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2003/01/14, 12:57 PM
This is a lil' something I put together for my home board, I thought we may have some ladies here that could benefit from it as well.
*Bear w/ me...I'm very long winded.*
Whether you've been working out for several months or many years, you may reach a point in your training in which you seem to have stopped making progress. You may have noticed that as your training progressed your goals changed. This is very common in women who train on a regular basis. You are no longer satisfied with just looking like you're in "good shape.” Even if you have no plans to compete in fitness or bodybuilding, you want to look and feel strong. Often when training progress stalls, many women quit or begin overtraining. Here are some ways to help jump start your training............
1~ Cut the chit-chat
Let's face it ladies. We enjoy talking. We love catching up on the "latest" and dishing good dirt. More often than not, this slows down our progress in the gym. The gym is for working our bodies and not our mouths. We should use what little precious time we have in the gym on our training. You need to stay focused. Avoid distracting eye contact and keep "game face" to show that you are serious about your training and cannot be disturbed with chit-chat.
2~ Check your form
Many times I have seen this classic mistake in the gym. Trainers often sacrifice form to make the lift "easier.” Muscle development depends heavily on working the muscle through its full range of motion. When lifting, find a mirror and check your form. Do you swing your hips forward while performing bicep curls? Are you relying on momentum while doing lat pull-downs or seated cable rows? Do your hips rise while performing bench presses. This type of "bad form" not only cost you full muscular contraction, but also opens you to injuries. If you are unsure of the proper form of the exercises that you are performing, ask a certified trainer, boyfriend, or anyone who is experienced in training to demonstrate them for you. Most gyms have a reliable trainer available who will answer simple training questions at no cost.
3~ Have a plan... but be flexible
Many women enter the gym without a clue of what they will be doing that day. This leads to wasted time and a unorganized training. Plan your workout for the week or month. You may want to perform back and biceps on Monday then legs on Tuesday. Wednesday you may not plan to lift weights at all but do cardio and stretching instead. Plan the exercises that you will be performing that day. On Leg Day you may want to start with squats then go to lunges. What if all the free squat and smith machine racks are occupied? If the leg press is open, you may want to substitute this exercise rather than waste time. In other words, have a master plan but have a contingency plan as well.
4~ Train the "old fashion" way too
There are many fancy machines in the gym that isolate specific muscles, but in order to build a perfect physique, you must perform compound, "old fashion" exercises. Female lifters tend to ignore them. These exercises are bench press (done with barbell or dumbbells), pull ups, bent over rows, squats, dips, dead lifts, and shoulder press. Most other exercises are supportive to these basic multi-joint exercises. These exercises are difficult to perform and may require help to perform correctly. Most national-level bodybuilding and fitness competitors will tell you that they did not build the foundation of good biceps by just doing curls. The best way to elevate the level of your training is by building your "core" with the basics.
5~ Get a spotter or partner
A spotter can be a valuable tool in improving anyone’s weight-training program. A spotter could take the form of a personal trainer, who can not only keep you safe from injury, but also provide advice. A training partner that you can trust can fit the bill. Spotting is as much an art as performing the exercise. You must advise the spotter how you would like to be assisted. One valuable advantage of the spotter is to allow you to have the confidence to lift heavy with good form.
6~ Mix it up
Try changing the training split and the order of your exercises. For example..... if you have been performing back and bicep exercises together, you may want to perform a back and triceps exercise split. If your arms are not getting optimal stimulation when you train them with a larger body part, try doing back and chest together and arms on a separate day. Don't neglect abs and calves. Often these body parts are kind-of an after thought you just squeez'em in after a long work out and you end up not training those parts enough. Once in a while dedicate a day to these areas or place them first in your routine.
7~Keep a journal
Write it all down. Keep a record of the types of exercises you perform, how many sets and reps you complete, as well as the weight used. You should include cardio sessions and stretching exercises. Record what you eat or any supplements you use. You may find certain patterns in your training. For example.... you may find that you bench-pressed best when your calorie intake is higher. Or you may find that your back exercises are not as good as when you perform bicep exercises the day before. Recording your workouts help you better your training as well as keep up w/ your progress.
8~ DON'T overtrain
Muscular development occurs outside of the gym. The muscle’s reaction to heavy lifting is to hypertrophy, (or become larger and more efficient at doing work.)
I have seen women perform heavy leg exercises three days a week in the belief that more is better. This type of overtraining will actually send your progress in reverse. Also, performing set after set is counter-productive. Studies have shown that 2–4 sets of an exercise for large body parts and 2–3 sets for small body parts is optimal for muscular development and strength. Don’t hesitate to take a week off from the gym if you become extremely fatigue. Whenever possible, a good eight hours of sleep is just the ticket for refueling your energy.
9~ Up the weight girlsthis is a biggie!
Women, more often than men, make the mistake of not lifting heavy enough. If I hear, "I don't want to get big," one more time, I think I'm going to explode. (not pointing you out Candy, this is something I hear all the time.
Anyway....when a woman says this to me, I typically reply, "fat chance.” Let's get this straight ladies. It is virtually impossible to get big by lifting heavy unless you have one-in-a-million genetics or are using anabolic substances. The very large muscles that men develop are due to testosterone, a hormone that we generally have very little of. The body does a great job of adapting to heavier and heavier loads. In order to develop a strong, muscular physique, heavy weights must be applied. This means that if you have been performing 15–20 reps on an exercise, it is time to increase the weight. The general rule is that in order to increase endurance, your reps should be 12–15. To improve muscular development, a rep scheme of 8–12 reps is ideal. In order to improve muscular strength your reps could be as low as 4-8 per set.
This means that when you get to the last rep, it would be nearly impossible to perform another. If you plan on employing a low rep lifting cycle, you may need a spotter on some exercises.
10~ Diet, Diet, Diet! another biggie!
You can not expect full muscular development, strength, and endurance with a poor diet. Women who train often (that is three days a week or more) require more protein than nonactive women. Studies have shown us that women require 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound body weight daily in order to maintain a balance needed for optimal training. Anabolic substance users may utilize up to 2 grams of protein per pound body weight. Basically, if your goal is to put on some size, a calorie-poor diet may impede your progress. Figure up your present caloric intake. Write it down and be honest. (you'll only cheat yourself if not)
Very lean women who want and need to put on size will need to add 200–300 calories a day. Those who are overweight (more than 28% body fat) or those who want that "ripped" appearance may want to eat 200––300 fewer calories a day. A plan of 5–6 small, balanced meals per day is much better than the "traditional" three large meal concept. Also, alcohol use should be kept to a minimum as it will hinder your training.
11~ Supplements
Especially being women, we need our supplements. I'm not just talking creatine, glutamine, fat burners, or even anabolic substances but it is very important that you take a multi-vitamin (preferably one that is desigined for women)w/ calcuim, also vitamin E is important for cardiovascular health by protecting LDL cholesterol from oxidation, which may cause cellular damage. It also can enhance the immune function. There are so many different types of supplements and vitamins that are beneficial to your progress. Do your homework and find what's right for you. Keep in mind....everyone's different, what works for me, may not for you.
Sorry for such a long post but these are just some things I thought might help out.
~Lisa~
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