Kira Camp and others - 101 Muscle-Shaping Workouts & Strategies for Women

This publication is based on articles written by Kira Camp, MS, Lori Gross, LPTA, CSCS, Lara McGlashan, Carey Rossi and Linda Shelton

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WHATS THE FASTEST, most effective way to transform your body? The answer is strength training. Sure, cardiovascular exercise, stretching and good eating habits are important for keeping fit, healthy and trim. But when it comes to sculpting and firming your body, no form of exercise offers more bang for your buck than lifting weights.

Not only can you develop sleek thighs, awesome abs and taut triceps in as little as six weeks, but hitting the weight room regularly can impact your health for years to come. With the right strength-training program, you can bank away precious bone mass, one of the keys to preventing osteoporosis. Having more muscle tissue will also boost your metabolism, increasing your bodys capacity to burn calories, even when youre just sitting around. Studies show that strength training can even help combat high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, as well as perk up your mood, boost your energy level and help you fight stress.

101 Muscle-Shaping Workouts & Strategies for Women will help you get the most from your program, whether youre jumping in for the first time or looking for ideas to freshen up an old routine. Youll find all the essential tools, including 100-plus exercises and stretches and specific programming for each bodypart. But thats only part of the package. Well help you determine which equipment to use, how much weight to lift, how often to work out, how many exercises to perform and how to help you get the body you want. Well also explain essential training principles and advanced workout techniques to help you progress to the next level. Plus, well clear up some misconceptions about lifting weights.

If theres one word that explains the remarkable benefits of strength training, its overload. Change can only happen when you push harder than usual. Overloading your muscles challenging them with sufficiently heavy weights stimulates them to grow stronger. The best way to overload is to progressively increase the resistance each time an exercise is no longer challenging, forcing your muscles to respond and develop. You can also progressively overload by manipulating other training variables: the number of sets and reps, exercise selection, order you do them in and the speed at which you perform them. Other related components are exercise frequency, or how many days per week you lift; and recovery, which encompasses how much rest you need between sets, exercises and training sessions. All of these factors are related; your program becomes different just by changing one of them.

There is no best piece of equipment. Dumbbells, barbells, machines and cables: all of these contraptions can help you build strength. You can even get stronger without any equipment at all. Still, in certain circumstances, some equipment is more effective than others, and using a combination will give you the best of all worlds. Heres a rundown of the major equipment options.

Weight Machines

Dont fret if you look at a machine and cant figure out which way to sit, which handle to pull or which bodypart youre supposed to be exercising. Its not always obvious, which is why most machines feature an illustration and operating instructions. A trainer or experienced lifter can help you adjust the seat and various levers so the machine fits your body. Some machines use weight stacks (therefore called a stack machine), a tall column of weight plates marked in numerical order, as their resistance. Others use loose plates, which are round weights that are usually stored on various weight trees around the gym. Note: all machines are not created equal; different makes that are for the same body-part vary just as 10 pounds on the chest press might not be the same as 10 pounds on the shoulder press. To avoid injury, test the weight on every machine before using it. Record how much weight you use for each one so you dont have to experiment during your next session. Once you have a starting weight, use this as a base to progress.

Pros: Machines dont require much balance or coordination, so a newbie can quickly get the hang of an exercise. You simply get into position and the machine guides you through the motion. (Still, there are subtle technique tips to master.) With no loose parts to drop, machines are extremely safe. They are also ideal for isolating a muscle group in other words, targeting one muscle group to the exclusion of all others. Machines also allow you to work certain muscle groups from angles that just arent attainable with other equipment, because your body is stabilized in a particular position and held by the machine so you can safely lift more weight. And to adjust the amount of weight, you simply place a pin in the weight stack.

Cons: Although isolating muscle groups can be useful in some cases, its generally better to work several muscle groups at once, mimicking the way your body operates in everyday life. Because machines keep you in position, they dont demand much of your core muscles, the deep abdominal, lower back and hip muscles that are essential for good posture and are called upon to stabilize your body when you perform other types of exercises. In addition, traditional weight machines are designed for only one or two movements, so they arent very versatile, although many of the new versions do have pulley systems that allow for multi-plane or multi-directional training.