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Hit Those Weights!

Well, the new year is right around the corner! Now is the time when many of you are thinking about getting back into the gym and starting a fitness routine. Whether it's your first time or your first time in a long while, the gym can be intimidating. How do you know what to do? What's the most effective routine?

So often people, especially women, join a gym mainly for cardio. They do their hour on the elliptical, a few light weight exercises for arms and inner thighs and call it a day. Ladies, this is not gonna cut it. It's a start, for sure-anything that gets you moving is not a bad thing. And if that's all you can do, then do that. But there is something better, and I believe that is strength training.

I think a big part of the reason why women choose to focus on cardio over weights is because, well, it's just easier. I mean, going to the gym and hopping on the treadmill or the elliptical requires no thinking or planning, there's no routine to follow, you don't have to worry about doing something wrong, and you don't have to fight through all the men crowding the free weight section. I mean, it's scary, right?

The thing with weight training is that yes, it does take a little more thought and planning, but it's worth it. If you're new to lifting, I definitely recommend meeting with a trainer to at least show you the correct form on a few exercises and help you out with a structured plan to follow. Having a plan  will be so much better than wandering aimlessly around the gym randomly picking exercises to do.

You may have to do some research in order to ensure that you are doing the most effective exercises in the right way. Here are a few great websites you can check out that offer some great information for free, as well as  programs you can purchase:

http://www.leanandlovelyprogram.com/?hop=nfiajr5906

http://www.niashanks.com/

http://bikinibodyworkouts.com/workouts/

http://www.strongcurves.com/

Still not sure about weight training? Still not sure about this whole "lift heavy" thing? Won't it make you big and bulky? You just want to tone up and lose some fat, so you don't need to lift heavy, right?  Well, here are a few of my favorite articles about women and weight training you can check out before you decide whether or not lifting is for you. Hopefully they'll change your mind about some of your previous conceptions.

http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/why-women-should-lift/
http://www.jcdfitness.com/2013/05/how-to-build-muscle-womens-edition-part-1/
http://jillfit.com/2012/07/26/weight-training-improves-wellbeing/
http://causefitness.com/women-and-weights/
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/4-reasons-women-should-strength-train.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-mcmahan/women-weight-lifting_b_3429709.html

Don't be afraid to try something this year that you've never done. I've found that when women discover the power of lifting, it changes their lives! It's way more than just losing a few pounds for summer or trying to fit into a smaller pair of jeans. But you'll never discover it if you don't try it!

Comments

  1. KristianDecember 23, 2013 at 5:51 PM

    Great post! I look forward to checking out these links! Thanks for sharing.
    Merry Christmas! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 23, 2013 at 6:46 PM

    great post sweetie :) and thanks for all of the links <3 you're the best! love ya

    ReplyDelete

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