Strength Training Women

A lot of women avoid strength training because they don’t want to become too bulky or muscular and lose their feminine features. But strength training for women is just as important as it is for men and women can do the same exercises as men, tone their bodies, improve their health and never lose their femininity.

Strength training women feel better, move better, and are generally happier than women who choose not to work out.

Many women attempt to change their body’s appearance and improve their health solely through cardio exercises but it’s impossible to accomplish these goals without strength training. Although it is possible to lose weight through repetitive cardio exercise and a low calorie diet, such exercise doesn’t change the overall composition of the body in terms of fat content and muscle mass.

In this way, it’s possible to be thin but still have an unhealthy or unattractive body fat content. Only through strength training is it possible to truly change the body’s composition and overall appearance by toning different muscle groups.

More importantly, repetitive cardio exercises often lead to injuries if cardio isn’t balanced by strength training that strengthens ligaments and joints. Moreover, strength training improves a woman’s health in the long term because it increases bone density.

Click Here To Learn Workouts For Strength Training Women

Two important strength training exercises that women should include in their strength training program are the squat and the lunge. Both exercises are fairly simple but are also very important in any exercise regimen.

- The Squat –

The squat primarily strengthens the thighs, buttocks and hips and also strengthens the bones and ligaments of the entire lower body. To begin the squat, face forward with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a barbell over your shoulders.

From this starting point, keep your back straight as you bend your knees and lower you torso toward the ground being careful not to let your knees bend pass your toes and then return to the starting position. This movement should be performed slowly and with close attention to form as injury can result from doing this exercise incorrectly.

- Lunges –

Start with your hands by your side and your feet shoulder width apart. Then take one step forward with your right leg, bend down until your thigh is parallel with the ground. From there you want to stand back up, and repeat with the left leg. You can do these standing in one spot, or in succession by continuing to move forward across a field or a gym.

The lunge will definitely help to develop muscles in your legs and butt.

As you can see, strength training for women is ultimately no different than it is for men. The same principles are at work and the same exercises are used but women can accomplish vastly different goals from men by performing the exercises with different weights.

The health benefits of strength training for women alone necessitate that women reconsider their fear of strength training and begin a strength training program as soon as possible.

For additional information on strength training read our article Strength Training Tips.