Ladies workout like a guy

A lot of women when we work out are afraid to lift heavy weights because we are going to get bulky.  Well that cannot happen and I'm here to let you in on a secret the guys have the weight room area figured out for the most part.  Ladies we can take a page from their book.  Below I will tell you what we can learn from how a man trains.

1. Women you will NOT get bulky.  

That is the number one fear of my female clients who were never taught how to lift weights or what lifting weights can do for your body.  

Ladies you will NOT look like the above picture contrary to what you believe.  This particular female worked hard for this body and trained to get herself this way it does not come from just lifting 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes.  You have to eat extremely healthy to get this lean and be lifting weights almost daily.  So in a nutshell this is an extremely hard physique for women to get to kudos to those who take the time and dedication to get there, as most will not even come close to that.

2. Lift your upper body ladies.  

Quite a few males lift what we call the beach muscles.  If they take their shirts off they look impressive, the biceps, the chest, abs.  Sometimes they forget the rear muscles groups but we as women will not.  Make sure when you are lifting you don't just lift lower body and work your butt.  Don't forget about the arms.  When women get older they complain about the chicken arms, or waving skin underneath their arms.  Working those triceps helps tone up the backside.  Fun fact the Triceps makes up 70% of the upper arm so work the back of the arm to tone up your arm in general. 

3. Play Games

You will always see some pick up basketball games, football games, soccer or even hockey games in the early mornings or on weekends.  Most of these leagues are adult males.  I know it gets harder for women to be involved in these leagues after kids but tell your hubby to watch the kids for an evening because its your volleyball night.  You get a workout in plus you get to mingle with friends at the same time.  It's a great stress release as well.

4. Be more focused on building muscle than in losing fat

Far to often we are concerned with how much fat am I burning when I'm lifting weights?  I should be doing cardio right now I would be burning so many more calories.  Well actually the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest.  So pumping iron and getting stronger will lead to more overall calorie burn in the long run.  So don't be afraid to get in that weight room with the big boys and show them what you can do!

5. I don't know what to do at the gym besides cardio

Honestly this is not just a women's issue but a men's issue as well.  I just had a conversation today with a guy who is doing the same routine he learned in high school because he doesn't know what else to do.  So if your walking into the gym without a plan you probably will throw around a few weights and call it good.  Ask a trainer for help or even hire a trainer if your completely clueless.  You will just get frustrated if you don't know what your doing and want to quit going to the gym.  The trainers are there to help you tell them what your goals are and ask what are some exercises I should be doing to help me reach those goals.  A good trainer will be able to help you out. 

     

Start your journey today

Now that you have set your goals what is it you want to achieve exactly.  I have set my own goal to do a fitness show of sorts.  That is my abs in the picture above.  So over the next few months I will be starting to train to do my first fitness show!  Exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.  I will update from time to time my progress, challenges and triumphs!  I want to show people anything is possible with a little hard work and determination.   

You need to look at your support system, is yours truly supporting you or taking you down.  If you have people who are negative around you they will only pull you down.  Get rid of them and bring in people who uplift you and inspire you to be a better person.  People judge you by the people you are surrounded by.  So look around are you surrounded by people who can uplift you and help you reach your fitness/life goals of yours?  If not do what you have to do to detoxify your life.  It will only make you stronger and a better person because of it. 

How do you win your gold medal?

What is your gold medal in life?

When you are thinking about your life and what makes you the most proud of what you have done, what is it?  Is it getting married to the love of your life, seeing the birth of your child, maybe winning a championship as a young athlete or an MVP title?  What makes you keep pushing for more?  What drives you to achieve more and want more from yourself?

So when you are thinking of those answers write them down.  You might look back on your life years from now and say boy was I in good shape when I was 17.  What is stopping you from getting back into that kind of shape?  I don't mean to weigh 150 again if your a guy and 125 if your a girl.  But to feel as good as you felt when you were that young.  I personally feel like I am close to being in my best shape of my life now.  I was always an athlete but even athletes now sometimes you let yourself slide and it is a battle to get yourself back on top.  So I worked for it and went for it.

Reaching your goals takes discipline.  Write down your plan what are you going to do this next month to help you reach those goals?  What about the next 6 months, a year from now and 5 years from now? The only people who fail their goals are those who never plan.  Write them down figure out exactly what you want from your life fitness-wise, career-wise and personal life and go for it!  Reach your gold medal moment.

Rag Workout

I love this workout and hate it at the same time.  It is intense but the rewards are wonderful!  You want to do this for timed intervals.  Repeat 2-3 times pending fitness level.  Try and preform the exercise for 30 consecutive seconds or 45 seconds if your more advanced.  If you have lower back issues be very careful if you attempt this workout.

1. Plank- Knee Pull-Ins

A. Put rags on feet and hands on floor in high plank position (as pictured above).  B. Pull knees into chest and than push straight back out behind you.  C. Keep repeating as many times as you can until your time is up.

2. Plank- Mountain Climbers 

A. Put rags on feet again. (Notice this picture does not show the rags) B. Drive knees towards chest alternating legs.  C. Repeat rapidly and as many times as you can in the allotted time. 

3. Plank- In/out leg exercises

A. In high plank position with rags on feet.  B. Take legs straight out to sides and than back into middle.  C. Repeat this motion for the allotted time.

4.  Plank- Obliques 

A. In high plank position with rags on feet.  B. Draw knees into chest and kick back out. C. Kick out legs diagonally to one side. D. Draw legs back into chest and kick out diagonally to opposite side. E. Repeat as many times as you can in the allotted time.