Ten Ways for Women To Progress in Weight
Training
Women face different challenges than men
when lifting weights and doing other kinds of strength training. A woman
I met at a summer barbecue told me she started a weight lifting program
but stopped after only a short while. When I asked her why, she responded
that increasing weight each time she worked out was too hard --she couldn't
do it. It hurt.
The goal of strength training is to
get stronger and healthier and to improve your appearance. The body must
always be challenged in any weight training routine, otherwise you will
start to see declining results. But it should never hurt. It should never
be painful.
We have listed several ways in which
you can increase strength by your workout. You have a number of options
from which to choose.
1. Increase Weight
The most common and effective way to challenge
your body is to increase the weight you are lifting. This alone will keep
your body challenged for a good while. Each muscle is comprised of numerous
muscle fibers, and the more weight you lift, the more muscle fibers are
recruited for the job, and the more your body gets a full workout.
When we increase weight, we should
always be vigilant about performing the exercise with proper form. If that
form is compromised during a weight increase, it may be that your body
is telling you it needs a different method of getting to the same result.
Some alternative methods when we are not ready to increase weight are described
below.
2. Increase Repetitions
The standard range is to perform 8-12
repetitions of a movement in one set. Do not exceed that maximum range.
There is no weight training benefit to doing more than 12 reps per set
unless you are in physical rehabilitation from an injury.
3. Increase Number of Sets
Normally you perform 2-3 sets per exercise.
If you’ve done two sets at the same weight, increase to three.
4. Increase Frequency of Workouts
If you are working out two times a week,
increase to three, if three times, then four. You should, however, not
weight train more than two days in a row unless you're training requires
it(for instance, if your are a bodybuilder). Your muscles get stronger,
not during the workout phase, but during the rest phase.
5. Increase Intensity of Exercise
There are two ways to increase intensity
without increasing weight - super sets and compound sets.
- Super sets
involve exercising two opposing
muscle groups by following one exercise immediately with another. For example,
do a set of dumbbell bicep curls, then, without a rest period, do a set
of standing tricep pushdowns. Rest. Repeat.
- Compound sets
Involve exercising the same muscle
group by attaching one exercise to another. For example, do a set of chest
presses, then without a rest period, do a set of dumbbell chest flyes.
Rest. Repeat.
6. Change Tempo
Slowing down the negative (eccentric)
portion of exercise will promote more muscle development. This phase is
usually the downward portion of an exercise, when you are lowering the
weight. External resistance (usually gravity) is greater than the tension
in your muscles. For example, during a chest press, the eccentric phase
is when you are lowering the dumbbells towards your chest.
7. Change Position
Go from flat, to incline, or decline.
A change in position forces you to exercise different parts of your muscles,
helping you to achieve a more well-rounded workout.
8. Use Resistance Bands
If you are doing a one-armed standing
bicep curl, place a resistance band underneath your left leg, slide your
left arm through the other end of band, gripping the dumbbell with the
same hand. Repeat with your right side. Your exercise will have added resistance
near top of movement because of the added tension exerted by the resistance
band. This means you challenge your muscles at both the beginning and at
the end of the movement, allowing you to exercise more parts of your muscles.
9. Increase Length of Levers
Weight held further away from your body
exerts more tension on the muscles. For instance, if you are doing chest
flyes, instead of keeping arms bent, straighten them.
10. Add Instability to Your Workout
For instance, if using a bench, change
to a stability ball. If doing lunges, try them on a balance disc. If doing
a bicep curl, try doing it while standing on one leg (the one opposite
your lifting arm). Adding instability to your exercise regimen will force
your body to exercise your supporting muscles as well as the targeted muscle
groups.
In brief, by utilizing the various
methods mentioned to increase strength, you will continue to develop muscle.
And the more muscles you develop, the more calories you burn, the younger
you feel, the greater your appearance. See more Women's
Fitness Articles.
Author Bios - Linda Kravitz,
is CEO of PowerFit LLC, owner of TheFitWoman.com,
a website of women's weight training
and fitness equipment. Gordon Waddell, CSCS, is a certified personal
trainer, who holds a B.S. with Honors in exercise physiology and is currently
completing his Master’s degree in exercise science.
Posted by Janet Ford.
Sunday September 25, 2005 9:35 am
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