Weightlifting is a sport which is being practiced by more and more women, and for good reason. Weightlifting has numerous benefits including:
- Burning calories and fat
- Increasing metabolism
- Toning your body
- Increasing bone density
- Reducing risk of diabetes
- Improving balance
You don’t need to fear venturing into the weightlifting section of the gym – it’s really not that bad.
Speaking from personal experience, I have been able to lose five stone in weight since I started weightlifting regularly.
Before this, I was concentrating just on cardio, and my body reached a weight loss ‘plateau.’
I need to challenge it and push it further than it had been pushed before.
Now, I have reached my desired body size, feel confident in my body and feel much healthier in general.
Keep reading to find out some top tips on how to get into weightlifting for the first time.
1. Ask For Help The First Time
Not only is going into the weightlifting section for the first time quite intimidating, it can also be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.
I would recommend hiring a personal trainer or asking one of the gym instructors for help the first time.
This way, they can show you some great exercises to get you started and demonstrate how to use the machines correctly.
They will be able to watch your technique and correct you if it’s wrong.
This is really important, as you can seriously injure yourself weightlifting if you don’t know what you’re doing.
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2. Don’t Be Afraid To Lift Heavy
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT9HpHjjKO9/?taken-by=busybee.carys&hl=en
If you lift heavy weights, you’re not going to develop muscles like a man, period.
You won’t get bulky, you will just develop gorgeous, lean muscle definition.
Lifting light weights which don’t challenge you won’t make any difference to your body, and it’s just a waste of time.
Carys (above) is one of my favourite fitness gurus, and she is famous for lifting REALLY heavy weights.
I think she looks so beautiful and doesn’t have an overly muscly body at all.
Obviously, start with the weight which is comfortable for you, but remember to increase the weight once it becomes easy.
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3. Help Your Body With Protein
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVIRSHVDHvv/?taken-by=gracefituk&hl=en
Building muscle and weightlifting is hard work for your body.
For your body to build muscle it takes a lot of protein, so many women help their body by taking a protein supplement or drink.
This is a very good idea especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian, or when you think you may not be eating much protein every day.
You can get whey based protein powder or vegan protein powders made from nuts, soya or even peas.
Simply mix this powder with water and drink after your workout.
Protein also has the added benefit of helping your muscles to repair faster.
This reduces the amount of muscle soreness that you can get the day after your workout.
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4. Have Rest Days
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV66lq9ACUh/?taken-by=sophie_aris&hl=en
It is really important to have at least two rest days each week.
Although this seems counterproductive to building muscle and losing weight, your muscles repair and hence get bigger once they have the chance to be rested.
If you keep working and working your body everyday, you can actually lose muscle mass, and increase the risk of injury.
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4. Look For Workout Videos Online
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVpWzrWBnXs/?taken-by=blogilates
It is all too easy to lose ideas about how to work your body using weights, or you may just get bored with your usual routine.
I like to look at videos on Instagram and YouTube like the one above to find some new ideas for the gym.
Fitness gurus will show you how to use machines which you would never think to normally use.
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5. Ignore The Scale
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Muscle weighs more than fat, and that’s a fact.
It is likely that once you reach a certain level of fitness and weight lift a lot, you will actually start putting ON weight, rather than losing it.
This just means you are gaining muscle mass. Ignore the scales and go by how you feel and what you look like instead.
Love sport? Check out this article on athleisure and healthy living here!
