Lift to Lose!
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Two nationally-recognized weight-loss coaches lend their foolproof strength-training workout to help you slim down for summer.
Many women have been told that lifting heavy weights means building big, bulky muscles. We’re here to set the record straight: this is complete fiction. It’s very difficult to build muscle, especially for women. Female hormones just aren’t structured to create big biceps. The truth is, to ramp up your metabolism, you need to lift heavy weights.
Here’s a sample workout day suited to recreational runners.
This workout should take about 20 minutes to complete. Just remember, if you’re new to resistance training, seek out a personal trainer or strength coach to help you get started right. You don’t need to hire one full-time—just a few initial sessions to get you started should do the trick.
5 minute warm up
1a) push-ups – 10 reps
1b) inverted rows – 10 reps
Repeat 2 times
2a) dumbbell squats – 10 reps
2b) swiss ball leg curls – 10 reps
Repeat 2 times
3a) standing shoulder press – 10 reps
3b) cable pull-downs – 10 reps
Repeat 2 times
4a) planks – 10 reps
4b) reverse hyperextensions – 10 reps
Repeat 2 times
5 minute cool down
Dr. John Berardi and Krista Schaus are part of the Precision Nutrition team, a group of nutrition, exercise and lifestyle professionals helping people lose fat, build lean bodies and improve their performance. To gather more weight-loss tips, check out their free online, five-day video course for women at precisionnutrition/fat-loss-for-women.