| Focus May 1, 2004
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Christine Stillmack at
the 2003 Canadian Fitness Championships. A well-conditioned physique like Christine's is
determined by the judges' eyes, and not weight scales and fat calipers.
(photo May 2003 by D. Dave Paul) |
|
Throwing Away the Scales
Every gym owner should throw out his scales. If you
don’t like what you see in the mirror, what difference does it make what the scale
says, anyway?
-- Vince Gironda, legendary gym owner and trainer
I know of no other home device that causes more stress than
the weight scales. Talk to anyone who is on a diet and the first thing they’ll tell
you is how much they weigh – to the half, or sometimes quarter of a pound. The more
obsessive have calipers or some whacky electronic device, too, that can tell them their
percentage of body fat in an instant – usually to one or two decimal places. And if
those numbers ever rise, either on the weight scales or on their body fat device, watch
out! Sweat breaks loose and those digit-watching neurotics double up their cardio for at
least four days to get the numbers back to where they want them.
But what if I told you that the scales and calipers
aren’t important? And what if I told you that those devices may well be hurting
your chances of winning? Even if you’re not a competitor, they may be impairing your
chances of attaining your training goals. Most would probably raise their eyebrows to
those comments, but they are true – and I have proof.
Two people I know are champion physique competitors, and
both started out their amateur careers doing reasonably well in shows – but
never winning. Then one day, at separate events, they each showed up in fantastic shape
– ripped, shapely, and absolutely at their peak. In both cases I asked them what they
had done differently, and in both cases the response was the same: I stopped watching
the scales and I started watching the mirror.
One of the mistakes people make when preparing for a show
is setting a "target weight" to compete at, thinking that if they reach that
weight they’ll be in ideal shape. The problem is: fitness and figure competitions
aren’t about how much you weigh, or what your percentage of body fat is –
they’re judged by how you look. The judges couldn’t care less if you’re
100, 110, 120, or 150 pounds, or 6.5- or 15-percent body fat – you’re assessed
with their eyes, and not weight scales and fat calipers.
Last year I was called to assess the physique of one
fitness competitor a few weeks before her show. Her trainer declared her "ready"
because she weighed a certain amount and, according to his measurements, her body fat was
6.5 – whatever that really means, and she weighed about 118 pounds. The
trainer was so happy with his numbers he was almost bouncing on his feet. The problem was
that she didn’t look ready for a competition, and it didn’t take me to say it
– she already knew it, too, before I got there. She can see in the mirror just as
well as anyone else. Although she met her trainer’s "target" numbers, her
appearance most certainly did not meet what was necessary for a contest. Flat out I told
her to "forget the scales" and keep training – she did, and looked splendid
a few weeks later, and did quite well in her show.
The problem that the scales create is that the target
weight may not be the ideal for the way your physique should look. Perhaps you should
weigh more, or perhaps you should weigh less – who knows? And what happens if you
gain five pounds of muscle and lose five pounds of fat – the scales register no
difference, but your physique has changed dramatically.
The point is not what you weigh or what your percentage of
body fat is, but what you look like, and that’s what you should be working
toward. The mirror, or better yet, photographs, are much better ways to assess condition
than weight scales and calipers. Mirrors and photos tell you what you look like
– precisely what you want.
So, if are you fretting and fussing over what the scales
say, ask yourself, Does it matter? And keep in mind what trainer Vince Gironda said
more than 30 years ago, "If you don’t like what you see in the mirror, what
difference does it make what the scale says, anyway?" It's something to think about
– and a new way to gauge your progress.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
