Real Womens fitness tips
strength training
Muscles are a must!
Muscle mass is active tissue. Fat just comes along for a free ride.
The more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn just sitting there!
Having muscles helps keep your weight under control.
Muscle mass allows you to do the things you want to do.
You can get your own dog food off the shelf at the store!
Being strong allows you freedom and independence as you get older.
We all lose muscle mass as we age. You can reverse that by doing strength training.
You’re never too old to get started!
Always check with your doctor before you start any exercise program.
How often should I strength train?
Strength training should be done 2 to 3 non consecutive days per week. Your body needs a rest day in between. That’s when your muscles grow and repair themselves.
The fuel source you use for strength training is different than the fuel source you use for aerobics.
You use glycogen as your main fuel when strength training and fat when doing aerobics.
Glycogen is not as plentiful a fuel source as fat. Fat can keep you going for a very long time. Glycogen keeps you going for a limited time.
Your body needs to restore your supply of glycogen on your rest day.
Your rest day is important!
How long should I strength train?
Keeping your session under an hour is best.
Methods of strength training
In order to gain strength you need to apply resistance to your muscles. You need to make them work!
You can do that several ways.
You can lift weights.
You can use your own body weight to challenge itself.
You can use elastic bands and loops (rings) to add resistance to your actions.
Keep your strength training in proper order!
Using the proper order of exercises is very important when doing strength training.
You need to start with your larger muscles first.
If you start with your smaller muscles they won’t be able to support the extra resistance the larger muscles need to get strong.
The larger a muscle is the more resistance it needs to develop.
I like to start with the butt. Then you can continue down to the upper legs then lower legs or go to the chest and work down to the arms then shoulders.
You can go between the muscle groups from butt to chest then to upper legs then to arms then lower legs to shoulders.
It doesn’t matter as long as you start with the larger muscle groups and continue down according to the size of your muscles.
Save the abs and lower back for last!
Saving your abs and lower back for last is crucial!
Your core body (abs and lower back) support all of your motion.
When you’re doing squats your core body needs to be able to stabilize that motion so you don’t hurt your lower back while doing your squats.
If you tire out your abs and your lower back first they won’t be able to support the other actions... and... ouuch! there goes your lower back.
What’s the proper breathing method?
I’ve been trained to exhale on the effort while doing strength training.
In other words, exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower resistance.
The thought is that your core body is tensing when you exhale and relaxing as your inhale.
Your body is more stable when you exhale therefore your movement will be more stabilized on your exhale and lifting is much harder than lowering.
If you can lift 10 pounds you can lower 20 pounds. You’re fighting gravity coming up and gravity is helping you going down.
So exhale as you lift, inhale as you lower your resistance.
*Take your time lowering your weights too. The count is 2 beats up and 4 beats down for the best results.
Hydrate
Staying hydrated during strength training is important.
Have a glass of water before you start, sip while you workout and then have a couple of glasses of water after you strength train.
We are mostly water!
You loose a lot of water when you exercise. You need to replace it.
Having a light snack before and after your workout is needed too.
You’ll get better muscle development if you do that.
Should I warm up before I strength train?
There are conflicting thoughts on whether you need to warm up before you do strength training.
I’ve taken courses that say “yes” and ones
that say “no”.
Since I always start with the butt and usually squats, I personally don’t warm up. Doing the squats warms me up.
I wait until the end of my strength training workout to stretch too. There are different ideas about that. Visit the stretch
section to find out more about stretching.
Different types of strength training
Free weights
Free weights are a very good way to build strength.
I like them better than machines.
Machines do the stabilization work for your muscles. If you have injuries machines are best way to go. If not, then I believe free weights offer much more than machines.
Your muscles lift, lower and stabilize. Machines get the lift and lower but not the stabilization. Free weights challenge all the movements.
I’m too old to use free weights wrong!
They older you are the harder you need to work at keeping your strength. Use it or lose it!
Sarcopenia is the name for muscle loss. Some people suffer from it at a young age. All of us deal with it as we age.
Losing muscle means losing freedom.
Your balance goes, your ability to lift thing leaves. Simple things like getting off the toilet gets difficult!
There’s a good book out called “Strong Women Stay Young”.
Here’s their website www.strongwomen.com
If you need some encouragement this site will do that.
I’ve created some great strength training dvds for women. You can find them on www.getrealfit.org
“Basic Strength Training” is the best dvd to start out with. You’ll have a good program that works the muscles in the proper order.
You need to get a little weight going too. The light weight lots of repetitions idea just doesn’t work.
You end up stressing your joints from doing too many repetitions.
Staying in the middle range of weight resistance is so important.
Using around 15 pounds for your butt and chest is a good goal. You may not start there but that’s a good goal to reach for.
12 pounds works well for the legs and arms.
The shoulders need lighter weights. 5 to 10 pounds is enough.
The shoulders are the most complicated group of muscles in the human body!
They move in ways other joints don’t and have small muscles doing some big jobs. You need to be careful with them!
“Basic Strength Training” goes over all of that. I actually do the workout with you and talk you through it.
I have a great link to a company that manufactures a space saving,cost saving system of free weights on that site too!
Using you body weight
for resistance
Using your own body weight for resistance is one way to challenge your muscles.
Exercises like push ups, unweighted squats and bench dips are effective at getting your body strong!
I suggest doing 2 to 3 sets of 12 repetitions of these exercises in this order:
squats
lunges
calf lifts
shin lifts (put your feet under a heavy object and lift your toes)
push ups
bench dips
abdominal crunches
abdominal side crunches
pelvic tilts
end with back extensions
It’s a basic work out combination that provides good results.
Elastic bands and rings (loops)
My favorite resistance is elastic bands and rings!
They’re affordable, travel easily, take little room, are easy to get out and put away and they’re easy on your joints!
You can get several types,tubing, flat and cord types. They all work well.
I have a DVD available on my website www.getrealfit.org called “Body Bands and Rings”.
It’s my favorite strength training workout!
When I travel its fantastic! I can strength train anywhere.
I like to use it at home too because it’s to easy to work with. It’s not a big production getting out and putting away the equipment.
We have a link to a company that manufactures some great bands on that site too.
In conclusion
Strength training is a must!
It allows you to continue to enjoy your life.
It makes you independent.
You’re never too old to start.
Include it in your weekly exercise schedule!
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