Strength Training Routine For Women: 4 Things You Should Know

by Yvette Norris

Strength training is often associated with bulky and defined muscles. Because of this, a lot of women are afraid of picking up weights. However, the notion that strength training just leads to big muscles is simply not true. Aside from helping women stay fit, strength training can also build lean muscle mass, strengthen joints, effectively support weight management, improve cardiovascular health, protect bone health, and even promote mental wellness.

In this post, we highlight some things that should consider when creating a strength training routine for women.

1. It's best to work with a coach

When starting your strength training journey, it's important to employ the services of a strength and conditioning coach. With a coach, you can find your strength training workouts more effective as they can teach you how to execute weightlifting exercises correctly. In addition, they can also monitor how you train and correct any lifting errors you make. Be sure to find a conditioning coach with a coaching style and approach that's holistic and supportive. These kinds of coaches understand that there are a lot of factors that can affect the performance of an individual and take all of these into account when helping their clients. Furthermore, make sure that the coach you hire is certified by fitness organizations such as the International Sports Sciences Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

2. Warming up is key⁠

Strength training can push your body to its limits. If you’re not careful when lifting weights, your muscles might rip, twist, or tear, in a harmful way. For this reason, you should religiously perform warm up exercises before hitting the weights. By warming up and stretching your muscles, you make them more elastic, flexible, and mobile. In addition, warming up also elevates your core body temperature and improves your circulation, both of which can help when improving your athletic performance. To properly warm up, be sure to do a minute each of simple exercises such as heel digs, knee lifts, rolls, hip rotations, and head rotations.

3. Take it slow and steady

A huge mistake people make during strength training is picking up weights that are too heavy for them. If you overestimate your strength, you run the risk of injuring yourself and creating unnecessary muscle fatigue. So when building a strength training routine, be mindful of how heavy your starting weights are, as well as the number of repetitions that you aim to do. This is another reason why it’s best to work with a strength and conditioning coach at the start of your strength training journey ⁠— you get to have a workout routine that is tailored to your needs and goals.

4. Consider a circuit style routine

If you want to see quick results, it may be helpful to adopt a circuit style fitness routine. Simply put, circuit training is a style of workout where individuals course through various exercises with little rest in between. The exercises included in the strength training routine should be dynamic so you can target different muscle groups. With this kind of strength training style, you can greatly improve your muscle strength and endurance, as well as train your cardiorespiratory system.

Strength training is a great way for women to attain peak fitness. If you want to build a home gym to accompany your strength training journey, be sure to read our post on essential home gym hacks everyone should know.