In the fitness world we talk a lot about the effectiveness of weight training. It is something that I focus on with my training, as well as all of my clients. If you are a new member at Evolve, make sure you take advantage of your free personal training session. This is a great time to learn how to use the gym weight equipment.
We as women lose muscle quickly after the age of 35-40, when we no longer weight train. Women can lose muscle at a rate of 0.5-1 percent per year typically without engaging in physical activity.
With that being said, try to make sure you are getting some resistance/weight training 2-3 times per week. This does not mean that you have to go and lift the heaviest weight you have ever lifted, that is not for everyone. Just pick up some weights and engage in some sort of resistance/weight training.
So where do you start? How do you go about knowing what to do when you get to the gym? There are so many different ways that you can structure a workout. I always recommend to start light and slowly increase your weight. Otherwise you will risk getting injured or have extreme soreness. You can start with 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, and work your way from there.
What muscle groups should you work? When you first get started, I always recommend an upper body day and lower body day. This would mean you are touching on every muscle group at last one time per week. As you start to get a little more advanced, there are so many combinations of muscle groups for workouts, it is endless. Below are a few ideas for structuring your workout:
Workout Plan 1 – 2 lifting days per week
Upper Body
Lower Body
Workout Plan 2 – 3 lifting days per week
Back & Biceps
Legs
Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
Workout Plan 3 – 4 lifting days per week
Back & Biceps
Legs
Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
Glutes & Hamstrings
Workout Plan 4 – 4 lifting days per week
Back & Chest
Biceps, Triceps & Shoulders
Legs
Glutes & Hamstrings
Workout Plan 5 – 5 lifting days per week
Back & Biceps
Legs
Chest & Triceps
Shoulders & Core
Glutes & Hamstrings
Workout Plan 5 – 5 Lifting Days per week
Back & Biceps
Glutes & Hams
Chest & Triceps
Shoulders
Legs
There are endless possibilities when it comes to combinations of muscle groups for workouts.
If you would like to gain more knowledge with this, Evolve has multiple Personal Trainers available to assist you. Single sessions are available for purchase, or packages. Visit the Evolve website for more information.