Women sometimes fear lifting weights because they think they will end up having a man's physique with large muscles. This fear can be put to ease since women do not have the amounts of the hormone testosterone that men have. Women should lift weights because the benefits are outstanding. You will boost your metabolism, lower body fat percentage, increase bone density, and you will look and feel better. Being stronger will help you with everyday tasks and your ligaments and tendons will also get stronger. Plan on strength training three to four days per week.
Warm-up
Warm-up your body for at least five minutes, as this will help prevent injury before you lift weights. Any form of cardiovascular activity that gets your heart rate pumping and blood flowing is considered a warm-up. Marching in place, walking, elliptical trainer or using a recumbent bicycle are good examples. The key is to loosen up your muscles to prevent injury.
Core
Your lower back and abdominal muscles make up the muscles of your core. Set aside one or two days per week for about 30 minutes to strengthen your core. Choose a weight that is challenging for your muscles but you can continue using through your three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Examples of exercises include torso extensions, planks, oblique flexion, crunches and prone superman.
Upper Body
Your upper body includes many large muscle groups that will get trained including: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulder and back. Pick one day and spend about 45 to 60 minutes working on these muscle groups. Select a weight where you can comfortably perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions; resting 30 seconds in between each set. Examples of exercises include: bicep curls, triceps extensions, chest fly, shoulder press, lat pull-downs and rows.
Lower Body
Your lower body includes the buttocks, legs and hips. Plan to spend one day per week for about 45 to 60 minutes working on your lower body muscles. Complete three sets of eight to 12 repetitions per exercise while resting 30 seconds between each set. Lower body examples include calf raises, squats, lunges, lateral lunges, hip abductions, hamstring curls and leg extensions.
Stretching
After every strength training routine, spend five minutes stretching the muscle groups you just trained. Stretching is an important component of fitness and allows your muscles to relax after the tension they just sustained during strength training. Stretching will also relieve the soreness and stiffness related to strength training. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds without bouncing your muscles.
References
- ACE Personal Trainer Manual The Ultimate Resource for Fitness Professionals; 3rd Edition; 2003
- Delavier, Frédéric. Women's strength training anatomy; Champaign, IL; Human Kinetics
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