Lifting three pound dumbbells won’t help you lose fat  and it sure won’t keep you from losing bone mass!

There’s a common misconception that lifting light weights for high reps is good for “toning” or “shaping.”  This is a myth that needs to be forgotten.  Lifting weights lighter than your gallon of milk is not enough resistance to make a change in your muscles.

You need to challenge your muscles with some type of resistance training.  This doesn’t mean you have to lift heavy barbells – it could be something like the weight of your own body, resistance bands or sandbags.



If fat loss is your big goal, than doing some type of circuit or interval training will do the trick.  You don’t need to isolate muscles like a bodybuilder, instead, choose exercises that let you work several muscles at the same time.

Not only is this more time efficient, you increase your muscular coordination, making everyday tasks easier.  Not long ago, I had a female client in her early 50’s work up to using a 25 pound dumbbell for one arm rows after 3 months of training.

So not only did we increase her grip, arm and back strength, we also strengthened her bones, decreasing her risk of osteoporosis.  And her muscles didn’t grow too big or look masculine. 

If you think lifting the pink dumbbells will do anything for your bone mass, I wouldn’t bet on it.  A couple years ago I watched a special program on aging.  One of the participants was a 101 year old woman who was still vibrant, had her mobility and sang in the church choir.

She was a regular exerciser and they showed her lifting weights.  The dumbbells looked like they were about 8 pounds a piece, which is reasonably heavy and maybe a big part of her youthful appearance!

Actress Jessica Biel isn’t afraid to do higher intensity exercise and it shows.  I’ve read that she does plenty of athletic movements like running sprints and such.  She appears to be in pretty good “shape” to me. 

Many in the entertainment field were lucky enough to be born in the upper end of the gene pool and can do almost anything and look better than you or me….but doing some type of interval strength training will help you get the body you want without looking bulky.

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