Strength Training Tips
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InstructorLeake
Posts: 31
A weights-and-intervals program gives you the best bang for the buck. A weightlifting program coupled with intervals — alternating high-intensity bursts of riding a stationary bike or running with a recovery period — is preferable to plodding along at the same slow pace.
Lift three times a week. Two will offer some benefits, and one is better than nothing but isn't going to do much good. By contrast, more than three is not likely to give you enough time to recover in between workouts, which is when the strengthening of your muscles is happening.
There are two more excellent tips, so read more.
You need to lift enough weight to make it worthwhile. "Women often choose light weights that they think will magically shape and tone the muscles, whereas men will go right for the big bang kind of exercises," says Cosgrove. "You can sit on a machine and do a leg extension, or you can spend a minute doing squats, working many more muscles and being much more time effective," he says. Sold, to the woman in the pink running shorts!
You need to increase the weight over time. Pick a weight that you can definitely lift eight, maybe 10, but definitely not 12 times. Ideally, you'd increase that weight a smidgen every time you do the routine, but since most weights come in 5-pound increments, he suggests this instead: Do 10 reps in a set the first time, then 11, then 12, and once you're doing sets of 12, increase the weight and go back to 10 reps per set.
The New Rules of Lifting For Women(I love this book!)
Lift three times a week. Two will offer some benefits, and one is better than nothing but isn't going to do much good. By contrast, more than three is not likely to give you enough time to recover in between workouts, which is when the strengthening of your muscles is happening.
There are two more excellent tips, so read more.
You need to lift enough weight to make it worthwhile. "Women often choose light weights that they think will magically shape and tone the muscles, whereas men will go right for the big bang kind of exercises," says Cosgrove. "You can sit on a machine and do a leg extension, or you can spend a minute doing squats, working many more muscles and being much more time effective," he says. Sold, to the woman in the pink running shorts!
You need to increase the weight over time. Pick a weight that you can definitely lift eight, maybe 10, but definitely not 12 times. Ideally, you'd increase that weight a smidgen every time you do the routine, but since most weights come in 5-pound increments, he suggests this instead: Do 10 reps in a set the first time, then 11, then 12, and once you're doing sets of 12, increase the weight and go back to 10 reps per set.
The New Rules of Lifting For Women(I love this book!)
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great tips
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I like your style. In the past I provided training for a Women's Workout World location. Day after day I would see the same ladies come in do a warm up, participate in a group class and then use machines at very low weights. Often times they may do 50 repetitions while talking all the while to the woman on the machine next to her. They may have burned a few calories but did very little in their one - one and a half hours at the club to actually strengthen and develop more lean muscle.
I would add variety for men and women is equally important as well. Doing even squats time and again can get old quickly. As an example I have my clients do traditional squats one week followed by deadlifts, the next week Smith Machine front squats followed by Romanian deadlifts and the next week bench step ups with dumbbells coupled with reverse walking lunges with dumbbells.0 -
Thanks for the great info!0
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Great info! Thanks!0
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I agree with these tips.
I have order NROL4W - and may trade in my training-for-life routine for it. (I'm in week 6 of training-for-life.)0 -
I upped my weights last week...my arms and legs are sore and definately can't do as many reps as i was doing on the lower weights -0
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okay, very informative. thanks0
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Great tips!0
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Good Tips! Thanks...0
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I completed NROLFW and improved my body composition greatly! This program got me serious about lifting weights and I haven't turned back since!! I highly recommend it and definitely support the fact that women can lift heavy!!0
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I have been doing Body-for-LIfe, but with A LOT of machines. Today, I started Nrol4W....and, discovered (much to my DISMAY), that I am NOT as *strong* as I thought I was.
So, yes, using your own body and free weights will produce (I believe) much BETTER RESULTS than using the machines (even at higher weights). Only time will tell, for sure, for me, but I'm betting that I'll be something different come summer-time.
Yes, I want to be strong QUICK, but if I can't do that, then I want to be STRONG.0
