Weight lifting is something that intimidates some women but it is, actually, a workout that is just as beneficial for you as it is for men. While most men want to build huge muscles through weight lifting, though, most women prefer to develop lean and toned muscles. To get the kind of results you want, you have to have extensive knowledge on the proper techniques and methods of weight lifting for women. You can get a tight and strong body by paying attention to your exercises, your diet and your mindset. photo credit: justhealthfitness.com There is a common misconception that weight lifting is just spot toning. Some women think that they should only exercise the specific muscles they want to change but doing so can result in dangerous muscular imbalances. Weight training should be done on opposing muscles instead. There should be enough variety in the exercises to constantly surprise and challenge the muscles without overtraining them. It is also very important to always use proper form and technique not only for optimum effectiveness but also to avoid injury. If possible, it is recommended for beginners that the program be guided by a professional trainer. Diet is also crucial to a weight lifting program but this does not include crash diets or extremely low calorie diets that only result in loss of water and muscles. Your body needs enough calories to build the lean muscles you want. You also need these muscles to further speed up your metabolism and enable your body to burn fat more efficiently. To be able to feed such muscle building efforts you need to eat enough lean complete proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. You should also drink a lot of water to hydrate the muscles, eliminate metabolic wastes and lessen muscle soreness. On the other hand, you should remove all unhealthy fats and simple carbohydrates like sugar and starch from your food plan. Aside from having the proper exercises and proper diet, you also need to have the proper mindset for weight lifting. This is not an overnight beauty procedure that will instantly produce the aesthetic results you want. You need to have discipline, consistency and patience for a program that is supposed to be for the long term. You have to follow the rules and the schedules. You cannot hasten the process by ignoring the maximum limit in repetitions and frequency of exercises because the intervals and rest days between workouts are just as important for recuperation, muscle repair and muscle building. As a beginner in weight lifting you should stick close to the guidelines provided above for all women. They will ensure that you will progress to having a lean, tight and toned body from either being too skinny or overweight. Every woman will surely benefit greatly from such an end result.
This 10 week women's fat loss training program is perfect for any healthy woman who is looking to transform her body through a good weight lifting program.
Get the best Best Workout Routines for Beginners and lose weight and fat, build muscle, improve overall strength and transform your body in 4-12 weeks
Strength training builds muscle and burns fat, helping you lose weight in your 30s and beyond. Here are the six best exercises for women to get lean after 30.
This 12 week fat loss gym workout plan for women is designed specifically for fat burning and to build your desired beach body.
Want to get a tight, leaner body? Find out why women should lift weights to lose weight and achieve all their weight loss and fitness goals.
Want to get in the best shape of your life?? Sign up here for more healthy tips and tricks to get the lean toned body you always wanted! Recently, I was talking with a friend and was surprised to hear the reason why she thought that resistance training would be wrong for her. She said, […]
If you want to know how to gain muscle without bulking up, we're sharing the Dos and Don'ts of weight lifting, including the best foods and workouts!
Weight training for women over 40 is necessary due to the changes that occur during perimenopause. You only need to strength train two to three times a week.
Looking for a beginner's guide to weightlifting for women in their 40s? Follow along with our 4-week starter kit to get into lifting weights.
Get the best Best Workout Routines for Beginners and lose weight and fat, build muscle, improve overall strength and transform your body in 4-12 weeks
sunnybrit: “”
"What is the best way to start lifting?" is a common question I get from the women in my Facebook groups. Searching online feels like drinking from a firehose. And a novice should not download an advanced program and jump right in. So what could she do instead?
What about weight lifting over 40? Some of you are thinking that they are to late to go for it, so I'm doing it to give you a little bit of motivation.
Are you looking to build strength and stamina? Then its time to take to barbell exercises for women! Here is a list of the 10 best!
Barbell workouts are a great way to introduce a variety of strength and endurance training into any exercise program, at any level. As a professional athlete, plate and barbell workouts were a staple to my strength and endurance training. I was fortunate enough to work with professional trainers who provided me with full body workouts. One of those workouts was utilizing the Barbells and Weight Plates. I have traveled all over the country and walked into hundreds of gyms in different facilities, hotels, and ballparks. Finding quality equipment was always one of the challenges I faced in order to do these workouts because there were never a huge variety of available weight plates. When fortunate enough to train at the pro complex on the road, weight plates were always one of the items in high demand. Having the ability to throw the weights around was so fulfilling. I could get an entire workout done on one set of equipment, even if it was arms day, legs day, back, or just total body. No need for a different piece of exercise equipment for each area of focus. Just me, a barbell, some plates and done. Powerlifting Barbell Workouts Powerlifting is exactly as it sounds, lifting and utilizing resistance to build and gain ultimate power in the muscles. Traditional powerlifting involves building maximal strength in three key moves: bench press, squat and deadlift, all conveniently available with the barbell and weight plates. Competitions will focus on how great an amount of weight the powerlifter can reach in these three areas. Endurance Building Barbell Workouts Endurance training focuses on the ability to increase one’s stamina, the ability to participate in a taxing task without getting tired very quickly. It is an effective method for weight loss and a good way to improve cardiovascular health by getting the heart and lungs working. Endurance building focuses on the use of higher repetitions with a lower amount of plate weight. Often circuit training is a popular and very effective workout that can be performed with barbells and weights for endurance building.https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/benefits-of-circuit-training. Strength Training with Barbell Workouts Strength training is an important method that can help in many different aspects of your life. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength training can help develop strong bones, manage weight, enhance quality of life, manage chronic conditions, and sharpen thinking skills. Refer to https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670 for further information. Strength training is where the workout focuses on a higher amount of weight plates with lower repetitions. Fortunately, using the barbell can provide exercises for a full body workout, and they provide the opportunity to gradually increase resistance as the muscles get stronger. Bodybuilding Barbell Workouts Another popular workout using the barbell is body building, where the athlete is focusing on building the body’s overall mass and reducing body fat to extreme levels to put on display in competitions. Similar to strength training, however, the difference is that instead of doing low repetitions with high weight, the bodybuilder pushes their body further and performs high repetitions at a high amount of weight. The focus of this type of exercise is not to specifically develop strength and endurance, rather than to increase the size of specific muscles and muscle groups. Having the ability to use heavy weight plates with the barbell is why this workout method is very popular amongst bodybuilders. I loved using the barbell and weight plates because I could complete any workout, no matter what the strength trainers had me focusing on. During the season I would focus on endurance building with different circuits that had higher repetitions and lower weight, to stay flexible, healthy, and full of energy. Out of season I would focus more on lower repetitions and high weight, to build muscle and gain more power. Today I continue to use my own barbell and plates set for bodybuilding, endurance, and strength building, without wasting time at the gym. Author Bio - Michael Lucas Before finishing his professional baseball career as a pitcher, within the Chicago White Sox organization, Michael Lucas was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. Growing up, he was always involved in sports, specifically baseball. As he progressed as a pitcher, he started to become more passionate about the mechanics and the things he considered to be controllable. Naturally, strength and conditioning became a focus of his as he progressed through being a 4-year starter at Division 1 Xavier University to starting his professional baseball career with the Chicago White Sox organization. The son of a chiropractor and teacher, Michael has been aware of mechanics and the importance of proper movements even before having success with baseball. The cross pollination of his athletic career alongside his passion of mechanics and teaching gives him a unique perspective on the development of athletes. While teaching and training remain a focus of Michaels, his absorption lies within helping athletes achieve their goals through the quality products and services provided by Shelter Fitness; a leading e-commerce fitness company co-founded by Michael and his former teammate at Xavier University and brother, Matt Lucas. Michael continues to challenge himself both personally and professionally through multiple channels. He remains involved in professional baseball through various professional organizations and high-level relationships. Michael currently resides in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania with his wife and children. Disclaimer I am not a medical doctor, nor do I hold a professional license in the medical field. The information presented is solely based on my experiences as a professional athlete and for informational purposes only. Please consult with your physician prior to any new or changing fitness endeavors. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any activities promoted by this site.
We asked 17 women from all different areas of weight lifting about their bodies and the amazing work they put into them.
Strength training is a powerful way to lower body fat levels. A trainer shares the five best exercises for women to build lean muscle mass and lose fat.
If you value your health, but you aren’t lifting weights, you may be missing some key elements of a healthy lifestyle. For women over 40, weight lifting for health is vital. Here’s another new one for me…lifting weights…and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I am so excited about the weight lifting …
