Women: Health benefits of lifting weights – Part 4
When the topic of women and weightlifting arises many of us mentally “check-out”. “Weightlifting is so masculine” or “I’ll just get bulkier than I already am if I start lifting weights” are two common misconceptions often associated with weight bearing exercise. In addition to svelte, lean muscles that will look great in that little black dress or new summer bikini, weightlifting actually heralds numerous health benefits for women.
Loss of Fat
We’ve all heard that muscle weighs more than fat. Thus weightlifting may not result in an immediate drop on the scale but faithfully working with weights will soon convert fat deposits into muscle. As one begins to routinely lift weights the body’s metabolism naturally increases. Unlike excess body fat, the newly formed muscle burns fat even when you are at rest. Losing inches, feeling stronger and a speedier metabolism are great trade-offs for hitting the gym!
Increased Bone Strength and Density
Osteoporosis is on the rise and currently affects over 25 million Americans. Due to lower levels of estrogen and decreasing bone density, the majority of these cases are post-menopausal women. The good news is that it’s not too late! Moderate weight lifting 3 to 5 times a week markedly increases bone density, even in elderly individuals. Aching backs and poor posture can be prevented and even corrected if you make a habit of moderate weightlifting.
Heightened Sex Drive
If the previous arguments failed to convince you, perhaps the following tidbit will motivate you to invest in a set of dumbbells. Studies show that inactivity directly correlates with low libido levels. Exercise of any type leads to a heightened release of endorphins, consequently revving up those hibernating sex hormones. Additionally, when you start pumping iron your heart will start pumping increased amounts of blood to those unmentionable areas, essentially making your sex life more enjoyable!
As women we are constantly striving to please those that depend on us. Weightlifting is an excellent way for women of all ages to relieve stress and the health benefits are undeniable. Take a little time for yourself and commit to making your health a priority today!
Women: Health benefits of lifting weights – Part 8
We’ve dispensed with the notion that pumping iron is the pass time of mythically muscle bound men who, in our minds, populate those dreary gyms of old. No, while lifting weights may be manly for some, it turns out ladies like it too! And they should. It’s not only good for women to strength train and build muscle, it’s essential to longevity and overall health.
Enough research has been done that we now embrace as conventional wisdom that weight bearing exercise, like lifting weights, improves a woman’s chances of skirting some serious health concerns. Lifting weights helps increase bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Ligaments and tendons are strengthened, and flexibility is improved through weight lifting, reducing a woman’s risk of injuries from vigorous activity. And of course, a woman’s muscle mass increases when she regularly engages in a strength training routine that includes lifting weights.
It’s the idea of that increased muscle mass, though, that sometimes dissuades women from starting a weight lifting program – most women don’t want to bulk up. But for the vast majority of women, bulking up is not a risk posed by lifting weights. Hormonally, a woman’s body is not programmed to develop massive muscles. Instead, for a woman, lifting weights produces the enviably sleek, defined and toned bodies that we see in magazines and on television.
However, looking good isn’t the most important reason to aspire to a more well muscled body. More muscle keeps a woman young. As it turns out, the metabolic slow-down that we have come to associate with age, has less to do with passing years, and more to do with inactivity and a decrease in muscle mass.
Muscle tissue burns calories at a higher rate than other body tissues, like fat. This means that lifting weights can give you a lot of control over your metabolism, so extra pounds don’t necessarily arrive with each passing birthday. In fact, as a woman ages, every body system that is affected by metabolism functions better if she maintains good muscle mass.
Getting started lifting weights is not actually physically difficult; often the biggest hurdle is mental. The idea of joining a gym and lifting weights in front of other people is daunting for many women. Also, getting motivated and staying motivated isn’t easy. The way to get around both these obstacles is to start your weight lifting program at home, and to choose a few simple weight lifting exercises that produce quick results.
Women: Health benefits of lifting weights – Part 26
Weight training can often seem intimidating for most women. Beefy-necked, Arnold impersonators grunting in front of wall mirrors at the gym come to mind. The truth of the matter is, however, weight training should be an integral part of anyone’s fitness routine, especially woman. Aerobic exercises while important are not always sufficient to maximize your health benefits. Weight training will help you to look your best as it tones and sculpts your body. Building muscle can help you slim down faster and stay slim as muscle burns fat in the body. Weight training can also help stave off or reduce the effects of osteoporosis. Here are a few simple exercises to get you started:
Bench Press: Lying flat on your back on the floor or on a weight bench hold a pair of dumbbells or a barbell above your shoulders with your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. Extend your arms toward the ceiling, careful not to lock your elbows at the top. Lower weights until your elbows are again at a 90 degree angle and repeat.
Bicep curl: Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair or weight bench. Holding a dumbbell in each hand sit with your elbows close to your sides and your palms facing up. Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders while keeping your elbows tight at your sides. Lower dumbbells and repeat.
Lateral Raise: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Start with your arms straight by your sides. Keeping your elbows straight raise the dumbbells to the height of your shoulder. Lower weights and repeat.
Triceps Kickbacks: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Lean forward slightly from your waist until your back is parallel with the floor. Bring your arms to your side with your elbow bent at 90 degrees. Extend your arms back with the palm facing the ceiling. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Squats: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, bring a pair of dumbbells or a barbell and rest them/it on your shoulders, holding the weights steady with your hands. Bend your knees as if you are going to be sitting on a chair. Be careful to keep your knees parallel with your toes. Come back to a standing position and repeat
Standing Calf Raise: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your arms close to your sides, raise up onto your toes. Lower back down to the starting position and repeat.
As you begin to incorporate weight training into your fitness routine, you will notice the effects. Both in how you feel, and how you look in the mirror!
Women: Health benefits of lifting weights – Part 30
Starting a excerise program can be a wise choice whatever the reasons might be and has numerous benifits for the woman’s health today. Strength training options helps lose weight,helps your body to be strong.Checking with your doctor before starting any excercise program is advisable especially if you have a medical condition, injuries,or illnesses.
Getting started~
First of all, let’s talk and explain some things about the human body.There are three main body types.Endomorph,ectomorph,and mesomorph.Each person has their own body type.
1~ ENOMORPH- is a person that has a body type that is considered to be carring around too much fat and tends to have trouble losing weight.
2~ECTOMORPH- is a person that has a body type that does not have enough muscle and fat and has a tough time building muscles or gaining weight.
3~ Mesmorph- is a body type with well-formed body and can lose or gain weight fairly easy.
Understanding your body weight or type is real important because you can set the right program or goals to be accomplished that is right for you.Maybe considering hiring a trainer if you need info to get you started.
Understand the lingo!
Getting started you might hear words like “reps and sets”.What is this? These are the basic words that will be used in your training.For example, doing one pull=1rep.SO, doing consecutive reps without rest forms a set.
Ten reps of pull-ups=”one set”
Eating healthy~
While getting started and all through your training, eat healthy to help achieve your goals.Eating protein, carbohydrates and esstential fatty acids will keep energy levels.Limit junk foods such as sugar, alcohol, and fast foods.
Get plenty of rest~
Muscles repair themselves and grow when you rest.
Why would I want to do this exercise program?
This is good programs for everyone even cariovascular patients. Working muscles as well as your heart and lungs can improve your health.Aeorbic excerise may burn a few hundred extra calories but for every pound of muscle you gain your body burns 50 extra calories every day of the week. Don’t overdo.
Research has shown that regular training can increase basal metabolic rates up to 15%.Strong muscles after aging reduces the risk of injury.Ligaments and muscles are much more capable of withstanding stress and improves the strength to resist back pain.
This program helps with preventing ostroporosis,resting metabolism, blood pressure, body fat, that linkes to diabetes, heart disease,
Women: Health benefits of lifting weights – Part 20
In the past, weight lifting was something that was thought of as being a strictly masculine form of exercise. The very idea of it instantly conjured up images of bulging biceps and Conan the Barbarian, but the truth is that weights aren’t just for men anymore. Over the past 20 years, more and more women have been adding weight training to their exercise routine and living healthier, more active lives as a result. Women don’t tend to develop large muscles from weight lifting, due to the fact that they produce far less testosterone than men do, but there are many other benefits associated with even basic weight exercises that make them an essential part of the health-conscious woman’s fitness routine.
INCREASE AND MAINTAIN STRENGTH
Weight training not only strengthens muscle tissue, but tendons and connective tissue as well. It also encourages bones to become stronger, thicker, and denser. Stronger tendons and muscles are far more resistant to common injuries and a stronger skeleton means bones are less prone to breakage and deterioration. Working with weights regularly also eventually results in benefits such as increased flexibility, better balance, and more energy.
HELP MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT
The more you work with weights, the more muscle tissue your body will develop. Muscle tissue requires more caloric energy than fat tissue does, so the more muscle you build, the more calories you burn even when you’re not actually exercising. Every extra pound of muscle you develop adds up to approximately 50 extra calories burned each day, helping you stay slim, trim, and strong so that you can feel and look your best.
HELP PREVENT DISEASE
Since weight training helps build bone density, it helps a woman guard against the onset of osteoporosis – especially after menopause when her level of estrogen production decreases. Since weight training also helps prevent obesity, a woman lowers her risk of developing breast cancer, diabetes, and other serious conditions for which obesity is a major risk factor.
You can get started by adding a few simple weight lifting exercises to your routine at first. If you have a gym membership, they can be done with the help of some of the equipment or with the help of a trainer, but these exercises can also be done at home with dumbbells. Don’t overdo things at first. The idea is to do enough reps so that the muscle begins to feel fatigued. You can increase the weight of your dumbbells and the number of reps as your strength increases.
CHEST PRESS
Lie flat on the floor or exercise bench, making sure the soles of your feet are flat against the surface. Next position your arms so that the dumbbells are at your shoulders. Your palms should be facing forward, and your elbows should be forward of the shoulder line at a 45 degree angle. Press dumbbells upward, using a smooth, fluid movement.
ARM CURL
Begin by holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight down. Your palms should be facing inward toward your body, and you should be standing with your feet slightly apart. Bend elbows to bring the dumbbells up toward the shoulder, rotating your arm as you lift so that palms face the ceiling. This can be done either by alternating arms or by doing the exercise with both arms at the same time.
OVERHEAD PRESS
Stand with feet slightly apart and hold dumbbells at your upper chest with your palms facing down toward the floor. Lift the dumbbells over your head, extending your arms fully, but taking care not to lock your elbows suddenly. Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position and repeat.
