Weight Lifting For Women to Get Lean and Healthy

Adding weight lifting to your dieting efforts will help you keep your muscles while your body is losing fat. Combining dieting, aerobic exercise, and bodybuilding training will cause greater body fat losses and weight loss than if you are only doing aerobic exercise and dieting.

There are numerous things you can do to help you become healthier, slimmer, and stronger. You can find books and programs telling you about exercise and fat loss, for example. But one of the things that women do not often consider is using bodybuilding work out routines. Women generally consider that weight lifting is a man's domain. Most females also do not want to develop the bulk of male and female professional bodybuilders, and who can blame them?

If you should choose to work with weights you will not gain this bulk necessarily, but you will develop some lean muscle mass and some attractive lines and definition which show off your toned and athletic new body. Using a bodybuilding routine will help you reshape your body and tone your muscles. You can end up one or two dress sizes smaller and still weigh the same amount.

More women are finding the idea of being able to reshape their body with weights very exciting and challenging. When first starting out you can get a trainer at a gym to work with you and show you the program and how it works. Many gyms include this help at no charge. This is not the same as a personal trainer but it is free and it gets you good instruction on a weight lifting program.

You can also gain a great deal of knowledge from books and DVDs on the subject. They have books designed for women with no prior knowledge of bodybuilding.

Some basic tips are that you need to start very slowly and perform all of your lifts slow. This is the only way to go. Never use weights that you are not comfortable with. You want to be challenged but you don't want to hurt yourself. Stay hydrated. Having enough water to constantly refresh yourself is mandatory because you are going to be dehydrating and exhausting your body over the course of your training.

Start today and before you know it you will have the trim, lean shape that you have always wanted.

For more bodybuilding tips and fat burning information visit http://www.squidoo.com/secrets-of-fat-burning and begin on your road to a healthy and beautiful body.

Transformation Preparation: 7 Step Beginners Guide

You've been surfing Bodybuilding.com for weeks, following the links to LiveFit and Kris Gethin's Hardcore Daily Trainer, but you still haven't started a 12-week transformation. You're excited, nervous, eager, unprepared, a little scared, and you're looking for an extra push. Just a little more info before you commit.

Whatever brought you here, you're in the right place.

Whether you're sick of sinking into the couch every night or haven't trained in a long time, this guide is for you. You might be self-conscious, worried and unsure. That's okay! Remember, even Rocky had to start somewhere. Follow this brief transformation preparation guide and go the distance.

Begin your transformation prep by scheduling a full checkup with your doc. As much as you might dread it, knowing where you stand is going to help your efforts tremendously. A checkup may reveal some health issues that could be improved with diet and exercise, which will instantly boost your motivation and provide additional, quantifiable goals.

If you find any outstanding health issues, your doctor might also provide you with safe diet and/or training recommendations. If you can't remember the last time you saw your doctor for a complete physical, now is definitely the time.

Most importantly, you'll get some great health benchmarks that you can revisit after your transformation. Important markers to track include cholesterol/triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and possibly even bone density (BMD) for older women who haven't had a recent checkup. Return to the doc after 12 weeks to get some additional blood work and revisit your numbers. You're looking for improvements wherever possible. Fitness is about more than looking good; it's about feeling healthy and living well!

Clear out anything in your life that might hold you back from success:

If your cupboards are loaded with cookies, cakes, crackers and other junk, clean them out. Having these items around will only tempt you to make poor food decisions. Say goodbye to Oreos and Twinkies.

Although this might seem callous, take stock of people who will make your transformation more difficult. You need to surround yourself with people who will be supportive, not people who might want you to skip gym sessions or eat foods you shouldn't. You need Adrians, not Paulies. During the beginning stages of your transformation, you should spend more time around those who will buoy you and less time around those who might drag you down.

While you can't always control the people around you, you can clear the negativity from your mind. Your mentality is absolutely crucial to your success, so get your head straight: Instead of focusing on what will be difficult about this transformation (fitting in gym time, planning meals, having sore muscles, not being able to socialize in the same way), focus on the positive.

Consider ways to make your transformation work in your life. If you're concerned about getting to the gym after work, go in the morning. If you're worried about those Thursday lunch-meetings, suggest a healthier place to eat. You need to make your health the priority in your life. Once you do, it's amazing how many people will follow.

If you constantly berate yourself for poor food choices or the way you look, replace this negative self-talk with more positive statements. Every time a negative statement comes to mind, replace it with two positive affirmations about what you're doing well. This could be something like, 'I chose a healthy chicken salad at lunch today,' or 'I made sure to drink 10 full glasses of water today.' There's no need to focus solely on huge accomplishments like fat loss or muscle gain; progress is progress, which means any small victory is significant.

When you replace negative thoughts with positive, you'll build self-confidence and perpetual motivation. The more you focus on what you're doing wrong or what you shouldn't do, the more power you give negative actions and fears. Focus on what you want to do and shift your entire frame of mind.

Although it takes some time and energy to clean up your life, it's much easier to start with a newly-dusted mindset and a cupboard that's not full of constant temptation.

You'll want to stock up on both food and workout items. Having good choices in your refrigerator will make your life much easier. And having some basic workout items will make your jump into the fitness world more fun. This might sound trivial, but having clothes you like can often influence your desire to train.

This basic check list ought to get you started. (Note that food items may vary depending on the specific diet plan you follow).

Planning to follow LiveFit? Check out Jamie Eason's approved foods!

Brown riceQuinoaOatsSweet potatoesWhole grain cerealsNutsNatural nut butterSeedsOlive oilFlaxseed oilWhey protein powder Canned tunaCanned salmonHerbsLow-sodium spicesFresh fruits and vegetablesGreek yogurtEggs/egg whitesLow fat milkAny fresh lean meatLow-sodium soy sauce

Transforming with Kris Gethin? See what he eats.

SalsaMustardLow-sodium chicken or beef brothBottled waterFrozen chicken breastsFrozen lean beefFrozen turkeyFrozen fishFrozen vegetablesFrozen berries

All of these foods will make up your healthful eating plan and provide you with a balanced blend of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats.

You should also have everything you need for gym workouts. It's also a good idea to pick up some minimalist home equipment for those really busy days when you might not be able to make it to the gym.

Properly fitting running shoesComfortable workout wear (bottoms/top/sports bra)Mp3 playerWater bottleTowelHeart rate monitor (if desired)Jump-ropeResistance bandDumbbells or kettlebells

Having the proper gear will make your training sessions much easier. Take time to select quality products. Even Rocky needed good gloves.

If you haven't exercised in a long time, some light at-home workouts will prime your body for the upcoming transformation. Performing movements at home can also help make you feel more comfortable when you stroll into the gym. Start these workouts as soon as possible and use them for 1-2 weeks as you get everything ready for your transformation.

Light cardio workouts will help improve heart health, boost your cardiovascular fitness, and increase your mobility. Select your favored method of cardio training (walking will work well for most people), and aim to do it 15 to 30 minutes per day, 3 to 5 days per week.

It's also a good idea to get started with some very basic strength training movements to help build some muscular strength before you begin training heavier at the gym.

Bodyweight exercises are excellent and will help you get used to various movement patterns and how it feels to train your muscles.

Perform a circuit of four to five different bodyweight movements, aiming for 10-15 reps per exercise. Take 30-60 seconds to rest between each circuit. Pick one exercise per body part to build a full-body workout.

Vary the exercises each session. Doing this keeps the muscles constantly stimulated and you'll get better at a variety of movements. When you're ready to battle heavier weights, your pre-fight interview will consist of more than just a shout out to Adrian.

The Italian Stallion had to work through some tough life decisions before he fought Apollo, and so should you. Even when you start going to the gym every day, what you do outside of it will significantly impact your results. If you aren't living well, you won't hit your goals.

Keep track of your sleep habits, alcohol consumption, and your stress and motivations levels. Each of these will play a significant role in your success.

Sleep is critical to muscular repair, maintaining a high metabolism, and making sure you feel energized to perform during each training session. If you currently aren't getting at least 8 hours per night, start making that a top priority. You will feel the difference.

Stress causes some trouble for all of us. But for those interested in transforming, high levels of stress can really put a damper on your progress. If you have a lot of stress in your life, you might not recover well from workout sessions and you might increase the risk of over-eating. Utilize constructive stress management techniques like journaling, meditating, talking to a friend, or going out for a long drive around the city. Better yet, have a Rocky marathon. Learn what works for you and then put it to use.

No matter if you overindulge on the weekends, or just have a drink in the evening, alcohol is a toxin and will affect your ability to burn fat. Until all alcohol is removed from your system, your body can't burn fat. Alcohol will also hinder your ability to recover from workout sessions. As much as possible, remove alcohol from the picture.

Most importantly, before you even begin your transformation, you need to be motivated. If you feel only partially committed, you'll need to find a way to jump all the way in. Find a buddy, join a class, hire a trainer, or even just make a list of all the upcoming benefits. Reward yourself for achieving small goals. Do whatever it takes to fully commit. Make that your mantra: "Whatever it takes."

Remember that maintaining a high level of motivation requires continuous effort - even when Rocky wasn't sure of a win, it didn't stop him from being the best he could be.

Set some clearly defined goals. Ideally these should include both physical changes (lose weight, gain muscle) and performance changes (bench 10 more pounds, run a mile under 10 minutes). Having both types of goals will help keep you motivated at all times, even if one goal starts to slow in progress. Health-related goals are important, as are personal, lifestyle-based goals. Want to have more energy to play with your kids? Write it down.

The more you have to work toward, the greater your chance of success.

Your gloves are on and you're in the ring. Let the transformation begin. If you're doing a particular transformation program, make sure you read up on the details and are familiar with exactly what you're expected to do. "Work the body," baby.

About The AuthorI'm currently going into my 4th year of the Bachelor of Education Program, specializing in sport performance at the University of Alberta.

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Bodybuilding Tips for Avoiding Overtraining

Overtraining occurs when the body can no longer recover from the bodybuilding workouts. ?In order for the body to grow, you need to train hard pushing your body to the limits. ?However, if you constantly train hard without following a periodized bodybuilding workout, more than likely you will cross the line and overtrain.

If you are over-training, the solution?is to simply take a couple of days off to allow the body to completely rejuvenate itself and then ease back into training. This works amazingly well.? Also, by using a periodized bodybuilding workout as well as following the right bodybuilding diet you minimize your chances of ever getting over-trained again.? Always remember the need to periodize your training because if you choose to do high volume workouts all of the time, eventualy your body will reach the point that it can no longer recover.? That is why periodization varies the training by alternating weeks of high volume workouts with weeks of higher intensity/heavier work.

For more information on overtraining and its symptoms, please take a look at the resources below:

Bodybuilding Training and?Overtraining, Part 1

Bodybuilding Training and?Overtraining, Part 2

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Tips for Tracking Your Bodybuilding Progress

One of the mistakes that a lot of bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts make is that they start a bodybuilding diet and training program without measuring their progress properly. A lot of bodybuilders just rely on the scale and if they gain a pound they assume that the gain is muscle. If a pound is lost, often times the assumption is that what has been lost is fat. But is this really the case?

Simple changes in weight can be deceiving. Remember that if a fat loss diet is not designed correctly you risk losing muscle mass along with the fat. Conversely, if your muscle gaining diet is too high in calories, you may risk gaining a lot of fat with the muscle. Thus, in addition to scale changes, you also need a way to measure your body fat in order to clearly see what is happening to your body. For me, the easiest way to do this is by using calipers (personally I have found the Accu-Measure calipers to give me some very accurate and reliable measurements). By using caliper measurements along with the scale I know exactly how much muscle I am gaining and how much fat I am losing.

On top of that, I also like to take digital pictures as in this manner, as the weeks go by, I can have a visual diary of how I look at a specific weight and body fat percentage.

Try these tips out and you will be glad that you did!

For more tips on ways to track your bodybuilding progress, please take a look at the article below:

The Importance of Tracking Your Bodybuilding Progress and the Many Ways To Do It

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What is The Best Bodybuilding Training Split for You?

One bodybuilding topic that brings about a lot of confusion is the one regarding training splits. ?To be honest, there are countless of ways that you can split your body parts. ?However, here are some guidelines:

1) Beginners: For those just getting started into bodybuilding I recommend a full body routine 2-3 times a week. ?This routine will allow you to break into the weight training routine slowly as you build up your recovery ability.

2) Intermediates: After 3 months you can graduate to an Intermediate bodybuilding program where you split your body parts over two days. While there are various ways to do this, one of the ways that I like to do this is the following: chest, back and arms on day 1, and shoulders, legs and abs on day 2.

3) Advanced Bodybuilders: After 12-16 weeks on an Intermediate program you have the choice of increasing your training frequency and further splitting your your body parts. ?There are countless options when it comes to body part splits at this level. ?However, here is my favorite way of doing it:

Day 1 -Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps

Day 2 -Thighs, Hamstrings, and Calves

Day 3 -Chest, Back, Abs

You may do Day 1 on Mon/Thur, Day 2 on Tue/Fri and Day 3 on Wed/Sat for maximum results with 20-30 minutes of cardio either first thing in the morning or right after the workout on Mon/Wed/Fri. ?Otherwise, you can also benefit from doing Day 1 on Mon, Day 2 on Wed and Day 3 on Fri with cardio on the days off. Choose 2 exercises for each muscle and perform 5 sets/exercise. Keep reps between 10-15 for 3 weeks and 6-8 for the next 3 using different exercises. Rest 1 min between sets.

Check out this advanced bodybuilding routine: Periodized Bodybuilding Workout

For more options on how to split your body please take a look at the bodybuilding resources below:

What training split are you following these days?

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