Free Weight Exercises for Women
UNlimited
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Dumbbell Exercises for Women:
- 7’s BICEP CURLS (DUMBBELLS) 3 x (COMBO OF 4 x 7 EACH)
(Halfway up / Middle to top / All the way up and down / Pulls. Perform on Bosu Ball to intensify)
*Alternate
2. SHOULDER WIDTH SQUAT JUMPS WITH DUMBBELLS 3 x 20
3. DOUBLE ARM TRICEP KICK BACKS 3 x 15
*Alternate
4. LUNGE JUMPS 3 x 15 (L + R)
(Add dumbbells to maximize workout)
5. FLY + PULL + RAISE TRIO 3 x 12
*Alternate
6. ARNIE PRESS 3 x 12
(Incorporate a squat for a super upper body and core exercise. The heavier the dumbbells the more effective.)
The Free Weight vs Machine Exercises debate has been going on forever. Numerous studies indicate that free weight exercises for women hold more benefits. I agree to that, although I don’t completely exclude machine exercises in my workout routines. For optimal results there is definitely about 20% room left for machine based exercises in certain workouts. My philosophy has always been BALANCE and on this topic it is nothing different.
Free weight exercises for women normally involves the use of dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, sandbags, medicine balls and weight plates. The major advantage of free weights is that they are more efficient in strengthening the whole body. Most free weight exercises are performed in a standing position. The whole body supports the weight. More of the body’s muscles become active when performing the exercise. Of equal importance is the fact that this “weight bearing” exercise promotes bone mineralization, which is important in preventing osteoporosis in later years.
When you lift a free weight, you are not just lifting the weight. You are also stabilizing the weight, or keeping it from moving in any other direction. This strengthens additional muscles in your body.
For example, squatting with free weights requires you to push the weight from the floor while simultaneously requiring you to stabilize it – balancing yourself so you do not fall forward, backwards or off to the side, keeping your trunk straight, holding the weight, etc. You are not only effectively hitting the target muscle, the quadriceps; you are literally recruiting muscles all over the body to perform the squat.
This makes the squat one of the hardest, the most intense, and the most effective strength or mass building exercise out there. It will stimulate muscle growth throughout the body. You want to stimulate as much muscle as possible with each exercise you perform. Free weight exercises for women will help you do this much more effectively than a reliance on machines.
If there is one lesson that I would take from men’s training, it would be to lift heavy. More importantly, the point is to lift heavy with free weights. Yes ladies, you won’t get big and bulky when you do this. We’re going for the dancer-type look – long, lean, strong, and effortless with all the curves in the right places. Just tune in to any dancing program to have an idea of what I’m talking about here.
It may take a few sets to determine that weight especially if this is your first time training with free weights. Here’s a tip to determine the correct free weight: You should barely be able to finish a set of 12 reps; if that’s the case you’ve got the right weight there! As you get accustomed to working with free weights and building up your strength I would suggest going for lower repetitions with heavier weights. I like to stay in the 8-12 repetition range and perform 3-4 sets of each exercise- mostly in pyramid sets. When you stay within this rep range, you will find that you will be able to lift heavier and increase your strength without sacrificing form. Moving forward, you will want to increase the weight in each exercise every week so that you are continuously challenging your body and stimulating your muscle fibers to grow.
The goal is to train for strength. You will see a huge benefit when doing basic exercises by simply incorporating dumbbell exercises for women. There’s a whole range of creative dumbbell exercises for women and can be easily incorporated with most multi joint exercises. It is available in every gym and comes in very handy to have at home.
Dumbbell exercises for women seem old fashioned, but still make out the biggest part of my daily workouts. I am sharing with you stuff that works- so, if you want results- make peace with dumbbell exercises for women and do them wholeheartedly.
The range of exercises and the benefits are UNlimited. The limiting factor is you. I know you’ve got what it takes.
Keep pushing the limits… Passionately!
Emm
