I can not say it often enough, but the best way to get the body you always want is through strength training. There are so many women who are endless on that cross trainer and then lose some kilos, but by no means achieve the results they would like.
As a woman it can sometimes take some getting used to in the powerhouse between all those men, but if you do it for a few months you will see that your body really gets more shape. In order to ensure that you are not afraid of all those men, I have some tips and exercises for you.
Start tips with strength training
1. Watch your form
So, you have decided to set foot in the powerhouse. If you look around you will probably see what people are seeing who are training in the wrong form. Many people choose to prefer weight over form, but that is really not smart. After all, you are training with heavy weights and if you then take a wrong form you can do some damage to your body.
2. Go heavy
If your shape is good you have to start looking at the weight you take. If you take a 2kg dumbbell with your bicep curls and make 30 reps, that will not really produce great results. Well for muscle endurance, but that is not the goal at the moment. Example: with bench press you can push away up to 60 kilos, but this can only be done once. This is your 1 RM. But of course you want to make more repetitions than 1, so choose a weight of 60-80% of your 1 RM. In this case, for example, 42kg.
3. Choose few repetitions
As I said earlier, you will not get the dream body of your life if you opt for 20-30 reps. To get muscle hypertrophy you will have to stay between and the 6 and 12 repetitions. But if you choose the right weight for yourself, you can not make more than 12 repetitions if it is good.
Exercises for beginners
I would recommend exercises for beginners to first address the large muscle groups. Large muscles provide more fat burning. After training the big muscles you could always take 1 or 2 exercises for the smaller muscle groups.
You could use this scheme for the first weeks of your strength training.
Choose each time for a weight where you could make 10-12 repetitions. If you can have more than 12, then you take a heavier weight. You make 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.
Day 1: Legs – Squat – Lunges – Barbell glute bridge – Squat and press Shoulders – Lateral side raise – Standing dumbbell press Belly – Rope crunch – Shelf 30sec
Day 2: Breast -Bench press -Dumbbell fly’s – Incline dumbbell chest press – Push ups Triceps – Reverse grip push down – Bench dip
Day 3 : Back – Deadlift – One arm dumbbell row – Lat pulldown – Bent over row Biceps – Alternating dumbbell curl – Cable curl Belly – Leg lift – Cross body crunch
As a cardio you could do HIIT training for about 10 to 12 minutes after your workout or on your resting days.
Benefits of strength training
- Increasing muscle mass
- Increasing muscle strength
- Increasing muscular endurance
- More explosive power sports
- Strong tendons and ligaments
- Stronger bones
- Counteract the loss of muscle mass and muscle strength in the elderly
- A faster and better recovery after an injury
- Restoring physical balance disruption through unilateral training
- Reduction of low back pain by strengthening the abdomen and lower back muscles
- Better endurance
- Increasing specific strength for certain sports
- Better physique
- Improving neuromuscular coordination (the control of your muscles from the central nervous system)
- Increasing metabolism through a larger muscle mass
- Decrease the body fat percentage
And ladies, you really do not have to worry about being incredibly broad or ‘bulky’ with strength training, because we do not have so much testosterone that we can become very broad! Let’s get started!
READ MORE:How do I stay fit & healthy as a (working, single) mother?
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