When it comes to losing body fat, many women don’t understand the need to incorporate strength training. Strength training, by definition, involves the use of weights and training generally related to bodybuilding, however, this does not mean that a woman will become a competitor among bodybuilders. It’s about moderation. Strength training, used in a healthy way, will simply produce the fitter, toned and more sculpted figure desired by most women.
For a woman strength training is not the same as for a man, the approach is different. One area to highlight this point is the development of shoulder and upper arm strength. Women for the most part do not focus on these areas.
They mostly deal with toning the thighs and buttocks. Unlike a man, they don’t want the look of broad shoulders and a slim waist. It is still vital to do some exercise that includes these muscles. By ignoring these areas, you risk injuring yourself as some areas develop with the risk of weakening others.
Be sure to plan a workout that includes all muscle groups on a daily basis. Surprisingly, most women don’t realize that doing the same exercises every day is inadvisable. The reason for this is that the muscles do not develop during exercise. Muscles break down during exercise and are only rebuilt and strengthened when at rest. In a way, they are regrouping after the attack! So they build themselves up in preparation for the next attack.
The time needed to rebuild varies from a few days to a week, therefore the optimal training plan is to target one muscle group per day you train.
It is not necessary to train every day, on rest days you can simply do cardiovascular exercise.
Below is a weekly training schedule that you can follow:
- Day 1: Focus on thighs, calves, and buttocks.
- Day 2 – Triceps and shoulders.
- Day 3 – rest
- Day 4 – Abdominal muscles and back.
- Day 5 – rest
- Day 6 – Biceps and chest.
- Day 7 rest.
Exercises for each muscle group are easily found online.
Obviously, if you use a gym, you have access to numerous exercise machines.
For home workouts, you need to plan further in advance, and for women, a set of dumbbells is essential when doing strength training. Most women use dumbbells for this as they are easier to store at home. They are great for not only building your arm muscles, but also your shoulders and back. Dumbbells come in many colors and are not expensive to buy.
Finding the time to exercise can initially be a challenge, however the fact is the fitter you are, the more time you save. The fitter you are, the more you can accomplish in the day in a shorter period of time. Most people report improved sleep quality and mood, so they feel more rested even on less sleep. Stick to your exercise plan and you and your body could benefit greatly from strength training for women.