The Myth of Mass

"MORE weight? I don't wanna be big and muscular, Chris...I just want to look like you."

After I resuscitate my body-slammed ego, I attempt to enlighten my client about a popular fear: heavy weight training makes you bulky.

"Oh yeah Pete, the Bill Bixby to Lou Ferrigno conundrum."

"C'mon, I've always had big legs. I don't want 'em any bigger. Lean, trim and wiry. That's my goal."

We've danced to this tune before.

"Pete, remember, BIG and MUSCLED ain't the same."

I hold out my fist as an example.

"Let's say this is about the size of a pound of muscle..."

He nods.

Then, I cover my fist with my other hand.

"...and this, is about the size of a pound of fat. See? Fat's bigger."

He's still nodding, eyes wide--like he's never heard this from me before.

After a couple of months of proper lifting you might weigh the same, or perhaps a little more--"

"WHAT! Weigh MORE! I don't wanna--"

"--BUT, your waist is smaller, and your arms and legs are solid and defined. Lean, trim and wiry."

'Bout then, Melissa, an unusually fit & feminine brunette–and gym fixture–who's streaming perspiration over her whirring Lifecycle nearby, smiles and includes herself in our discussion.

"Pete, I'll let you know if you're getting too big."

Trainers' intuition tells me to take five.

She continues: "I was a little plump 'til I started lifting real weights about a year ago and, well, I lost 18 pounds of bodyfat, gained 10 pounds of muscle."

She whispers, "and now I weigh 123--"

"--yeah, but look no more than 115! TOPS," Pete compliments.

"And what I really like is I lifted my butt, shaped my arms, and...and...look..."

she's sitting upright on the bike now...

"right here on my tummy...these soft lines...they define my obliques."

"Obliques. Yeah."

Now, Pete's sweating. Thinking. He feels froggish, and leaps:

"You know, Melissa it goes way beyond just looking good. You're safeguarding your bone mass by doing that weight-bearing activity. Not only that, weightlifting strokes your...eh...STOKES your metabolism so that you burn more fat, even at rest."

Whaddi-ya know? I've passed the torch.

"By the way, Melissa I know this cafe that makes a great egg white, chicken & vegetable omelete..."



to march, 1999, to may, 1999

Just So You Know

This was originally published in Brentwood News in April of 1999 and was an ongoing column providing a (hopefully) humorous view of the wrestling match that often occurs between trainer and client. Though Pete, who is an actual client, stars in all of these stories they really concern actual encounters with numerous clients over the last 15 years.