Strength Training Programs For Women

What are the best strength training programs for women? I'm asked this pretty often when I'm discussing fitness with friends and acquaintances who know that I'm a long time fitness instructor. I have a short answer first, but then I'll go into further details. :)

I believe that the best strength training programs for women are concerned with three core principles: maximum safety, maximum efficiency, and maximum effectiveness. These could seem pretty self explanatory but there's a lot more to it than everyone tends to suppose, so I want to break down my best “long answer” for you here as I go through these.

Safety : Strength Training Programs For Women

The most important factor for fitness is safety! It seems that most traditional gyms really have a limited view of what this means. When looking for the perfect strength training programs for women many clients have started working with me because they've gotten injured by a previous trainer at some large chain gym. This is disheartening to me because when someone hires a fitness trainer as a coach and instructor I feel that there is a non-verbal agreement that is made between them, the agreement that the fitness instructor should keep the client safe AT ALL TIMES. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at so many large chain gyms, but safety is OUR main focus and concern at the fitness studio I work at. The slow pace of the “Super Slow” strength training program we use, it keeps clients 100% safe by eliminating momentum but it also creates the most effective strength training program I've found. Focusing strongly on the three pillars of strength training safety is very important for the long term, maintaining good FORM, BREATHING, and SLOW PACE.

Effectiveness : Strength Training Programs For Women

Of all the most popular strength training programs for women the most effective are always the ones that bring the muscles to an absolute full fatigue. Any time we are able to use the muscles to their maximum capacity they are able to rebuild to their maximum ability. Higher intensity = better results. More fatigue in the muscles always equals more muscle growth, this is the same for both women and men.

I'm asked the question often “why don't we need to spend every day in the gym lifting weights with your high intensity program, why only twice a week?” The answer is – the more intense a workout is on our muscle groups the more rest we need, and luckily for busy professionals like myself, the better effect we have on our bodies.

Efficiency : Strength Training Programs For Women

Thirdly, when looking for the perfect strength training programs for women, always consider the efficiency of the program. Many of my clients used to spend countless hours in gyms while getting little to no results. After coming over to our Super Slow high intensity strength training program their results have been above and beyond their expectations. We are able to bring each major muscle group in the body to full fatigue in under two minutes, making the entire full body workout only 20 to 30 minutes.

 

When choosing from the available strength training programs for women, be sure to do as much research as possible. The book Body by Science is one of my favorite reference materials explaining WHY high intensity training works so well, it creates a full balance between a maximum safety, efficiency, and effectiveness. All of the comparisons between Super Slow strength training and traditional strength training techniques show that the improvement in Super Slow is MUCH faster.