics room and refused to lift weights in fear of getting big. But the problem isn't with lifting weights; it is with the way you lift weights. FREESTYLE is the first program designed with scientifically sound principal to compromise large muscle growth.

With Freestyle, a woman can use weight training t fight fat and produce a contoured and toned shape - not large bulky muscle.

THE CHEST IS A MAJOR MUSCLE - WORK IT!
Most conventional routines devote three exercised to the chest in order to build muscle and reduce fat in the upper pectorals. This usually comes in the form of flat, decline and incline presses. Then, for "finishing" work it is suggested you do some cable crossovers, flyes, or the pec Dec. This is all fine and dandy if you want a chest like Arnold Schwarzenegger's. But why in the world would a woman want to build a big, solid square pictorals and eliminate the fatty tissue that forms her conical, curvy breasts! Chests are for men. Breasts are for women, and in case you haven't noticed? They are significantly different in appearance. Woman should perform only minimal toning work for the pectoral muscle - never, ever the equivalent of a man's chest workout.

ISOLATION WORK IS STATE IF THE ART TECHNOLOGY
Well, so the bodybuilders would have you believe. The fact is, isolation machines and exercises were designed in order to meet the specific needs of bodybuilders, who must develop each muscle to maximum size, regardless of functional strength. While Mr. Universe may need to develop the medial head of his deltoid along with his brachialis, most women care less about these muscles. Working with compound exercises shapes and creates flowing lines by working with a muscle's natural synergy, and does more to accomplish a woman's goals than wasting time and effort developing thick, bulky muscles that women don't want!

DEVOTE SPECIFIC EXERCISES TO THE CHEST, BACK, BICEPS, TRICEPS, DELTS, ABS and LEGS.

The traditional body part splits are ideal to develop the total package that wins bodybuilding contests. But why in the world are woman devoting so much to exercising their biceps and delts, and so little time on their thighs, hamstrings and glutes? Doesn't it make sense for a woman to devote maximum effort on her lower body, her trouble zone, and perform only rudimentary upper body toning and shaping exercises?

WEIGHT TRAINING BUILDS BULKY MUSCLE.
Yes, when it is performed in such a manner to build muscle. But just as bodybuilders know all the secrets to building maximum muscle size, they also know lots of things that prevent weight training from building muscle, and since most women don't want to look like men, doesn't it make sense for them to train in a fashion that promotes muscle tone, not size!

ITS JUST COMMON SENSE AND LOGIC

FREESTYLE USES AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC EXERCISE
Since women have a tougher time controlling weight and fat than men, Freestyle uses every known weapon to win the battle of the bulge. That's why Freestyle incorporates both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. In this way lean muscle tone is maintained for a higher metabolism that helps women keep the weight off. Aerobics are still used for cardiovascular conditioning, and to assist in compromising large muscle growth from the anaerobic exercise.

In Freestyle, the two exercise components are matched and used synergistically to accomplish a woman's ultimate goals of weight management.

FREESTYLE IS AN EXERCISE APPROACH FOR WOMAN ONLY. Freestyle is the first exercise program that is uniquely designed to accomplish a woman's goals of:
* Overall weight reduction
* Fat loss in the hips, thighs, buttocks
* Development of lean, toned muscle
* A proportioned bustline
* Smooth, gentle contours
* Firm not flabby arms
* A flat lower belly
* Life - long fat control

Freestyle minimizes upper body training and puts the emphasis on the lower body - a woman's trouble zone. Freestyle uses high repetitions and high frequency - better suited for training slow twitch fibers, the predominant muscle type in women.

Freestyle further uses compound movements, not isolation exercises, to accomplish the smooth contours associated with a woman's figure rather than big, masculine muscles that men desire. In every way possible, Freestyle addresses the unique needs of women.

Once again, HOW IS THIS DONE? You work the lower body in a series of leg cycles 5 - 6 days pure week, along with upper compound movements 2-3 days per week; for a full body work out.

A Theory to think about:
Why does everyone train his or her abs every day? Because they want to have slim trim abs. The same theory is used in training the legs every day; by increasing in movement you will decrease in size. Is this considered over-training? No, because you are generally using your own body weight.

* A WOMAN"S PROGRAM SHOULD ACCOMPLISH A WOMAN"S GOALS.

Life Breakthrough Questions and reflections to achieve results:
* Who Am I? I am a miracle!
* Question those limiting beliefs!
* Do not limit your results by what you hear from somebody else.
* Make certain that you expand your view of yourself.
* Surround yourself with people and books.
* Circulating is the key to the universe- Know that you are not alone!
* Forgiveness- is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. Forgiveness in any area of your life - will help to achieve results.
* Surrender to the inner part of you that knows all things!

If you advance confidently in the direction of your own dreams and endeavors;
To live life which you have imagined.
You will meet with a success unexpected in common hour.
Thurrow

If you are interested in more information on the FREESTYLE Book, lunging poles or other articles on Freestyle? You can contact me at Sherry@sherrygideonsonline.com or read through the archive articles at bodybuilding.com

Freestyle Fitness For Woman:

Common Sense & Logic