Have you ever felt like a fool at the gym?
Maybe you tried to bench press for the first time and some macho bodybuilder had to save you from an untimely death? Or you forgot to put the clamps on the end of the barbell and all the weight crashed to the ground like an F-16 breaking the sound barrier, making everyone turn and stare?
Deciding to jump into strength training, especially free weights can be intimidating, even more so for women.
I remember the first time I tried to bench press. I had no clue how much weight to put on and was too embarrassed to ask for a spotter. Well my embarrassment grew when I sat pinned under the bar and the town pharmacist had to come over and bail me out. I avoided the pharmacy for three months after that!
The thing about starting any new fitness routine, you can’t be afraid to look stupid. You probably will the first time no matter how hard you try. But the results are MORE than worth it.
1. Stand up straight. That’s right. Posture is huge when it comes to being the boss in the gym. It also shows you have confidence in your ability to figure this stuff out.
2. Find a plan specifically for women. Carry it around with you at the gym (whether that’s on your phone or a print out on a clip board). There was a recent study done showing that women who went to the gym with a plan were 93% more likely to see results from their efforts, than women who went without a plan. The study also showed women felt more insecure without a plan and typically ended up on the treadmill.
- Make sure you are able to track your lifts. Keeping track of your weights helps build your confidence as well as your muscles as you watch the weights increase.
- Find an Online Virtual Coaching Program such as LeanMoms.com or a personal trainer to help you understand how to perform the lifts properly the first time you are performing lifts.
- When lifting picture how you would use each move in “real life”. Training your brain to think this way, helps translate your work at the gym into your everyday life (after all it’s not all about how we look…it’s about how we feel and move!)
3. Lift heavy. Don’t be afraid to move from the colored dumbbells over to the big stuff. Don’t be afraid of weight. Lifting heavy will get you results faster than doing the same weight over and over. To do this, you want to plan on doing 2 to 4 sets with 8-12 reps. Start out with a weight that you can reach the full number of reps with, then increase weight by 2-5 pounds and shoot for 2 less reps. Continue doing until you’ve completed the number of sets you’ve chosen.
With these 3 strategies, you will be looking like the Queen Of Lifting in no time and be bossing those gym boys around like nobody’s business!
Here’s To More Moms With Muscles!
Lacy
