A3-25) Fat people and Weight Training
Description
This article is from the Big Folks Sports and Activities FAQ, by sharon@ecs.ox.ac.uk (Sharon Curtis) with numerous contributions by others.
A3-25) Fat people and Weight Training
Weight training is an activity that anyone can get involved in, and
fat folks do tend to be good at it, after all we do have natural
weight built in! Some doctors will tell you that you are putting
stress on your body by being heavy, and telling you to lose weight,
but another way to take the stress off is by making your body stronger
so it can cope with it better. Weight training is good for this.
Also, fat folks have an easier time with this sort of equipment than
with some others, as many bodybuilders weigh up to 300lbs (21 stone, 136 kg),
and the equipment can cope with large sizes.
Take care when choosing what exercises to do.
Some exercises involve toning the muscles using the resistance of
the weights of a machine. Others involve using the human body itself
for resistance. The latter type of exercise might or might not be
suitable for heavy folks. Check the recommendations of the particular
machine or weights that you're using. If in doubt, ask your doctor
to check if a particular type of exercise is suitable for you, or
ask your doctor to recommend an alternative one to exercise a
particular muscle group.
Sometimes there are minor problems with equipment, such as belts
being too small, or equipment being difficult to climb in or out of.
There are often different ways of doing an exercise, so if one
doesn't work, don't worry, try another piece of equipment.
If you are just taking up weight training, then do either read up
on the proper way to do the exercises, or hire a personal trainer
(one that does not pressure about weightloss) to make sure that you are
doing the exercises correctly. If you do them improperly, it can
cause injury.
Continue to:
My Books
