If you haven’t been able to catch the new (or the old) season of Ruby then we will fill you in. Ruby is about the journey of an obese woman who is trying to shed the pounds with the help of a doctor, personal trainer, nutritionist, and psychologist. She has already shed over 100 pounds but has hit a wall and possibly a mental block with her physical fitness.
On this weeks show Ruby has decided to go outside the box and listen to a fitness guru who believes that her current weight loss routine is not fit for someone her weight. Her reoccurring knee problems and back aches have been haunting her through her whole journey, yet they have not been addressed by her personal training staff. Here are some of the major points made by both sides.
Guru (Edward)
- based on Ruby’s weight and how she carries it in her hips, and lower region of the body; doing heavy weights will bulk her up .
- weights are a “no no” for people her size.
- If you have issues with your knees you should not be doing the treadmill but rather the recumbent bike or elliptical with no incline.
- she should be moving faster with less stress on her joints
AS for Ruby’s current trainer Reese his points were somewhat opposite of the guru.
- heavy weights to burn the most amount of calories
- treadmill to challenge the body
- standard weight lifting routines.
- bulky muscles are the result of nutrtion.
Both sides have some decent advice. However, there is one thing that both lack; neither of them truly addressed the REAL problem! If you have issues with your joints the underlying issue is tight muscles. Whether you are 150 pounds or 350 pounds, flexibility should be added to relieve the pressure of muscle tension on the joints. The guru is correct when he says that she needs to do activities that don’t aggravate the joints. However, his light weight resistance plan (or rather no weight) is not always the best plan. There should be a happy medium with challenging weight at high repetitions. As for “bulking up,” the trainer Reese was definitely correct when he said that “bulk” is a result of nutrition. You can not bulk up if you aren’t eating enough calories to make overwhelming amounts of muscle! Women especially,do not have the testosterone to be huge and muscular.
We can all learn a lot from the mistakes and triumphs of others. Ruby’s journey can benefit anyone who is seeking more knowledge in fitness, health, and weight loss, no matter what your goal may be.
Tune into Ruby on the Style Network Sunday Nights at 8 Pm / 7 central.
Adria Ali
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