The Advantages Of Bodybuilding For Women

Women who are new to the practice of bodybuilding can begin by lifting light weights. There are plenty of fitness routines that are basic and effective, such as pushups. The best myth about bodybuilding women is that they get too bulky and start looking like men. However, these women will not acquire the same amount of muscle as men because their testosterone levels are not the same. The practice is used by men and women who want to build strength because they are athletes or fitness devotees.

There are a number of benefits for women who want to sculpt their bodies. The ones who take part in fitness competitions must carry out a range of routine activities. They must exercise regularly, eat well, consume more protein and include supplements in their diets. Women who want to create a custom bodybuilding routine must obtain assistance from trainers who know the female body from the inside out. Common topics that they must know about include women’s problems involving general health, weight, aging and hormones.

The truth is that women who go through overly aggressive routines, which include steroids, will acquire large amounts of muscle. They should refrain from taking the medications and work to include plenty of cardiovascular routines, as well. For optimal success, bodybuilding women must pay close attention to their bodies so that they do not go through minor to extreme injuries. The body is made to deal with pain. It is designed to adjust itself to tolerate pain, but the pain must be tolerable so that it does not easily cause an injury.

Benefits Of Circuit Training For Women

Finding an effective workout that can help to burn calories and be completed quickly for women on a tight schedule can be tricky – but finding the right workout can be as simple as checking out your local gym.

Circuit training for women sessions can help you to sneak in an entire workout in thirty minutes, from cardio to muscle building exercises that can help to strengthen the core, tone muscles and increase the energy levels.
 
Offered through local gyms, circuit training workouts can be finished in as little as thirty minutes. With thirty second to one minute rotations throughout the schedule, women are able to complete the first exercise and move on through the workout. Muscle and cardio exercises are alternated throughout the schedule, ensuring that the calories being burned are maximized.

With the cardio activity mimicking the effects of interval workouts, women can ensure that they are getting the best possible workout in the shortest period of time. With each station designed to work on a different group of muscles and cardio activities, like jogging in place or skipping rope, between each station – the workout is efficient and effective.

Taking care not to rush through each of the stations and complete the muscle building exercises correctly is going to ensure that the workout is effective. Working with the leaders of the circuit training group to ensure that the muscle groups are being worked correctly can help to maximize the effects of the workout and create the lean and toned body that is desired.

Finding Inspiring Workout Songs For Women

Whether using exercise equipment or simply going for a run, few people would argue the importance of including music in a personal workout routine. Music gives the listener something to focus on during repetitive or challenging physical activities, helps improve overall mood, and can provide inspiration and motivation when the right songs are chosen. Finding the right kinds of workout songs for women depends a great deal on the type of workout, individual musical taste, and the woman herself.

Many women feel more comfortable and at ease when working out to music they already know. Old favorites can be a great way to help get the blood pumping and provide a sense of calm and inner peace. These feelings will ultimately translate into a more powerful, dynamic, productive workout.

By the same token, listening to brand-new music during a workout can be overly distracting. It can allow the listener to shift focus entirely to listening to the song and attempting to hear the words, removing energy from the physical activities at hand. This is not true for everyone, but in general, people will enjoy a more beneficial workout if they accompany it with music with which they are already familiar.

Music with an emotional element can be deeply motivating and inspiring. Angry or emotional songs can encourage greater expenditure of energy as a way of releasing the feelings. In this way, a workout can become an emotional and physical catharsis, allowing the listener to complete the workout feeling spiritually refreshed and ready to take on the world.

The Benefits Of Strength Training For Women

Strength training for women has beneficial effects for people of all ages and health statuses. Also called resistance training, training to build strength in the body is not known as bodybuilding. It is just exercise in which weights are used to make muscles, tendons and other parts bigger and stronger. Strength training has plenty of benefits, but the main one is to improve muscle mass.

Many women participate in strength training so that they decrease or remove abdominal fat. The exercise enhances muscles so that more calories are burned. Bodybuilders tend to consume a large amount of food because of this reason. Women have higher percentages of body fat than men do, so they must use these fitness routines regularly. Cardiovascular training increases the metabolism on a short-term basis, but it does not contribute to the calorie burning process.

Circuit training is useful for people who really want to get involved in strength training. This type of training involves doing consecutive exercises without rest. A typical routine involves performing repetitions without resting. After people finish one "circuit," they are permitted to rest for a minute before repeating it. The circuit should be repeated 5 to 20 times, based on the person’s fitness level.

Evidently, strength training for women has a number of benefits. It improves metabolism and lean muscle mass, but it also decreases abdominal fat and lowers osteoporosis risks. Bone density tends to decline for women who experience menopause. Strength training reduces the diminishment of bones because the weight is designed to bear down on the body’s structures. Women of all ages will benefit from the wide range of effects that are brought about by using weights.

The Best Ab Exercises For Women

With bikini season right around the corner, many women are actively seeking to get in shape. When it comes to having the best beach body out, it comes as no surprise that ab exercises are highly sought after. There are many tightening and toning exercises that women can indulge in. From the classic sit-up or crunch to steady cardio, there are a series of workouts that can easily be viewed as the best ab exercises for women.

Believe it or not, it is important for women seeking amazing abs to follow their exercise routine by having a balanced diet. One of the single most amazing ab exercises used by women is none other than Pilates. This workout balances the spirit and completely works out the core. The upper abs, lower abs and obliques benefit the entire upper torso. The mild impact of Pilates also aids in strengthening the abs, back and spine.

Aside from Pilates, the pelvic tilt crunch, leg crunch, leg raise, back extension and nose-to-knee crunch also prove to be great workouts. Running has also been a little known secret of having great abs. Yet another workout is kickboxing, which can be an amazing ab booster and full on cardio workout. Building great abs does not just come with exercise, it is the fusion of exercise, good clean eating and a positive mind that will make strong and solid abs appear on women in little to no time. The first step to creating amazing abs is to make the conscious effort to workout.

Dumbbell Exercises For Women That Firm The Arms

Using a set of light dumbbells is an excellent way to improve the effectiveness of most upper body exercises. By adding a little resistance, you can get results faster than by doing the same exercises without any weights. Five or ten pounds is more than sufficient to perform dumbbell exercises for women.

The arms are the predominant area where dumbbell exercises can make the biggest difference in the muscle tone and appearance of a woman's body. While most women do not want to build huge biceps, they could stand to at least firm them up a little.


An easy to perform exercise that will build and firm the biceps is the alternate bicep curl. You can do this exercise in either the sitting or standing position. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and starting with your arms down by your sides, bring one dumbbell up toward your shoulder. Keep your arm in a straight position and bend at the elbow. Alternate left and right arms and get into a rhythm. It should only take you a minute or two to do a set of 10 repetitions. To increase the intensity of the workout, add more weight.

A problem with many women (and men too) is the saggy skin that develops on the underside of the arm. Your triceps can be firmed-up by taking one dumbbell, holding it between two hands and raisin it high above your head. Slowly bend your arms so the weight move toward your back. Rest a moment and then bring the weight back up to the starting position over your head. You will definitely feel your triceps being worked.

Great Core Exercises For Women

If you frequently feel back pain or struggle to sit up, it is due to a weak core, the center mass of muscles in your torso and back. Core exercises for women assist in growing the strength needed to lift heavy objects and increase blood flow to crucial areas. You do not need heavy dumbbells; there are many workouts that can be done with nothing more than a yoga mat.

Core strength is improved through conditioning, the act of pushing a muscle to its exhaustion limit. Never go further than what your body tells you is its limit, but do push yourself to greater lengths each day.

Abdominal muscles can be improved through curling exercises, similar to sit-ups except done with the legs braced against a wall. This tightens the muscles for greater performance. A bridging conditioning exercise involves lying flat with knees pulled in, using your hips to push up and then back down. You can do this with one leg at a time once you have mastered the initial push. When you are lying on your back, do an abdominal press by lifting both legs until your knees are over your hips; this can also be done one leg at a time.

Segmental rotations will help the back and sides, cutting down on "love handles." Lying on your back, rotate your hips and legs off the ground and around in a circle. Do not go further than is comfortable. Weigh down your lower body and do side dips by pushing your torso down on an incline and then pulling it back up.

A Good Ab Diet For Women

When women begin a fitness training plan, it is just as important that they get proper nutrition and supplements, as their biochemistry is different in key ways from men. While both men and women build muscle mass in the same fashion, women must pay attention to parts of their body put under extra stress by workouts. An ab diet for women will concentrate on eliminating excess fats while boosting the protein count and getting necessary vitamins.

As anyone with an ab workout wants their washboard six-pack to be seen by the public, it is frustrating that the body stores most of its fat in the belly area. The more fat content of your diet you cut out, the slimmer your stomach will look and the more your muscles will stand out. Replace as many high-fat foods like red meat with lean protein. Refrain as much as possible from alcohol, as it is empty calories. Sugar in general should be avoided, especially syrup in soda.

Boost the protein intake as much as possible. A woman needs at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight, which is well above the normal intake. Peanut butter, skim yoghurt, cottage cheese, chicken breasts, and fish are all excellent means of getting enough protein. Whey powders will work as well.
Women need extra calcium for their bone structure when they work their abs, otherwise they run the risk of osteoarthritis. Calcium and iron supplements can help, while drinking more milk and eating more green leafy vegetables also does the trick.

Exercises For Women At Home

There are three basic exercises for women that work well with a cardio routine. Best of all, there is no need to visit the gym or pay a personal trainer. All that is needed is commitment to make exercise a habit three times a week.

Dumbbell Lunge

A straight back and squared shoulders instantly lengthen and slim a woman’s body. This lunge stretches and strengthens the back. Using a 2-5 pound dumbbell increases the effectiveness of the exercise.
Hold the dumbbell in the left hand with palm facing body. Step forward with the right leg and bend the knee, keeping the left leg straight and flattening the back. Rest the right forearm on the right knee. Point the left elbow back and bring the dumbbell up to the armpit while inhaling. Lower hand while exhaling. Repeat ten times. Switch sides and then switch back for another two sets.

Basic Squat 

Squats work the thighs and all the core muscles which are more muscles than any other exercise. Stand straight. Plant feet slightly further apart than the edge of the shoulders with toes turned out.

While inhaling, pull in abs and put weight on the heels. Bend the knees and slowly lower the torso, keeping the back as straight as possible. Straighten knees and raise torso to starting position while exhaling. Do three sets of ten repetitions each.

Crunch 

Lie flat on back with knees lined up with the hips and hands behind the head. Keep aiming the navel for the spine. Pull up the left knee and twist to bring the right elbow to touch it. Then, return to a flat position and repeat with the right knee and left elbow. Do three sets of ten repetitions each. The crunching and twisting complement the other exercises and work wonders on any woman’s body.

3 Tips On Weight Lifting For Women

Strength training plays an important role in any workout routine. Many women avoid training with weights because they fear developing muscles that are unattractive or too large. These fears are unwarranted as the lower testosterone levels in women will normally keep them from developing those really big muscles that are found on the cover of fitness magazines. Here are some tips on weight lifting for women that can help you to begin adding some serious strength training into your fitness routine.

Stick to a 3 Day Schedule

The best way to lift is to practice three days a week while taking a few days off in between workouts. This will allow your body some time to rest. In fact, the resting period is actually when your muscles are receiving the benefits from your workout. If you workout more than 3 days a week, you are likely not allowing your body enough time to recover. If you still want to exercise on your days off, you can walk, jog or ride a bicycle.

Do No Go Too Light

Many women choose to lift small weights while expecting big results. The fact is that you must lift enough weight in order to offer your muscles the proper workout. Exercise machines are great but be certain to experiment with free weights. This type of lifting will offer quicker results and you can also practice at home without having to head to the gym to workout.

Increase the Weight

The best way to benefit from strength training is to increase your weight over time. Being able to lift more will encourage you to keep going. In addition to increasing weight, you can also increase the amount of repetitions that you lift. Start with 8 or 10 reps and then work up to 12 or 15 in order to tone and shape your muscles into the shape that you desire.

History Of Women Bodybuilding

Female bodybuilding is a competitive sport that began in the later portion of the 1970s when women began to sign up for bodybuilding competitions alongside men. Contest regarding women bodybuilding physiques date back into the 1960s, however, with contests such as Miss Americana as well as Miss Physique. Those contests were more like bikini contest whereas modern women bodybuilding is much different.

By 1979, more contest started to appear on the scene and the sport became more popular. Though the early contests were considered bodybuilding events, women would wear high-heeled shoes and they would not pose in the same manner they do today.

The modern era of women in the bodybuilding sport began in 1980 when the first Nationals event for women was held. 1980 was also the first year that Ms. Olympia was held. This contest is the most prestigious for women bodybuilders. Contestants have to send in pictures and resumes in order to be chosen to compete.
As the sport has grown over the years, the level of training for women has also increased. The earliest competitors did not do much weight training, but the sport has evolved towards more muscular appearances.

While the sport picked up steam, it also started gaining mainstream exposure. Competitors caused stirs in the media by showing off their muscles and talking about the sport. There have been many rule changes over the years and women now have to go through things like drug testing to ensure that they are not cheating by using drugs to acquire their physiques.

Best Workout Songs For Women For Various Workouts

Working out can be a chore, but when the person doing the workout has motivation in way of music, the time can go much faster. The following are some of the best workout songs for women for various types of exercise.

• For Running Look for mixes with beats that can help runner go faster such as: "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5 "Here it Goes Again" by Ok Go "Runnin' Down a Dream" by Tom Petty and "Pump it Up" by Elvis Costello
• For Strength Training Look for a music mix that helps take the mind away from the motion of the boy such as: "Beautiful Day" by U2 "Something More" by Sugarland "Set Me Free" by Velvet Revolver and "Jump Around" by House of Pain
• For Yoga or Pilates Look for music that will help master the difficult poses such as: "Sweet Lullaby" by Deep Forest "Thank You for Hearing Me" by Sinead O'Connor "Devotional" by Tabla Beat Science and "Simple Things" by Zero 7
• For Ab Workouts Find songs that help you count the sets of your ab movements. Use two songs for each movement and then switch to a new motion. Good song options are: "Feel the Same" by Anders Parker "My Old Friend" by Deadsy "Cold Blooded Old Times" by Smog and "Blame it On the Tetons by Josh Ritter

Any workout playlist has to be customized not only to the workout, but to the person's individual tastes. Try different mixes until the right playlist is ready to go.