Strength Training For Women | A Beginner’s Guide
Lifting Weights
Starting a weightlifting journey is more than worth your time and effort and you’ll definitely thank yourself for it!
It may have been off-putting previously as you’d heard it’ll make you bulky – which isn’t the truth. Differences in hormones between men and women have a large say in that (men have higher natural levels of testosterone than women, which helps to build muscle – and I’m sure you know a lot of men who weight train without gaining as much muscle as they’d like to!)
Some of the female bodybuilders you might have seen images of usually train most days, if not twice a day, have an extremely strict diet, and in some cases supplement heavily in order to achieve a desired look.
Here’s a deal I like to make with any of my female clients who worry about this (and there’s been a LOT!):
“We’ll keep lifting weights until you get too bulky; the minute you don’t like the way you look from it we’ll stop adding extra weight”
SPOILER: In over three years no one has taken me up on this yet!
So now we’ve briefly gone through why weight training will benefit you, let’s move ontohow to start.
First of all, you need to decide how many times you can realistically train every week based on your busy life. That’s consistently fitting it in around your job, kids, family, friends, etc.
A good target is 3-4 times per week!
Weekly Workout Split
The next step is to decide what to include in your workouts on which day.
One very popular way of training is to split the body into muscle groups and train one or two each session e.g. chest and arms, or back and shoulders. However, this will only mean targeting each muscle group around once per week, whereas studies have shown that 2-3 times is much more effective.
So here are two better options for you based on training either 3 or 4 times per week:
3 times per week – 3 x full body workouts
4 times per week – 2 x lower body, 2 x upper body workouts
Now you’ve got an idea of how to set up your workouts, it’s time to decide which exercises to include. Let’s go through the different categories of exercises you need to include in your full body workout, with a few examples, along with an explanation for technique of one exercise from each!
Lower Body
Lower Body Exercises | Hip Hinge
Example exercise: Glute Bridge
Targeting: Glutes (butt muscles), calves and hamstrings
Exercise Technique – begin with just the bar
a) Roll a bar onto your hips – you might want to use a foam pad around the bar, and a mat on the floor for comfort, and position your upper back on the floor.
b) Place your feet flat on the floor with your heels close to your butt. If you feel your hamstrings working in the top position (on the right), bring your feet slightly closer to your bum.
In terms of foot width, start around shoulder-width and adjust from there. Again, due to people being different, some people will feel it better with a wider stance, and some with a narrower one. Trial and error is the best approach here. You may also want to try comparing how it feels with your toes pointing forwards, or out at 45 degrees.
c) From here, tense your abs and squeeze your glutes. Now push as hard as you can through your heels and lift the bar up with your hips until you’re his are fully extended and your shin is around vertical. Make sure you squeeze your glutes as hard as you can at the top, rather than using your lower back and over-arching.
d) Do the reverse to lower the bar back to the ground under control.
Further exercises
✓ Deadlift
✓ Cable Pullthrough
Lower Body Exercises | Knee-Dominant
Example exercise: Squat (Dumbbell = Goblet)
Exercise Technique
a) Hold the dumbbell with your palms facing up (hence the ‘goblet’ part of the name), with your feet around shoulder-width apart and your chest forwards, shoulders back.
b) Keeping a straight back, bend your knees and move your bum back and down, so your weight is through your heels. Aim to get your bum as close to the ground as possible.
If you have a logo on your T-shirt, it should be parallel to the wall not the floor (i.e. keep your chest facing forward).
c) Tense your abs and push back up through your heels to your start position.
Further exercises
✓ Bulgarian/Rear Foot-Elevated Split Squat
✓ Reverse Lunge
✓ Walking Lunge
✓ High Step/Reverse Lunge Combo
Upper Body
Horizontal Pull
Example exercises: 1-Arm Row
Exercise Technique
With any one-sided exercise, such as the 1-Arm Row, use your weaker side first. So if you’re right-handed, use your left hand first. We’ll use a right-handed person as the example here:
a) Place your right knee on a bench, directly below your right hip, and your right hand directly below your right shoulder. Now place your left foot on the floor out away from the bench (see images A & B).
b) Pick up a dumbbell with your left hand and pull your elbow up to the ceiling, keeping it close to your body, instead of ‘flaring’ it out to the side (image B). Squeeze the muscle around your left shoulder blade, and then return the dumbbell back to the starting position (at arm’s length), under control.
Further exercises
✓ Seated Row
✓ Inverted Row
✓ Bent-Over Row
Horizontal Push
Example exercise: Incline Press-Up
Set-Up
Use either steps, a bench, or a bar in a squat rack/Smith’s Machine. The higher the surface the easier the exercise, and the lower the surface the harder it’ll be.
Exercise Technique
a) Line your sternum (breast bone) up with the edge of the surface, place your hands on it around shoulder-width apart, and walk your feet out until your body is in a straight line from your head to heels.
b) Keeping your elbows tucked in towards your body at around 45 degrees (rather than flared out to the side), push through the heels of your hands until your arms are fully extended. Pause briefly at the top and return under control to the start position.
Further exercises
✓ Dumbbell Bench Press
Vertical Pull
Example exercises: Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Exercise Technique
a) Get a solid grip on the bar with your hands outside shoulder width and place your legs under the cushioned support (front image) with your feet flat on the floor.
b) Keeping your body in an upright position pinching your shoulders together, pull the bar towards your sternum. Focus on getting your elbows down towards your hips and squeeze your lats. Return the bar to the starting position with your arms fully extendedunder control.
Further exercises
✓ Band-Assisted Pull-Ups
Vertical Push
Example exercise: Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Exercise Technique
a) Sit on a bench with the back completely upright, supporting your back, and place your feet just outside shoulder-width for stability.
b) Starting as pictured in image A, with a dumbbell in each hand push straight up, directly above your shoulders. Pause briefly at the top and return under control to the start position.
Further exercises
✓ Shoulder Press Machine
✓ Barbell Shoulder Press
Conditioning
Example exercises: Farmer’s Walks
Exercise Technique
a) Pick up a relatively heavy dumbbell in each hand and stand tall (image A).
b) Hold the dumbbells with a tight grip and slightly out from your sides, so you’re not resting them against yourself (this takes some of the strain off your core), and walk. Put the dumbbells down at the end or at any point you feel like you might drop them (for example, if your grip starts to tire).
Further exercises
✓ Battle Ropes
✓ Sled/Prowler Pulls/Pushes
Building Core Strength
Example exercise: RKC Plank
Exercise Technique
a) Get into position on your elbows and balls of your feet (image A). Now squeeze your glutes (this will shorten your abs [abdominals] so they contract harder), and your thighs.
b) Imagine pulling your elbows and toes together and hold for the most intense plank you’ve ever done! This is much more about how hard you squeeze than holding it for a long time – think of it as more of a sprint than a marathon!
TIP) Try not to fall flat on your face when finished!
Further exercises
✓ Pallof Press
✓ Swiss Ball Ab Rollout
Arms
Example exercises:
✓ Dumbbell Hammer Curl
✓ Tricep Pulldown & Tricep Dips
Clothing/Equipment
Based on experience with my female clients:
✓ Non-restrictive gear – you should be able to move freely in them, whatever you’re comfortable in and won’t get too hot wearing it!
Sweat-wicking and stretchy.
Support – high support for high impact cardio and medium support for weightlifting.
✓ Leggings/joggers/shorts
Flexible, comfortable and squat-proof.
✓ Trainers
Comfortable and padded if you’re thinking of doing any high-impact exercise afterwards/before (e.g. running.)
These will protect your hands from callouses and hard skin.
Supplements (optional)
You can achieve success without using supplements, but they can definitely help you with your goals – especially when convenience is high on your priority list.
The one that’ll have the biggest effect on your goals will be whey protein.
Again, many clients worry that they’ll become huge if they have protein – however, like mentioned above, unless you’re taking extreme measures to pack on muscle mass – it won’t happen! Protein powder is simply convenient for pre or post-workout – and any time of day for that matter!
It’s available in a ton of flavours and can be used on it’s own or used to create protein smoothies or protein cakes for a sweet tooth!
Benefits of protein:
✓ Help you feel fuller for longer (so less likely to feel hungry and need to snack)
✓ Improve muscle recovery time.
✓ Reduce soreness/aching.
Read more on supplements for specific goals, e.g. building muscle to tone up!
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