Why are so many females afraid of weights?

I myself was a bit nervous about them back in the day, but my opinions on them changed one Summer during high school. I thought lifting, especially heavier weights, would make me look masculine and bulky. Not the case. After I hit my first home run my Junior Year, I was so on-board with weights. This link proves I hit that home run and the photo below I have kept with me for the last 9 years as proof that my arms look better when I lift. Oh the glory days!!! 😉

So this Workout Wednesday is all about weights and why I personally believe they are a game-changer.

Remember, I am no fitness expert. My goal is to share what works and has worked for me and why I swear by certain things; not to tell you what you’re doing wrong or preach at you by any means. I love this Fitness Magazine article because it quickly highlights why every girl should lift. They touch on things that we all want: to blast more fat, burn more calories, and increase both muscle and bone strength among other positive aspects.

Can any of you say you DON’T want to be leaner, stronger & healthier? I doubt it.

If you’re not interested in being leaner, stronger & healthier, you may as well quit reading the remainder of this article. As I’ve said before I tend to get bored when my routine is the same. That boredom goes for fitness but also is true in other aspects of my life so switching things up and keeping my mind and body guessing is key for me. Enter weight-lifting. Kyle–bless his heart–has allowed me to turn 1/2 of our tiny, and I mean TINY, finished basement into a makeshift gym. I was able to squeeze a Precor Commerical Treadmill, a Universal ‘home gym,’ and free weights into the space, giving me no excuse to not workout because I literally just have to walk down a flight of stairs to have nearly everything I could need or want. {Side note, I NEEEEEED the Peleton stationary bike and a water-rower but have space for neither, so to the #wishlist they go} I believe that a 5 sizes of dumbbells and 2 kettlebells are worth your investment. The weight of each is totally up to you, but I have 3s, 5s, 8s, 10s, and did have 15s until my sister stole them; my kettlebells are 15lb and 20lb. With those variations I am able to do everything from bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder presses, and flys to rows, dead lifts, and weighted crunches. I personally love to mix cardio with my weight-training so I often do something like: warm-up jog, short sprints, arm series, sprints, leg series, sprints, ab series, cool down. Doing a mix like that helps keep my heart rate up and keeps me loose between each weight set. Tone It Up once again has some great beginner arm workout videos that take you through various moves with free weights if you aren’t as familiar with what you’re doing yet.

Do not be scared. Everyone has to start somewhere!

And that’s the truth. Starting with lower weights will get you use to the moves and allow you to perfect your form. From there, you can easily up the weight. It is so awesome to see how quickly your strength improves and how much better you feel about the tone and definition you’ll end up with. I’m a girl and I lift and that is a COOL thing, not something to be ashamed of. I may not be as strong as the boys, but that isn’t my goal. My goal is to be the best and strongest ME. Interested in knowing my favorite arm circuits or how I incorporate dumbbells into my ab work? Leave me a note below or shoot me an email and I’d be happy to share! 🙂

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