Get Fast Results by Lifting Weights for Women

Training with weights is one of the best things a woman can do for her body. Weight training helps you manage your weight, creates a lean frame, reduces disease risk and increases stamina, independence and daily function. You may be eager to see results fast, but the numerous benefits of weight training take time to appear. Your fitness experience, size and age all affect how soon you'll see results.

Upper Limits
The upper limit for muscle gain for women is about 2 1/2 pounds per month, according to Lou Schuler, author of "The New Rules of Lifting for Women." This rate of growth is particularly aggressive and assumes your training and eating routines are top notch and consistent. Most women will not achieve this level of muscle growth, due to lifestyle and genetics. Realistically, after three to four months of consistent resistance training, you can expect to increase your strength by 20 to 40 percent.

Body Type and Age
Your body type determines how soon you'll see results from weight training. For example, mesomorphs have a naturally muscular body, which may put on muscle easily. Endomorphs, who tend to be more curvy, and willowy ectomorphs will build muscle more slowly -- even when following similar training regimens as mesomorphs. Older women can still build muscle and see changes in their bodies, but it may take longer than it would if they were younger. As you age, you produce less estrogen, which is converted to testosterone -- a key hormone in muscle growth. Body fat levels also tend to be higher for older women. Higher levels of body fat make muscles harder to see, so you might be physically feeling stronger, but visual changes may take longer to notice. To reduce body fat, you have to couple your weight training with a diet that promotes weight loss with foods such as lean proteins, leafy greens and whole grains.

Fitness Level
If you are brand new to training, you'll likely see results such as increased strength and enhanced muscle definition in the first couple of months. You'll experience diminishing returns, however, as you strength train for longer. Visible improvements may naturally taper off after a few weeks. You are still making changes and improvements in your body, but because you are at a higher level of fitness, these changes aren't as dramatic or quick.

Weight Loss
If you are hoping to lose weight by strength training, you'll have to pair your workouts with a low-calorie, portion-controlled diet. Although increasing the amount of muscle on your body does raise your resting metabolism somewhat, it will not help you lose weight unless you also trim your calorie intake to create a daily calorie deficit. Resistance training doesn't provide a huge calorie burn either, so you'll need to add some cardiovascular exercise -- such as running or kickboxing -- to help create a bigger calorie deficit. A 500-calorie deficit per day yields a 1-pound per week weight loss. Adding muscle with strength training helps you achieve this rate of loss and keep off the weight for the long term.

Strategy
You won't see results from weight training if you are inconsistent or fail to lift heavy weights. Aim to use weights that weigh more than 70 percent of the amount you can lift for a one-repetition maximum. Go for at least one set of eight to 10 repetitions of an exercise for every major muscle group. As you feel stronger, add an additional set or two -- allowing for 30 to 60 seconds of rest between sets. Once you can easily do 12 repetitions of an exercise with a particular weight, increase the weight by 5 to 10 percent so you continue to see results. Resistance train a minimum of three times per week and leave at least 48 hours between training sessions for specific muscle groups to enable them to repair. If you do not allow for rest, your results will be slow coming.

Read more »

Correct Moves of Kettlebell Swings

The inspiration for the modern kettlebell came from the giri, a triangular shaped weight used to measure foodstuffs. On top of the kettlebell sits a handle that changes the way the weight affects the weight's balance in your hands, especially when you perform the kettlebell swing. This exercise requires proper form; it's best to receive instruction from a certified kettlebell trainer to reduce your chances of being injured while performing the kettlebell swing.

Setup
Correctly setting your body before you do kettlebell swings ensures you target the right muscles while reducing chances of an injury. Place the kettlebell on the ground, with the handle pointing up. Stand facing the kettlebell with your feet shoulder-width apart and the toes of both feet sitting 2 feet behind the bell. Bend over and hold the kettlebell handle with both hands while keeping your knees slightly bent, behind your toes and with your back parallel to the floor. Your body will be in a straight line from your tailbone to your head.

Movement
Before swinging the kettlebell, tilt its handle toward you. Swing the kettlebell backward through your legs until your forearms touch the top of your thighs. During this portion of the movement, stay in your starting position. This means a flat back and slightly bent knees that stay behind your toes. Stand up straight, while contracting your core and glute muscles, as you swing the kettlebell up to or slightly above eye level. Keep your arms straight throughout the movement and your shoulders in line with your body. This stabilizes the weight while protecting your shoulder and back from injury.

Muscles Worked
Different muscles work through each portion of the kettlebell swing. Your latissimus dorsi and hamstring muscles start the process when you swing the weight from the ground and through your legs. As the weight moves upward, you engage your core muscles including the rectus abdominis to stabilize your body. When you reach the top of the movement, squeeze your glute muscles together. Each muscle continues to work with each repetition you perform.

Variations
One slight variation changes the kettlebell swing from a bilateral to a unilateral exercise. The starting position and movement remain unchanged, but your grip on the kettlebell changes from a two-handed to a single-handed grip. Lower the weight of your kettlebell to the floor when done exercising, and remember to maintain your form to avoid injury.

Read more »

Best 5 x 5 Weightlifting Workouts

Weight training develops muscular strength in a targeted way, but unless you carefully construct your training plan, you’ll quickly encounter a performance plateau that stalls your progress. One of the most effective ways of constructing your strength-training program is to use a dynamic set structure that keeps your muscles on their toes. One of the most effective set structures for competitive athletes and powerlifters is the 5x5 system, notes strength training expert Mike Mahler. The best 5x5 workouts focus on lifting a large amount of weight during compound exercises through a limited number of reps, helping you build functional strength and power.

5x5 Set
A 5x5 set relies on heavy weight lifted as part of compound exercises to break down muscle tissue quickly. A 5x5 set involves doing five repetitions of an exercise per set, for a total of five sets. For advanced training, it helps to establish your five-rep maximum (5-RM) weight capacity for a particular exercise, and you begin each set between 75 and 85 percent of that max, depending on the specific program. The 5x5 program involves three workouts per week, and the best programs take advantage of periodization to establish an effective strength-building cycle over the course of multiple weeks.

Exercises
The best 5x5 workouts focus on exercises that target medium and large muscle groups, such as the pectorals, the latissimus dorsi, the quadriceps and the hamstrings, for primary engagement. Sets that use the 5x5 structure also work smaller muscle groups like the biceps, triceps and calves, because the compound exercises of the best programs target a broad network of muscles as stabilizers. Powerlifters and competitive athletes find using compact sets with compound exercises such as squats, bench presses, power cleans and overhead presses provide an effective, efficient overall workout in a relatively short amount of time.

Bill Starr’s Classic 5x5
NFL strength coach Bill Starr is credited as the creator of the 5x5 progressive training system, designed to improve functional strength for football players. Starr’s original system set up a three-day training regimen that focused on a core of three specific exercises: squats, bench presses and power cleans, a group he called “The Big Three.” These three exercises were combined with others to form Starr’s 5x5 compact strength training program. Day 1 is a “heavy” day, requiring you to lift near your max capacity for each exercise, beginning with power cleans, followed by bench presses and squats. Day 2 is a “light” day, where you lift significantly less than your max. Again, begin with power cleans, but follow with incline bench presses and squats. Day 3 is a medium weight day, where you split the difference between Days 1 and 2. Begin with power cleans, followed by overhead presses, then finish with squats.

5x5 Variations
Over the years, Starr’s program has been implemented and modified to fit various strength-training applications. Athletic strength coach Mark Rippetoe developed a novice plan to initiate beginners with progressive training. Rippetoe’s program focuses on a core of compound exercises, including squats, bench presses, deadlifts, chin-ups and pullups. The difference with Rippetoe's plan is that it concentrates on three sets of five reps, rather than a true 5x5. Fitness expert Shannon Clark also has a 5x5 program geared toward beginners, offering a simple plan that doesn't require you to increase weight for each rep. Clark's program centers around squats, bench presses, deadlifts, military presses and barbell rows.

Read more »

Effect of Ten Pound Dumbbell

Having access to a gym's long list of equipment can help you sculpt the body of your dreams, but if you're on a budget and only have a single 10-pound dumbbell you bought at a garage sale, don't give up on your fitness goals just yet. Although you'll need to be a little creative, having a 10-pound dumbbell allows you to work many major muscle groups in a variety of ways.

Core Exercises
Regardless of your gender, having a rock-hard set of abs might sit near the top of your fitness wish list. Exercises such as crunches, situps and Russian twists are effective ways to build your core muscles, and using a 10-pound dumbbell increases the challenge of each exercise. For example, instead of performing a standard body-weight crunch, hold the dumbbell behind your neck or against your chest. The increased weight will boost the difficulty -- and the muscle-building benefits -- of the exercise.

Lower-Body Exercises
A 10-pound dumbbell can quickly increase the challenge of a variety of lower-body exercises. To build your quads, try squats or lunges while holding the dumbbell. To give your calves a chiseled look, hold the dumbbell as you perform calf raises. If you're comfortable with plyometrics, holding the dumbbell as you perform box jumps adds a significant degree of difficulty.

Arm and Shoulder Exercises
A 10-pound dumbbell won't build rippled biceps as quickly as a heavier dumbbell, but if this weight is your only weight-training tool, use it for a variety of upper-body exercises. To build your biceps, perform dumbbell curls; to target your triceps, perform triceps extensions while holding the dumbbell behind your neck. Seated presses allow you to build your shoulders one at a time, while shrugs are an effective way to increase the strength of your trapezius muscles.

Chest Exercises
If you enjoy body-weight exercises such as pushups as a method of building your chest, consider weighted pushups. Balancing a dumbbell on your back can be difficult, so recruit a workout partner to gently hold the weight in place as you perform the exercise. You can also perform a one-armed bench press with the weight; just be sure to perform the same number of reps with each arm to maintain muscle symmetry.

Read more »

Kettlebell Clean & Jerk Workout

If you're looking for an exercise that works almost every major muscle in your body, that helps develop strength and explosive power and that will attract onlookers in the gym, you've chosen well with the kettlebell clean and jerk. The beauty of kettlebell clean and jerks is that due to working so many muscles, they can fit into any of your workouts. The technique can be difficult to master though, so it's vital you learn the move inside and out before implementing it into your routine.

Technique and Basic Routine
Grasp a kettlebell in one hand and swing it back through your legs as if you we're doing a swing, then lift it forcefully up to your shoulder. Dip your knees slightly, then quickly straighten them, using the force generated to give you a boost while you forcefully press the bell straight overhead until your arm is locked out. Return to the start position. Kettlebell coach Steve Cotter recommends performing this move with two kettlebells at the same time -- one in each hand -- and aiming for 10 sets of 10 reps with just 30 seconds between each.

Basic Strength Workout Routine
Once you're familiar with the clean and jerk technique, introduce it into your current weight training or kettlebell routines. The clean and jerk works your hamstrings, quads, shoulders, lower back, upper back and arms on its own, so works well when combined with other multi-joint movements. Combine it with double kettlebell front squats, single-arm or double-arm swings, and kettlebell rows. Perform these four exercises back to back in a circuit-style without rest. To build strength, stick to sets of five to eight reps using a bell weight you find challenging. Rest for 90 to 120 seconds between circuits and complete three to six rounds.

The Time Test
If you've got 10 minutes, you've got time for a killer kettlebell clean and jerk workout. Master kettlebell coach Jon Engum recommends replicating a kettlebell sport challenge -- the 10-minute test. Set a timer for 10 minutes and complete as many clean and jerks as you can. You can switch hands whenever you like and put the bell down if you need to, but the clock must keep going. If you do less than 50 to 60 reps, your bell's too heavy and if you get more than 120 reps, you went too light, Engum notes.

Fat-Loss Workout
Clean and jerks are perfectly suited to fat-loss routines, as they work so many muscles, put your body under a high degree of stress and work your cardiovascular system, notes Steven Matthews of North Carolina Kettlebells. For a tough-fat loss workout, kettlebell coach Mike Mahler recommends performing three sets of 15 to 20 clean and jerks three times per week, with just 90 seconds of rest between each. Include these as part of a total-body workout, or mix them in with high-intensity cardio drills such as hill sprints, burpees or jumping rope.tml

Read more »

How Weightlifters Increase Weight

The key to successful weight training is progress. You can do as many bench presses and biceps curls as you like, but if you aren't making any gains, you’re wasting your time. Successfully building strength and establishing muscular endurance requires more than just slapping some iron around. To increase the weight you lift over time and realize true progress, you need to set up an effective routine that factors in several fundamental principles.

Progressive Overload
The key principle of increasing the weight you lift is progressive overload. You need to lift enough weight through enough sets and repetitions to significantly break down your existing muscle tissue that it regrows stronger. You have two basic choices for pursuing progressive overload: Increase your workout volume or boost the intensity of your exercises. To increase volume, simply perform more repetitions of each exercise through more sets. To boost intensity, you can increase the speed of your reps, or you can adopt a progressive set structure.

Sets and Reps
Progressive set structures are designed to supersede your body’s ability to adapt to external stress, and in most cases efficiently promote muscular hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is the breakdown of muscle tissue that then regenerates with increased volume and strength. Common progressive set structures include the pyramid set and the 5x5 set. The pyramid set begins with a particular weight with a certain number of reps, then you increase the weight and reduce the number of reps until you reach an apex. For example, you would start with eight reps of an exercise at 25 pounds. Immediately following those eight reps, you would add 5 pounds and do six reps, and so on. The 5x5 set is similar, and requires you to do five reps per set for five sets. The first two reps of each set begin with a weight that’s 85 percent of your max, while the final three require 95 to 100 percent of your max.

Exercise Selection
The exercises you select also determine how effectively you can build muscle mass and endurance, which determine how quickly you’ll be able to increase the weight of your lifts. Whether you use free weights or machines, you want to select a balanced mix of routines that both engage a broad range of muscles, while also specifically isolating important muscles. For example, work large to small, targeting big muscle groups like the pectorals and the latissimus dorsi, then work your way down through the shoulders, triceps and biceps. Swap out exercises that target the same muscles every four to six weeks, because your body adapts to routines easily.

Recovery Time
One important factor for increasing the weight you lift is allowing your muscles enough recovery time to sufficiently regenerating. A common mistake many novice weight lifters make is that they exercise too frequently without any rest time in between workouts. When the muscle fibers are broken down during a weight-lifting session, the new tissue needs between 24 and 48 hours to regrow, and the closer you lean to 48 hours, the more thorough the regeneration will be. If you forgo recovery time, you will severely inhibit your ability to lift more weight, because all you will accomplish is the repeated breakdown of muscle tissue, without any regrowth.

Read more »

Hardest Bicep Workout Routine

The hardest biceps workout will depend on your individual strength and the current fitness of your arm muscles. You can isolate your biceps with certain exercises, the difficulty of which also depends on the load, the duration of the exercise and your form. If you want a thorough and challenging workout, you need to condition your biceps from a variety of force angles. Take advanced workout hints from the experts, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who have spent decades building their biceps to perfection.

Increase 21s to 28s
The 21 curls exercise, which involves three stages of doing a biceps curl, blasts your arms and dramatically boosts endurance, notes the “Alpha Male Challenge: The 10-Week Plan to Burn Fat, Gain Muscle & Build True Alpha Attitude” by James Villepqigue and Rick Collins. Made popular by Arnold Schwarzenegger and other bodybuilders, this exercise can be modified to produce an even greater biceps pump. For 28s, you perform four variations of the biceps curl, using a barbell, dumbbells or an EZ bar. Begin by doing seven reps to only the first third to half of the curl’s range of motion. Perform the next seven reps at the full range of motion and then do an isometric hold for seven seconds at the midpoint of the curl. Do the last seven reps at a third to half of the end of the curl’s range of motion, or the easiest part of the exercise.

Pump with a Band
A difficult biceps workout combines lifting heavy weight quickly and frequently. If you perform biceps curls with a super-strong resistance band, you’ll feel the blood pumping through your arm muscles. Work with a one-inch maximum strength band that’s looped. Step on the middle of the band with feet shoulder-width apart. If you widen your stance, you’ll increase the resistance. Grab the other end of the loop with both hands. You can choose any grip -- neutral, pronated or supinated. Your hands should align with your shoulders. Try to perform 60 biceps curls in 30 seconds for two to four sets. Take a one- to two-minute rest interval between sets.

Follow the Oak
Called the “Oak,” Arnold Schwarzenegger would do an arms workout twice a week that lasted two hours. He spent 45 minutes on his biceps, focusing on four exercises: cheating barbell curl, incline dumbbell curl, one-arm concentration curl and standing alternate dumbbell curls. While the cheating barbell curl helps you to build mass, the incline curl enables you to extend your biceps to the very bottom of its range of movement. The one-arm concentration curl forces you to focus on form, and the standing alternate dumbbell curls blasts your arms as you try to touch your pinky finger to the outer head of the biceps. If you can match Schwarzenegger’s 20 to 26 sets between the four exercises, you’ve completed a hard biceps workout.

Tips and Considerations
When performing biceps curls with an EZ bar or barbell, slip your thumb under the bar on the grip, which will put more stress on your biceps and less on your forearms. Because three times as many muscle fibers are activated on the downward phase of a weight training exercise, take your time on lowering the weights. The standard timing for each rep is one second on the rise and three seconds on the descent. If you’re looking to build muscle mass and can last more than eight reps on a biceps exercise, the weight is too light. Increase the weight and work your arms to muscle failure.

Read more »

Deadlifts & Neck Weight Training

Compound weight-training lifts improve overall strength and help you optimize your workout sessions by targeting multiple muscle groups in a single exercise. The deadlift, for example, primarily engages your lower body, but the form of the lift targets your forearms, core and trapezius muscles as secondary stabilizers. The upper trapezius, especially, is one of the major muscles that stretch beneath the back of your neck. The deadlift may sometimes cause pain in your neck following a workout, but with the use of correct form, it can be an effective and pain-free exercise.

Overview
The deadlift is primarily a lower-body exercise, but it’s a compound exercise that engages a broad network of muscles throughout your lower and upper body. When done correctly, the standard deadlift works your erector spinae, your hamstrings and quadriceps, primarily, and utilizes your gluteals, calves, forearms and trapezius for assistance. As with any lift, trying to carry too much weight on smaller support muscles, like the upper trapezius in the neck, can cause strains, pulls and other injuries.

Form
The form of the deadlift is simple. It begins with a weighted barbell on the floor in front of you. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, bend slightly at the knees and lean over the bar. Grip the bar overhand, then bend at the waist and knees until you’re in the standing position. Move the barbell from the floor to just in front of your thighs, with your arms straight. Hold for a moment, then return to the floor.

Deadlift Neck Muscle Engagement
The deadlift targets two primary muscles in the neck – the upper trapezius and the levator scapulae. Both muscles provide stabilizing support for the lift and are not primarily engaged. This means that none of the stress from the deadlift directly impacts either muscle but each flexes to keep you stable. It’s difficult to gain significant strength or mass for either muscle using standard deadlifts alone. Each muscle engages during both phases of the deadlift.

Injury Prevention
Lifters performing the deadlift often lead with their head, pushing it upward immediately preceding and then during the first phase of the lift. This places significantly more stress on the upper trapezius than the standard form calls for and can be exceptionally painful following your set. Keep your neck in line with your shoulders and lift the barbell with your lower-body muscles, such as your quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteals. If you feel yourself straining your neck muscles to help you finish the first phase of the lift, stop immediately and reduce the weight on the barbell.

Read more »

Kettlebells for Legs & Stomach

Those oddly shaped weights with handles you may have seen at the gym can be the key to stronger abs and legs. Kettlebells, once used by Russian strongmen in the 18th century, are all the rage again in many fitness facilities. Much of the appeal of these weights is their versatility and effectiveness. Use them to harness momentum to build power or hoist them as you do traditional free weights to build classic strength. Many standard kettlebell exercises work the entire body, with particular emphasis on the stabilizing muscles of the stomach and the powerful muscles of the thighs, glutes and calves.

Swings
Swings are some of the most iconic and effective kettlebell moves. The classic kettlebell swing, for example, focuses primarily on the hips, glutes and thighs, while also calling on your stomach and other core muscles for stabilization. Do this move by standing with your feet hip-distance apart, with a kettlebell between your feet. Hinge forward from your hips and grasp the kettlebell with both hands. Before lifting the weight, draw in your abs. Exhale as you swing the kettlebell upward so your arms are parallel to the floor, straightening your legs. Allow momentum to swing the bell back down through your legs as you bend the hips and knees. When your momentum stops, Immediately swing the bell back up to chest height. You can do swings with a single arm, alternating swings with a catch or swings with a snatch at the top -- all of which benefit the legs and stomach. Master the basic swing before trying the more advanced moves.

Windmills
Windmills are kettlebell exercises that focus predominantly on the muscles of the core, including the stomach. Paul Katami, a certified personal trainer featured in the Ultimate Kettlebell Workouts for Beginners DVD, told Fitbie that the standing windmill activates all the muscles of the abdomen. To do the move, hold a kettlebell in your right hand and stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart. Press the weight up and over your head, then turn to look up at the kettlebell as you bend sideways from the waist, trying to touch your left foot with your left hand. Brace your abdominals as you lift up to the starting position. Repeat the same motion and number of repetitions for each side. To modify the move for beginners, start in a half-kneeling position with one knee on the ground and the other foot planted so the knee forms a 90-degree angle. You'll side bend toward the leg that has the knee on the ground.

Functional and Power Moves
Kettlebells enable you to train functionally, meaning you mimic movements that are done in real life, such as twisting, lunging and pulling. Functional kettlebell moves train the legs and stomach muscles along with the shoulders and back. For example, the farmer's walk, for which you hold a heavy kettlebell in each hand and walk on your tip toes across a room, targets the calves, hamstings and glutes. The Turkish get-up, for which you hold a kettlebell as you rise from a reclined position to a stand, requires a lot of work from your abdomen and your legs. Power moves, including the kettlebell clean and press, and the kettlebell snatch, require you to use precise movements to raise a kettlebell from the floor to above your head, using a burst of strength from your legs and stabilization from your core.

Basic
You can also use kettlebells to perform basic strength-training movements for your stomach and leg muscles. For example, hold a kettlebell in each hand alongside your thighs as you squat or lunge. Hug a kettlebell across your chest as you perform crunches or use a kettlebell for rotational ab exercises such as a seated twist.

Read more »

Effective Leg Extensions Guide

Lower-body workouts, including leg extensions, are a necessary but often neglected aspect of weight training. Working out the legs is crucial to achieving overall fitness. A number of compound exercises will engage the muscles that comprise the lower body, but these routines engage most of your leg muscles all at the same time. To target specific muscles, use isolation exercises. For the legs, effective weight-training exercises require the use of a machine.

Muscle Targets
Effective leg extensions primarily target the quadriceps, but also incorporate both sections of the trapezius and the levator scapulae for stabilization. As an isolation exercise, the leg extension will engage the quadriceps through two phases: the lift phase and the control phase. During the lift phase, the quads contract as you bend at the knee. During the control phase, you slowly lower the resistance against gravity, stressing the quads as they extend.

Machine Types
For leg extensions that successfully isolate the quadriceps muscles, you have three types of available equipment: the seated lever machine, the lying lever machine and the standing cable-pulley machine. Both styles are simple to use and provide an effective exercise, but each only engages the primary target of the quads. The standing cable-pulley machine brings in a broader network of muscles to stabilize you as you stand, but it requires you to attach an ankle strap to your leg, maintain perfect posture as you bend at the knee, and permits you to work out only one leg at a time. With the lever extension machine, you can engage both legs simultaneously.

Sets and Reps
You can use a number of set/rep systems for your leg extensions, but determining the most effective depends on your goals. If you’re seeking to improve the muscular endurance of your quads for certain types of athletic performance, go with light weight through 15 to 20 repetitions. If you want to develop mass and power in the quads, cap the number of reps at between eight and 10, and go heavier on the weight. Remember, leg extensions are an isolation exercise, so don’t overstress your quads by trying to lift too much weight.

Rest and Recovery
To be ultimately effective, follow up your leg extensions with enough rest time to recover and let your quad muscles regenerate. It helps to organize your workouts so that all of your lower-body exercises are performed in the same session. Wait at least one full day before working out the quads again, but two full days is better. The only way your leg extensions will be effective is if you can improve your performance during the exercise through multiple sessions. Overtraining will diminish your performance and increase your risk of muscle strain and injury.

Read more »

Exercises With Resistance Tubes for Women

Resistance tubes are lightweight, portable free weights that offer women the ability to perform strength training exercises for the upper body, lower body and core. By working both the major and minor muscle groups, women can burn calories and build lean muscle mass to increase their metabolic rates. The combination of calories burned during resistance tube exercises and the faster metabolism helps women lose weight and achieve better overall health.

Upper Body
With resistance tubes, women can work their biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders and back to build muscle and lose weight. By standing on the middle of the tube, you can perform biceps curls, triceps kickbacks and shoulder presses. From the floor, you can do pushups against the tube by holding the ends against the ground and strapping the tube over your back. By turning over and lying on the tube, you can perform chest presses to increase your pectoral strength.

Lower Body
Women can use resistance tubes to strengthen their quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes and lose weight. Resistance tube squats are effective for building strong thighs and glutes, and you can perform standing calf raises to work the lower part of your leg. By anchoring the tube to a pole or fixed object, you can also strap it to your ankle and lie face down to do hamstring curls one leg at a time.

Core
Using resistance tubes to build a strong core -- which consists of the abs, back and muscles around the pelvis -- can help women lose weight both by building muscle and by making it easier for them to do other physical activities. Core strength facilitates stability and balance, which decreases injury and improves athletic and cardio workout performance for additional calorie burn. Work your abs by anchoring the tube to a fixed object, holding it above your head and performing kneeling crunches. Strengthen your hips by keeping it anchored, strapping it to your ankle and doing standing hip abductor and adductor lifts.

Compound Exercises
Working both the upper and lower body at once can help women lose weight by burning even more calories and building muscle faster. By adding upper body moves to resistance tube squats and lunges, you can work your legs, glutes, biceps, triceps and shoulders. Add biceps curls to your lunges and add side shoulder raises or overhead presses to your squats. The added work will also challenge your core as you work to maintain balance and stability.

Weight Loss Basics
To lose one pound of body weight, women need to create a 3,500-calorie deficit. As a form of strength training, working out with resistance tubes helps women reach this goal both by burning calories during the workout and raising their metabolism through increased muscle mass. The number of calories burned per session varies according to a woman's current body weight, the intensity of the training and the duration of the workout. On average a 160-pound person can burn more than 350 calories in one hour of strength training. To lose one pound per week, women should create a daily 500-calorie deficit through diet and exercise. For faster weight loss and better heart health, cardiovascular exercise should be added to a woman's workout schedule to complement her resistance tube training.

Read more »

Kettlebell Exercises to Lose Most Calories

Kettlebells provide a highly efficient way to burn calories. When looking to lose weight and get in shape, the number of calories you burn in a workout really matters, as the more you burn, the bigger calorie deficit you'll create and the quicker you'll burn fat. Kettlebell training can burn around 20 calories per minute, notes John Porcari of the University of Wisconsin after conducting a study for the the American Council on Exercise, making them effective calorie-burners in general. No single exercise is better than any otherß, but the most effective ones work multiple muscles, as this burns more calories.

Swings
Not only is the swing the move you should learn first, as it helps with perfecting your technique on every kettlebell exercise, it's also a high calorie-burner. Swings work all the muscles in your posterior chain -- the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and core. They also hit your mid- and upper back. Swings can be performed holding the bell in both hands, but for an increased challenge, use just one hand or switch hands at the top of each swing.

Clean and Press
Clean and presses work virtually every major muscle group in your body, They incorporate two separate movements -- the clean, which involves lifting the bell from the floor to your shoulder and works the same muscles as the swing. The second stage is to press the bell overhead by dipping your knees and punching up forcefully while simultaneously straightening your knees again. This second portion works your quads, core, shoulders, traps and triceps.

Snatch
The snatch has the same starting and finishing position as the clean and jerk, only instead of lifting it as two movements, you perform it as one. This emphasizes your upper-back and shoulders a little more but still works the posterior chain, legs and core. Master the swing before trying snatches, advises kettlebell trainer Neghar Fonooni. Take a slightly loose grip on the bell, bend your elbows slightly as you lift and punch through at the top to avoid having the bell crash into your forearm.

Considerations
Between them, these three exercises burn a high amount of calories compared to single-muscle moves such as biceps curls or calf raises. Include other kettlebell exercises in your routine for best calorie burning results too -- overhead presses, goblet squats and Turkish get-ups are all good choices. When training for calorie burn and fat loss, your diet is just as important as your routine. Don't just rely on your training to create a calorie deficit -- cut down your portion sizes and eat lower-calorie, nutrient-dense foods as well.

Read more »

Best Swingbell Exercise Tips

A swingbell is essentially an inverted barbell. Where a barbell has the bar for gripping in the middle and the weights on the outside, a swingbell puts the weights in the center and has bars for gripping on either side of the load. As a piece of free-weight equipment, it was most popular among bodybuilders during the '60s and '70s. The swingbell has seen a resurgence this decade, much like kettlebells came during the 2000s.

Appropriate Exercises
The structure of a swingbell makes makes balancing and controlling the weight easier than with a less compact barbell. Unlike other dumbbells and kettlebells, though, they're only appropriate for exercises using both hands. The same structure that makes it easier to balance with two hands makes a single-handed grip hard to manage.

Swingbell Curls
Swingbell curls work exactly the same as dumbbell curls. You grip the bar with your arms extended in front of you, then raise the weight by bending your arms until you reach the top of the lift. The main difference is the centered weight, which places more load on the biceps and less on the smaller stabilizing muscles.

"Skullcrushers"
This triceps exercise gets its name from the fact that you spend much of it with a weight directly above your face. As with the barbell version, you lie down on a flat bench with the swingbell in both hands. Start with it directly above your eyes with your elbows pointed toward your feet. Bend your arms slowly, allowing the arc of the motion to pass the weight above your head, then extend to bring it back to the original position. Be careful not to hit your head with the weights as it passes by -- the structure of the swingbell makes this more likely by putting the load right where your head is, instead of to either side like with a barbell.

Wrists and Forearms
You can work out your wrists and forearms in both directions with a swingbell. In both cases, you grip the weight with your palms down and use the muscles in your forearms to rotate the swingbell's bar. Rotate away from your body to to focus on the bottom portion of your forearms, toward the body to focus on the top portion, or employ both for a full workout. Unlike doing this with barbells -- which you can do from a standing or seated position -- you should sit down with your elbows resting on your knees when using a swingbell. Otherwise, the weights will be directly in your groin, which can be uncomfortable.

Kettlebell Swings
A quick Internet search for "swingbells" will bring up a lot of results for kettlebells, especially kettlebell swings. This is a common error, stemming from both terms having the word "swing" in them. Don't be confused by this information.

Read more »

Knuckle Pushups Versus Regular Pushups

The pushup is an effective exercise that you can perform just about anywhere, and it targets a number of muscle groups in the upper body. As a body-weight routine, the pushup can be used to develop functional strength and flexibility. Like many other exercises, you have several ways to perform pushups. For example, the standard pushup is simple to perform and requires few special considerations; the knuckle pushup, on the other hand, is more difficult and is not an ideal exercise for everyone.

Knuckle Pushup
The knuckle pushup is a variation on the standard pushup where, instead of placing the palms of your hands flat against the floor, you ball up your hands into fists and place your top two knuckles on the floor. Also, the arms are brought in closer to the body, more closely mimicking the form of a closed-grip bench press. This variation engages the wrists more efficiently, since they bear more of your body’s weight during your repetitions. This is due to the fact that the wrists aren’t bent. Knuckle pushups also engage the forearms, and the stress of supporting your body weight on your knuckles improves proficiency in contact martial arts, toughening up the knuckles and preparing your fists for sparring activities.

Regular Pushup
The regular pushup targets the deltoids, the triceps and the outer portion of the pectorals. The flat palms are placed on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders, with the brunt of your body weight resting on your fingertips as you perform your reps. The standard pushup also engages the trapezius, the latissimus dorsi and the lower back as stabilizers. The bent wrist orientation requires your shoulders and triceps to contribute the bulk of the energy necessary to push yourself up and control your descent.

Comparison
The most effective pushup variation is the one you get the best results from performing. If you box or if you spar during any kind of martial arts activity, the knuckle pushup will help you develop functional strength for punching while toughening up your wrists and knuckles. For those who don’t participate in contact fighting or sports, the standard pushup will likely be enough. If you’re new to body-weight training and doing pushups, begin with the regular version first until you perfect the form before attempting any variations.

Considerations
If you choose knuckle pushups, find a soft, smooth surface, such as carpeting, padding or a rubber gym mat. Hardwood flooring, concrete and blacktop can cause injury to your knuckles and hands. To increase the difficulty of either pushup type, wear a weighted vest. For non-fighting applications, instead of using your knuckles, use pushup handles to provide the same arm and wrist angle without adding stress to your knuckles. This gives you the muscle-engagement benefits of knuckle pushups without any of the drawbacks.

Read more »

Exercises per Body Part

You want to build muscle, but spending hours tweaking each body part in the gym is not on your agenda. That's OK -- because you don't always need to do several exercises for every body part. Choose compound exercises, which work multiple muscle groups with one lift, to avoid having to obsessively do three or four exercises per body part. For most people, a compound workout routine still provides results while keeping your gym time manageable and functional. If you'd still rather do multiple exercises for each body part -- be smart about your approach and how it can help you achieve your fitness goals.

Old-Fashioned Recommendations
Bodybuilding protocols in the 1960s to 1980s recommended you do at minimum three to four exercises per body part to train every fiber. Each of these exercises was to be repeated for three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. "Men's Health" points out that this regimen results in up to 144 repetitions for each muscle group. Performing that many repetitions is time consuming and may be counterproductive. You could end up overtraining, which will diminish your results and leave you benched with an injury. You may also be cheating yourself of your potential gains. If you can lift 144 repetitions of a weight per body part, you may not be lifting heavy enough weights to maximize your results.

Compound Exercises
A total-body workout usually consists of training all major muscles, including the legs, hips, abs, arms, shoulders, chest and back, in one session two to three times per week. For a total-body workout, you only need to do one exercise per muscle group -- but you should make it a compound movement. Examples of compound exercises are the bench press for the chest, pullups for the back and biceps, lunges and squats for the hips and legs, triceps pushups for the back of the upper arms and shoulder presses for the deltoids. These types of movements use one muscle group as the primary activator and multiple other groups for assistance and stabilization. For example, chest presses use the pectoralis major of the chest as the primary muscle but also engage the triceps and the front of the shoulders for assistance. When you perform triceps pushups later in the workout, you primarily target the triceps but still activate the pectoralis major for assistance. By using compound moves, you actually do hit every muscle group more than one time.

Total Repetitions
One exercise per muscle group is plenty if your goal is general health, athletic improvement or modest muscle gain. When designing your workout, aim for a total of 25 to 50 repetitions for each body part -- but not in one set. For example, you might do five sets of 10 repetitions of pullups to target the back. If you'd rather have variety in your routine, you could also opt to do one set of 12 repetitions of three different exercises for a body part. For example, do 12 repetitions of triceps dips, followed by 12 repetitions of kickbacks and finish with 12 repetitions of lying triceps extensions. The option you choose is really up to your personal preferences. To maximize your results, remember to leave at least 48 hours between sessions that train specific body parts.

Considerations
Advanced strength-training athletes or bodybuilders may choose to do multiple exercises for each body part to improve muscular symmetry or to sculpt particular muscles to look good on stage. An injury, imbalance or weakness may also require multiple exercises for certain body parts. If you do choose to do more than one exercise per muscle group, consider splitting your routine up. Instead of trying to do multiple exercises for every part of your body in three full sessions per week, you might work your upper body on Mondays and Wednesdays and your lower body on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Splitting up your sessions makes your workouts last a manageable amount of time so your focus and energy stay high for the entire duration.

Read more »

Lifting Dumbbells & Elbow Band

The main reason you might wear an elbow band when weight training is if you're suffering from, or recovering from, tendonitis. Tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendon that connects muscles to bones and usually occurs due to overuse. If you're an enthusiastic gym-goer, you may pick up elbow tendonitis from performing repetitive, heavy movements such as bench presses, triceps extensions, dips and pushups. While you should rest your elbows and seek medical advice when tendonitis sets in, if you wish to carry on training, or if you're in the recovery stages, an elbow band can help manage the pain and allow you to continue working out.

Short-Term Effectiveness of Elbow Bands
Elbow straps and bands are designed to reduce the level of tension in your tendons. A study published in a 2009 edition of "The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy" found that elbow straps and splints were effective in increasing pain-free strength. The strap was tested against a wrist splint, which showed no increase in strength or reduction in pain. This seemingly suggests that bands do offer an immediate solution to reducing pain when weight training with tendonitis.

Long-Term Effectiveness of Elbow Bands
While they may be effective in reducing pain in the interim, the long-term effectiveness and safety of elbow bands isn't clear, according to physical therapist James Speck of Soma Struct. As tendonitis is generally caused by a prolonged period of overuse, it's highly unlikely the pain will completely go away if you continue lifting dumbbells, as there will always be stress on the muscle, joint and tendon.

Applying the Band for Lifting Dumbbells
To maximize the effectiveness of the band, it's vital you apply it properly. The band should be tight, to reduce tension, but not so tight that it cuts of blood supply or causes numbness. In the early stages of your recovery, put it on before you pick up any dumbbells. As the injury starts to heal, you may wish to only use the band on your heavier sets and go band-free for your warm-up sets.

Lifting Considerations
Avoid arm isolation exercises when suffering from elbow tendonitis, advises strength coach and personal trainer Stephen Bergeron of Built Lean. These place excess strength through your elbows. This means foregoing dumbbell moves such as curls and triceps extensions and opting for compound moves like dumbbell chest presses, dumbbell rows and dumbbell shoulder presses instead. Keep your weights lighter than you would usually and perform higher-repetition sets in the 12- to 20-rep range. If you feel increased pain in your elbows when lifting dumbbells while wearing a band, cease training immediately and consult a medical professional.

Read more »

Zumba Sticks & Free Weights

Zumba is one of the most popular types of group exercise classes in the world, as of 2012. During some Zumba classes, participants tone their bodies with small free weights or Zumba sticks, which are both used as forms of resistance during the workout routine. Both of these workout tools have their own benefits and drawbacks.

Zumba Explained
Zumba is a Latin-style dance workout routine. Colombian fitness trainer, Alberto "Beto" Perez started this wildly popular fitness craze by mistake, when he forgot to bring his normal music tape to his aerobics class and played Latin dance music instead. Though you might feel like you're dancing at a party when you attend a Zumba class, don't think you are not getting a practical and effective workout. The moves will work out your whole body. Incorporating Zumba sticks or free weights into the routine only adds more benefits.

Free Weights
There are two types of free weights. Barbells, which have larger weight plates attached to long bars, are used for weight training. Dumbbells are the smaller, handheld free weights that can be used for an array of fitness activities, including Zumba and other types of aerobics classes. For Zumba, it's best to stick with free weights that are 3 pounds or lighter.

Zumba Sticks
Zumba sticks are small toning sticks that look much like light, handheld dumbbells. However, Zumba sticks are filled with sand while free weights are made of solid material. Because they are filled with sand, the sticks move better as you shake them during a Zumba exercise class. Usually, you'll find two sizes of Zumba sticks: 1 pound and 2 1/2 pounds.

Advantages and Disadvantages
An advantage of free weights for Zumba is that they may be easily purchased at most sporting goods or discount department stores in a variety of sizes and colors. You can also use them for other exercise routines. One of the disadvantages of free weights is that they can cause injury if used improperly. Zumba sticks are lightweight, rattle with the music and are easy to use. However, Zumba sticks are not sold in as many places as free weights and you probably won't get much use out of them outside of Zumba classes.

Read more »

Muscles Work on Stiff Legged Dumbbell

If you enjoy doing dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts, then you'd better know the anatomy of the exercise. This exercise is on the dangerous side if you don't perform it to the T. The position that you are in throughout the execution can wreak havoc on your spine and surrounding muscles. And since you can't replace your spine, you'd better do your best to take care of it.

Hammies are First
Often abbreviated as the hammies, the hamstrings are the large muscles that stick out the back of your legs. To be a little more specific, these are four muscles at the back of your thighs. They are the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris long head and short head. Stiff-legged deadlifts first and foremost target three of those muscles. The only one left out is the biceps femoris short head.

Your Butt is Second
Everyone knows what the butt is, but the butt is anatomically called the glutes. The glutes have three muscles: gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. The largest, by far, is the maximus. Stiff-legged deadlifts work your gluteus maximus in secondary fashion, as the muscle assists the primary muscles of the hamstrings.

Adductors Also a Runner-up
Another muscle that assists the so-called hammies is the adductor magnus. More specifically, it is the rear-most muscle of the group, known as the adductor magnus posterior head, which lies deep within your inner thigh region. But when you do stiff-legged deadlifts, it acts as a secondary mover during the exercise.

One More is the Core
There is one more major muscle region that you exercise during stiff-legged deadlifts -- the core, your abs and your spinal erectors. The abs lie in front of the stomach region, and the spinal erectors attach to your spine and are responsible for keeping your spine erect. During stiff-legged deadlifts, you contract your abs and spinal erectors to keep your spine straight, because rounding of your spine is dangerous during the movement.

Read more »

Turkish Get-up Dumbbell Versus Kettlebell

The Turkish get-up is a incredibly effective exercise for developing functional strength, stability and mobility. It is a complex motion that begins with you lying on the ground with one arm extended vertically, holding a weight. This progresses into a standing position, then returns to the initial position without bending the arm at any point. The Turkish get-up can be done with both dumbbells and kettlebells, each with pros and cons.

The Benefits of Using Kettlebells
Utilizing a kettlebell for Turkish get-ups is effective and has several positives. First, the kettlebell puts less stress on the wrist and provides a more convenient grip. Second, it alleviates pressure on the shoulder with a more centralized load than a dumbbell. Finally, a kettlebell often has a smoother surface and is easier to grip than a dumbbell, which reduces chafing and callouses when performing the movement.

Why Kettlebells May Not Be The Best Choice
The biggest con of a kettlebell get-up is the position of the weight against the forearm. The weight of the kettlebell rests against the forearm and can be uncomfortable, especially when using heavier weights. Another negative is that in traditional gyms there will be less variety in kettlebells, and you may have to use a weight that is not ideal for your strength level.

Why Dumbbells Can Be Better
Benefits from dumbbell get-ups are less stress on the forearm and greater variability and accessibility. A dumbbell has its weight distributed on the ends and does not rest on the forearm, which can be more comfortable to lift at heavier weights. In addition, traditional gyms often have dumbbells readily available in a variety of weights, which allows you to select and use the ideal resistance.

Why Dumbbells May Be Worse
The major negative of a dumbbell get-up is the stress placed on the shoulder and wrist in stabilizing the weight. With the weight distributed to the ends on dumbbells, more stability is required to maintain the position and not drift sideways. When working with heavier weights, this can be especially challenging and potentially dangerous to the shoulder and wrist joints.

Read more »

Trapezius Workouts With Dumbbells

The trapezius is a diamond-shaped muscle that covers the back of the neck, shoulders and thoracic region of the back. The trapezius stabilizes and moves the shoulder blade. The trapezius is divided into the upper, lower and middle regions. You can strengthen and develop these muscle areas by using dumbbells for maximum range of motion.

Trapezius Function
The upper trapezius, which runs from the base of the skull to the clavicle, is used to raise the shoulder blades and stabilize the shoulder girdle. The lower trapezius runs from the scapula to the thoracic region of the spine and is used to draw the shoulder blades down. The middle trapezius runs from the scapula to the lower cervical and upper thoracic regions of the spine and is used to stabilize the shoulder girdle and move your arms.

Dumbbell Shrugs
The dumbbell shrug targets the upper trapezius muscle among others. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart while holding the dumbbells at your side. Raise your shoulders as high as you can. Slowly lower them and repeat. Keep the movements slow and controlled and move only the shoulders. Do not roll the shoulders. The shrug also will work the middle trapezius muscle.

Lying Dumbbell Row
The lying dumbbell row works the lower and middle areas of the trapezius. Start by lying chest down on a bench that has been raised so that your arms can fully extend down. Hang your arms below the bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Pull the dumbbells up your side until your elbows are just above your back. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Upright Row
The upright row works the middle trapezius and lower trapezius among other muscles. Stand holding dumbbells in each hand with your arms in front of you and palms facing you. Pull the dumbbells up the front of your body, bending your elbows out to the sides. Slowly lower and repeat.

Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
The bent-over dumbbell row will work the middle and lower trapezius. To start, kneel on a bench with your left leg and place your left hand on the bench in front of you. Grasp a dumbbell in your right hand and let your arm hang down. While focusing on using the back muscles and not your arms, pull the weight up to your side until the dumbbell touches your rib cage. Return to start and repeat. Do the other side also.

Read more »