Women's Strength Training: Your Guide To A Sexy & Fit Body!

Taipei Gym, Most women never pick up enough weight to get a great training effect. If you're one of those women who think you'll get big and bulky from lifting weights, you need to dismiss that myth right now.

I have trained dozens of women and had them lifting hard and heavy, and that type of strength training had only improved their physiques. I had a lady who won the Mrs. Kentucky pageant (not a figure or bodybuilding competition) squatting her body weight and doing chin-ups.

Training With Heavy Weights

So here's the main point of this article: training heavy with the right exercises is the proper way to strength train and it will get you the best aesthetic results. Period.

Since you now know that lifting pink dumbbells isn't going to get you a lean, sexy and fit body, let's discuss what you should be doing in the gym.

1. Strength Train With The Proper Exercises

The best exercises to use are big, compound movements that recruit a lot of muscle mass. Here are some examples:

Lower Body

- Barbell Squat
- Barbell Deadlift
- Dumbbell Lunge
- Good Morning
- Split Squat

Upper Body Horizontal Pushing

- Push-up
- Dumbbell Bench Press
- Barbell Bench Press
- Incline Bench Press

Upper Body Vertical Pressing

- Military Press
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Handstand Push-up

Upper Body Vertical Pulling

- Chin-Up
- Pull-up
- Lat Pull-down

Upper Body Horizontal Pulling

- One-Arm Dumbbell Row
- Seated Cable Row
- Bent-Over Barbell Row

Core Exercises

- Plank
- Ab Roller
- Hanging Leg Raise


If you spent the rest of your strength training career using nothing but the exercises listed above, you would build a lean and sexy body no questions asked.

You would also build a better body at a faster rate than if you used isolation exercises and machines.

2. Strength Train With The Proper Intensity

This goes back to talking about how most women never use enough weight. Without intensity you simply won't get a great training effect. So, what is the proper intensity?

I can't give you a number because everyone's strength levels are different. This is the best way that I can explain it: if you're going to do a set of eight reps, then that last rep should be tough and you should be able to complete one more rep (maybe two) but absolutely no more.

If you do eight reps on a set of squats but you know you could have done 12 or more, that is not intensity. You need to finish your sets knowing you could have done one absolutely no more than two more reps. It is that intensity that will actually challenge your muscles and help you build a lean and fit body.

To lift with even more intensity, you simply train in a lower rep range. Example: sets of five reps. To lift with less intensity, you simply train in a higher rep range. Example: sets of 12 reps. I'll tie all of this together later.

3. Strength Train With The Proper Splits

The typical gym trainee should only be using one of two training splits: total body workouts (which aren't a split at all) or upper/lower splits in which they train upper body one day and lower body the next. These two training splits are the only two the typical gym trainee with ever need.

These splits will allow you to train your muscles with enough frequency. Plus, you will be stimulating a lot of muscle mass each training session so your metabolism with be elevated longer. Furthermore, these two splits will help you build a lean and sexy body much faster than any other split. I'll provide examples later.

4. Strength Train Wisely

By this statement I am referring to using your time wisely. The only time I recommend doing straight sets (meaning you do all the prescribed sets and reps for one exercise before moving on to the next) is on lower body days.

After a hard set of squats or deadlifts you won't feel like doing anything except resting (or maybe doing some calf raises). In the case of total body workouts or upper/lower splits, you can pair or group exercises together. This will allow you to get more work done in less time; that is always a good thing.

Rreferences: Taipei Gym, Taipei Fitness, Core Space