Many women avoid weight training in the fear that it will make them big and bulky. However, weight training carries many benefits for women, as it can help to increase strength, burn fat, improve body composition and prevent injuries. However, before you start a weight-training program, consider certain factors to make your workout safe, efficient and effective.
Exercise Selection
Base your routine around compound exercises. These are exercises that involve the movement of more than one joint, for example squats, deadlifts and bench presses. They are extremely important because they use a lot of muscles, meaning that they burn a large number of calories and develop whole-body functional strength. Do at least three compound free-weight exercises per session; then add in isolation exercises like kickbacks and lateral raises for any lagging body parts you may have.
Frequency
Train at a frequency that suits your schedule. To start, you may benefit most from three full-body workouts per week, with at least a day of rest between each one. However, if you would prefer to train more often, then opt for an upper-lower split, and dedicate two sessions to your legs per week, and two to your upper body. Try to get each weights workout done in 45 minutes, as training for too long can leave you feeling fatigued, and slow your progress.
Cardio
While you can still do traditional cardiovascular exercises like jogging, swimming and cycling alongside a weight-training program, you can perform cardio with weights, by doing a circuit or complex. Grab a pair of light dumbbells, and perform eight lunges on each leg, followed by eight stiff legged deadlifts, eight shoulder presses and eight bent-over rows. Repeat this as many times as you can in 10 minutes.
Considerations
Before beginning a program, get comfortable with all the exercises you plan to do. Ask a gym trainer for help if you need to, and ask him to spot you on exercises like squats and bench presses for added safety. You may also want to add in extra weight-bearing exercises, which help to protect you from injury. Females tend to be more prone to knee injuries than males, so including some single-leg exercises like split squats and lunges is advisable. Upper-body injuries can occur from poor posture, so include upper-back work including face pulls, dumbbell rows and band pull-aparts.
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