Strength Training

I would like to know too!

Look up Strong Women/Bone classes in your area. Here in Alaska I am taking them from the UAA Cooperative Extension and they run only $36 for a series. Once you learn the routine then you can increase your weights and continue doing them at home on your own.

I've been wanting to do this for years - I've always done running and at-home fitness dvds before, but found that although I was burning calories, my metabolism was crashing because I was actually losing muscle as well as fat.

So I recently plucked up the courage to join the gym. I started doing some circuit training classes (which are brilliant as they combine resistance training and cardio, so give all-round fitness and toning) and some 'body combat' classes, which are a bit like boxercise with some martial arts - good for toning as well, but more cardio.

But I also invested in some personal training sessions in the gym. After 2 months, I am about to attend my last one! They measured me up in my first session and I told them what i wanted to achieve - basically to tone up, but mostly build muscle on my thighs and bum( which were rather lacking as a result of all those years of running!). They set out a personal fitness programme for me which a do a few times a week and then meet up with the trainer every so often to review my goals and weights. My workout involves, strangely, some hill walking on the treadmill (great for toning legs), interval training on the cross trainer (good for toning and cardio fitness), and a LOT of weights and lunges! I was afraid I would bulk up too much, but they explained that it's very hard for women to bulk up due to lack of testosterone. In fact, doing weights can help you lose a lot more weight than cardio, as your metabolism increases as you gain lean muscle mass, so you essentially burn more calories while doing NOTHING! Which is great when you have a desk job.

THEN...I took it one step further and joined a weights class. I thought it would be full of bulky men pumping iron, but it is actually mostly women who go. You do moves with free weights and bars to music tracks, following the instructor. It's so much fun, much more fun than doing weights in the gym and IT WORKS. I do this once, sometimes twice a week. I haven't been running for 2 months, yet I am now leaner and more toned than I've been in years. Plus I can eat much more than I used to and not get flabby, which is brilliant!

I get re-assessed by my trainer on Friday to see if I've met the goals I set out at the start of the year - so fingers crossed!

In summary, a combination of weights, moderate cardio and some resistance training, 3 to 5 times a week is enough to make you more toned and keep your fitness up.

You asked about reps... In the gym I perform 2 sets of 16 reps on each weights exercise (wait 30 seconds between sets). Basically you should be using a weight that you should only just be able to manage when you get to the 16th rep. DOn't worry if you can only manage 8 reps on the 2nd set. It might seem really heavy, but it's shorter bursts of higher intensity that work, as opposed to longer bouts of lower intensity. When increasing your weights, always increase the weight, not the number of reps/sets! On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is easy and 10 is almost impossible, you should be using a weight that feels about 7-8 by the end of each set. Sometimes it's good to do 1st set on eg 7kg, then up it to 8kg for your 2nd set.

Don't be afraid of lifting heavier weights - trust me, you won't bulk up unless you take some serious steroids! Oh and avoid protein shakes unless your diet is protein deficient - carbs are actually more important when looking for lean muscle mass, as you need this to fuel your workouts and then replenish your muscle glycogen stores afterwards. Otherwise you will only lose muscle as you'll be breaking it down to fuel your workouts! And remember rest days are as important as workouts, so muscles can build and recover.

Sorry that was a bit of an essay....but I hope it's helped to inspire you. Basically a couple of sessions with a qualified trainer will set you on the right track - you won't regret it.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!