LADIES!! LIFT SOME WEIGHTS!!!

STRENGTH TRAINING - FEMALE STYLE

Ladies, I'm sure that you've said it to yourself before.  You want to be shapely, defined, and strong.  You want to be able to feel good and look great.  How to do that?  By lifting weights!  Having strength and muscle not only looks and feels great, but it supports and helps to keep your bones strong and your joints healthy.  Strong bones help to combat osteoporosis and strong joints lower your risk of injury while performing everyday activities.  Plus, a nice byproduct of making yourself stronger is looking fab in your fave pair of jeans!

The first point I make to women that I train is to not be afraid of lifting weight that might be a bit heavier than you're used to.  In order to build strength, you need to create an overload in your muscle fibers, so that your body can learn to adapt.  This is how you become stronger.  Most women I meet with tend to think that strength training is going to make them "bulk up".  My answer to this is NO WORRIES!  One of the main proponents of muscle growth is a healthy amount of the male hormone testosterone.  Women do not naturally produce enough to warrant heavy muscle development.   When a female strength trains by lifting heavier weights, what happens is they become stronger and their muscles become more shapely.

Since muscular strength and density is so important for bone health, I always start my clients off on a sound strength training program.   A couple tips to get you started are:

**Train the upper body on one day and the lower on another.  

**Train each body part with no more than a 5 day rest from the last workout.  The strength gained from a single workout lasts for about 5 days before it begins to decline again.  This will ensure that you are constantly making progress in strength gained.   

**Lift a weight that is heavy enough to cause you to only be able to perform 10-12 repetitions with proper form.  This is called the point of fatigue.  If you are able to perform more than 12 reps of a given weight, then it's a good idea to choose a heavier weight.  Conversely, if you are unable to perform at least 10 reps with correct form, then you should choose a lighter weight.   

Another important note is the nutritional importance of protein in strength training.  Muscle is made of proteins, so in order to recover properly and continue gaining strength, it's necessary to eat a healthy amount of protein in your diet.  Eating a protein rich meal every 3-4 hours is sufficient.  An easy way to get extra protein in your diet is by supplementing with one of MetRx's many products.  My favorite is MetRx RTD 40 shake.  It's convenient, a superior protein supplement and tastes amazing!

Follow these guidelines and you'll be on your way to becoming a strong, shapely fierce female!  Best of luck in your strength gaining endeavors!

==========================================================

Fabulous Female Strength Building Workout

Day 1 - UPPER BODY All exercises performed for 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns

Pushups or Dumbbell Chest Presses

Seated Row Machine

Dumbbell or Barbell Shoulder Presses

Dumbbell or Barbell Bicep Curls

Machine Triceps Dips 

Day 2 - LOWER BODY All exercises performed for 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions

Dumbbell or Barbell Squats

Leg Press

Step Ups or Lunges with Dumbbells

Leg Extensions

Leg Curls (seated or lying)

Days 3, 4 - REST

Day 5 - REPEAT CYCLE