Weights or no weights?
I think weights are your best value for money option in the gym. If you are only able to train a couple of times a week then you will get the best results from weight-training. That is if the results you want are to look good – and let’s face it, that’s what we all want right? It’s not the only thing I want. I truly train because I want to be fit and strong, because being fit and strong means life is a bit easier, so you enjoy it more, you feel better and so ultimately you look better too.
Women actually don’t need to rest as long between sets as men do so we can take advantage of this when we weight train by moving from one set to the next fairly rapidly. Less rest between sets means we’ll burn more calories during the workout and the increased muscle mass we get from weight training means not only do we get nice shapely arms and bums but we burn more calories when we’re outside the gym. Muscles consume energy even when we are resting (not like fat which is just fat). So greater muscle mass = burning more energy all the time. It’s good for you!
This is one of my favourite workouts. Do 10-12 reps of each exercise, where the last one you do is making you grimace or wince or strain in some sort of manner. If that’s not happening increase the weight of the dumbbells you’ve chosen, or if it doesn’t involve dumbbells, increase the reps until you get to 20. Repeat each pair of exercises 4 times.
Eg. I do 12 Push-ups, then 10 Bent over rows on each arm then back to 12 push-ups… (4 times)
A1. Push-ups
A2. Bent-over Row
B1. Step-ups
B2 Shoulder Press
C1. Split Squat (lunge)
C2. Dips
D1. Back Extension
D2. Knee Raises
If you have any questions about the exercises – just ask me or any one else at the gym, (Or I am sure you can look them up on YouTube!) See you in the gym – Lynsey
