Training for girls at home can be called no less effective than in the gym, the main thing is to make the training as intense as possible. This is the main difference between men's training and women's, because for men, strength training should include a wide range of weights and various exercise equipment, which home training will not provide. Naturally, strength training at home involves the use of sports equipment and performing exercises with weights. But today, this is not a problem.
The benefits of strength exercises for women at home
At first glance, strength training is a purely male version of sports, however, this is not so. Strength training for women provides the following benefits:
- Increased muscle tone.
- Acceleration of metabolic processes.
- Weight loss. Promote long-term burning of fat tissue.
- The ability to make your figure more attractive.
- The most highly effective training, especially if you alternate strength exercises with aerobic exercises.
- Improves skin tone.
- Strengthens bones and ligaments.
Could there be downsides to strength training for women?
Yes, if you ignore the warm-up and use a working weight to which the body has not yet had time to adapt.
Also, such activities contribute to the development of wider muscles, and many girls do not want this. This does not mean that the mass will increase significantly, no. The muscles will simply take on a more “fluffed” and rounded shape. If this is not desirable for you, it is better to pay attention to yoga, Pilates and dance styles.
Fitness program
A fitness program is a system of exercises aimed at correcting your figure and improving your health.
Below is a list of the most popular programs:
- LESS MILLES . The exercises in this program are performed to rhythmic music, most often using dumbbells. Suitable for everyone who loves active fitness.
- MIND & BODY . The program is aimed at developing flexibility; all exercises are performed to relaxing music. Suitable for all those who do not like intense training.
- BODYBALANCE . The classes combine yoga and Pilates exercises. Develop flexibility, endurance and improve health.
- BODYCOMBAT . _ The program combines various types of martial arts: kickboxing, taekwando, karate. Lesson duration 50 min. Girls with joint problems should consult a doctor before training.
- STRECH . The set of exercises is aimed at improving the condition of the joints and increasing the flexibility of the body. Performing exercises is combined with correct breathing technique. The lesson lasts 1.5 hours. There are no contraindications to this program.
- PILATES MAT . The program will teach you to feel your body, strengthen your spine and tone your muscles. A month of regular exercise will help you acquire a beautiful silhouette and good stretching. Duration of classes is 55 minutes, there are no contraindications for performance.
Main misconceptions
Before you start reading the detailed instructions for home strength training, I would like to immediately eliminate some fears and misconceptions about the effect of strength training.
- Firstly, as already mentioned, you should not be afraid of burdens. The load will contribute not only to muscle growth, which many imagine is somewhat exaggerated, but to the response of the muscles to the weight in the form of a beautiful, toned body and loss of excess weight. That is, if the load is too small, the muscles will not change, and the body weight will stand still.
- Secondly, do not be afraid to train the muscles of the torso and shoulder girdle. In no case should you pay attention only to “problem” areas or hone the shape of your buttocks without strengthening the muscles that support the spine or the core muscles. At a time when your legs require increased load, you have to increase the weight of the barbell or dumbbells, but your back and abs are not ready. This will lead to complications and pain in the spine, increase the risk of injury and even worsen posture, since stabilizer muscles were never included in the training process. Therefore, it is necessary to perform exercises for the back, chest, abdomen and arms.
Circuit classes
2 months after the start of classes, you can move on to one of the most powerful means against fat deposits - circuit training.
The essence of the training is that during one lesson (most often it lasts no more than 20 minutes), only 3-4 approaches are performed, each of which contains a set of movements for several muscle groups at once.
An essential feature of high-intensity interval training is that the exercises are performed immediately one after another, without a rest interval.
Circuit training at home can be carried out according to the following scheme:
- Push-ups - 20 reps.
- Jumping rope or on toes - 30 seconds.
- Jump squats - 10 times.
- Bent-over dumbbell rows - 10 reps.
- “Scissors” from a lying position - 15 repetitions.
- Raising the pelvis with your back up - 12 times.
The rest time after each approach should be sufficient to restore breathing and pulse. On average it takes about 2-3 minutes.
Circuit training creates very high functional stress that is unusual for the body. For girls with diseases of the cardiovascular system and internal organs, such loads may be contraindicated.
Where to start strength training at home for girls
Strength training should begin with a minimal load, performing exercises with the lightest weight or no weight at all, such as squats, lunges and push-ups.
Introduction to the training process can also begin with aerobic exercise. In this case, various exercises that can be performed at home will be relevant, for example, burpees, jumping jacks or jumping rope. A good option would be running. Subsequently, the amount of aerobic exercise can be reduced, but each workout should begin with a good and thorough warm-up.
An example of a warm-up before each workout:
- Elements of joint gymnastics (rotation of wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles and knees).
- Body rotation.
- Tilts.
- Stretching the legs and core muscles.
How to train further: recommendations
There are many options for training at home. There are a lot of exercises and load combination options.
- Use a variety of exercises and approaches.
- You should also gradually increase your working weight.
In the future, training should be completely revised and worked on three or two muscle groups, increasing the number of exercises for each of them. For example:
- first day – pectoral muscles and triceps;
- the second - legs and shoulders;
- the third is the back and biceps.
Read more about split training →
Drinking regime and nutrition
Maintaining proper nutrition and regular physical activity is 70% of success on the path to a beautiful figure, and only 30% is proper training.
It is very important to eat small portions 5 – 6 times a day. 1.5, or preferably 2 hours before going to the gym, you need to eat food rich in carbohydrates and some protein. You can get the right carbohydrates from oatmeal, rice, buckwheat and rye bread. And, there is a sufficient amount of protein: in beef, eggs, chicken breast and lean fish.
When losing weight, you can’t eat after working out in the gym, because... Eating food will stop the process of burning subcutaneous fat. If you are gaining muscle mass, then after 20 minutes. You can have a snack with a banana, apple or low-fat cottage cheese. To gain muscle mass, your post-workout meal should consist of carbohydrates and protein, and when losing weight, protein and vegetables.
You cannot completely give up fats; this will cause great harm to the body. You need to consume fats from the right sources, such as nuts (a handful per day), vegetable oils, hard cheeses and fish.
To avoid malfunction, the body needs to drink the right amount of fluid every day. Everyone’s indicator is individual, the approximate amount for a girl in the middle weight category is 1.5-2 liters per day.
How long after training will the girls see results?
If you follow the training regimen and eat right, you can see the results within a month. Of course, the result will depend on many factors, for example, hormonal levels. What results can be expected is an increase in muscle volume, strength, muscle endurance, or the creation of relief and reduction of excess weight. Each of these effects is achieved over a different period of time. Most quickly, female athletes can feel a surge of strength, vigor and good mood. How fast? Literally from the first training sessions.
For motivation
After four weeks, the muscles will adapt to the load and become stronger; this will be visually noticeable by a decrease in body volume, as excess fluid and a small amount of fat are lost in the first month. Further, the result will only improve if you increase the load and change the program.
Cardio for weight loss
It is advisable to use aerobic training to increase the rate of fat burning throughout the body. Active saturation of tissues with oxygen during exercise will lead to stimulation of lipid metabolism, as a result of which fat deposits in problem areas of the body will begin to be used to replenish the energy reserves of cells.
Another positive effect of cardio is an increase in levels of anti-stress hormones. Serotonin, endorphins and other compounds will help reduce hunger when following a low-carb diet.
The list of the most effective aerobic exercises for fat burning at home is presented in the table:
| Exercise name | Features of implementation |
| Jumping rope or on toes | Jumping rope is performed in series, 60-90 seconds each with a minute's rest. The number of approaches is 8-10. Jumping on your toes without using a gymnastic apparatus can be done in a similar way, supplemented by swinging your arms or turning your body in different directions |
| Run | There are 2 options for performing the exercise:
|
| Swimming | You need to do cardio through swimming at a calm pace for 30-40 minutes. It is important to avoid visiting pools or ponds with cold water, as this may increase the amount of subcutaneous fat (the body's response to regular exposure to cold) |
| Working out on an exercise bike or cycling | When cycling, it is most effective to use a calm pace. The duration of the load is in the range from 40 to 50 minutes. It is recommended to exercise on an exercise bike cyclically: 5-7 high-intensity approaches for 2-3 minutes, the interval between series is about 90 seconds |
| Sport games | Greater energy expenditure can be achieved by playing football, volleyball, tennis and other active games in your yard or at the stadium. |
Aerobic training at home for girls should be done at least 2-3 times a week. The effective time for each of them is about 45 minutes. During one lesson, it is recommended to use several types of cardio loads at once.
