Myths about strength exercises: how to lose weight and not pump up muscles?

To achieve beautiful slimness, you need to direct your body to burn fat and build muscle tissue at the same time. This is scientifically based: it is in the muscles that fat is mainly burned. They also give the body density and elasticity, preventing it from becoming flabby.

However, among women who are losing weight, there are many prejudices against elastic muscles. Ladies think that simple abdominal exercises will make their stomachs covered with overly masculine “cubes,” and that 2 kg dumbbells will make their arms lumpy, like those of “jocks.”

In fact, it is difficult for a woman to get seriously pumped up; to do this, she needs to rebuild her hormonal system, which cannot be done without special medications. And the fact that victims of a sedentary lifestyle are sometimes mistaken for “pumping up” is just a natural form of the human body, which we, alas, have lost the habit of.

So, let's deal with common prejudices.

1st opinion: You won’t lose weight from dumbbells and push-ups!

Losing weight does not depend on the type of training, but solely on its duration and intensity. If you move for 20 to 40 minutes at a minimum heart rate of 120 to 140 beats per minute, you will burn fat. Muscle growth will begin if you exercise for 15-30 minutes at a heart rate above 170 beats, but an untrained person usually cannot achieve this intensity. And such efforts are not safe for a beginner; you should not strive for them in the first year of training.

You can control your pulse based only on sensations. So, if you start gasping for air like a fish out of water, if the “hammers” are pounding in your head, and sweat flows through your body, your pulse is too high.

Reduce the pace or range of movement, switch to a calmer form (from running to walking, from standing exercises to exercises against a wall or on a mat).

A set of strength exercises for the hips and buttocks

Before starting training, a girl should prepare herself for long, hard work: it is impossible to pump up her legs in 5 days or a week. The first results can be noticed only after the 2-3rd month of hard training.

Strength training at home should begin with a warm-up routine. Its goal is to warm up muscles and joints, increase the elasticity of ligaments, and saturate the blood with oxygen. The duration of the warm-up should be 12-15 minutes, of which 5-7 minutes should be devoted to cardio training (jumping rope, running in place, working on an exercise bike) and 6-8 minutes to swinging arms and legs, turning and bending the body, circular movements of the pelvis.

Classic squats

Exercises allow you to create a powerful muscular load on the hips and buttocks.

When performing squats, it is important to control the position of the back - the spinal column should be straight both when lowering and while raising the body. Algorithm of actions:. Algorithm of actions:

Algorithm of actions:

1. While in a standing position, spread your shins shoulder-width apart (toes point forward).
2. Extend your arms in front of you at chest level.
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
4. While inhaling, slowly lower your body to the “squat” position.
5. As you exhale, quickly rise to a standing position.
6. Perform 15-20 rapid repetitions (there is no need to pause at the upper and lower extreme points).
7. After a minute's rest, perform 3 more similar approaches.

Plie squats with a dumbbell

The wide stance of the legs in this version of squats makes it possible to accentuate the pumping of the back and inner thighs.

Correctly perform plie exercises as follows:

1. With both hands, take one heavy dumbbell and place it below in front of you (between your legs). Spread your shins 45-55 cm and turn your toes outward. Pull in your stomach (this body position is the starting position).
2. As you inhale, lower your torso to the “squat” position.
3. As you exhale, rise up.

Number of repetitions - 12-15, series - 3-4. It is recommended to rest no more than 1 minute between approaches.

Jumping

Exercise allows you to create a high functional and muscular load, accompanied by increased production of anabolic substances: somatropin and testosterone. The increased content of hormones in the blood will be an additional factor in the growth of muscle tissue.

Execution sequence:

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower your body into a squat position and place your palms in front of you at chest level.
3. As you exhale, perform a powerful jump up while simultaneously moving your arms back.
4. Return to a sitting position and do another 10-14 jumps.

Number of episodes - 3-4. You should rest for 75-90 seconds between them.

Lunges with dumbbells

The exercise makes it possible to pump the front and back surfaces of the thighs and buttocks. At the same time, lunges increase the elasticity of the ligaments and the flexibility of the joints, which also contributes to muscle hypertrophy of the legs.

Technique:

1. While standing, place 2 dumbbells on each side of your hips.
2. Bring your feet together.
3. As you inhale, take a big step forward with your right leg, transferring the weight of your entire body (while stepping, your back leg should be bent 90 degrees and lowered).
4. As you exhale, return to a standing position.
5. Perform a similar lunge on your left leg.
6. Alternately do another 13-16 repetitions.

The number of hikes is 4. You need to rest for about a minute between series.

Leg extensions with an expander

An isolated strength exercise can be used effectively to pump up the hamstrings and buttocks. Abductions help to form beautiful female buttocks in a short time.

Execution algorithm:

1. Place the expander ring on the ankle of your left leg.
2. Hook the second end of the elastic band onto any stationary object: bed, radiator, desk.
3. Position yourself opposite the place where the expander is attached and place a chair in front of you.
4. Grab your back with your hands.
5. Perform 12-14 quick abductions of the left leg back.
6. Place the elastic ring on your right shin and perform the exercise again.

Number of episodes: 3-4. You should rest for about 60 seconds between sets.

During strength training, beginners should monitor their heart rate. You can calculate your safe heart rate using the formula: 220 minus age. If during training this coefficient begins to exceed the permissible limit, it is necessary to increase the rest period between approaches.

2nd opinion: It is useless to go to the gym to lose weight!

Firstly, simulators are different. For example, cardio equipment - a treadmill, an exercise bike, a stepper, an ellipsoid and others - is an excellent analogue to walking, skiing, cycling or skating. On a rainy or frosty day you can’t do without them.

Secondly, the so-called “strength” exercise machines (with weights, blocks and cables) can also be used in fat-burning mode. So, “jocks” put heavy weights on them and do 8–10 repetitions with them, then rest for a long time. And those who are losing weight need to select a light weight and do 15-30 repetitions with a short rest before the next approach. Such training will strengthen the muscles, increase their tone and blood circulation in them, due to which fat burning will increase, but will not give significant growth. At the same time, training on simulators is relatively safe: the loads move along a strict trajectory, there is no risk that an arm or leg will turn in, go to the side and crush you under the weight.

3rd opinion: What are you telling me, I’ve grown so much muscle in two months!

We discussed above how to practice so that they actually grow. This is what is happening here. While you were leading a sedentary lifestyle, your muscles gradually atrophied. You start exercising and they have to increase slightly to accommodate the load. But how much will they increase? Over the first 6–9 months, large muscles (primarily at the front of the thigh) may increase in volume by 1–2 cm. If you lose excess fat at the same time, the volume of the thigh will not change, it will only become denser. But after these 1-2 cm you will have to sweat a lot in order to achieve any more noticeable muscle growth!

Often, immediately after a workout, muscles appear larger than they were. No wonder: they worked, filled with blood and simply swelled by 1–1.5 cm. This will go away in half an hour. Also, don't forget that muscles are a natural tissue of the human body. According to medical standards, they should account for 30% of body weight in women and 40% in men. Fat, by the way, according to the same standards, there should be less muscle - up to 25% in women and about 20% in men.

4th opinion: Exercises on “problem areas” burn fat!

This is true, but such exercises, by the way, work specifically on the muscles. Once activated, the muscles begin to more actively use the fat deposits surrounding them, receiving energy from the latter. In addition, their contractions literally displace fat and make fat cells flatter. That is why there is less fat, and cellulite loses its established positions. However, this process does not go quickly (which is not surprising, since you did not accumulate excess weight in three weeks, but over at least several years) and requires a responsible attitude: that is, exercise regularly and not haphazardly.

Physical activity for quick weight loss in legs

Without sufficient physical activity, you won’t be able to lose weight in your legs, especially quickly. The optimal combination is strength and aerobic exercise . Forget about the elevator, even if you live on the tenth floor, don’t think about public transport either - if the final point of the journey is less than half an hour’s walk, walk. Try to walk at least 5 km daily. To measure your routes, you can use a pedometer, Yandex maps, or simply navigate by time (5 km per hour).

If you have joint problems or are overweight, prefer swimming and walking . Slim and healthy people can run, jump rope, and do high-intensity interval training. Recently, interval training has become increasingly popular among professional athletes - precisely calculated alternation of loads of variable intensity allows you to influence different muscle fibers, creating the best conditions for both fat burning and muscle strengthening.

5th opinion: You can’t strengthen your muscles without weights...

Not at all. You always have your own body weight at your disposal. Try to maximally load the muscles that require your attention. If it’s your legs or buttocks, learn to squat on one leg (first with support on a chair or wall), if it’s your chest, arms, back, do push-ups (when this seems easy, place books under your arms). At the same time, you should not artificially limit yourself: use what you have at hand for classes.

For example, in the winter you can take a membership to a gym, where there are exercise machines and barbells with dumbbells, in warmer times of the year you can go to the sports ground in the park or at the nearest school, and at home you can do exercises against the wall, with a chair or with bottles of water instead of weights.

How to pump up a girl's legs at home. Why does a girl need to pump up her legs?

Well-developed legs are not only necessary for runners and athletes. Strong lower limbs make a person much more resilient in everyday life, and also give an athletically toned figure. If you spend enough time training your legs, after a short period of time you will notice how much easier it has become to climb stairs. Don't worry about your fitness level. Exercises to pump up the lower body are not difficult and can be performed even by those who have not previously devoted much time to sports and training.

Most movements do not require the use of weights or weights, but rather provide a good load from your own body. If we talk about home workouts, there are many exercises that do not require the purchase of any sports equipment or equipment. They allow you to increase your endurance when walking, and, therefore, get tired much less and achieve more in life. Another advantage is the ability to prepare yourself for serious stress both in the sports field and when performing ordinary everyday tasks.

Pumping up your legs at home is not only a doable task, but also incredibly useful. Exercises that load the lower limbs bring the muscles involved in everyday life into good tone. Squats, which imitate the movement made when a person sits on a chair, help not only strengthen the leg muscles, but also improve posture. Squat raises require pushing through your heels and squeezing your core. In other words, a person develops useful habits that are applicable not only during training, but also in everyday life.

Beautiful posture, correct seating, and the absence of rapid fatigue when walking are just some of the positive benefits of leg training. Simple exercises that do not require good physical preparation will be an excellent basis for moving on to more complex training with the addition of weights. Well-developed leg muscles are of paramount importance for many complex weight-bearing exercises. Another advantage of movements without the use of additional sports equipment is that they allow you to hone the execution technique to the point of automaticity, but at the same time pump up your lower limbs.

If you have never performed lunges and squats before, then immediately doing such exercises with weights is strongly not recommended. This will lead to difficulties in mastering the technique, since most of the effort will be aimed at holding the weights. There is little benefit from such training. Home basic training for pumping up your legs helps you hone literally every movement in a familiar environment, become the owner of strong and developed lower limbs, and prepare for more intense exercise. The last point is a pleasant bonus for those who have seriously decided to make their figure more athletic and toned.

6th opinion: Due to muscle growth, you can gain weight!

This is the truth. Muscles are 30% heavier than fat, so increasing them even by 1–2 cm gives a “plus” of 3–5 kg. However, do not forget that at the same time you must lose fat, of which there is much more. In general, you should focus not only on scales, but also on centimeters. Regularly measure your waist and hips, and if they (especially the first) decrease, everything is fine, even if the numbers on the scales increase. The fact is that physical exercise also affects the condition of the bones: they accumulate calcium more actively, that is, they become stronger. This may also affect your scales, but the risk of osteoporosis and fractures will decrease.

It also happens that in the first weeks of training both weight and volume increase. This is due to the fact that the muscles have already begun to grow, and the fat covering them has not yet burned off. Check your diet! It is possible that after training you have poor appetite control and eat everything you burn. Limit fatty and sweet foods for three to four months, and the balance will return to normal.

Features of home leg training for girls

Just 10-12 years ago, the question of how to pump up a girl’s legs caused confusion. Priority was given exclusively to definition, giving muscle mass a secondary importance. But beauty standards gradually changed towards a balance between natural muscle volume and leg relief.

The main disadvantage of home exercises is the progression of the load. In the gym, you can always add weights to the barbell or set the weight in the machine to 2-5 kg ​​more than usual. At home, training with your own body weight, sooner or later you will hit a “ceiling” when your weight is not enough. After this, for leg exercises for women to be effective, you will have to increase the load, avoiding muscle adaptation. At home, the best options for this are:

• a pair of collapsible dumbbells;
• rubber bands or expanders;
• any types of weights (from sandbags to large bottles of water).

Otherwise, there are no differences in leg training for girls at home and in the gym.

Provide the muscles with the right amount of work and intensity, and you will get the same result.

For home leg training to be effective, you should remember the basic rules:

• muscles need time to recover, so it’s optimal to do 2 workouts per week;
• work all areas of your legs to avoid muscle imbalances;
• alternate strength and high-repetition styles (by weeks or months) to eliminate adaptation;
• maintain proper diet and sleep patterns.

Remember, the most important condition and key to effective home workouts is discipline. In order for a girl to pump up her legs at home, she will have to devote at least 20-30 minutes of time and not be distracted by extraneous activities.