Leap of Fate:
Let’s start by saying even though my title for this article is somewhat sexist I am by no means a sexist man and I am here to help the opposite sex in whatever health needs they might need and want. Think of me as your Gay best friend that can tell you what body parts you need to improve on to reach your potential to sexiness.
I’ll use the word “toning” from now on instead of “Weight Training” since for women any connotations with the word ‘weight’ and ‘training’ automatically alerts to their deep instinctual nature that it means, “Butch, Fat, gaining weight, junk in the trunk, Rippling Muscles” and the list goes on.
Instinct and our physiological nature plays a huge part in the difference between “toning” for women and “weight training” for men. Women are attracted to men with a body ratio of 2-1 or 1-1 (That V shape from shoulders to waist) and that’s why men concentrate on mostly on the upper body due to women seeing this body shape as the alpha male or leader of the pack that can provide for her.
Whereas women when toning concentrate on the overall “PEAR/ Hour glass” body shape or a ratio 2-1-2 as men see these traits as being able to bear children and therefore makes men more attracted in nature to this type of woman.
This article is aimed for women; however men are free to use these programs as it depends what your goal is when exercising/toning and how you want your body to look. I specifically aim for women since my previous titles seem quite “Men” related. If you’re a woman read my previous articles as it gives insight of what to look for in terms of technique, diet, rest, motivation. Furthermore the exercises mentioned before for Men can just as easily be implemented in women’s workout plan, just it needs some tweaking which ill explain later.
Workout Plan (For Women)
Unlike my previous workout plan for men with only a few exercises. For women I’ll concentrate on the whole body with some emphasis on certain areas. The training involves a lot more exercises and techniques to consider. This is still an introductory article so ill try and keep things simple and highlight main points throughout.
Monday: Upper Body
1. Bench press (Muscle Group; Chest)
2. Shoulder Press
Look at this video for proper form and guide to Shoulder Press;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-aVuyhvLHU
3. Dumbbell Curls (Muscle Group; Biceps)
4. Lying Triceps
5. Lat Pull down (Muscle Group; Upper and lower back, Biceps)
Look at this video for proper form and guide to Lat pull-downs;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3kAMDNjtt4
6. Machine or Dumbbell Flys (Muscle Group; Chest and supporting muscles)
Do 45-50 total reps of each exercise; using a weight you can lift 12 to 15 times before your speed slows down or your form changes. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.
- Important Note: If I don’t provide pictures or videos on the above or following exercises then it means I have shown it before in my previous articles such as; weight training for beginners
(Tuesday: Rest)
Wednesday: Lower Body
1. Medicine Ball Squats (Muscle group; Quadriceps and Glutes)
2. Squats (Muscle group; Quadriceps and Glutes)
3. Dumbbell lunge or step-up (Muscle group; Hamstring, Glutes)
4. Calf/ Foot Raises
Look at this video for proper form and guide to Calf and Foot raises:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQMng6-dZ5E
Do 45-50 total reps of each exercise; using a weight you can lift 12 to 15 times before your speed slows down or your form changes. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.
- Important Note: Try and invest in a medicine ball at home as it is especially important for women with toning, stretching and flexibility. My later articles I’ll recommend further exercises to use with the medicine ball.
(Thursday: Rest)
Friday: Abdominals (Abs)
1. Medicine Ball crunches
2. Plank
- Important for women with weak pelvic muscles. Also it helps strengthens the core supporting muscles around the stomach region
- If you can’t do the normal plank position, try going on knees initially (going on knees shows your weak core muscles).
- Aim is at least 30 seconds to a minute and do as many as you can
3. Air Bike
4. Lying Leg Raises
Do 50-60 total reps of each exercise; with each set comprising of 18-20 reps before your speed slows down or your form changes. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.
- Important note: It is important to do Abs with the right technique. DON’T listen to people who say do 1000 crunches a day etc etc because that’s detrimental to your progress for nice tone abs and might cause injury problems especially in lower back area. Remember to concentrate on contraction of Abs and technique, it’s not about amount of reps you do, but how you do it.
Additional Pointers:
Saturday and Sundays could be your “rest days” or for better results body wise; implement cardio work into your routine or repeat one of those weight training exercise days into a Saturday or Sunday. Also “rest days” such as Tuesday and Thursday could be cardio days as most women would rather be nice and lean rather then pack on muscle.
Every few weeks try to mix your exercises and routines so your body is not use to it. For example instead doing Mondays workout on the Monday, do it on a Wednesday and vice versa. This helps with the body never being use to your workouts because once your body gets use to something the results will plateau and it will seem like you are never improving.
As these workouts are more for women, I would imagine no woman wants to look like some incredible hulk. However improvement is always the key in any exercise you do in Cardio or weights. So once you get to a suitable weight you can lift with each exercise, DON’T just continue doing the same weight and reps/ sets each week. At least try to incorporate more reps or more sets in each exercise with the same weight so you don’t get bigger muscles BUT a more toned effect. The result will be a leaner you, that has muscle endurance without compromising your natural womanly figure and is generally stronger overall in each body part.
Concluding thoughts:
Remember my main tips/ points from previous articles apply to not just Men but women too. Try to follow the diet, guidelines, get enough rest and above all else have fun exercising and be motivated to be healthy.
Once you start seeing results, you will realize that constantly improving your weight training potential, getting stronger and toned will give you more focus to strive for higher goals. The end result will be a sexy new you, booty shaking to “Lets Get Loud” like Jennifer Lopez in the Super bowl.
