Strength Training is for women too!

One thing I noticed about women working out at my local gym is that they don’t lift weights. They only do cardio for 20, 30, and 60 minutes. I asked this lady next to me on the elliptical if she strength trains and she told me “no” because she did not want to bulk up and look like a man. The truth is weight training will not make you look like a bodybuilder. Many women are afraid that strength training or weight training will make you develop large and bulky muscles like those of male and female bodybuilders. Women develop muscle mass in a way that is different from men. Men who engage in weight training develop large muscles because their bodies have the necessary amount of testosterone for building muscle mass. Since you don't have those levels of testosterone, weight training will not give you enormous muscles. Instead, your muscles will get toned and your body will develop a firmer look.

If you’re looking to slim down it takes cardio + strength training to burn calories. If you don't have time to dedicate an hour a day to strength training in addition to your cardio, try giant sets. Giant sets are generally thought to involve four, or more, strength exercises into one arduous set that, if done correctly, will stimulate multiple muscle groups. Pick four or more exercises you want to focus on, do each set to failure and only rest 5-10 seconds between exercises, with 1-2 minutes between giant sets. (For a total of 3 giant sets) Provided enough intensity is applied, a giant sets workout can significantly enhance fat loss while building muscle.

Beware of overtraining. The idea is to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it. Once a muscle has been thoroughly stimulated, more sets and reps will just retard growth. If you've experienced decreased physical performance, fatigue, loss of motivation, loss of appetite, weight loss, elevated resting heart rate or increased amount of minor injuries, you may be overtraining.