In recent years, more and more girls have started attending gyms. The list of pros for going to the gym can be endless. There is excellent health, a slim figure and a cheerful mood. Gym workouts help to normalize metabolism and hormonal balance. As a result, not just your body will be strong and fit. Your complexion will also improve, production of collagen will be activated, slowing down the formation of wrinkles, making pimples and irritation disappear. It is noticed that people who are used to the sport, suffer less from depression. Besides that, physical activity is a great way to “clear” your mind of useless thoughts swarming in the head.
Cardio or Power Exercises?
Most often women go to the gym for one purpose – to lose weight. However, exercises alone will not do the trick. Indeed, the muscles development leads to faster metabolism and fat burning. But mindless workouts can let the muscles grow under the layer of fat. This means that your layer of fat is still there but now there is an increased muscle area that makes the layer of fat seem thicker than it actually is. That’s why exercises in the gym should be accompanied by a reasonably balanced diet.
For a long time it was believed that cardio exercises are the best for burning fat. There are a lot of cardiovascular equipment in the gym: treadmills, exercise bikes, steppers, etc. However, lately the coaches have come to a unanimous opinion – the best fat burning results can be achieved only be alternating between cardio and power exercises.
Gym Slim Programs
This program is suitable not only for those who wish to lose weight. It is aimed more at improving endurance and to work on your muscle groups. This training will not make you bulky, but will give the body relief and make you slim.
If you have never played any sports, for 1-3 weeks before going to the gym you can perform exercises aimed at the general strengthening of the body. This program is designed for beginners and includes power exercises three times a week. Of course, a break between training sessions should be 1-2 days. If you are well prepared, you can do aerobic exercise between these sessions.
Training in the gym should start with a warm-up. You can devote five minutes to cardio-vascular machines, then do the workout properly by warming up the body and preparing joints. Sometimes coaches advise to do exercises for the abdomen and hyperextension. The latter means the lumbar muscles, work out exercise for which is the back straightening in a position at a 45 degrees angle to the floor. To perform these exercises there is a special trainer — an inclined bench with a foot lock. The program is intended for three types of weekly workouts and is divided into three days.
The training should be in the form of a superset. Supersets commonly referred to as a combination of several exercises for different muscle groups, which are carried out in sequence without interruption. The most common supersets contain 2 exercises that are designed to work the muscle groups performing opposite functions. Men sometimes perform 3-4 exercises within a superset. But in this case,the heavier weights are used to grow muscles. We just need to get rid of the fat and make the body more slender and get a little relief. Therefore the superset will include 9 exercises but with smaller weights. The load must be chosen so that the last two times in the set would be done with difficulty.
So, you perform one set after the other without interruption and on different trainers. Then rest for 1-2 minutes and repeat the same thing. You should do 3 sets in total.
The First Day
During the first training there should be 20 repetitions in each set. They should be performed with a racing pulse. The first exercise is squatting on a Smith trainer machine. Then follows a stiff-legged deadlift, for which you would need a barbell. At this time, the rear thigh muscles are straining. The third exercise is the lat pulldown, which helps to work muscles of the back, shoulders and arms. To make your thighs and buttocks slender, let’s move on to the flexion and extension of the legs while lying face down. The fifth exercise is the renegade dumbbell rows (rowing a dumbbell by your bent arm to the lower part of the chest in an inclined position). Continuing working on your arms and shoulders, set the bench at an angle of 60 degrees and perform bench pressing using dumbbells. The seventh exercise – rowing the rod — is performed in a sitting position. You need to pull the arms over and return them back to their place, thus training the muscles of the back and shoulders as well as biceps. The next exercise is the bent-over lateral raise (raising your hands holding dumbbells while being in a bent position). And the last one is the leg abduction on a pull, which allows you to strengthen muscles of the buttocks and the press.
Second Workout Session
The second workout session consists of training exercises for chest and back muscles. It allows you to make your posture beautiful, your waist – slim and your chest — trim. The training starts with bench pressing, while sitting at an angle of 60 degrees (do it 10 times). Then continue to the lat pull down (12 times). The third exercise is the bench press with dumbbells while lying down (12 times), the fourth — the renegade dumbbell rows by a gymnastic bench (12 times). The fifth exercise is called a “dumbbell fly”, it is performed by spreading your hands holding dumbbells while sitting on a bench inclined back at 60 degrees (12 times). Then you need to go back to the lat pull down, but this time perform it by reverse narrow grip row (12 times). The seventh exercise is pulling your hands together on a trainer machine (15 times). The eighth is the cable seated row (15 times). Then goes the so-called “pullover” – lying back on the bench, you need to lift your joined hands behind your head and take the dumbbell. Exercise consists of lifting the dumbbells up to your forehead level and returning your hands back to the starting position (15 times). At the end you need to perform exercises for the straight arms lat pull down, it will help to work the latissimus dorsi (the widest muscles on your back) and triceps (15 times).
The Third Workout Session
This session is aimed at strengthening the lower part of your body, shoulders and arms. First, you need to do 10-12 lunges, making a step forward and bending your knees. They help to strengthen muscles of the buttocks and legs. The second exercise is the deadlift with straight legs (12 times). The third one is crossing your legs while sitting on the trainer (15-20 times). The fourth exercise may seem unusual at first, and even difficult at the beginning. You need to perform 20 jumps from a half-squat position with widely spread legs. Now for the training of hands and shoulder complex. The next exercise is a bench dumbbell pressing while sitting upright (10 times). Then you need to perform the familiar “dumbbell fly” 12 times. Seventh exercise is lifting your arms to the sides while holding dumbbells (12 times). Continuing training your arms and shoulders, perform 12 reverse push-ups and then 12 arm pulls with dumbbells in a bent-over position. The last exercise is the lat pull down with triceps workout.
