Call it just an excuse or a legitimate concern, but many women avoid weight lifting because they think it will give them a man’s body. Most women immediately get images of ultra-masculine female body builders and female wrestlers when the idea of hitting the weights comes to mind- this is not the case at all! First of all, it takes a ton of effort for those women to bulk up and stay that way. The female form naturally 
resists the growth of muscle, which is good if you do not want to get built and bulky, but not so good if you just avoid weight training although.
The real scoop on weight training for women is that it’s incredibly good for both your mind and body. We recently reported that weight training can even sooth symptoms of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and improve memory function- now add that to the physical benefits (think- stay younger looking longer!) and you can’t argue about the good things strength training has to offer women. Not only is weight lifting good for your muscles, building muscles burns more fat round clock than cardio alone. So, what’s the best way for women to thin out and tone up? Read about lifting less and repeating more in the article below.
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Reps Versus Weight
It’s generally stated that in order to tone muscles one must use a lighter weight with higher repetitions (10-14 reps). But in order to have nice toned muscles one will need to build muscle initially. For someone just starting to gym, lower repetitions with heavier weights (i.e. using a weight that is heavy enough for you to complete between 6-10 repetitions) is effective to initially build strength and muscle. Once this has been achieved change to a lighter weight with higher repetitions.
Body Fat
As much as strength training is vital to a well-toned body, you will need to lose excess fat in order to achieve the exact look you want. This can be done through effective cardio work and maintaining a good diet.
Free Weights
Women feel most comfortable on the machines at the gym. However, working with free weights (dumbbells and barbells) allows for more muscles to be recruited, creating better overall tone. Because more muscles are needing to be recruited, your muscles will grow faster as well. Free weights also allow for more compound exercises to be performed. These are exercises involving two or more joint movements therefore causing the body to utilize greater muscle mass. Good compound exercises include: squats, dead-lifts, chest press, and bent-over rows. Good technique with these exercises is vital to attain full potential of the exercise as well as to avoid any injuries.
There are so many exercises that one can do to tone muscles but these three factors are vital in toning no matter what exercises you do.
Lastly, achieving a well-toned body is not easy. If it was then everyone would be walking around with the body of their dreams. Its hard work, but its definitely not impossible. Follow the usual simple rules and you can achieve it!
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Here’s the run down…
Lift less weight but more often- pick a weight you don’t struggle with and push out more reps for a better tone.
Keep your body fat down- do this through cardio programs and healthy meal plans.
Use the free weights- using the free weights has been proven to use more muscle groups during singular exercises as opposed to hoping on a machine. The machines isolate muscles and muscle groups but the free weights allow your body to move more fluidly with the motion.
And most importantly- don’t give up! Results may be slow to show, but the benefits happen almost instantly!
Here’s a warm up to get you in the groove…
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