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WEIGHT TRAINING FOR WOMEN
The subject of weight training for women is explained on this page and a variety
of weight lifting exercises for women are prescribed to help you achieve your
fitness goals!
In general, weight training for women is the same as it is for a man or a
teenager. The biggest difference is in the goals of the individual. Most women
want to build shapely muscles that are firm but not to big or bulky, and lower
their body fat levels. While some men share that goal, most lift weights to
increase their overall size and strength. Some want to stay lean, but many don't
mind extra body fat, as long as they get bigger and stronger.
Since this article is about weight training for women, I will focus my writings
on that subject. If you have physical goal that include gaining a lot of muscle
and strength, you can follow the routines found in the Bodybuilding,
Powerlifting, or Strongman sections. If you are someone who wants the lean
muscular look that I described in the first paragraph, then this article is for
you.
The selection of weight training exercises for women are dependant on their
physical goals. This Women's workout routine entails 3 days of lifting weights
per week, and 3 days of cardiovascular training. On the weight training days,
the repetition range will vary from 8 to 25, and the rest periods will be short.
This will work the muscles hard enough to make them firm and defined. The high
repetitions combined with the cardiovascular workouts will burn calories and
body fat at an increased weight. Your metabolism will be running at a faster
rate, and together with following a sensible nutrition plan, you can reach your
goals!
The Best Weight Loss Program
LEG EXERCISE
On your first day of weight training for women we will start with squats. Click
on the highlighted area if you have any questions about the proper form for the
squat.
Start with a weight that you can squat for 15 easy repetitions. Stretch and rest
for about 2 minutes. Load the bar to a weight that you can squat for 20
repetitions, but only do 15. The reason that I am having you stop at 15 reps, is
so that you will be able to complete all of your sets with the same weight. Do
this for 4 sets, stretching and resting for only 1 minute between sets.
PRESSING EXERCISE
The second exercise in our weight training for women program is an upper body
pressing exercise. On day 1 we will do Incline Dumbbell Presses. Lie back on an
Incline bench with a pair of dumbbells held at the sides of your chest. Press
the weights smoothly up and lock your elbows, touching the dumbbells together at
the top. Lower the weights under control, back to the starting position, and
repeat. Begin with a weight that you can easily press for 15 repetitions to warm
up. Your first working set will be with a weight that you can press for 10 to 12
repetitions, but only do 8. Stretch your chest, shoulders and arms while resting
for 1 minute between sets. Do 4 sets of 8 repetitions at the same weight. Your
heart should be beating rapidly, and you should be breathing heavily. That is a
good sign that you are working hard enough to get the results you want.
BACK EXERCISE
The third exercise in our weight training for women program is a back exercise.
On day 1 we will do Lat Pulldowns. Go to the Lat Pulldown machine in your gym
and take a wide grip on the bar. Sit down and secure your legs under the pad.
Begin by pulling your shoulders back and together while arching your back
slightly. Pull your elbows down and back and push your chest out until the bar
meets it. The bar should contact your chest just below the collar bone. Pause
for a moment in that position, and then return to the starting position under
control. Use a light weight for a warm up set, and do about 15 repetitions.
Stretch and rest for 1 minute, and get ready for your first work set. Set the
weight stack to a weight that you can do properly for 20 repetitions, but just
do 15. Complete 4 sets of 15 with 1 minute of stretching and rest between each
one.
ABDOMINAL EXERCISE
The final exercise of the weight training for women day is crunches. Lie flat on
your back with your lower legs resting on a bench. Cross your arms across your
chest and curl your shoulders up off the ground and toward your hips. When your
shoulders are approximately 3 or 4 inches off the floor, crunch your shoulders
toward your hips while exhaling forcefully. This should cause your abdominal
muscles to contract completely. Sometimes you can improve the contraction by
lifting your buttocks off of the floor slightly. You may have to practice that
for awhile to master it, but it definitely improves the quality of the crunch.
On this exercise, perform 4 sets of 25 repetitions with only 30 seconds in
between sets.
This concludes the training for day 1. Day 2 in our weight training for women
routine will be similar, but the exercises will change. For example, the first
exercise on day 2 will be Leg Presses instead of Squats. The second exercise
will be Seated Dumbbell Presses overhead, and the third exercise will be Seated
Rows. The abdominal exercise can be another of your favorite ab exercises, but I
recommend Rope Crunches. This is where you kneel down in front of an overhead
cable on a pulley. You hold the handle against the top of your head and perform
a crunch by pulling your shoulders down toward your hips and crunching while in
this kneeling position.
The weight training for women program requires that we alternate these two
similar weight training workouts each day. For example, on Monday, perform the
Day 1 workout routine. On Wednesday, perform the Day 2 workout. On Friday,
perform the Day 1 again, and on the next Monday, continue with the Day 2
routine. Wednesday is the Day 1 routine, and so on.
CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday would be your cardiovascular training days. A
discussion on weight training for women would not be complete without
cardiovascular training. This one comes down to personal preference. The main
goal is to get your heart rate going and keep it there for at least 30 minutes.
Some may love to run, others may prefer a brisk walk, and others a spinning
class. To achieve the goal of a lean, muscular physique you will need to spend
some time and give some serious effort to your cardiovascular training. That is
why the best thing to do is to find one of these activities that you like. If
you can find several different ways to do your cardio, you can rotate them from
day to day and keep it a little more interesting.
While you may begin with only 30 minutes, most likely you will have to gradually
increase that amount of time to achieve the low level of body fat you desire.
Many people find that they require 1 to 2 hours per session to get the results
they want.
Weight training for women requires proper training.
SUMMARY
In summary, your training breaks down like this:
Monday- Weight Training
Tuesday- Cardiovascular Training
Wednesday- Weight Training
Thursday- Cardiovascular Training
Friday- Weight Training
Saturday- Cardiovascular Training
Sunday- Off
There you have it! The comprehensive application of Weight Training for Women.
While this workout schedule may appear simplistic, it is effective. The only
thing that will determine your success is your hard work and dedication to
following this program.
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