12 moves for women’s strength training

Dumbbell chest press, resistance band lat pull-down, dumbbell shoulder press, bent-over dumbbell row, bodyweight squat, dumbbell deadlift, lunge, glute bridge, plank, side plank, dead bug, woodcutter.

To be honest, in the 6 years I have been working as a fitness coach, I have seen too many girls ask "Will I build big muscles" and "Do I need to practice hourglass waist exercises first?" There is really no need to be anxious. Let’s be honest, women’s testosterone levels are only about 1/20 of men’s. Unless you deliberately lift heavy weights and take special supplements, the amount of daily training will not even touch the threshold of muscle growth. On the contrary, I have seen too many girls who have been practicing for two or three months. Their round shoulders are gone. Their shoulder lines are particularly beautiful when wearing suspenders. Their waists are no longer sore after sitting for a whole day. Their buttocks that could not be stretched out by wearing jeans now have smooth curves. These are all real benefits.

Oh, by the way, some people will definitely say "I hurt my knees by doing squats before, and you still recommend it." I have to clarify this. There are two opinions in the fitness circle: one group thinks that squats are a golden exercise for lower limb training, and the other group thinks that people with old knee injuries are not suitable for it at all. My personal suggestion is that if you don’t have any old injuries on your knees, it’s absolutely fine if you practice with standardized movements - it’s never the movement itself that hurts your knees, it’s the bad habits of buckling your knees in, overloading the weight, and rising and falling suddenly when squatting. For beginners, just start practicing with your own weight. Squatting until your thighs are parallel to the ground is enough. There is no need to pursue the squat to the end. You can feel your butt sitting back, as if there is an invisible chair behind you and you are sitting on it. Basically, there will be no problem.

Let’s talk about some movements of the upper limbs first. Many girls are always afraid that doing breast exercises will make their breasts smaller. In fact, there is no conclusion on this. Among the students I have contacted, the body fat rate is maintained at about 22%. After practicing dumbbell chest pressing, most of them have a firmer chest shape, because the chest muscles hold up the fat layer, and the sagging problem is greatly improved. ； Only those who deliberately apply fat to less than 18% body fat will experience breast shrinkage. It just depends on your own needs. When doing dumbbell chest presses, remember to sink your shoulders. Don’t shrug your shoulders and rub your ears. Your forearms should be vertical to the ground all the way. Novices can hold dumbbells of 1.5kg or 2kg. There is no need to compare weight with others.

I especially recommend elastic band high pull-downs to girls who practice at home. There is no need to go to the gym to occupy equipment. You can do it with an elastic band that costs more than ten yuan and hang it on the door handle. It mainly trains the back muscles. Many people have rounded shoulders and hunched back after sitting for a long time, because the back muscles are too weak to pull the shoulders. When doing this, don't just rely on your arms to pull down. Feel the force of the shoulder blades to draw in and sink down. I used to have a trainee who worked in operations. She sat for 10 hours a day and her rounded shoulders were very serious. After practicing this movement for two weeks, her colleagues asked her if she had secretly done bone-setting. In fact, her back was straightened, and she suddenly appeared two centimeters taller.

There are also dumbbell shoulder presses and bent-over rows, both of which are sufficient to balance the pushing and pulling of the upper limbs. I did not put the shoulder press behind the neck, because it puts too much pressure on the acromion. Many people do not have enough shoulder mobility, so it is easy to hurt when doing it. The dumbbell shoulder press in front of the neck is much safer. When novices do it, don’t lean back or relax the core. Press after standing firm. If you feel like you are slumping while standing while doing bent over rowing, just hold on to a stool and do it. There is nothing shameful about it. Regular movement is more important than anything else.

I specially selected several movements of the lower limbs that do not require too complicated equipment. I just mentioned the bodyweight squat, and let’s focus on the dumbbell deadlift. When many people hear the deadlift, they think it is used by boys to lift heavy weights. In fact, for girls, the deadlift is a magical tool to relieve back pain. I stretched my waist once when I was teaching a class a few years ago, but then I continued to practice light deadlifts. Now I carry 20 pounds of cat litter up to the fifth floor, and my waist is not sore at all. Of course, this is controversial. Some coaches think that novices with unstable cores are not suitable for deadlifting. On the contrary, I think starting with empty hands and light weights can help you find the correct force generation mode, which is much better than the problem of lower back protrusion caused by sitting for a long time. When doing it, remember to stand up and kick your feet first, don't lift your upper body first. You can't go wrong if you feel the pulling feeling on the back of your thighs.

I have been practicing the lunge for almost three years, and it is really a magic tool for filling the sunken side of the hip. I used to have a very obvious hole in my side hip, which was very ugly when wearing tight pants. I practiced lunges twice a week and almost filled it up in two months. If you feel unsteady at the beginning, support a wall, take a wider stride, and do not let the knee of your front leg exceed your toes, otherwise it will cause pain. Needless to say, there is no need to say more about the glute bridge. Remember not to just lean on your waist and push up. Stop for two seconds when clamping your buttocks. It will be much more effective than doing 20 times quickly. If you want to advance, you can just put a dumbbell on your hip or a schoolbag full of books. There is no need to buy a weight board.

The last are the four core movements. I deliberately did not include sit-ups. They put too much pressure on the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, and it is easy to develop protruding abdominal muscles, which does not meet the needs of most girls who want to have a tight and slim waist. When holding a plank, don't slump your waist or stick your butt out. Tighten your core. Just hold it for 30 seconds at the beginning. Don't hold it so hard that it shakes like a sieve. It's useless and will hurt your waist. The side plank is used to practice the lines of the side waist. The dead body is especially recommended to mothers who have postpartum rectus abdominis separation. Just lie down and slowly lower your limbs without slumping. I have a student who had a two-fingered rectus abdominis separation after giving birth. He did not do any Internet celebrity repair exercises, so he practiced the dead body three times a week, and it was almost closed in two months. Chopping wood trains the core to resist rotation. You usually use this force mode when twisting bottle caps or moving suitcases. You can do it with a dumbbell or an elastic band. Pull from the height of the shoulders to the direction of the opposite waist. Feel the force of the core twisting. Don't just rely on your arms to pull.

Oh, by the way, some people ask how to arrange these movements. Let me give you the most brainless plan: Practice 3 times a week, pick 4 movements each time, one or two each for the upper limbs, lower limbs, and core. Do 3 groups of each movement, 12-15 times each. Before practicing, you can jump for 5 minutes or walk briskly to warm up. After practicing, spend 3 minutes stretching the areas you have practiced. That is enough.

Really, don’t pursue any perfect training plan or perfect movement standards. It’s normal to be crooked when you first start practicing. When I first started practicing deadlifts, my waist almost flashed. After practicing more, I will naturally find the feeling. The most important thing is not to always talk about "I can't do it" or "I'm afraid of making mistakes". It's better to move first than anything else.