It always amazes me to see the same women, month after month at my gym ONLY on the treadmill! They say hello to me all the time, while plugging along for hours every week, letting me know that last week they lost 3 pounds! They watch TV, walking fast, or once in a great while, hold on to the railings and run for a minute or two, never having seen the room with free weights, and barbells in it. I come in, do a 10 minute warm up, then hit the weight room. Yes, I am usually the only woman in there, and I don’t mind one bit! I walk in knowing that I am going to kick my metabolism into high gear.I know that I’m going to burn fat AND build muscle, since I already had a plan in mind when I got there. The great thing for me is I will be stronger, and my body will be much more efficient at burning fat, which will translate to leaner…with a higher metabolism, IN LESS TIME, than the girls still on the cardio equipment! I can maximize my fat burning potential by doing circuits, or lifting heavy, but whichever one I choose, weight lifting is the way to go!
Now unless you are doing cardio intervals,you need to listen up! Hire a trainer, buy a guide, plan to strength train the right way. Women have the ability, just like men, to loose body fat quite quickly. As I have stated in previous posts, lifting weights is the way to sculpt, build, burn, and change your flab….to fab! By lifting weights, I mean a weight heavy enough to be too hard to lift after around 8 reps. Something that challenges your strength enough to make you HAVE to focus on the movement. You will not make any change whatsoever in your physique by doing endless bicep curls with 3 lb dumbbells! If you can squat onto a bench with perfect form, start gradually adding weights in the form of dumbbells, and do a free squat, without the bench. Then move to the squat rack, and if your form is perfect, squat with the bar…then each week, add some weight! I’m not talking about 20 reps, I’m talking about somewhere around 6-8 with enough weight that the last 2 reps feel like you couldn’t do another. Always start with a warm-up set that mimics the move you will be doing with a very light weight. Aim for 3-5 working sets, which are the sets immediately following the warm up set. Use movements that work multiple muscle groups at one time as in squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull ups to name a few. Make your plan, and start charting your progress. There is nothing more empowering than adding another plate to the bar, or picking up the next increment of a dumbbell! It feels good to be strong!
Use the tools that I have personally tried myself, and with clients that I train. Oxygen Magazine is a great monthly source for new workouts. To understand how strength training can change your workouts into results, order a copy of The New Rules of Lifting for Women. This is the best book I have ever read on these subjects with explanations, workouts, and pictures. I have made it easy for you, and have done a lot of homework. The authors of these books are the top in their fields. These are the tried and true methods that work. I urge you to change what you have been doing if it is cardio only. After all these years, and all of the diets, are you stronger, and leaner? Is your figure curvy and tight? It never will be by the monotonous walk, or the endless stair climb. Get strong, get fit, burn off that fat once and for all! Make a plan, and walk into the weight room! You will change your body, and your life!!