Strength Training For Women – Improve Your Muscle Tone

With all the conflicting information on the internet these days, it can often be hard to understand whether women should have a strength training routine or not.

There are many myths and misconceptions about women and strength training that prevent women from acquiring the body or their dreams or being the best they can be.

This article will debunk some of these myths and provide you with a effective strength routine to get you lean and ripped.

First of all, many women believe that by strength training with weights they will get big and “bulky” like males or female bodybuilders. The simple truth is, women don’t have enough testosterone to get that big! No matter how hard you lift, a women will never be as big as those bodybuilders you see on tv.

This way of thinking usually causes women to lift light weights for many repetitions. Doing this prevents your body from building new muscle and losing fat. In order to build muscle and get that athletic look, you need to tax your muscle and tear muscle fibers.

Keeping the above point in mind, women also need to realize that there is no such thing as “toning”. This term is used, however, to describe the act of losing fat and building muscle at the same time to get a defined, lean look. If you are really serious about strength training, you will remove this word from your vocabulary! Lifting weights builds muscle - it doesn’t tone!

The harder you work your muscles, and the more you decrease your body fat percentage, the more defined you get. Notice how there are no exercises to “tone” - only a combination of a good strength training routine and a proper diet will get you the results you want.

So now that you understand you can lift weights without getting big, and there are no toning exercises, what exercises should you do? Take a look a the sample routine below:

Day 1

Barbell Squats 5 x 12 (5 sets of 12 reps)
Hamstring Curls 3 x 12
Calf Raises 3 x 12
Quad Extensions 3 x 12
Bodyweight Squats 3 x 20

Day 2

Pullups 3 x MAX
Barbell Bench Press 5 x 12
Dumbbell Flys 3 x 10
Lat Pulldown 3 x 12
Dumbbell Row 3 x 12
Back Extensions 3 x 12

Day 3

Bicep Curls 4 x 12
Tricep Extensions 4 x 12
Dumbbell Shoulder Raise 4 x 12
Cable Curls 3 x 10
Dips 3 x 10
Lateral Raises 3 x 10

Notice how this is only a three day strength plan? That is because if you are working out  with enough intensity and lifting heavy enough weights, three days a week is all you need to get good results. The first two days include compound exercises which are designed to work every muscle in your body during the exercise.

These are great exercises for building muscle, and I would encourage you to add more of them if you feel like it. This is a great overall strength routine for women looking to build a strong, lean body. Don’t listen to people who say you need to do cardio for two hours each day - lift! And lift heavy!

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