Weight Lifting For Woman

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times: You've gotta strength train. Building muscle not only tones your body and boosts your metabolism but also improves your heart, bone and joint health. Yet far too many of us still shy away from the weight room. In fact, only about 20 percent of American women get in the recommended two strength sessions per week, research reveals.

What's holding us back? "Many women are intimidated," says celebrity trainer and Asics strength coach Michelle Lovitt, who has worked with Courteney Cox and Julianne Moore. "They don't want to get injured and are afraid they will look too muscular."

Instead we stick with yoga and barre classes, not realizing that they're less powerful workouts. "These classes are designed more for building muscular endurance—the ability to fire muscles repeatedly before fatiguing—as opposed to muscular strength," explains Michele Olson, PhD, an exercise physiologist at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. To see true strength gains, you need moves that place added resistance (from body weight, dumbbells, bands) on your muscles. It's time to woman up. Once you face your dumbbell fears, you can reap all the body benefits.

Worry #1: You don't know what you're doing 

Unlike with the guys, weight training is not something many of us grew up with. "When I started going to the gym, I avoided the weight room like the plague," says Leah Belisle, 31, of Seattle. "I didn't know which weights to grab, how to use them or which muscle groups to work together."

It's actually wise not to just wing it. Simple things like not knowing how to adjust the seat height or positioning on machines can hamper your progress, preventing you from engaging the correct muscles and potentially leading to injury. So how do you learn the ropes? "Meet with a reputable, certified trainer a few times and have her walk you through the basics," Lovitt says. Many gyms offer a complimentary training session with new memberships.

One good beginner tip: Start by using your body weight as resistance. "Hold off until you can execute the moves properly, then begin adding weight in 5-pound increments," says Curtis Williams, director of the Under Armour Performance Center in New York City. "When the weight feels easy, it's time to increase. Keep in mind that your last two or three reps should be fairly challenging."

Worry #2: You'll bulk up 

Repeat after us: Lifting weights will not turn me into Arnold Schwarzenegger. "One concern I still hear from women is that they're going to gain too much muscle," says Harley Pasternak, the trainer behind Megan Fox, Katy Perry and Rihanna. "But you need three things to add bulk: testosterone (which is why men get bigger muscles), extra calories (if you want to build a bigger house, you need extra wood and concrete) and high-volume training (meaning you target one large muscle group, working it to exhaustion with 20 to 30 sets of exercises a day)." It's a simple biological fact that women don't naturally have the testosterone necessary to build gigantic muscles. In fact, Olson notes that many female bodybuilders look hulklike partly because they take illegal hormones.

So don't use only superlight weights. "To force your muscles to rebuild and repair, which is when growth and toning occur, you need a resistance that fatigues the muscle within about 90 seconds per set," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, fitness research director and professor at Quincy College in Quincy, Mass. Pumping iron like this just twice a week can reduce your overall body fat by 3 percent in 10 weeks. Translation: You'll look leaner, not huge.

Worry #3: Everyone is staring 

You picture yourself walking into the weight room: All the lights go down, a spotlight clicks on and suddenly a roomful of muscleheads are looking critically at you. "This is called social physique anxiety," says Katie A. Rickel, PhD, clinical psychologist at Structure House in Durham, N.C. "The reality, however, is that most people are focused on their own form—not on you." To ease insecurity, it helps to be prepared. "Write your workout down and go to the gym with a plan in place," Williams advises.

Still a Nervous Nelly? Limit the number of eyes on you by avoiding the gym at peak times (usually early morning, late afternoon and evenings), or fine-tune your lifting in a less busy space, like an empty fitness studio. Or just embrace the crowd. "By going to the gym at a similar time each day, you'll begin to see familiar faces and make friends," Rickel says. "This, in time, will help you feel less self-conscious."

#4: You won't burn enough calories 

Few things are more satisfying than hopping on a treadmill, running for a half hour and then seeing, right on the console, that you blasted off 300 calories. Sadly, there's no such read-out when you lift weights. But there is a sneaky perk to strength sessions: It takes a lot of energy (aka calories) to repair those muscles post-workout, which boosts your resting metabolism for a few days afterward.

One study found that women who did as little as 15 minutes of strength training torched about 100 calories more over the day following their workout than they did when they didn't lift. Another plus: As you get stronger, you use your muscles more effectively, which enables you to burn more calories during cardio, Olson says. The final benefit? The more might you have, the better you'll feel. "Everything we do takes a certain amount of strength," Westcott explains. "So as we increase ours, everything else in our lives—lifting the baby, putting groceries in the car—becomes easier."

Related Links:

21 Day Fix - Simple Eating. Simple Fitness. Fast Results.

Make every step toward health count with a Fitbit tracker.

Don't live in gym, just look like you do! 

Transform your body in just 90 days with P90X!

INSANITY - Get a Year's Worth of Results In Just 60 Days!

Body Beast - Go from Regular Joe to JACKED...Ho-Hum to HOTTIE in 90 Days flat!

Beauty Sleep by BikiniBOD™ is a delicious, innovative tea supplement that takes the typical weight loss and detox elixirs found on the market today to a whole new level. Beauty Sleep Tea combines the very best of the leading detoxifying, appetite suppression and beauty ingredients into one mix.

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Original content: www.health.com/health/m/article/0,,20851993,00.html

5 Motivational Quotes By Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is an American mixed martial artist and judoka. She is the first and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has finished all of her opponents by armbar in the first round. Rousey became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008. She is a true champion and fitness inspiration! Here are 5 motivational and humorous quotes from Ronda!

1. One of my mom's best lines is... You're not training to be the best in the world, you're training to be the best in the world on your worst day.

Ronda Rousey

2. Don't doubt, don't stop... The only 2 things that can stop you is to stop working and start doubting.

~Ronda Rousey~

3. Skinny girls look good in clothes, but fit chicks look good naked

~Ronda Rousey~

4. I train to be the best in the world on my worst day

~Ronda Rousey~

5. The kind of hope I'm talking about is the belief that something good will come. That everything you're going through and everything you've gone through will be worth the struggles and frustrations. The kind of hope I'm talking about is a deep belief that the world can be changed, that the impossible is possible.

~Ronda Rousey~

10 Best Exercises to Burn Arm Fat

Many of my followers ask me for the best way to lose that stubborn fat behind the arms. Yes that area that hangs behind your arms and jiggles. Well I have good news for you, this area called the tricep is the largest muscle on your arm and when targeted properly will give you the size and shape you desire for those arms. This workout will help you target all the different muscle fibers. The more you target your arms the better shape you'll achieve. 

First off, it is impossible to “spot reduce”, that is to lose fat from a specific area. When you do exercises that target a specific area, you’re actually targeting the muscles (not fat!) in that area. That means you’re doing step 2, which is increasing the shape and firmness of your arms by toning your arm muscles. That will get you some results, but fighting jiggly arms requires more than just spot exercises!  To get the amazing arms you want and to ditch that flab from the back of your arms, you must also do step 1 (reducing fat). Therefore, be sure to include regular cardio workouts in your training routine, eat a healthy, balanced and nutrient-rich diet, and get at least six to eight hours of sleep to allow your body to repair and recover. 

To get the amazing arms you want and to ditch that flab from the back of your arms, you must also do step 1 (reducing fat). Therefore, be sure to include regular cardio workouts in your training routine, eat a healthy, balanced and nutrient-rich diet, and get at least six to eight hours of sleep to allow your body to repair and recover.

10 Best Exercises to Reduce Arm Fat

The back parts of the arms are called triceps and these are the most affected areas on the arms. They are fat guzzlers, they can get really annoying. You need only a table or chair to tone these. You don’t need to buy extra pairs of clothes for exercising. You can do these in your comfort, at your home. So do try these simple exercises to lose fat fast from your arms.

Weight Lifting (Overhead tricep extentions)

This is a time tested exercise to reduce arm fat and have toned arms. It is also an effective exercise to remove belly fat which strengthens the core. For this exercise, you need to select an item from your home to use as a weight. You can use a 2 liter cold drink bottle or a water bottle for this exercise. If you have a pair of dumbbells at home it works out just fine. The aim is to reach out for something which weighs around one kilo. Avoid using something breakable or valuable. It may fall down and break, so be very careful with your choice.

Hold that item with both your hands and lift it over your head. Your arms should be straight, as this is your starting position. Now lower the weight, by taking it behind your back. You need to reach it as low as you can. Make sure that you don’t hurt yourself. Bring up the weight above your head, again. The slower you move your arms, the more toned your arms will get. It is important to keep your upper arms close to your head and ears. Also try to practice this exercise in front of the mirror if you can, it will help you improve the style. You need to do 3 sets of 20 reps, which means you will move the item 60 items above your head. After every set you can take a rest of one minute. Increasing the weight or time after every week will help you to tone your muscles, effectively.

Chair Dips

This is an effective fat reduce exercise that not only tones the arms, but also the back muscles. For this workout you need to choose a bed or chair, which is a little higher to the ground. Anything that will be stable on the ground is a good choice. A soft cushion sofa may not be the best idea; it will make the toning exercise harder to perform.

The furniture should be at least 2 feet higher than the ground. You should have 3 feet of free space in front of the item, to perform this exercise with ease. Face away from the furniture and place your hands on it. Your arms should be shoulder width apart. Move three to four steps away from the furniture; keep your upper body straight. This is your starting position. Bend your knees to match the furniture. Bend your elbows and move your whole body to the ground, the aim is to touch the floor. Come back into your normal position. You need to do 3 sets of 20 reps, every day. This is undoubtedly one of the best exercises to do to lose weight fast.

Counter Push Ups

The counter push up is an amazing exercise to tone arms that can be done using a table or kitchen counter, as the focus of this exercise is on stability. You need to face the counter with your arms on the edge of it and your feet touching the base of the counter. Move back from the counter until you feel your body leaning forward on tiptoes.

You need to be balanced on your feet and your back should be straight. This is your starting position. Bend your elbows and come down till you touch the counter. Now straighten your elbows and come back to your starting position. This is a complete rep and you need to do 3 sets of 20 reps, every day. This will tone your arms within few weeks.

Push Ups

Push ups are the ultimate ab workouts for 6 pack without equipment. It is the perfect exercise for toned arms and strong core. The normal kind of push ups will help you to strengthen your muscles. It may be a little difficult at first, to gain balance. It is better to practice push-ups by balancing on your hands and knees (not hands and toes)

First start off with knee push-ups and then you can go in for the normal ones. This exercise will strengthen your muscles and tone them to the maximum. Do 3 sets of 10 reps every day, to get the best results. This is a very effective muscle building exercise, do try it out.

Scissors

This exercise can be really fun to perform and will help you lose arm fat extremely fast. It is one of the best cardio workouts to lose weight. This exercise as mentioned in the name resembles a scissors being opened and closed. You need to begin by standing straight and lifting your arms to shoulder height, in front of you.

Stretch your arms to the side and bring them back to your front, the right hand should overlap the left. This resembles an open scissors. You need to stretch them to the side again and bring them back to the front. This time your left arm should overlap your right. This is a complete rep and this exercise needs to be done in 3 sets of 10 reps every day.

One Arm Tricep Dips

The one arm tricep dips in an effective exercise to lose arm fat that primarily focuses on the triceps – the back portion of the arms where most of the fat gets deposited. Being a powerful toning exercise it can be included in the 1200 calorie diet and exercise plan. The best thing about this exercise is that absolutely no equipments are required for doing it. All you will need is some clear space in your room.

Sit on the floor with your legs and feet joined together, knees bent and feet placed flat on the floor. Place your hands on the floor about a foot behind your hips, palms kept shoulder-width apart and fingers pointing towards your back. Now, raise your hips off the floor by straightening your arms. Bend your right elbow to lower your hips as close to the floor as possible, without touching it. Straighten your right arms and bend your left elbow to again lower your hips as close to the floor as possible. Repeat on alternate sides.

Arm Circles

This is yet another classic exercise for arms that is included in most exercise regimes in order to tone and shape the flabby arms. You can do this exercise with or without weights. Being a low impact exercise, it can be done with or without weights. You can hold two 600 ml water bottles in two hands while doing the arm circles.

Stand with your feet placed shoulder width apart and arms extend straight to your sides, raised at shoulder height. Now, do 50 small circles with your hands by rotating them in the forward direction. Then switch to 50 small backward circles. The backward and forward arm movement tones all the muscles of the arms including the triceps, biceps, shoulders and back muscles as well.

Single Arm Lateral Raise

The single arm lateral raise is a power packed arm toning exercise that helps to lose fat fast from the arms and cuts out the jiggle. This exercise is also effective in strengthening the core muscles. Begin in a push-up position with knees and hands placed directly under the shoulders, holding a 600 ml water bottle or any similar weight in the left hand.

Now, raise your torso up till your right hand is completely straight and your left arm is raised parallel to the floor. Keep your abs engaged and torso stable and hold this position for a few moments. Then slowly lower your body to the starting position. Repeat the exercise by switching the weight to the right arm.

Half-Moon Rotation

Exercises to lose arm fat and tone the arm muscles don’t always need to be high intensity and exhaustive. Even medium intensity exercises that involve slow and controlled movements can also tone arm muscles effectively. The half-moon rotation exercise engages the major muscles of the shoulders and arms – the biceps and triceps. Stand whit your feet placed hip width apart and arms raised straight to the sides, raised at shoulder height and the fingers together. Begin by keeping your palms facing towards the floor and then slowly rotate your thumbs towards the back until the palms are facing the ceiling. Slowly rotate the thumb down and forward. Repeat it 30 times at a stretch for best results.

Opposite Arm & Leg Lift

This is an amazing exercise for toned arms that strengthens both the arm and leg muscles and stretches the back. Therefore, it should be included in the ectomorph workout plans for better muscle growth and formation. This exercise is also beneficial for enhancing balance and perfecting the posture.

Get down on all fours with your knees placed directly below your hips and palms placed directly below your shoulders. Now, raise your right arm forward and stretch your left leg backward at the same time. Create a tension in your back by flexing your foot. Hold the position for a few seconds and then come back to the starting position. Repeat the same using your left arm and right leg. Repeat 15 to 20 times on both sides.

Tips to Lose Arm Fat and Promote Weight Loss Naturally

Although nothing can take place of exercise and hard work, but following a few tips can help you cut out the fat that has deposited in the wrong places.

• Count Calories – Set a target of reducing 500 calories every day from your diet which will count up to 3500 calories in one week. That is equal to 2 pounds of weight loss per week.
• Drink Water – Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Cut out the intake of sugary beverages and alcohol.
• Eat Breakfast – Don’t skip the first meal of the day under any circumstances, because it will lead to excessive eating during the latter part of the day.
• Set Smaller Plates – Eating your meals from smaller plates will help you reduce the portions and give you the sensation that you have eaten
• Avoid Unhealthy Snacks – Plan your meals in such a way that you don’t feel like snacking on unhealthy salty and sugary foods.

These are the best exercises to lose arm fat that you can try out at home. They are really effective and need to be practiced on a daily basis. You can try all these exercises to lose arm fat or you can select only one. However to lose arm fat faster, you need to use all these exercises. They are aimed at sculpting your arms, so increasing the count of sets every week is essential. Combining these exercises with foods with amino acids for muscle growth will help in burning the fat faster and help in developing toned arms.  Avoid injuries and catches; enjoy a strengthening and refreshing workout at home. Maintain a good diet and focus on the weight loss. Enjoy the benefits of a healthy and happy body.

Related Links:

21 Day Fix - Simple Eating. Simple Fitness. Fast Results.

Make every step toward health count with a Fitbit tracker.

Don't live in gym, just look like you do! 

Transform your body in just 90 days with P90X!

INSANITY - Get a Year's Worth of Results In Just 60 Days!

Body Beast - Go from Regular Joe to JACKED...Ho-Hum to HOTTIE in 90 Days flat!

Beauty Sleep by BikiniBOD™ is a delicious, innovative tea supplement that takes the typical weight loss and detox elixirs found on the market today to a whole new level. Beauty Sleep Tea combines the very best of the leading detoxifying, appetite suppression and beauty ingredients into one mix.

Air Purifiers for Asthma.

Content source: www.thefitindian.com

What To Do On Your Non-Training Days?

As human beings, we are genetically designed for a routine which consists of a lot of movement. While this fact is completely relevant for those days you hit the gym or do some sort of exercises, most people tend to forget it on days they aren't training.

Why Cheating On Your Diet Is So Easy On Off Days

Not working out on off days leads to the biggest problem faced by individuals who want to stay in shape: binges. Since you’re not training, being fit is the last thing on your mind, which is why slacking off and losing momentum becomes oh-too-easy. With this dilemma kept in mind, I believe it’s essential for me to share a couple of tips on keeping yourself on the track, even on your non-training days.

The Easiest Ways to Stay Focused On a Non-Training Day

First things first: off days are simply all about having a good time and making sure you get a sufficient dose of “fun” to keep yourself motivated. In this regard, the following are a handful of ideas for you to try out in your off days to make sure you don’t go sideways from your fitness targets.

• Going for a run around the neighborhood

• Going rock climbing

• Learning martial arts

• Playing football in the Sunday league

• Playing softball

• Swimming

• Dance classes

• Live Action Role-Playing (LARP!)

A five-minute brainstorming session led me to the above mentioned. If you have some more ideas, don’t forget to share them through your comments!

It’s All About Having Fun!

Anyway, the point is that it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you have a good time. It’s all about getting your heart pumping and remembering that it’s a good day to be alive!

3 Workout Basics For Beginers

Ok there are plenty of styles and methods to achieving fitness goals, but we will focus on three simple guidelines to maximize your success!

1. Warm up before you workout

Research shows that soft tissue injuries are significantly reduced if you warm up for about 5-10 minutes prior to resistance (weight) training. Studies also show that warming up before workouts can significantly decrease heart arrhythmias. 

It is well known that warm muscles can perform better, and neural tissue can react faster at the higher temperatures that are a result of warming up. So get those muscles warmed up so that you increase the effectiveness of your workout and prevent injury. 

2. Breathing 

There are several ways to break when you are working out. One good method is to exhale during the exertion phase of your movement, then inhale during the non exertion phase of your movement. 

3. Dress to stay cool

As your body temperature rises so does the stress placed on your heart muscle. Therefore, it is extremely important to dress as cool as possible during your workouts. Lighter non bulky clothing works well. Dressing to stay cool keeps you comfortable, and allows you to execute your exercise movements without interference.

 Related Links:

21 Day Fix - Simple Eating. Simple Fitness. Fast Results.

Make every step toward health count with a Fitbit tracker.

Don't live in gym, just look like you do! 

Transform your body in just 90 days with P90X!

INSANITY - Get a Year's Worth of Results In Just 60 Days!

Body Beast - Go from Regular Joe to JACKED...Ho-Hum to HOTTIE in 90 Days flat!

Beauty Sleep by BikiniBOD™ is a delicious, innovative tea supplement that takes the typical weight loss and detox elixirs found on the market today to a whole new level. Beauty Sleep Tea combines the very best of the leading detoxifying, appetite suppression and beauty ingredients into one mix.

Air Purifiers for Asthma.