360 SPECIALIZED TRAINING

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN

Female training has been quite conservative – focusing on cardio, light weights and high reps, but now it’s time to play hard, get strong and look like a goddess. Strength training involves overloading a movement where the stress must exceed the present functional capacity of the system. Usually between 1-8 reps at 90%-100%, mainly addressing the neural system with adaptation leading to increased strength gain and also improved relationship of group muscle action. It is best to be done in a periodised fashion after a solid base conditioning (flexibility & stability) and hypertropthy (muscle building) phase.

Strength does not equal bulk, in fact, quite the opposite as it allows you a more efficient system in which to get much greater output from your body and allow you to work with higher loads at a greater intensity which will sculpt you into a metabolic machine.

The greater load placed on you will also improve bone density, strengthen joints and ligaments and increase lean muscle. An efficient system will also have a huge carryover to your recreational activities and give you much more longevity in more physically demanding sports which include jumping, running and ballistic movements.

I urge women to push their bodies, enjoy their training and see exercise as a long-term solution to body confidence and self-image. Strength training is the next step which will allow you to fully experience what your body is capable of and believe me, when you get a taste of strength, you’ll be craving all the benefits that ultimately make you the full package.

Turkish Get-up

Start in a foetal position, legs bent and kettlebell in right hand. Roll over, extend your arm above your chest with your right knee bent and left leg straight. Place your left forearm on the ground and sit up. Raise your hips up and pull your left leg through with your left knee on the floor underneath you in a lunge position. Stand up straight to finish. Return by bringing knee back to floor, placing left hand on the ground, taking left leg and extending in straight in front of you, lower your bum, go down onto left forearm, down onto back, bring right arm in and return to start position. Swing KB round your head and mirror movement on other side.

Deadlift

Keeping your knees slightly bent, shins against bar and hands on the outside of leg. While keeping your upper back pinched, with your chest and bum out, stand up straight keeping the bar as close to the body as poss. Lower back down while holding posture.

Squat & Press

Keeping the kettlebells racked on the outside of your arms, squat down to 90d. Come and straight and extend both arms above your head before bringing them back into racked position and repeating.

Under grip pull-up

You can use band for assistance. Hold on the bar with an under hand grip position and your arms fully extended. Pull up keeping your body straight so that you chin goes over bar and then lower back down to start.

Handstand push up

With your head on the floor just in front of your hands which are shoulder width apart in a triangle position, place your lower back against the wall. From here, bring your legs in and with a hip thrust, extend your arms and legs simultaneously into a handstand against the wall. Bring your head back down to ground and repeat.