In the Media
2006-01-30, The Edmonton Journal
New Year, New You: Week 2
Chris Zdeb, journal staff writer, Edmonton
Confidence increases as muscles tone
Two weeks into her program, Bobbi Robbins has recorded her first weight loss – two pounds.
Losing 20 pounds was one of her goals before she started her three-times-a-week workouts with Alexandra Senkow, fitness director at Defining Eve personal fitness studio, but now she doesn’t care about numbers.
“All my clothes are fitting looser. I’m not squishing into my clothes anymore,” Robbins says.
The weight loss could be water or body fat, but the fact her clothes are fitting better is due to muscle tone.
There are two ways to build muscle mass: tear and repair where you actually cause damage to muscle fibers by pushing muscles beyond fatigue, causing the number of muscle fibers to increase or hypertrophy. The second way is muscle fiber recruitment, which is done by incorporating a stability component to an exercise, or making it a multi-functional exercise where you have to focus on doing two movements at the same time, Senkow explains. Tear and repair is a way is to build muscle bulk which many women actually don’t want, so she’s having Robbins tone her muscles with muscle fiber recruitment.
Robbins bends an elbow and proudly invites a finger poke to her bicep to feel how it’s firmed up. The firmness comes from the increase in oxygenated blood flow nourishing the increased network of fibers in the muscle.
Robbins says she’s feeling more confident doing her exercises.
Robbins needs to build strength and stamina
“I’m not quite as coltish and awkward so I think my technique is getting better and I think I’m getting stronger or I wouldn’t be able to do the techniques,” she says.
During her initial physical assessment Robbins saw a woman kneeling on an exercise ball without holding onto anything and aid she hoped to be able to do that at the end of the 12 weeks. But Senkow started her kneeling on the ball this week. After a wobbly start, Robbins was able to balance unaided for about 15 seconds.
“Bobbi’s basic fitness level is quite good, so she needs to be challenged at higher levels.” Senkow says. “Fitness is really unfair in that the more fit you become, the higher the intensity you have to work at to challenge your body, and it should be challenged in a very progressive way.”
Robbins’s says she wants a more continuous cycle of exercise – “I work out Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and even though I walk every day, By the next Monday I almost feel as if I’m starting from the beginning all over again” – so Senkow has suggested Robbins take a Saturday spin class to help raise her cardio level. But first Robbins will have to build up her strength and stamina over the next few weeks.
Robbins says she eating better lunches and trying to eat every three hours to raise her metabolism, but breakfast is still a no-go.
Overall, she’s happy with her results, enjoying her workouts and loves working with a trainer.
Starting weight: 199 pounds. Week 2: 197 pounds
Bobbi Robbins won 12 weeks of personal training with Alexandra Senkow, fitness director at Defining Eve personal training studio, in the Journal’s New Year, New You contest.
