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Womens Strength Training

The best women's strength training programs for female weight training. Mrs. Coach Carvey shows you how strength training exercises for women will benefit you as a runner and as a woman.

Why Womens Strength Training?

**Strength training builds muscle which burns calories**

Muscle is responsible for more than 25% of our calorie use. The more you have the more calories you will burn at rest.

This alone should convince you that womens strength training is a positive addition to your workouts.

Go here to see more strength training benefits

For more woman specific advice on running and weight loss go to my woman running page.

The Best Weight Training Exercise For Womens Strength Training

Ok so if I "Mrs. Coach Carvey" had to choose only one exercise, it would be the lunge. It's the best exercise for building strength and endurance without adding bulk.

The lunge can be done in a variety of ways and is a very safe exercise if performed with good form. If done with poor form your knees will suffer, so please ask a trainer to help you with this one if you are not sure.

If you do attempt to do this one on your own than do it while looking into a mirror. Your working leg (the one you are bending) should be at a 90 degree angle. Your knees should line up with your toes, without extending beyond the toes.

If you were to hang a string from the knee it should go straight down to the toes.

Womens Strength Training At Home

**Progressive strength training builds strong bones**

Womens Strength Training at home has its advantages, as well as some disadvantages.

Some advantages first...

It's free for one. No monthly gym membership is required.The only cost is the equipment, and even that can be minimal to none.

The money that you save from not having a gym membership could be used to hire a trainer to keep you motivated or on track.

You can play your music and have privacy.

You don't have to share the benches and equipment with big sweaty smelly guys!!!

Disadvantages of womens strength training at home...

The tendency to get distracted by house cleaning the telephone, or the kids can be an issue.

Motivation: Some of you may actually need the energy from other people pumping it up to motivate you. Working out at home probably would not work so well for you.

Muscle Is Your Friend!

Even though men and women have the same quality muscle, men typically have more muscle than women due to the hormone testosterone. So if you are a woman you need not worry about getting "too big" from working out with weights. Women don't produce enough of this hormone to make super large muscles. Another factor in gaining size are the fiber types that an individual inherits.

The groom is a natural runner, he has more slow twitch muscle fibers. He can run pretty fast and for a long time. The bride is a natural bodybuilder, she has more fast twitch muscle fibers and develops muscle size easily but doesn't have as much endurance for running.

The bride and groom is Mr. and Mrs. Coach Carvey way back in the 80's (Can you tell by the hair?)

Ok so let's say you have decided to stay home and do your workouts.

First - Schedule them into your weekly routine. Try for at least three times a week. But again if you can only do two than plan for two.

Second map out your routine. Keep it realistic. If you can only dedicate 30 minutes than plan out a 30 minute routine.

If you can do one hour than plan out one hours worth of exercises.

*Note, this does not include your aerobics exercises.

Most of the workout sessions that my clients do are 45 to 60 minutes. Any more is overkill, even for a bodybuilder.

"Less is more" And that is good news!

Sidebar: A lot of people have asked me if I spent 3 or 4 hours a day in the gym preparing for competitions. (back in the day) The answer is no. One hour of intense training with weights and 45 minutes to one hour of cardio 4 times a week.

This is no more time than the average person spends in the gym.

The difference lies in the intensity of the workouts and the amount of weight lifted.

**Womens strength training will not make you bulky if done with lighter weights and higher repetitions**

Here are some ideas for weight training at home with little or no equipment.

Stairs can be used for some leg exercises such as the calf raise and the leg pulls. (a leg pull is basically stepping up two steps and then lowering back down) sort of like a lunge except you are stepping up.

A simple pull up bar can be installed in an open doorway for pullups or hanging ab exercises. If your kids have a jungle gym or monkey bars these can also be used.

The floor can be used in place of a bench for many strength training exercises such as the push up, crunches, chest presses with dumbells and triceps exercises.

A coffee table is useful as a bench for bent over rows and tricep extensions.

A ball and a wall can be used for ball squats.

The wall is great for modified pushups and wall angels.

Rubber bands are great for all kinds of exercises.

Light weights and bars are inexpensive, but if you don't have those than soup cans or other object that have substantial weight can be used in place of them.

You can even use your infant as a weight to press while lying on the floor or lift as in a bent over row. The baby will love it!!!

Hi - I'm Mrs. Coach Carvey. The Coach and I are building this site out of our passion for running and fitness. Browse around and have some fun reading Coach Carvey's fun running advice and check out his jogging cartoons ,tips, running quotes, and more. Oh and don't forget to sign up for The ezine so you will be updated on all of the latest additions to the site. Thanks for visiting...

Womens Strength Training Program

A Womens Strength Training workout for those who have no equipment.

Assuming that you are doing your aerobic exercies regularly, and that you have two to three days to dedicate to weight training...Here is a realistic womens at home strength training program for you to follow.

Do 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise.

warm up and Stretch Start with a light warm up and a light stretch by jogging in place or stepping in place, then reach up and stretch side to side.

Lay on the floor on your back and stretch out a little more.

Core exercise Now you are ready to do some core exercises.

Start with the ab crunch or curl.

Next turn over onto your stomach for some back extensions.

You will have worked your abdominal and lower back muscles.

Pushups From here you can do modified pushups on the floor. If you are not quite ready for these than do wall presses. As you get stronger you will graduate to real pushups.

The pushups will work your chest, arm, and shoulder muscles.

Wall Angels are next. Stand with your back to the wall and try to flatten your body against it. This can be accomplished by doing a pelvic tilt, bending your knees slightly and doing a chin chuck.

Bring your arms up and back to touch the wall (as if you were going to do a shoulder press, and try to bring the arms up over your head while keeping your shoulders and arms pressed against the wall and keeping as much of your back neck and arms in contact with the wall.

*This is a difficult exercise to do but very beneficial to your posture and strengthening the muscles in your upper back and rear shoulders.

Legs Lunges and calf raises. You will need a staircase for the calf raises.

For the lunge you will step back into the lunge versus stepping forward into it.

Start with a standing position, make sure that your pelvis is in the neutral position before doing this or any of the exercises.

Now step back and into a lunge making sure that your knees do not extend beyond your toes on the working leg. Make sure that you do 12 on each side and repeat for both legs two more times for a total of three sets.

For the calf raises stand at the edge of the stair and drop your heels below the height of the step to stretch and then raise yourself until you are on the balls of your feet. Continue for 12 reps.

Womens strength training will not only help you to be a better runner, it will make you feel better, look better, prevent osteoporosis and so much more. Go to my Strength Training Benefits page to see more.

Bookmark this page and come back soon as I will be adding pictures of the lunge and other exercises for you to follow.

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