One common misconception is that women should stick to lifting lightweight dumbbells and leave the heavy lifting to the men. One reason this misconception manages to prevail is that many people still believe a woman will “bulk up” like a man is she lifts the same heavy weights. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason men are able to bulk up is due to the high … [Read more...]
Understanding the Role of Testosterone in Weight Lifting for Women
Testosterone is one of the least understood hormones in women due to the limited studies done as far as its effect in women in general, but especially on women that practice weight lifting. Let’s take a look at what we do know about testosterone and how it affects this group of women. The Bulking Up Myth It is true that testosterone in men is one of the main reasons they … [Read more...]
Understanding Macronutrients to Get the Most Out of Your Strength Training Workouts
Our body’s need the macronutrients protein, carbohydrates and fats. The key is learning at what percentages of each to get the maximum effect from our strength training efforts. To figure this out, we must first decide on these three factors. Fitness Goal Is your goal to lose fat or gain muscle? When first starting out, it is best not to try and do both; that will come … [Read more...]
How Strength Training Can Lead to Healthy Bones
When looking to improve your overall fitness, adding strength training to your workouts can be an effective measure. Strength training not only burns calories more efficiently, increases lean muscles, boosts mood, reduces body fat, and improves sleep, it also improves the health of your bones. With an estimated 8 million women suffering from osteoporosis in the United … [Read more...]
Should Women Take Any Supplements for Weight Lifting?
Men into weight lifting often take various supplements to help increase the size of their muscles. Ironically, many of these same supplements work well for women who lift weights, but not for the same reasons as men. Here are five supplements that you should be taking to get the most benefit from your weight lifting efforts. Whey Protein Powder Because muscles need the … [Read more...]
How Women Can Start Lifting Weights When They’ve Never Done It Before
Before getting to the “how” of lifting weights, let’s first talk about the “why”. If you have never lifted weights before, why would you want to start now? Many women do it for one or more of these reasons: Increase their self-confidence Build (or rebuild) a sexy lean body they have always wanted (or once had) Work toward a fitness goal Reduce stress Lead by … [Read more...]
How to Warm Up Before Lifting Weights
We see it all the time at the gym. Someone will come in, get changed, and start right away trying to lift their max. And they most likely will succeed . . . for now. But what they don’t know is that one day they will come in, do their normal routine and suffer a debilitating injury that can put them out of commission for days, weeks or even forever. Think of your body like … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Combine Cardio With Weight Training for Maximum Fat Loss
Most people tend to focus on burning the maximum amount of calories through cardio training when they are trying to burn off fat. And while cardio, such a running, cycling or walking on a treadmill does burn calories, most would see better results (and quicker) by incorporating strength training into their cardio training. Working in a weight training component into a cardio … [Read more...]
How Strength Training Could Improve Your Daily Life
Over the years, researchers have made compelling arguments on the benefits of weight lifting for people of all ages and gender. Yet, the number of women who do strength training remains quite low. Only one fifth of females do any form of resistance training two or more times a week. Those who exercise regularly mostly concentrate on cardiovascular workouts and spend less time … [Read more...]
How and Why to Use a Foam Roller for Strength Training
Foam rolling or “myofascial release” is a form of self-massage using a foam roller to break up scar tissue and adhesions that may have built up on soft tissue over the years. “Myo” is a prefix meaning muscle while “fascia” is soft fibrous tissue that surrounds muscles, blood vessels and nerves. By breaking up scar tissue and adhesion, not only will muscles react better, but … [Read more...]