Weight Training for Women

Weight training for women has always been surrounded with many myths and misconceptions. However, the best part of weight and resistance training is that they help women lose weight and help tone up their bodies. Read on to know more...

Contrary to the myth, weight training is not about bulking up and producing female hulks. Unless you have totally gone haywire and want to end up on the cover of a weight magazine, weight training for women will never make you look like a muscular freak. Instead, strength training allows women to achieve a well sculpted look, which involves, losing weight, developing a stronger heart and protection against various heart and bone diseases, such as osteoporosis. In fact, lifting weights is the best way of boosting the metabolism and burning fats. Here is a look at some weight training programs for women.

Weight Training Routines for Women

The best weight training routines for women to lose weight should ideally work all the muscle groups. The exercises for different muscle groups include:

For the shoulders and the upper body muscle exercises such as, the overhead press, lateral raise and the front raise are ideal. Read more on shoulder exercises for women.

Chest weight training exercises include bench press push-ups and a pec deck machine. Read more on chest exercises for women.

Bicep curls, hammer curls and concentration curls should work the biceps.

For the triceps, include exercises such as dips, kickbacks and tricep extensions.

Working the quadriceps include workouts, such as the leg press machine, lunges and squats.

Back extensions, lat pull-downs, one-armed row and the seated row machines are effective back weight training exercises for women. Read more on back exercises.

For working the muscles of the hamstrings include dead-lifts, lunges and the leg curl machine in your weight training routine.

Work your way to fabulous abs with crunches, pelvic twists, reverse crunches and oblique twists.

Most weight training experts recommend starting off with the larger muscle groups such as the chest back and legs followed by the smaller ones, as the exercises for the large muscle groups are more demanding of the two. You can start your routine with a warm up exercise using light weights. Continue this for around 15 repetitions. Now increase the weight gradually by around four to five pounds and continue till you achieve the reps. The reps may vary according to the result you desire. Read more on weight training to lose weight.

So if you want to lose weight, three sets of 12 reps should be ideal. Similarly, to gain muscle, four or more sets of 12-16 reps is the ideal number. If your desired goal is health and endurance building, then 2 sets of 15 reps using weights that you can use to complete the reps should be enough. Although you might be struggling quite a bit, remember that you should finish off your set of reps in good form. You need to also keep track of the weights that you use. Ideally, larger muscle groups require heavier weights as compared to the shoulders and arms. Read more on resistance training for women.

Weight Training for Women at Home

Although joining a gym is a good idea as a fitness trainer can guide you in the right direction, you can also weight train at home. For incorporating weight training routines at home you will need certain fitness equipment such as resistance bands, dumbbells and a step. This equipment is available at almost all fitness stores and large marts. Read more on weight training equipment for women.

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Dumbbell Exercises for Women

Weight Training for Weight Loss

There are a couple of guidelines for weight training for women over 50. Although weight training is ideal for increasing bone mass, thus, preventing osteoporosis and fractures and strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints, remember not to overdo things. Strains, tissue damage and sprains can take a long time to heal so make sure you are not exerting yourself to the point where you harm yourself. This holds true for weight training for women over 40 and even younger women. So get rid of common myths like weight training can make you "muscular and manly" (It is just the steroids) and that it can make you stiff and bound. Instead, weight training is a great way of improving body flexibility, enhancing coordination and balance and reducing heart disease and diabetes in women.