The number of strength training benefits continues. 

Here are a few:  Keeps your metabolism raised which helps with fat burning. 

This happens at any age.  If you build muscle you will be helping to burn more body fat.

Keeps you strong and more active.  Stronger people are more active.  Fit people are more active.  They move more and they move more easily.

Strength training builds strong bones.  Stressing your bones increases the bone’s density and fights off osteoporosis.  It also helps you maintain great posture.

More muscle equals more protection for the joints and helps keep them active.  It also helps with maintaining your balance which keeps the risk of falls down.  

As you get older the risk of falls increases and hip injuries, knee injuries and back injuries can be devastating.

Strength training can also boost your stamina.  This means less fatigue and more energy.

It can also reduce the symptoms of many diseases like arthritis, depression, diabetes, obesity, chronic pain, osteoporosis and many other chronic conditions.

It can also help you concentrate better and become more focused which means you can keep your attention for longer periods of time. 

Strength training benefits are many and the longer you maintain your strength the younger you will feel and the more active you will be no matter what your age. 

Hi,

There is almost always a concern from some women (and their boyfriends) that they may get too much muscle. 

And if you look in some of the body building magazines, you do see some women that have lots of muscle.  In some cases way more muscle then most men. 

But, those are very rare exceptions.  And the average woman, whether an athlete or a fitness model will never get that big. 

There are a couple of reasons for that.  One is that women have about 30 times less androgenic hormones then men do.  Those are the hormones that build muscles. 

Look most men can’t even look like Schwarzenegger now, let alone when he was in his prime.  So, if a women has less than 30 times the ability to even make muscle, then they really don’t have to worry too much.

Besides, Schwarzenegger even admitted that he used steroids to help build his body.  So stay away from the steroids and you really will have nothing to worry about.

By now you should realize that too much muscle is not a women’s problem, but I will give you another reason.

Women have about 50-60% less muscle fibers then men do.   This means that the androgenic hormones have less places to work.  So combine all of this and you won’t have to worry about huge muscles.

That doesn’t mean you can’t build muscle however.  You can.  But, women will build most of their muscle in the first few months of training. 

This is when they also lose the most body fat.  So you might not gain any of very much weight, but your body shape will be much more appealing. 

So keep up the training and don’t worry about having too much muscle.  It just isn’t going to happen. 

It is pretty obvious that the model in the above picture exercises, yet I don’t think she has to worry too much about enormous muscles. 

woman abs

Just read an article on the perfect abs and how to get them. It was in Muscle and Body (July 2010) and it was by Kim Lyons who is a fitness trainer of some renown. (Was on The Biggest Loser.)

She was answering a question for someone who wants to know how to get fabulous abs.

The overall article was okay, but there were a few problems.
Kim said that the person should get her body fat tested. And then monitor it to see if it is coming down or not.

Then she provided a chart for comparing to various fitness levels.
For example a competitive female competitior would have around 7-9% body fat. Very lean would be under 15%. Average would be 21-25%.

Maybe she was talking about average competitors, because if she was talking about averages in the population she is way off.

Since approximately 35% of the population is overweight and another approximately 30% is obese, the average for the female population is closer to 30% body fat.

Then she says that in order to get your body fat down, you will need a large calorie deficit. Whoops, sorry, but that is not accurate.

As you may have noticed from the previous posts in this blog, it is much more important to lose body fat, then it is to lose weight.

You lose body fat by getting your hormones in alignment, not by having a large calorie deficit.

Kim also talked about training. She mentioned that core exercises are good. But, then she went on to say that “you should be engaging your core muscles every second of the day to help you build a strong and toned midsection”.

Really, every second of the day? Don’t you get to sleep, don’t you get to relax?

Even more, how in the world are you going to focus on engaging your core muscles every second of the day? Don’t you have a job that might take some of your focus away?

Don’t your drive to work or to the store? Don’t you have to focus on driving? Don’t you have friends and family that take some of your focus away from your core muscles?

Maybe you think I am being a nit picker. But, if the goal is to try to help everyone achieve a great body, then the advice that any health, diet or fitness guru gives has to be accurate.

If the average person sees that they have to focus on their core every second of the day, they know they can’t do that. Are they even going to start?

If the average person hasn’t kept up to date on hormones and fat loss, are they going to be thrilled to try a large calorie deficit diet?

No they aren’t. So if you want perfect abs, pay attention to what really works. Pay attention to new research and science.

If you don’t have the time to keep up to date on all of this, then follow someone that does. Like this blog:-)

Here are 3 tips to help you in your quest of how to become a female fitness model.

Incorporate Weight Training Into Your Workouts

Incorporating some form of resistance training into your workouts is essential if you’re looking at becoming a model. Resistance training helps to you to build and tone your muscle, thus improving your natural feminine curves and giving you a sexier, fitter look. A lot of women fear weight training as they worry about becoming muscle-bound and more masculine. However, these fears are unfounded since a female’s body simply doesn’t contain enough testosterone to produce huge masculine muscles. Most of the female bodybuilders that you see are taking some kind of steroids or hormone-drug. By performing some regular weight training exercises you’ll look fitter, stronger and well on your way to becoming a female fitness model.

Perfect Your Diet To Lose Body Fat

Your diet and ability to shed off excess body fat are integral when thinking about how to become a female fitness model. The top female fitness models have a low body fat percentage, and it is this that really helps them show off their stunning abs and toned muscles. Focus on getting controlling your calorie needs by eating 5 or 6 smaller meals per day with a focus on proteins, complex carbohydrates, and green vegetables. This will ensure that you maintain your muscle growth but avoid gaining any excess fat.

Get Professional Photos For Your Portfolio

If you’re thinking about how to become a female fitness model, then don’t underestimate the importance of getting professional photos taken for your portfolio. They make a world of difference, as the quality, lighting, background, presentation, composition and staging will be significantly better than most folks can do on their own. A portfolio of professional photos will immediately get you taken more seriously when you approach an agency to become a female fitness model.

Many women have the common misconception that diets do work.
• Nutrition Tip 1-Diets may work for however long you plan to stay on the diet, (Please note that some of the information in this article by another author are not 100% accurate – keep reading this blog to stay up to date on the latest scientific info) but once you get off the diet you will gain the weight back plus more. Life style changes are permanent and will help you maintain a healthy weight over time. Nutrition is a large part of maintain healthy weight and achieving a bikini body.
• Nutrition Tip 2- Eliminating liquid calories- We all have our moments where we want a change from boring water. This is okay, we are only human and we need variety. Drinking sodas, juice, artificially flavored and other high calorie drinks every once in awhile is fine. But I highly recommend that you drink water as much as possible. Water cleans your body of waste and hydrates you better than any sports drink.
• Nutrition Tip 3-Taking in more fiber- Fiber is important when it comes to cleansing the body. Fiber not only cleanses your body of waste but can also help you reduce your weight.
• Nutrition Tip 4-Eating spicy food- Spicy food raises your metabolism and burn fat. Spicy food heats your body and makes your heart pump more blood through your body.
• Nutrition Tip 4- Eating Fruit and vegetables- Eating fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Yes I know you have heard this a million times over. But there is no denying the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables do not have many calories.

It is suggested that you hire a personal trainer to help you get into shape on even to maintain your svelte shape. You must look strong and trim but still maintain a pretty feminine physique. You will also need to hire a photographer to help you put together a portfolio. Be sure to include head shots, body shots, glamour shots, casual shots, active shots and lastly, swimwear shots. The majority of photographers know how to put together a portfolio and will most likely assist you in this process.

You will need to do your research. Contact modeling agencies in your area and ask them if they are looking for female fitness models. You will need to share your portfolio and experience with them. You also may need to come in for a test shot. In order to get jobs, you will need to attend go see’s which is the modeling world’s way of conducting interviews. Make sure to look your best and be personable during these go see’s.

Getting into the modeling world can be quite the difficult process but if you have the dedication, motivation and the look to get into this field then you will do fine. Remember, never to give up! Just because you may not have what one agency is looking for just means that the next one might love you.

Not everything in the article is accurate.  See if you can pick out those points.   

There are two main components to female fitness. The first is nutrition, and the second component is training. By paying careful attention to both these components, you will achieve the results you are looking for. Follow these tips for female fitness and you will be on your way to a fit, sexy body.

Nutrition
Make sure you are getting the proper ratio of nutrients each day. Your meals should consist of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Start with a ratio of 3-2-1. This means that you will take in three grams of protein for every two grams of carbohydrates and one gram of fat. Start by keeping your calorie intake to around 1500-1850 per day and adjust as necessary after a couple of weeks.

Training
You should be training at least five days per week. Three of these days should be training with weights while the other two should be some type of cardiovascular training. Weight training should be done for 45-60 minutes while cardiovascular training should start at around 30-45 minutes. Remember, the body adapts very quickly and you will want to start with the minimum amount and work your way up. Once your body adapts it will stop making progress and you’ll be forced to cut calories. This in turn will slow your metabolism and you will be in a vicious cycle.

Key points to remember are to keep track of your nutritional intake and make sure you train both your muscles with weights and your cardiovascular system with aerobic exercise. Follow the tips for female fitness above and you will be ready for fitness modeling in no time!

Any woman can change her fat, frumpy body into a firm and sexy work of art – regardless of her age, what her mom looks like or former failed attempts at getting into shape. This applies despite the fact of so many people failing to achieve personal fitness success.

But, so often it can be linked back in these fitness failure stories that a key ingredient was missing to begin with. For so many women – this is where the secrets of becoming sexy, fit and firm can usually be discovered and implemented.

Most people would agree there are concepts in every day living that apply to more than just one area of your life. A great example: – there are many lessons that I’ve learned in the health and fitness business that I utilize in my personal fitness and nutrition.

One of these big lessons has proven to be so valuable in my life – I know it could help you just the same. It has been an incredibly effective tool in allowing me to assist so many women in finding true success in their deep desire to become sexy, happy and fit.

A few years back I began keeping a brief list of several questions that I would answer every 2 months, give or take a few weeks. As easy as this exercise may appear on the surface – it has undoubtedly helped me stay tightly focused and ultra clear on my true goals (both personal and business) and my genuine intentions – this has literally been priceless to me in many way, as you might imagine.

Not surprisingly, before I made this a regular habit I would often get sidetracked and distracted. This would result in me not making much progress and greatly slowing the speed at which I moved toward my important goals.

Now, ever since I started doing this simple and quick review exercise, my business progress, my fitness, my health and all other areas of my life have been improving considerably and predictably

Realizing the power this positive life exercise I thought it would be a great idea to list several health and fitness specific questions that you can utilize in the same manner, every few months to help keep you laser focused and constantly moving toward your personal goals in terms of your desired body improvements & physical enhancement wishes.

Start right now and just take a few minutes to answer these critical questions. And please feel free to copy and print these for your own use at home or at work. Here they are:

- What words would you use to describe the parts of your body that you are most unhappy with? In other words – What bothers you the most about your body?

- How do these trouble spots make you feel? Examples: Angry, depressed, fearful, embarrassed, ugly, resentful etc.?

- What is the ultimate goal you would like to achieve with your body? If you could just wave a magic wand over your entire body what would it look like?

- What would it mean to other areas of your life? As in relationships, choice of clothes, career, etc, etc…?

- After achieving these physical improvements how would you feel? Happy, sexy, attractive, empowered, younger, confident, in control, etc.?

- How much time are you willing to spend, daily, on your home exercise program
in order to achieve your most coveted physical improvement goals? Would it be 25 minutes, 40 minutes, 65 minutes, 110 minutes.?

Don’t hesitate. Start doing this body enhancing exercise now. Print this out. Then rewrite the questions by hand or type them on your computer and just answer each of them. Make it easy on yourself and keep it simple the first time through them And then try a more in depth version of your answers.