The answer is simple: YES!

For starters, let’s list some of the main reasons why lifting weights is beneficial to women. Weight training increases bone density, overall strength, flexibility, metabolism, fat burning potential, balance, self-esteem and confidence, and let’s  not forget to mention it gives an overall toned, slender, and healthy appearance. Wow, what other reasons do you need to pick up those dumbbells?

Too many women think lifting weights will make them look like men. As a personal trainer, I often come into contact with these women. Well, ladies, I have to tell you that it just ain’t possible! This is such an old-school mentality, and with all the scientific research that has been done on this subject it’s time to get the news out there. Unless you have the same high amount of testosterone as a man does YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY! Women do not naturally produce enough testosterone (the male sex hormone) to become man-sized. I know we’ve all seen women who are rather large and have veins bulging out of their thighs and arms. Chances are these women are supplementing with anabolic steroids, which are synthetic testosterone hormones, or other mass-gaining supplements. Couple that with a very strict nutrition regimen and hours in the gym, and you’re looking at one massive woman! These women are looking to compete and they have a purpose and dedication above the general population. Unless this is the plan you have for yourself, you won’t get big. So now that there’s no reason to be afraid of the other half of the gym, let’s get to business!

One of the most important things to remember when weight training is to use a weight that is challenging to you. If you don’t feel like it is heavy enough, and you’re breezing through your workout, you need to increase the weight. You won’t see results, and your metabolism won’t increase, if you aren’t lifting heavy weights. And heavy weights won’t make you big because…… YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TESTOSTERONE! As you get stronger, you will need to increase the weights you are using. But before you can do that, let’s talk about how to lift.

Many women want to lift weights, but just don’t know where to start. Step number one is the terminology. The two most important words in workouts are reps and sets. If you’ve never lifted weights, I recommend starting with 2 sets of 10-12 reps. Sets are the number of times you actually perform an exercise. Reps are the number of times you lift the weights in a given set. For example, if I am to do two sets of biceps curls for 10-12 reps, on the first set I would do 10-12 biceps curls, rest for a minute, then perform another set of 10-12 reps of the same exercise. You want to make sure you use a weight that is challenging to do 10-12 reps. If it is very easy, increase it. You want to be challenged to complete the set of 10-12 reps.

When figuring out what exercises to perform, my recommendation is to split your body up into muscle groups. I usually pick at least two exercises for the larger muscle groups like chest, back, abdominals, and legs. For smaller muscle groups like shoulders, biceps, triceps, and calves, I recommend at least one exercise per group. You can hop online and do a simple search for ‘abdominal exercises’ or ‘biceps exercises’ and come up with a multitude of options. This will also allow you to see how to perform the exercise with correct form, which is important to seeing results. Plan out your workout before you actually get to the gym and keep track of the weights and reps you are performing. This way you can reference it for the next time, and you’ll know if you should be increasing your weights.

With all of this in mind, here’s how a beginning weight training workout might look:

Push-ups

Seated Rows

Squats

Crunches

Shoulder Press

Biceps Curls

Triceps Dips

Walking Lunges

Oblique Crunches

Plank

For each exercise, you will perform two sets of 10-12 reps. When you feel comfortable with two sets, increase to three sets. Always remember to increase your weights as you get stronger. You will hit a plateau and stop seeing results if you don’t increase the weights periodically. Also, make sure you are switching up your exercises so you’re not doing the same thing for a long time. Perform a total body weight training workout two to three times a week.

Have fun!

www.GoalFitnessandNutrition.com

What have YOU got to lose?