WOMEN - Strength Training - How often?

I would like to know as well. I am currently running on the treadmill for 30 minutes per day and have been lifting weights after but not sure how much I should be doing!

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I do an upper body strength workout after my 30-45 min run usually every other day. If I work upper body one day, I'll do legs the next giving each muscle set at least one day to rest and repair.

I take a weightlifting class that works all parts of the body, and I go 2-3 times a week. Sometimes I'll do cardio on those days, sometimes not, because it's an hour-long class and sometimes wipes me out. You definitely don't want to work the same muscle groups with weights 2 days in a row, they need time to recover, so if you do want to do weights every day along with the cardio, alternate muscle groups as someone else suggested. Or do full body on alternating days, with no-weight days in between.

Strength training is a really important part of your exercise routine. Here's some information that my personal trainer emailed to me:

"For every kilo of muscle, your body must burn at least 50 – 70 calories extra per day, just to keep that kilo of muscle alive. We're not talking about big, bulky muscles here - it's the lean muscle mass that gives you shape and tone."

He incorporates weight training into my hour-long circuit training every time I go to the gym, but 3 times a week is what's recommended and you only have to do 15 minutes of actual weight training for it count but make sure your heart rate is up and your body is warm first or you can do some serious injuries, the same goes for stretching afterwards.

Grab yourself a couple of low weights to begin with (I started with 2kg but not everyone uses kilograms as their standard unit of measurement) and just google basic weight training. Most of the time I'll do 50 shoulder presses, 100 jabs (50 each hand) which is like punching a boxing bag, 50 bicep curls and 50 V's which is where you start with your weights by your legs and keeping your arms straight, you raise them out in a V in front of you with your wrists facing the ground.

My trainer mixes it up of course, but these are the ones I do at home when I don't have a session

You should do your cardio always after weights even when its leg day otherwise your won't get your full potential from strength training. Also you should do weights 3-4 days a week. If you keep your heart rate up by doing circuit training you can burn as many calories if not more then cardio alone. Muscles burns more fat calories, so if you really want to lose weight and keep it off push your weights more than cardio. Always give your muscle group a days rest.

I agree, but I pull out the same reps at the same with doing cardio before/after. Actually, I seem to do better on leg days doing after cardio, usually super pumped and warmed up. SO, contrary to what I do - do cardio after(lmao, I'm just different..)

I'm in no way an expert but I do some sort of strength training every time I work out. As long as it's not the same muscles each day then I don't think there is any disbenefit, and the benefits are well worth it.

If you are trying to lose weight (not build muscle mass), ideally you should target each muscle group 2-3 times per week. Every other day - you should have a rest day inbetween to recover. A total body workout can be done in 20-30 minutes. Think about doing exerises that target multiple muscle groups at one time - ie squats and lungs for the legs, push ups for the chest, rows for the back, shoulder presses and pulldowns for the arms. Doing "complex" exercises like these work the largest muscle groups but you will also work the smaller ones at the same time. Don't waste your time doing sets of bicep curls! If you use a gym and are scared to do these kinds of exercises on your own, try using the resistance machines for the same exercises. 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions is a good way to start, but you've got to feel a burn!

You should always get a warm-up before strength training. 5-10 minutes of moderate work on a cardio machine will do the trick, or a few minutes of jumping jacks, mountain climbers and other drills will work as well. It's best to save your full cardio workout for after using the weights/machines though - doing cardio first burns up all the energy stored in your muscles and weakens them. You might find that by the time you do the weights/machines, you're feeling pretty tired and may not be able to do the weight or as many repetitions as you could/should.

If your goal is to build muscle mass, then a spit routine is what you need. Building muscle requires lifting heavy weights (3 or more sets, maxing out at 5-6 repetitions) and the muscles worked need more than one day of recovery. This also means that you are lifting weights 4-6 days a week, always working a different muscle group. Each muscle group only gets targeted 1 to max of 2 times a week.

It really depends on your goals, but I would say for most of the population, a total body strength training workout should be done with moderate weights 2-3 times per week.

Hope this helps!

I do an upper body strength workout after my 30-45 min run usually every other day. If I work upper body one day, I'll do legs the next giving each muscle set at least one day to rest and repair.

The wii is a game, not an exercise. I am a professional and if you want weightloss, then 3-4 times a week is ideal. And don't use the machines, use you free weightsd and your self. Yu should check out my blog because I go over this in super detail.

Exercises that target multiple muscle groups are great, such as squats, lunges, planks and push ups. If you have trouble with normal push ups, try doing them leaning against a wall or counter. As you get stronger, move to a lower counter or table, and finally to the floor. Push ups from the knees don't work your core muscles as well, and in my own experience they didn't make me much better at normal push ups. Resistance bands can be an inexpensive way to add resistance to your exercises. The New Rules of Lifting for Women is an inexpensive book on the subject. I also have Weight Training for Dummies, which is very comprehensive.