Do you avoid the Miller Center weight room for fear of lifting alongside your crush? Are you afraid of getting “too big”? Time to put all your worries to rest and lift that stereotype out of the way of you becoming the best you possible!
Did you know that resistance training builds lean muscle, which is a key to weight loss? In a Women’s Health magazine article, the National Center for Health Statistics said that a mere 21 percent of women strength train two or more times a week. It’s time to increase this percent collegiettes, because when you skip the weight room, you lose out on the best fat melter there is!
Two times in the Miller Center weight room a week can decrease overall body fat by about 3 percentage points in just a quick 10 weeks without dieting. Researchers have also found that lifting is more effective than cardio at reducing intra-abdominal fat which is identified with disease like diabetes and cancer.
Our bodies cannot afford for us to be too shy to lift with the boys so let’s start pumping ladies! It’s all about starting small and creating a routine that is always challenging you and targeting a variety of muscles. Squats are a great example of an exercise that utilize muscles in both the front and back of your legs as opposed to leg extensions that only confine your quads.
Work towards three sets of 10 to 12 reps with a weight heavy enough that your last rep is a struggle to get through. In the same Women’s Health magazine article, William Kraemer, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, suggests alternating moderate-intensity workouts of 8 to 10 reps with lighter-weight 12- to 15-rep sets and super-hard 3- to 5-rep sets to trigger further muscle building. Don’t worry collegiettes, muscle building does not mean a bulk bod, but rather a tone healthy bod ready for the summer sun!
Sophomore collegiette, Pearson Lien, is a regular Miller Center lifter and has a handful of tips to give: “For leg lunges, use weights to challenge yourself! For legs and butt, sumo squats with a kettle bell. And for arms, don’t be afraid to lay on the bench and press the bar. Also, know the technique of what you are doing. That can make the world of difference,” said Lien.
There are great workout sets on Pinterest to help you get started as well. So go forth, my healthy collegiettes, prove to yourself just how strong you really are and kill it in the weight room.