Using the cross trainer, treadmill, stair master and lord knows what else as part of a well rounded exercise regime is absolutely fine. But if you are coming to the gym to walk on a treadmill for 45 minutes…. Cancel your gym membership and go to the park!
Pre-Covid something magical was happening, ladies migrating from the cardio section to the weights room in bigger numbers than ever before. But post-lockdown seems to have seen a decline in the amount of women in the weights room. I can of course only speak for the gyms I frequent in Canterbury but the lack of ladies in the functional and free weights section is disappointing. We want to know why exactly this is? Is it the obnoxious 18 year olds grunting on the bench press putting you off or have you lost a bit of confidence over lockdown? Whatever it is we need to get past this and get back on the gain train ladies!
Benefits of weight lifting for women
The benefits that a resistance training program will have for women are on another level! From the prevention of bone density related issues later in life and restoring your abdominal, lower back and pelvic floor muscle groups post pregnancy to simply looking like an absolute badass squatting a ton of weight; there really are endless benefits.
To name a few, here are some of the key benefits from weight lifting:
Make you stronger
Increase your sex drive
Boost your confidence
Improve your posture
Improve your balance
Give you more energy
Increase your bone density
What weight lifting will not do:
- Make you ‘bulky’ or look like a ‘man’…
Tips for weight lifting beginners
One major obstacle can be lack of direction. It’s easy to jump on a treadmill or cross trainer and hit start, especially if you don’t feel confident in the gym. I know that many of the ladies that I train have been too scared to lift weights for fear of ‘looking stupid’, or not knowing how to do anything other than use a cardio machine.
How to start a weight training program can be a little bit tricky but this is why our group programmes exist. Invest in a consistent and supportive environment with the goal of being able to (with confidence) really understand the direction you are moving in while seeing measurable progress. If however even that sounds a bit daunting, then please do get in touch and we would be happy to arrange some 1-2-1 training to set you on a path to enjoying a well rounded gym program.
The best way to increase confidence is to have a plan prior to going to the gym, so you don’t feel lost and overwhelmed, and end up back on the cross trainer. This is where group programming comes in. A program where you will know exactly what you’re doing in the under expert guidance, or remotely with instructional videos for every exercise. This is the easiest way to get in and out, with no stressing about what you’re going to do.
5 step basic gym session structure
Step 1
Pick a cardio machine, and take it easy for 3 or 4 minutes to increase your heart rate and get warm. Use this time to have a look around from the comfort of the machine and work out where things are that you need so you know exactly where to go next. If the first exercise on your program needs equipment that is in use, have a look ahead and see if you can swap your session around and do a different exercise first.
Step 2
Make sure all your joints and major muscle groups are mobile and warm by working through a series of dynamic stretches and ranges or motion (lunges, thoracic rotations and glute bridges for example). This is called activation.
Step 3
Pick 4 different exercises, using as many muscle groups as possible (squats, chest press, pull-ups and deadlifts for example).
Step 4
Decide how heavy and how many times you will do the exercise. My advice when starting would be to use only bodyweight for the first set and slowly build up the weight over the next 3-4 sets and stick at around 12-16 reps. (But remember, maintaining good form is always more important than putting lots of weight on the bar).
The details of this are best left to a Personal Trainer for beginners.
Step 5
Cool down and stretch.
You see? Simple! Now that you have some basic structure, go and give it a try. I promise you won’t regret it. And as always, if you have any questions please get in touch and we will be happy to address them.