Strength Training Routines

Strength training routines are essential for any woman that wants to get in shape and look great. The best fitness training plans feature a wide variety of exercises that hit all your muscles from all different angles.

Progressively increasing the amount of weight you are lifting will progressively make your muscles stronger and fitter. Stronger and fitter muscles take up less space than fat, so you will look leaner and fitter.

The best way to split up your strength training routines is by focusing on three areas: upper body workouts, lower body workouts, and core workouts.

Upper Body Workout: Upper body workouts focus on five core muscle groups - chest, back, shoulders, triceps and biceps. Some of the most popular upper body exercises are bicep curls, chest presses, and shoulder presses.

Lower Body Workouts: Lower body workouts focus on the glutes (your butt!), quads (thighs), hamstrings and calves. Some of the best lower body exercises include squats and lunges and variations on each of those.

Core Workouts: Whether your goal is a set of six-pack abs or simply a flat stomach, a variety of the best ab exercises - along with a clean diet - will get you there.

Things to keep in mind:

Proper Form - No matter what exercise you're doing, proper form is important. Be sure you understand what muscles each exercise is focusing on. Watch the exercise being performed properly. Always keep your core tight, and perform each exercise slowly and without using momentum.

Increase Weight - It's important to increase the amount of weight you are lifting every few weeks. Say, for instance, you are doing bicep curls with 10 pound weights. After about two weeks, your muscles have become conditioned to that weight, and it is no longer challenging your muscles. At that point, you need to increase your weight, maybe to 15 pounds, for the next few weeks.

Rest - Rest is an extremely important component of strength training routines. Strength training causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Resting allows the muscle to repair itself and make itself stronger. You need to allow at least 48 hours between strength training routines that focus on the same set of muscles.

Post Workout Nutrition - Muscles need protein to repair themselves. It's important to get 20-30 grams of protein with 60 minutes of completing your strength training routines. Protein shakes or bars are an easy and convenient way to get the necessary protein your muscles need.

Proper Diet - You can work out for hours every day, but if you're not giving your body the proper foods, you won't get the results you want. Lots of lean protein, plenty of vegetables, and healthy fats are the most important keys to a good diet. Limiting sugar and processed carbohydrates is the other crucial factor.

The sooner you begin strength training,the sooner you'll have strong, toned muscles and a tight, fit body!

Photos by greg westfall.

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