What applies to strength training for women. Women's strength training basic exercises

The Internet pays little attention to what exactly a girl who wants to improve her shape should do in the gym. There is especially little information for beginner girls just planning to start visiting the gym. Now we will fill this moment by dividing the exercises into “correct” - helping to create an ideal figure, and “incorrect” - weakly effective.

After reading this material, you will understand why it is worth doing certain exercises, which will help you save a lot of time and bring better results. It is often awkward for beginners to ask a trainer or more experienced visitors about the purpose of each simulator and the exercises for which it is created.

And this needs to be done, because in order to properly deal with possible problem areas or simply proportionally improve your shape, you need to use the right equipment.

Features of the female body

Before going to the gym, every girl should understand the main differences in the male and female body, as well as the peculiarities of the influence of physical activity.

Low testosterone levels

Compared to the male body, women have significantly lower testosterone levels. Namely, he is responsible for muscle building, so it is extremely difficult for a girl to achieve male muscle volume. Even if you constantly use free weights, it will be difficult to get closer to male parameters. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of decent weights; a girl cannot achieve masculinization under normal conditions.

More fat mass

The figure of the fair sex “by default” has 7-10 percent more body fat when compared with male figures. This entails the need to increase the volume of cardio training. Supersets and circuit training have a good effect on girls, quickly eliminating excess fat deposits and giving them spectacular shapes.

High estrogen levels

Compared to men, women have more estrogen in their bodies. This is what leads to the appearance of extra pounds. Anaerobic exercise aimed at increasing muscle mass can support metabolism in the female body and prevent the figure from “blurring”.

Higher endurance

Women are tougher than men and have a low pain threshold. To put it simply, girls whine less and are better able to tolerate pain. This means that long-term training tires the fair sex less than a man.

Physiological features

Critical days or disrupted menstruation can negatively affect training. During these periods, the girl usually rolls back a little in the progress of her training.

This is exactly what every girl who plans to visit the gym should take into account. Now, in order to determine the direction of further discussion, you need to understand the reasons why girls often want to get into the gym. There are the most common reasons that most girls will confirm:

• elastic and strong buttocks,
• toned arms (often skin underneath),
• shaped breasts,
• slim stomach.

For approximately these reasons, most often a girl strives to take up fitness in order to give her figure a better shape. This means that exercises and simulators need to be chosen exactly those that will have the maximum impact on the specified zones, or rather, influence exactly the factor that can correct the problem. There is a list of the best exercises, and there are exercises that are not recommended for use in your program.

The best exercises for girls in the gym

No matter how many questions you ask a girl at the gym, she will never name free weights as the best exercise. It is not known why, but many are afraid of barbells, dumbbells, plates and barbells. But without them, quality training is nowhere, because this is the only way to have the proper effect on muscle tissue.

For optimal results, a girl is recommended to combine free weights in general strength exercises and isolated effects on muscles in simulators (read about basic and isolated exercises in this article). Now let's look at the recommendations individually.

Strength exercises for girls

1. Squats with a barbell. This is the most effective activity for developing legs. This means that if a girl wants to attract the attention of every man to her legs, her program must include squats with a barbell. Initially, you need to learn the correct technique and apply it no more than 2 times a week.

2. Deadlift. A general exercise that can stimulate every muscle. The technique is difficult to perform, so you definitely need to master it in detail before moving on to regular classes. It is better to start with an empty bar and under the supervision of a professional trainer. If your arms get tired before other muscles, you can use weights or do deadlifts in a rack. It is advisable for girls to do the exercise no more than once every 2 weeks .

3. Pull-ups. Only a few girls are able to lift their weight to the second floor, so we use a crossbar. First, we study the correct pull-up technique, and if after that it doesn’t work out, then an alternative would be graviton, a special simulator.

4. Lunges. An excellent exercise for developing a firm butt, regardless of whether you are using a barbell or dumbbells. Regular strength training will give you a rounded shape to your buttocks and tighten your legs. It is recommended for girls to perform lunges no more than 1 time per week.

5. Plank. A universal exercise that promotes the formation of a strong corset of muscle tissue (lower back + abs). This muscle group is involved in many movements, so the progress of all other free weight exercises depends on their level of development. Bars. An effective technique for developing the entire upper body, in particular, the shoulders and triceps are well developed. If your arms are very weak, you can use a separate exercise machine with a counterweight. Push-ups from a bench have a similar effect.

6. Dumbbell flyes, barbell presses, push-ups. In fact, in the gym it is difficult to see a girl performing the listed exercises. Many people consider this an exclusively male activity, but if you need to strengthen your chest muscles, there are no more effective exercises. Therefore, if your breasts are sagging, you should use these options, but no more than once a week.

That's all for free weight exercises; all that remains is to consider machines that can also have a significant effect on certain muscle groups.

Exercises on simulators for girls

1. Buttocks. Surely, firm buttocks always attract men’s gaze, so isolating exercises for these muscle groups is indispensable. By the way, girls with pear and hourglass figures are the most popular among men. To get the ideal shape of your buttocks, we use special exercises on machines.
2. Breast. The second part of the girl’s body participating in the “bride”. Nowadays, every representative of the stronger sex is able to practically “see through clothes,” so corrective and supportive underwear can already provide reliable coverage. This means we use exercise machines that can tighten and correct the shape.
3. Stomach. A flat stomach is simply an uncontrollable dream for many girls. Everyone is ready to show it off on the beach, so to make your dream come true, we use basic exercises using simulators and admire the result.
4. Hands. Flabby arms are not able to attract anyone, and the problem becomes a common phenomenon when, when raising the arms, the skin hangs from below. It is difficult to correct this, but it is quite possible, for which you need to use isolating exercises on the forearm, triceps and biceps.

These are the basic recommendations when going to the gym, but there are common mistakes that many girls make. Often the wrong machines and exercises are chosen, which does not bring any benefit, and sometimes can cause harm. Therefore, let’s consider them, because only correct information can protect you from similar behavior.

The goals of going to the gym are also different for men and women. If the former strive to gain more muscle mass, then the latter want to ensure a toned shape and remove fat deposits. Therefore, everyone has their own training programs, which needs to be taken into account. There are several erroneous exercises that slow down progress for girls.

Abdominal trainers

Any girl just rave about having a flat stomach. Therefore, the first thing that the fair sex is looking for is an abdominal exercise machine that makes it possible to do crunches with weights. But such exercises are not capable of giving a good effect, because they will visually expand the waist through the active growth of the abdominal muscles. And just noticeable muscles are not needed, it is enough to just remove fat deposits, for which twisting without weights is enough.

Shrugs with dumbbells

This shoulder shrug is aimed at growing the trapezius muscle group. But this is good for a man; at the same time, the exercise cannot give the desired shape to a woman’s figure.

Bending with weights

Many girls find this exercise effective for eliminating the sides, the so-called ears on the hips. But this is a misconception, because in reality, lateral extension and bending with dumbbells contribute to the expansion of the waist. If you need to remove the “ears”, then you will have to focus on creating the right diet and side plank or bicycle.

Seated leg extensions (simulator)

The tendons near the kneecap are much weaker in women than in men. And to properly load the quadriceps with the help of a simulator, significant weights will be required. This means that the simulator is not suitable for quality exercise. An alternative would be wall squats on one leg.

Reverse raises (glutes, machine)

Although the simulator was developed to load the gluteal muscles, it is low in efficiency. It’s not worth wasting time on it; it’s better to focus on other activities.

Hummer press

Seated bench presses on a special strength machine cause excessive stress on the shoulder joint. Along with the peculiarity of the technique, the joints have a vulnerable biomechanical position. Considering the increased fragility of the female shoulder, this can cause injury, because it is not always possible to perfectly follow the exercise technique.

Pull-down of the upper block behind the head with a wide handle

A good exercise to work your upper back. But if the shoulders are not flexible, then it is difficult to follow the technique here. Considering the fragility of a woman’s shoulder, there is a high probability of injury, and this will eliminate any stress on the body over a long period of time.

Cardio equipment

In any gym, the cardio machines are always occupied by girls. And it is unknown when they will be released. Of course, for a girl aerobic activity comes first, but more than 3 times a week and longer than 40 minutes do this way it is forbidden. Therefore, it is better to combine sprint races and calm running no more often than this period of time.

conclusions

Based on all this information, you can build an excellent and effective program that targets problem areas. Well, if there are no problem areas, then this information will allow you to create an ideal figure for a girl, taking into account the characteristics of her body.

We have many balanced training programs for girls on our website. Here are some of them:

It is important to understand that you should not silently enter the gym and head straight to the treadmill and spend several hours on it. For best results, you need to combine running with individual strength exercises. But it makes no sense to use the first simulator you come across, so we write our own program, contact trainers and observe the results. Inevitably, with the right approach, you will be able to create an ideal figure and attract the gaze of men.

Liked? - Tell your friends!

Key Features

1. Inactive adults experience 3 to 8 percent muscle loss per decade. Weight training (strength exercise) increases your resting metabolism by about 7 percent and helps minimize muscle loss (muscle atrophy).
2. A regular strength training program for women will help you effectively reduce body fat and burn calories, resulting in healthy weight loss.
3. Strength training for women helps maintain and build muscle and bone mass, regardless of age.

What activities can help women stay strong, burn calories, and build healthy bones? Strength training is training with weights. Before you say “no thank you” to the scale, please take some time to challenge your preconceptions and educate yourself about the benefits of strength training for women.

A 2011 opinion poll reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that less than 20% of women approached said they met the CDC recommendations of two 1/2 hours of aerobic exercise and two strength training sessions for women weekly . But the benefits of strength training for women speak for themselves. Inactive adults experience 3 to 8 percent muscle loss per decade. Weight training (strength training) increases your resting metabolism by up to 7 percent and helps minimize muscle loss.

What's more, when you strength train, you get more fat-burning bang for the same amount of money.

Attention! Women and girls, lifting weights keeps the body working on its curves for up to 48 hours after lifting weights.

This process is usually called “exercise after-burn” (“delayed training effect” - when the impact on the muscles is already completed, but its effect is still far from complete). There's a lot of talk among exercise experts about the body's ability to continue burning calories after exercise, called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. A study published by the University of New Mexico (UNM) reports that it takes the body anywhere from 15 minutes to 48 hours to return to a resting state after exercise. This means that you continue to burn calories after strength training for women (weight training). The (UNM) study reports that training intensity has the greatest influence on how long the delayed training effect lasts.

Would I like to pump up?

Many women forgo the benefits of strength training (depriving themselves of these benefits with connotations of regret, while making a conscious choice) for fear of developing bulging muscles (bulging muscles). This is a misconception and misinterpretation of the effects of strength training for women. According to the Women's Heart Foundation, high estrogen levels make it very difficult for women to become overly muscular. When women lift weights, changes in their muscles tend to be related to tone, strength and endurance rather than size. The resulting appearance of female muscles is characterized as dense (not loose), NOT massive masculine, but MUSCLES HARMONIZED WITH SEXUAL FEMININITY.

What are the benefits of strength training for women (benefits of weight training)?

Strength training is a key component of overall health and fitness for women and also provides an important balance to aerobic training. The Mayo Clinic considers the following benefits of strength training.

Strength training for women preserves muscle mass

Muscle mass decreases with age. Counteract this loss through strength training (weight training). Your body fat percentage increases as you get older if you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle mass you lose. Strength training for women helps maintain and increase muscle mass, regardless of age.

Strength training for women controls weight

Regular resistance training helps you increase your lean body mass (muscle mass) and burn calories more efficiently, leading to healthy weight loss.

Read: three rules for burning fat that every woman should know

Weight training reduces the risk of osteoporosis

Due to the hormonal changes that women experience as they get older, they naturally lose bone density, which increases their risk of developing osteoporosis. Systematic lifting of weights (just NOT lifting furniture in the house or carrying bags of groceries from the supermarket, but training with weights in the gym under the supervision of a trainer or more experienced like-minded person) slows down the deterioration of bone health and can help bones grow stronger, helping you maintain strength and reduce the likelihood of developing or slow the effects of osteoporosis.

Strength training for women reduces the risk of joint injuries

When you exercise your muscles, you help protect your joints from damage and improve your balance and coordination. This becomes increasingly important to help you maintain your independence as you get older.

How to start strength training for women?

It's easy to start a strength training program at home or at the gym.

Read: Exercises for women at home

The following weight training equipment and accessories will help you gain lean muscle mass.

Body weight

Using your own body weight for resistance is a great way to increase muscle strength. Push-ups, pull-ups, and abdominal exercises are some of the simplest exercises that use your own body weight.

Free weights

Below are the standard types of free weights:

• Dumbbells
• Barbells

Find these weight training equipment inexpensively second-hand on bulletin boards, buy them at prices that match new items at sporting goods stores, or find them at most gyms.

Exercise equipment

Many fitness centers offer cable and pulley weight machines to work various muscle groups and body parts. Ask for assistance in using each machine for the first time or follow the instructions for using that equipment, which are located either on the parts of the machine or on a poster next to it. The option of purchasing exercise equipment for home gyms is also appropriate. However, this option is not accessible to every person from a financial point of view. In addition, I recommend strength training for women in the gym, since such meetings of like-minded people create the necessary component of motivation and exchange of experience and support for women and girls for each other for proper weight training.

Rubber band

Weight training by overcoming the resistance of stretching a rubber band provides an inexpensive way to do home strength training. Some doctors' offices or sports medicine clinics provide rubber bands to patients free of charge. In addition, you will choose from a range of equipment and accessories options for sporting goods stores. If you're not familiar with rubber bands, they resemble oversized, colorful rubber bands.

To get the most out of strength training for women, choose a weight or resistance level that fatigues your muscles after 8 to 12 repetitions. Start with one set and work up to two or three sets as you get stronger. For specific on-site instruction and mastery of strength training with specific types of weights and lifting, seek the assistance of an instructor at a gym, health center, or local club.

Here's what the article "Why Women Shouldn't Lift Weights" says:

It's all about the special structure of the female skeleton. The fair sex has much more fragile and thin bones than men. Including the spine, which bears the main load when lifting heavy objects.

With systematic (and sometimes one-time!) lifting of weights, women's spinal discs gradually become displaced, which in a few years can lead to such a serious disease as a vertebral hernia.

But the truth is that improper performance of strength exercises leads to injuries and degenerative changes in the spine, regardless of gender. With the correct technique, the load on the spine is minimal.

In addition, exercises with weights involve a gradual increase in load in parallel with the growth of muscles and strength indicators. So the health risk practically disappears.

2. Strength training can result in uterine prolapse.

Uterine prolapse is a displacement of the fundus and cervix below the physiological limit due to weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and uterine ligaments. There are many reasons for this disease: from congenital defects in the development of the pelvic organs to injuries received during childbirth. Heavy lifting is almost always mentioned as a risk factor. Some doctors do not recommend lifting more than 5 kg as a preventative measure.

However, don’t confuse lifting weights with proper strength training! Carrying bags of cement without preparation, with incorrect technique (with a round back) and especially in old age (50% of cases of uterine prolapse are diagnosed in women over 50 years old) is truly unforgivable stupidity and a health risk. However, strength training is a completely different matter.

If strength training with reasonable weight gain and proper technique promoted uterine prolapse, many female athletes would suffer from this condition. The facts indicate the opposite.

Women who go in for sports tolerate pregnancy and childbirth much better, recover faster after it and have fewer problems with the pelvic organs.

After strength training, the oxygen debt increases, which requires a fair amount of calories to cover. According to a recent study EPOC Comparison Between Isocaloric Bouts of Steady-State Aerobic, Intermittent Aerobic, and Resistance Training, after strength training, the oxygen debt remains for 21 hours: all this time the body burns more calories even at rest.

Therefore, if a girl wants to lose weight, she needs weight training, and not long walks or low-intensity jogging in the cardio zone.

5. Strength training does not help you lose weight, but, on the contrary, increases body weight

Strength training helps replace fat with muscle. Your weight may remain the same or even increase, while your volume will decrease.

It’s not for nothing that fitness models urge you not to rely on scales, but to measure your progress using a measuring tape.

A great example is this photo from fitness blogger Kelsey Wells. In the first photo the girl weighs 65.8 kg, in the second - 55.3 kg, in the third - 63.5 kg.

Mysweat.life

Why does Kelsey look slimmer, fitter and more athletic in the third photo than in the first photo, even though she weighs only 2 kg less? Just because of the percentage of muscle mass. First, the girl lost fat, reducing her weight to 55.3 kg, and then gained 8 kg of muscle mass.

As you can see, strength training reduces body size, but increases weight due to muscle growth. So don’t be afraid of such a quality increase.

6. Women should choose low weights and high reps.

In the gym you rarely see a girl doing, for example, deadlifts or squats with a heavy weight for 3-5 repetitions per set. Much more often, girls choose light dumbbells and do 20 lunges per leg, endlessly squat with an empty bar or body bar, or exercise on machines with light weights, performing many repetitions per set.

This pattern of women's training naturally follows from the myth that women should not lift weights. Since you can’t work with heavy weights, you need to do a lot of repetitions with small ones.

But working with large and small weights has different goals.

By performing 1-3 reps per set at 80% of your one-time maximum, for example, you are training absolute strength. By doing high reps with light weights, you increase strength endurance.

To understand exactly how muscles react to a particular load, you need to understand their structure. Muscle fibers are fast and slow.

Slow-twitch fibers (red, oxidative, subtype I) use aerobic metabolism (oxygen) for long-term muscle activity. They are hardy, small in size and hypertrophy poorly. That is, by training with low weights and multiple repetitions, you will not soon achieve a sculpted body. Proof of this is marathon runners, triathletes, cyclists - hardy, wiry and thin.

Fast-twitch muscle fibers (white, glycolytic, subtypes IIa and IIb) work during short-term, high-intensity exercise. They are larger than slow fibers and hypertrophy well.

Exercises with high weights and low repetitions train white muscle fibers, which grow quickly and provide a beautiful figure to powerlifters, weightlifters, and sprinters.

If you want to quickly increase definition, be sure to include short-term intense work in your workout: exercises with high weights and low repetitions.

If you don’t have specific goals, you can diversify your training and increase both strength and strength endurance by alternating loads. For example, in one workout, perform exercises with a large weight and a small number of repetitions, in the second - with an average weight and an increased number of repetitions per set, and in the third - with a small weight and a large number of repetitions.

As you can see, the type of exercise depends not on gender, but on the tasks you are pursuing. In women's training, there is a place for cardio exercises, high-repetition exercises with light weights, and working with weights close to the one-time maximum.

Organize your workouts wisely, take care of the correct technique and carefully increase the working weight, and strength training will give you health, strength and a great figure.

Strength training is anaerobic dynamic exercise using weights and resistance. Recommended for building muscle mass through gradual weight gain. Include sets of exercises and work on simulators. They can be used for weight loss, although there is a risk of pumping up muscles.

Effect on the body

It has been scientifically proven that strength training has the most beneficial effects on the body:

• strengthen the skeletal system;
• reduce the risk of damage;
• keep cholesterol levels under control;
• strengthen the immune system;
• accelerate metabolic processes;
• prevent the formation of subcutaneous fat;
• improve heart function;
• have a positive effect on the functioning of the respiratory system.

But you shouldn’t think that such training is needed only for pumping muscles. They are also important for weight loss. Firstly, they burn a considerable amount of calories, although this is inferior to cardio exercise. Secondly, the started process of fat burning after training persists for almost 24 hours. In this regard, they have a huge advantage over aerobic exercise.

The golden rule that guarantees maximum weight loss states that exercise should begin with anaerobic exercise (20 minutes), after which you can move on to cardio (another 40 minutes). Such combined training is considered the most effective.

What do they include

Strength training, like any exercise, consists of three parts: warm-up, main exercises, cool-down. You cannot ignore any of them, otherwise you can overstretch the muscles and damage them.

What equipment is most often used:

• dumbbells, pumps, body bars, weights and barbells;
• simulators (Smith, Gakk);
• improvised and non-traditional equipment for additional weight (for example, a backpack or chains).

Basic exercises:

• “butterfly” and “reverse butterfly”;
• lunges with a barbell;
• sitting, lying down;
• for legs: straightening, bending, adduction, extension, raising on toes;
• leg press;
• , from the bench, on uneven bars;
• concentrated flexion;
• bending to the side;
• abducting dumbbells to the sides;
• pull-ups;
• pelvic lifts;
• simple, plie, with a barbell on the back;
• straight and oblique twists;
• pullover;
• back extension (hyperextension);
• : flexion, extension, with a barbell, on a Scott bench, with dumbbells, lying down;
• dumbbell row on a bench;
• traction on a high block;
• French press;
• steps with a barbell.

Women who are afraid to work with weights such as weights, barbells, as well as exercise machines, can be advised to adapt adapted directions in sports. Initially, they were aimed exclusively at aerobic exercise, but were later supplemented with strength training. They not only promote weight loss, but also allow you to form a beautiful, sculpted body.

Power yoga

Developed by American yoga trainer Beryl Bender Birch. She suggested using asanas in classes that are primarily aimed not at body flexibility, but at working all muscle groups. She has two complexes - for beginners and more advanced. Both accelerate metabolism and have a fat-burning effect. With moderate loads, they allow you to lose weight intensively.

Asanas for beginners:

1. Sumo wrestler.
2. Warrior.
3. Sage.
4. Six points.
5. Plank.
6. Boat.
7. Grasshopper.

More difficult level:

1. Triangle.
2. Cobra.
3. King of fish.
4. Tree.

Including warm-up and cool-down, classes should last half an hour. Trainings are organized every day, always in the morning, to soak up the positive energy of the sun.

Strength aerobics

The second option for anaerobic exercise for women. The exercises here are performed with weights at an intense rhythm. This version of aerobics provides intense fat burning while maintaining muscle mass, builds it without increasing fat tissue, and allows you to burn a large number of calories in one session. Program options:

• AB-Marathon - back and abdominals.
• ABS - aerobic, anaerobic exercises and stretching.
• ABT - burning fat in the lower body.
• Barbell Workout - with a barbell (equally good for both men and women).
• Body Sculpt - with dumbbells, step platforms, body bars.
• Circuit Training - circular strength training.
• Core Barbell - with barbell, core platform and rubber shock absorbers.
• Core Final Cuts is a core platform.
• Core Medical Ball - on balance boards with a ball.
• Core Training - on balance boards.
• Deadly Force - with a barbell, but at a more intense pace than the previous option.
• Energy Zone - for endurance, all muscle groups.
• Flexible strength - back, stretching.
• Magic Power - for losing weight in the most problematic areas of the body.
• Power Ball - with a ball, the main load is on the spine.
• Upper Body - all muscle groups.

Choose a program that will work on the most problematic parts of your body. For women, strength aerobics is an ideal option. However, be prepared for the fact that you will have to study in groups.

You cannot eat during training, but you can drink a lot of water (as required by the body or every 20 minutes). If your workout involves performing several sets, you can drink a protein shake in between.

Eating after strength training

After strength training, you can eat no earlier than an hour later, or even better - wait 2 hours.

What is allowed:

• 1% kefir, low-fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt;
• vegetable salad with lemon juice or vinegar (without mayonnaise, sour cream, butter and other high-calorie dressings);
• fresh fruits;
• greenery;
• fresh berries;
• fat burning cocktails.

There should be no fat. If you need to have dinner after training, the dishes should be either baked, steamed, or boiled. Portions should be small in size. From sports nutrition, to restore the body and enhance fat burning within an hour, it is recommended to consume BCAAs, a protein shake (features of use and recipes), amino acids or L-glutamine.

1. Diets are contraindicated to avoid exhaustion of the body.
2. BJU ratio: 40/10/50.
3. Six meals a day.
4. Portion size = your fist.
5. Dinner - 4 hours before bedtime.

Sample menu for 2 days

Programs

This program is designed taking into account the intensity of exercise and involves a harmonious combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise. Weight loss in a week will be up to 3 kg.

* NI - low intensity, SI - medium intensity, VI - high intensity

Girls should work out using video programs from famous trainers (they are ranked from easiest to most difficult):

1. Janet Jenkins. Total body pumping (Total Body Circuit).
2. Michelle Dozois. We make the figure slim, strong, sexy (Slim, Strong & Sexy Body Sculpting).
3. Tanya Ante. A whole weight loss system called Shakeology.
4. . No More Trouble Zones.
5. Keith Friedrich. Muscle sculptor (Total Muscle Sculpting).
6. Bob Harper. Exercises for weight loss (Beginner’s Weight Loss Transformation).

A few more program options from the point of view of metabolic and “heavy” training are given in the table below.

Metabolic training (indicated in the table as M) - maximum number of repetitions (15x4) with a light working weight, short rest between sets (no more than 1 minute).

“Heavy” (T) - fewer repetitions (6x2), more working weight, long rest to restore strength between sets (up to 3 minutes).

Complexes of strength exercises

We talk about how to properly combine these types of loads.

For men in the gym

1. Lifting a weight (the weight is selected depending on physical fitness) with one hand. 20 times for each in 1 approach.
2. Front squats. 10 repetitions in 3 sets.
3. Hack squats with a barbell behind your back. 12 repetitions in 4 sets.
4. Pull-ups. Maximum number of repetitions in 4 sets.
5. Pushups. Maximum number of repetitions in 3 sets.
6. Scott's bench: seated barbell curls - biceps. 12 repetitions in 3 sets.
7. Bench push-ups with reverse grip. Maximum number of repetitions in 3 sets.
8. Intense swings of dumbbells to the sides. 20 repetitions in 4 sets.
9. Leg press in the simulator: extension of the lower leg. 50 repetitions for 1 approach.

For women at home

Strength training is an essential part of sports training for weight loss. You can choose only cardio exercises, but there will be no such effect. Know how to combine them correctly to achieve not only a slim, but also a sculpted body.

Our relevant articles will help you create a complex for training men and women - exercises:

Strength training for women, as well as weight training, has many benefits - it affects health, strength and aesthetics.

But for some reason, strength training is ignored by women, and they stop at aerobics or yoga.

Due to completely absurd and ridiculous prejudices, women exclude from their training plan those exercises that help them achieve their fitness goals several times faster. Women's prejudices associated with training in the gym are based on fiction.

Preconceptions about strength training for women

Myth: You can pump up and become masculine

You are not in danger of becoming masculine!One of the popular and erroneous myths among all women is the belief that strength training will make you a real bodybuilder. Yes, this is quite possible, but only if you do it professionally - you train twice a day, take sports supplements and anabolic steroids.

Only a few are capable of this, so you definitely won’t grow huge muscles, don’t worry. Women do not have such hormonal balance, so you can only get slight relief.You need to remember - women cannot “pump up” large muscles without the use of steroids, because only special drugs can provide a high percentage of testosterone, which is related to the male hormone.Thanks to strength training, you will get a beautiful body, as well as excellent physical shape!

Myth: Fat tissue will turn into muscle tissue

Fat tissue will not turn into muscle tissue during strength training!Some women who want to lose weight and get rid of extra pounds do not want to lift weights. They think that lifting dumbbells will convert their fat tissue into muscle tissue and make them too bulky.

This will not happen, because muscles and fat deposits are tissues that consist of different types of cells.Even if you add muscle, you can speed up weight loss by burning calories in the muscles themselves.Now, even while relaxing in front of the TV, your muscles will burn calories!

Myth: Strength training is harmful to women

Strength training is not harmful and does not affect flexibility!Yes it is! Exercising with weights can create a risk of injury, but if done correctly, this will not happen.

On the contrary, exercise will help you prevent injuries in your daily life. If any movement during training causes you pain, most likely you are doing it incorrectly. in this case, consult your trainer.

Do you think that if you do strength training, you will definitely get injured? In fact, many people get injured in everyday life without sports. On the contrary, working out in the gym helps improve your well-being and increases your vitality. With regular training, you will feel great until old age, the main thing is not to overdo it with the load and consult a trainer.

To avoid injury, be sure to warm up before training - run, squat, bend over, this will make your joints more flexible.

Myth: If you stop exercising, muscle won't become fat.

Women are afraid to start working out in the gym because they read in some glossy magazine that the muscles they build will turn into folds of fat in the future.

The problem is that those who do strength training consume more calories, and when they quit this sport, they forget to cut back on their diet. It turns out that they eat quite a lot, but there is no physical activity. Muscles no longer burn as many calories as they used to, causing the person to gain weight and tell others that strength training makes them fat.To get an athletic figure, it is enough to train three times a week.

Some representatives of the fair sex think that in order to achieve the desired results they will have to study for hours in the gym every day, so they make excuses and claim that they do not have that much time. In fact, it is enough for you to go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, the lesson should last no more than 50-60 minutes. Try to do your best in strength training, and these three sessions will be enough for you. Pay attention not only to exercise machines, try to exercise with dumbbells and barbells as often as possible. Thanks to free weights, you can work out every inch of your body. Be sure to warm up your body on cardio equipment if your goal is to burn excess fat.

Myth: A woman's workout is different from a man's.

Even some coaches believe that different training programs should be drawn up for girls and boys, but this is wrong. In fact, if the plan includes equal training of all muscles, it will suit not only men, but also women. Any workout should include working out absolutely all parts of the body, regardless of gender and age. You can often see this picture in the gym - men train their back and chest, while women concentrate only on their legs. Each workout should be carefully scheduled and thought out, so try to group exercises wisely and correctly.

If you really want a proportional figure, you need to use only a comprehensive approach that involves working all muscle groups.And remember, strength training should be as varied as possible!

Experiment with heavy weights

Almost all women who lift weights use small, light weight dumbbells. This weight is useful, but it will not allow you to develop good relief and an attractive body. To get the best results, you need to use a weight that will cause your muscles to fail within a minute and a half (90 seconds). If you need to lose weight as quickly as possible and improve your definition, forget about light weights and replace them with heavier weights.

Strength training for women will not affect your flexibility in any way, just remember to take a few minutes at the end of each session and do flexibility exercises, this will help you prevent injuries from occurring.