But really, people who lift weights will have respect for you. (unless they are total douches) we all start somewhere, and It's very admirable to venture into the unknown, to work for your goals and step out of your comfort zone.
I converted to weights when I realized cardio just wasn't giving me the body I wanted. There's a place for cardio, but it won't give you that 'toned' that girls so often desire. That 'toned' look is due to lifting weights, taring those muscles and letting them grow back. If you want to stick to a low body fat and build muscle, keep cardio to a minimum. HIIT cardio is best for burning fat, and it doesn't involve long bouts of cardio putting strain on your joints and reducing muscle gains. HIIT can actually be beneficial to muscle if paired with adequate nutrition. I would recommend HIIT a maximum of 2 times a week for 15-20 minutes. I rarely do cardio, perhaps once a week I do HIIT.
Here are some HIIT examples (some that I do)
- 5 runs up and down stairs (10 total)
10 burpees
x10
- 1 minute run on treadill/1 minute walk X7
- 2 minute uphill run on treadmill
10 burpees
20 mountain climbers
10 press ups
1 minute fast walk X5
Weight training significantly reduces body fat, a person who lifts is constantly burning calories at a faster rate, and a higher muscle percentage means a lower body fat percentage. SO..double win. So next time you go to the gym..all determined to get some weight training in, DO IT. Don't go around the weights, attempt a few uneasily, fiddle on your phone/ipod give in and then make your way to the cardio machines. Have a full weight session! conquer your fears, it gets better I promise, it's probably the best feeling there is (for me anyway)
But where do you start?
Here's some of the basics. We can split movements in weightlifting in 2 groups.
Push and pull.. They're pretty self explanatory, push means push exercises such as chest press/shoulder press. Pull means pull exercises like rows and pull downs. I also like to add a group of my own..legs. I recently began splitting my days as so: PUSH/LEG DAY/PULL/REST/REPEAT. This was very effective! It's great to work complimentary muscle groups together, so this worked well and gave my muscles time to repair between workouts. So I definitely recommend it.
However, these past few weeks I've been trying my own splits and found them to be a lot more interesting to work with, It's allowed me to really target the muscles groups and I've noticed improvements.
Here's an example of a week of splits:
Day 1: Back and Biceps (Pull and Pull)
Day 2: Lower-Body, Quads Focus, Calves (Lower Body)
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps (Push, Push, and Push)
Day 5: Lower-Body, Hams Focus (Lower Body)
Day 6: Abs (or incorporate abs into another day and eliminate this fifth day)
Day 7: Rest
OR
Day 1: Back, Biceps, and Abs (Pull, pull. and pull)
Day 2: Hams, Quads, and Calves (Lower body)
Day 3: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps (Push, Push, and Push)
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Back, Biceps, and Abs (Pull, pull. and pull)
Day 6: Hams, Quads, and Calves (Lower body)
Day 7: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps (Push, Push, and Push)
Day 8: Rest
Day 9: Repeat
If you're begining, a great way to build up strength is full body splits, so essentially your working your entire body everyday. This is great for beginners as it builds your body up, priming it for future size and strength gains. If you do this, you want to be doing BIG movements like the squat/bench press/deadlifts etc, to engage your whole body. Plus taking 2-3 rest days a week, perhaps 1 day on, 1 day off repeat. You could construct a workout that could be completed 3x a week, say..monday, wednesday, friday and do this for 3 weeks until your ready to progress.
Those are just an idea, but I do recommend mixing up your routines, develop your workouts as you grow, up your weights gradually and you'll definitely see changes as your body adapts. I cannot describe how exciting progressing at the gym is, and I highly recommend weights to those of you who wants to build strength, confidence and get a hot body ;)
As for exercises, do your research. I love bodybuilding.com it's helped me a lot, it gives your examples of exercises, how to do them, which muscle they work, they're even given a rating! make sure you use correct form, if you're unsure ask someone, watch videos, read up about it. The only thing stopping you is yourself.
So before you go straight for the treadmill next time..think about what you REALLY want..and what you need to do. Be good to your body, get fit and healthy. Why can't you be the best one day? someone has to be. GET LIFTING LADIES.
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