Women strength training... for real

LOVEsummer

^^ That body rock girl is smokin!!! This was so amazing, thanks Steve for posting it, love it!!!

EthanJeremiahsMama

bump

Karabobarra

I so needed to see this today! It just made me realize I'm not getting where I really want and I only have myself to blame...I have a personal trainer but he still is not really putting me in the weight room that much... I've been afraid to attempt it on my own, but this really encouraged me. Now I just need to get a good starting routine and work from there.

Thank you for posting!

Kalrez

I signed up for a weight training class for college this fall. I can't wait to get started. I know I won't be able to get to the level of the ladies in the video in only a few months, but still. I'm really, really looking forward to it!

I just wish we had CrossFit place in town. But alas, it's only Zumba everywhere. >.<

stroutman81

Here's the deal. And keep in mind that I don't know what Zuzana looks like. But you can't pick one genetically gifted person from the crowd and deduce that "that's the way it is for everyone." I've been in the gym scene for a very long time. And I've been fortunate enough to train a lot of women.... for whatever reason.

Zuzanna, is freaking ripped. But, she's also doing a lot more than just simple cardio type workouts. Her stuff is brutal, and very much on par with lifting heavy in my opinion. FAR more than it would compare to any cardio.

I am another example...up until a couple weeks ago, every ounce of my gains were bodyweight given. However, my program was a 5x5, STRENGTH training based workout. If I could do more than 5-7 reps of an exercise on my first set...it was too easy an exercise, and it was time to add leverage, or some other form of resistance (standard pushups as compared to decline, or one leg up pushups etc). After 5 sets of 5...I was blasted. You can see beginning and more current pictures in the link in my signature.

My point with all of this is, it's not necessarily the weights, it's challenging your muscles to the point of failure in a few short reps. If you can do that with a sandbag like Zuzanna (she does more reps...but the difficulty is extreme), or bodyweight like I did...go for it.

Weights just make it a HELL of a lot easier...thus the reason I belong to a gym now.

Actually it is about load... or weights as you put it. Actually it's about tension in the muscles. We need tension overload in order to drive a strength or hypertrophy adaptation. And that tension is generated by applying force against an object have it be the floor when your doing a pushup or a the floor when you're squatting with a barbell on your back.

If a certain threshold of tension isn't reached, no adaptations as far as strength/hypertrophy are going to take place. Sure, you can get a training effect. You might build muscular endurance. You might build cardiorespiratory fitness. But here's my real point...

Not everyone needs to pick up a heavy barbell to realize this tension overload. For beginners, simple calisthenics can provide enough of an overload to drive improvement. Hell, in the research, taking sedentary folks and starting them on a walking regiment was enough to add muscle to their legs. Their bodyweight was enough.

And even when your body adapts to basic body weight stuff... as you eloquently pointed out, you can change aspects of the exercise to increase the tension while still relying on your body weight. A perfect example being the pushup... someone might start with a modified pushup, move to a full pushup, then move to a feet elevated pushup, then to single leg pushups, then to one arm pushups.... etc, etc.

And as you eluded to... eventually it's going to be tough to generate enough tension without resorting to some sort of implement lifting have it be sandbags, kettlebells, bands, barbells, dumbbells, etc, etc.

But going back to my original point... tension is generated by the weight being moved... and you need sufficient tension to get an improvement that we're shooting for. So it really is about the weight.

Good discussion.

odusgolp

Wow :-) and Thank you.

ninerbuff

I so needed to see this today! It just made me realize I'm not getting where I really want and I only have myself to blame...I have a personal trainer but he still is not really putting me in the weight room that much... I've been afraid to attempt it on my own, but this really encouraged me. Now I just need to get a good starting routine and work from there.

Thank you for posting!

Tell him to. It's your money! I tell my clients all the time that if there is something they want to try or do and it's something I'm capable of teaching (for instance I don't do Pilates or Yoga) then I'll do it for them. That's part of what they pay for.

stroutman81

I so needed to see this today! It just made me realize I'm not getting where I really want and I only have myself to blame...I have a personal trainer but he still is not really putting me in the weight room that much... I've been afraid to attempt it on my own, but this really encouraged me. Now I just need to get a good starting routine and work from there.

Thank you for posting!

What does your trainer have you doing? Don't be afraid to fire him! There are a lot of clowns in that profession. No intentions of throwing him under the bus... maybe he's great. I don't know enough to open my mouth. I just get fired up about people accepting the bad in this industry.

theba2il

Bump

countrygirl_717

Thank you! I LOVE to weight train - its amazing how fast your muscles respond and how you can lift heavier. Thanks for trying to inspire more women to start!

stroutman81

More good discussion from my profile regarding this conversation:

I totally agree that most women need more or, at least that's what I gather from my uneducated survey of most cardio equipment at any gym I've ever been in. I was just bringing it up because I still don't understand how it all works. I've gotten pretty lean doing both but still don't fully understand the how and why. Thanks!

You're helping a lot of people by asking very reasonable and sensible questions. Here's another thought for you...

Leanness is entirely a function of fat loss. You could have the smallest base of muscle possible and with enough fat loss to expose that small base of muscle... you're going to be lean. Sure, you might look like a crackhead, lol... but you'd be lean. So that's sort of my entire point.

It's what's left over once the fat is gone (realizing that it's never really gone... women need quite a bit just to stay alive... known as essential body fat). Once it's gone... if you're happy with what's rocking in the mirror.... all the more power to you. And realize I'm not speaking to you directly... this goes for anyone reading it.

One way is to lift progressively and heavily to ensure you optimize the amount of muscle you're carrying for its eventual exposure once fat is lost.

Or the other way is to leave strength training out of the equation and focus on exercise that tends to help with fat loss via calorie expenditure and conditioning and leave the muscle mass up to a) your genetics primarily and b) your diet.

There's always a choice... my point is the former avenue tends to make the women I've worked with the most happy.

CommittohealthCHANGED

Wow thanks for sharing.

Articeluvsmemphis

Strength training doesn't make me bulky. Being fat does.

Though I love the video post, I love this probably even more, I laughed out loud.

stroutman81

Strength training doesn't make me bulky. Being fat does.

Though I love the video post, I love this probably even more, I laughed out loud.

I, too, loved the quote. There's a lot of truth to it.

stroutman81

And since it seems like this thread will grow in popularity... I want to share another thread that revolves around the same topic. In it, I talk in detail about selecting the right load for you and I think I even write a sample body weight routine you can do from home.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/276660-i-do-dvds-so-i-don-t-need-to-strength-train

somigliana

Amen to that. It took a lot of courage for me to start using the barbell, but I haven't looked back since. I will say that doing squats has changed the profile of my backside, haha

crisanderson27

I so needed to see this today! It just made me realize I'm not getting where I really want and I only have myself to blame...I have a personal trainer but he still is not really putting me in the weight room that much... I've been afraid to attempt it on my own, but this really encouraged me. Now I just need to get a good starting routine and work from there.

Thank you for posting!

What does your trainer have you doing? Don't be afraid to fire him! There are a lot of clowns in that profession. No intentions of throwing him under the bus... maybe he's great. I don't know enough to open my mouth. I just get fired up about people accepting the bad in this industry.

He spends a lot of time asking her about her hip flexors, and suggesting she part them =p.

I'm being sarcastic...but when she reads this she'll spit out her drink, cause it's truth lol =D.

Kara...my bodyweight regimen was VERY easy to adapt to a beginner weight training regimen, I'll be happy to share it if you like, to get you started hun.

Just let me know ok?

crisanderson27

If a certain threshold of tension isn't reached, no adaptations as far as strength/hypertrophy are going to take place. Sure, you can get a training effect. You might build muscular endurance. You might build cardiorespiratory fitness. But here's my real point...

Not everyone needs to pick up a heavy barbell to realize this tension overload. For beginners, simple calisthenics can provide enough of an overload to drive improvement. Hell, in the research, taking sedentary folks and starting them on a walking regiment was enough to add muscle to their legs. Their bodyweight was enough.

Exactly! Thus the 5x5 format. If you can complete more than 7 reps on your first set, you're not loading yourself enough, and you need to upgrade your exercise. I'll post my routine below (stolen shamelessly from Cheesedog at bodyweightculture.com lol)

And since it seems like this thread will grow in popularity... I want to share another thread that revolves around the same topic. In it, I talk in detail about selecting the right load for you and I think I even write a sample body weight routine you can do from home.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/276660-i-do-dvds-so-i-don-t-need-to-strength-train

Awesome post =D!

Another Bodyweight Culture article, this one courtesy Cheesedog at:

http://www.bodyweightculture.com/forum/showthread.php?11058-Bodyweight-Strength-Training

Bodyweight Strength Training

People are always asking about strength training using only bodyweight. This is nothing new or revolutionary. I am borrowing HEAVILY from Rippatoe, Bill Starr, and lots of other great authors and trainers. This is your basic 5 x 5 template. (To clarify, 5x5 is 5 reps x 5 sets. The idea is to work at a difficulty level where you could only do maybe 7-8 reps on the first set, and are struggling to finish 5 reps on the last set). You would do strength training 3 times a week, say Monday-Wednesday-Friday with the weekends off. These are done "lazy circuits" style, with about 1 minute rest between each set.

Workout A
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Horizontal push - 5 x 5
1C. Horizontal pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - flexion - 3 x 5
2B. Ab - static 3 x 30 seconds

Workout B
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Vertical push - 5 x 5
1C. Hip dominant - 5 x 5
1D. Vertical pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - rotation - 3 x 5
2B. Grip and neck training - 3 x varies

Exercise Progressions - with regular weight training you can just add weight to the bar. With bodyweight progression is mostly about changing your leverage. These are just a few examples, I'm sure we could come up with dozens more if needed. You can always add resistance in the form of a weighted vest or backpack or resistance bands.

1. Knee Dominant -- squats, lunges, step-ups, bulgarian split squats, unilateral bent leg deadlift, partial one leg squat, one leg squat, box or stair pistols, full pistols.
2. Horizontal Push -- pushups, decline pushups, resistance pushups, side to side pushups, stair one arm pushups, negative one arm pushups, full one arm pushups.
3. Horizontal Pull -- body row, resistance body row, negative one hand row, incline one hand row, full one hand row.
4. Ab - flexion -- crunches, situps, resistance or incline situps, reverse situp, resistance or incline reverse situps, hanging knee or leg raise, hanging pikes, rollout from knees, rollout from feet, dragon flag. Also included are oblique moves like side lying crunches with or without resistance and side lying two leg raise.
5. Abs- static -- 4 point prone bridge, 3 point prone bridge, 2 point prone bridge, 4 point supine bridge, 3 point supine bridge.
6. Vertical Push -- pike pushup, hindu pushup, divebomber pushup, decline pike pushup, decline hindu pushup, decline divebomber pushup, one arm pike pushup, negative handstand pushup, handstand pushup with head touching floor, full handstand pushup.
7. Hip Dominant -- supine hip extension, good morning, one leg stiff leg deadlift, split one leg good morning, one leg supine hip extension, hyperextension, one leg hyperextension, natural glute-ham raise.
8. Vertical Pull -- jumping or assisted pullups, pullups, resistance pullups, side to side pullups, negative one hand pullups, one hand pullups. All these can refer to chinups or neutral grip pullups as well.
9. Ab - rotation -- twist crunches or situps, resistance or incline twist crunches or situps, russian twists, lying windshield wipers, standing rope rotations, hanging windshield wipers.
10. Grip and Neck Training -- for grip you can use handgrippers, deadhangs from a pullup bar (especially a fatbar or gripping a towel). For neck nothing beats wrestlers bridges. If you are involved in a striking martial art or sport, finger and fist pushups are very important also.

None of these lists have to end here. If you get strong enough you can always add resistance to your full range of motion one limb exercise. Or if you can do more than 5 one hand pushups do decline one hand pushups, or start working on one hand hindu and then eventually one hand dive bombers, and so on.

The nice thing about this routine is it scales dramatically depending on your fitness level. If you can't do even ONE regular pull up, you can scale it down and do assisted pull ups (legs on a chair), or ballistic pullups (where you jump to provide the initial momentum). It's actually easier to do properly when you're very unfit...because once you're healthy and strong...you're going to be searching for challenging enough exercises to only allow you 5 reps max by the finish of the 5 sets.

MoonMyst3

I would like to incorporate strength training into my workouts. Currently, I'm just doing cardio via the elliptical. My plan for September is to run 4 days at week (9-10 km or about 25 minutes). I've read that you should strength train on the same day as your cardio with a day off in between and I've also read that you should alternate your strength training days with your cardio days. Now I'm a little confused. Also, is strength training 3 days a week enough when striving for a change in your body composition or should it be more often? Thanks for opening up this discussion and for any advice you can provide.

stroutman81

If a certain threshold of tension isn't reached, no adaptations as far as strength/hypertrophy are going to take place. Sure, you can get a training effect. You might build muscular endurance. You might build cardiorespiratory fitness. But here's my real point...

Not everyone needs to pick up a heavy barbell to realize this tension overload. For beginners, simple calisthenics can provide enough of an overload to drive improvement. Hell, in the research, taking sedentary folks and starting them on a walking regiment was enough to add muscle to their legs. Their bodyweight was enough.

Exactly! Thus the 5x5 format. If you can complete more than 7 reps on your first set, you're not loading yourself enough, and you need to upgrade your exercise. I'll post my routine below (stolen shamelessly from Cheesedog at bodyweightculture.com lol)

And since it seems like this thread will grow in popularity... I want to share another thread that revolves around the same topic. In it, I talk in detail about selecting the right load for you and I think I even write a sample body weight routine you can do from home.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/276660-i-do-dvds-so-i-don-t-need-to-strength-train

Awesome post =D!

Another Bodyweight Culture article, this one courtesy Cheesedog at:

http://www.bodyweightculture.com/forum/showthread.php?11058-Bodyweight-Strength-Training

Bodyweight Strength Training

People are always asking about strength training using only bodyweight. This is nothing new or revolutionary. I am borrowing HEAVILY from Rippatoe, Bill Starr, and lots of other great authors and trainers. This is your basic 5 x 5 template. (To clarify, 5x5 is 5 reps x 5 sets. The idea is to work at a difficulty level where you could only do maybe 7-8 reps on the first set, and are struggling to finish 5 reps on the last set). You would do strength training 3 times a week, say Monday-Wednesday-Friday with the weekends off. These are done "lazy circuits" style, with about 1 minute rest between each set.

Workout A
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Horizontal push - 5 x 5
1C. Horizontal pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - flexion - 3 x 5
2B. Ab - static 3 x 30 seconds

Workout B
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Vertical push - 5 x 5
1C. Hip dominant - 5 x 5
1D. Vertical pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - rotation - 3 x 5
2B. Grip and neck training - 3 x varies

Exercise Progressions - with regular weight training you can just add weight to the bar. With bodyweight progression is mostly about changing your leverage. These are just a few examples, I'm sure we could come up with dozens more if needed. You can always add resistance in the form of a weighted vest or backpack or resistance bands.

1. Knee Dominant -- squats, lunges, step-ups, bulgarian split squats, unilateral bent leg deadlift, partial one leg squat, one leg squat, box or stair pistols, full pistols.
2. Horizontal Push -- pushups, decline pushups, resistance pushups, side to side pushups, stair one arm pushups, negative one arm pushups, full one arm pushups.
3. Horizontal Pull -- body row, resistance body row, negative one hand row, incline one hand row, full one hand row.
4. Ab - flexion -- crunches, situps, resistance or incline situps, reverse situp, resistance or incline reverse situps, hanging knee or leg raise, hanging pikes, rollout from knees, rollout from feet, dragon flag. Also included are oblique moves like side lying crunches with or without resistance and side lying two leg raise.
5. Abs- static -- 4 point prone bridge, 3 point prone bridge, 2 point prone bridge, 4 point supine bridge, 3 point supine bridge.
6. Vertical Push -- pike pushup, hindu pushup, divebomber pushup, decline pike pushup, decline hindu pushup, decline divebomber pushup, one arm pike pushup, negative handstand pushup, handstand pushup with head touching floor, full handstand pushup.
7. Hip Dominant -- supine hip extension, good morning, one leg stiff leg deadlift, split one leg good morning, one leg supine hip extension, hyperextension, one leg hyperextension, natural glute-ham raise.
8. Vertical Pull -- jumping or assisted pullups, pullups, resistance pullups, side to side pullups, negative one hand pullups, one hand pullups. All these can refer to chinups or neutral grip pullups as well.
9. Ab - rotation -- twist crunches or situps, resistance or incline twist crunches or situps, russian twists, lying windshield wipers, standing rope rotations, hanging windshield wipers.
10. Grip and Neck Training -- for grip you can use handgrippers, deadhangs from a pullup bar (especially a fatbar or gripping a towel). For neck nothing beats wrestlers bridges. If you are involved in a striking martial art or sport, finger and fist pushups are very important also.

None of these lists have to end here. If you get strong enough you can always add resistance to your full range of motion one limb exercise. Or if you can do more than 5 one hand pushups do decline one hand pushups, or start working on one hand hindu and then eventually one hand dive bombers, and so on.

The nice thing about this routine is it scales dramatically depending on your fitness level. If you can't do even ONE regular pull up, you can scale it down and do assisted pull ups (legs on a chair), or ballistic pullups (where you jump to provide the initial momentum). It's actually easier to do properly when you're very unfit...because once you're healthy and strong...you're going to be searching for challenging enough exercises to only allow you 5 reps max by the finish of the 5 sets.

Great contribution to the thread, Cris. Thanks! I've actually seen that program before. Not far off from how I'd set things up for a beginner in fact. I'd change a few things but still... it's a very decent setup.