15 Apr Why strength training is important for women

More women than ever make it a priority to exercise regularly, but for many most of their time and effort is centered around cardio workouts.
Activities such as getting on the treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike, or walking or jogging are great ways to burn calories and get an aerobic work out.
Those are all great for you, but for really well-rounded fitness women should also incorporate at least some strength training into their routines.
Just doing cardio workouts is not the best way to build a lean and strong body.
If women mix in the right kind of “strength training,” it can help them not only shed body fat, but accentuate their feminine curves, look better, feel better and of course get stronger.
Here are four strength training tips for women:
1. Perform compound lifts – Do exercises where several muscle groups are being used at once, such as bench press, squat and lat pulldown.
2. Try a variety of lifts – If you’re just getting started into weight training, try out both free weights and machines – such as a functional trainer. Many people use both during a strength training workout.
3. Up your weights – Make sure to gradually up the amount of weight you’re lifting. If you can effortlessly do exercises with little 10-pound dumbbells, or easy reps on a squat machine, then that’s not going to do much good. Make sure to push yourself at least a little bit.
If you can do 10-12 reps easily, then increase the weight the next workout.
4. Don’t worry about getting too big – Some women say they’re afraid of getting huge if they lift weights. It’s difficulty even for men to get really big working out, so fear not ladies – you won’t look like a model for Muscle and Fitness magazine.
Bonus tip – Lift weights at least three times a week. Three workouts a week is really the optimal number as it will give your muscles regular work, but also enough time to recover in between. Once or twice will help you some.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com