Women use weight training for various reasons

Women use weight training for a variety of reasons. Some women are athletes – amateur or professional – and use weight training to improve their performance on the field. Other women train with weights because they like the sculpted look that weight training gives them – it’s a proven way to get rid of flabby thighs and flabby under arms. A smaller percentage of women are bodybuilders who like the bulked up look – those women not only train with weights for hours on end, but also consume supplements and protein powders. The average woman need not be concerned that she will end up with muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger – unless she wants to, of course.

It’s a physiological fact that muscular individuals burn more calories while resting than those who are… not so muscular, shall we say? That’s another reason why working out with weights is so important — one can eat more and not be afraid of gaining weight! (By this I mean, an extra portion of food per meal… that does not give you carte-blanche to consume a hot fudge sundae every day, of course!)

Weight training equipment for women is really a misnomer. There are a few products out there designed specifically for women – dumbbells in pastel colors, for example, but for the most part weight training equipment is non-gender specific. You all use the same equipment. Men will typically be able to use much heavier weights, but that’s it. (I’m talking about the average person. For weight lifters who participate in competitions, there is a woman’s barbell and a man’s barbell, but that need not concern us here.)

Weight Training Equipment for Women

If you’re shopping for weight training equipment, there are two ways to go about it. Your first weight set should probably come from a garage sale. Unfortunately, a lot of people think of taking up a hobby or sport, buy all the equipment, use it once…and then let it sit in their garage for a few years, never to be used again. Before you invest in all the equipment you’ll need, consider picking up the weights on the cheap from garage sales or for sale ads in the newspapers.

Weight training equipment for women is the same for men – you’ll need a barbell. A good quality one that will bear a lot of weight. The plates that go on the barbell come in two different kinds – metal, or polyurethane. Typically, metal lasts longer but polyurethane is more attractive looking and easy to use.

In addition to a barbell and the weights that go with it, you’ll need a selection of dumbbells. There are two main types. One is really a miniature barbell. You put plates on and take plates off just like a barbell. However, these are typically used by men who like to use a lot of weight. For women, the “all-in-one” dumbbells are just fine. These are polyurethane or metal dumbbells that come in a variety of weights, from 2.5 pounds all the way up to 20 pounds. The average woman should acquire 5, 7.5 and 10 pound dumbbells – each weight being used for a different exercise.

Women Weight Training

A weight bench with leg attachment is really a necessity, not a luxury. The less expensive weight benches are simply that, a bench on which one can set the barbell when not in use, and on which one lays to do barbell and dumbbell presses. However, a bench that you can set at an incline also helps a great deal, as it allows for a greater range of motion and exercises to better target certain muscles.

But what is essential is an attachment so that you can perform the leg curl and the leg extension on the weight bench, to ensure that you can get a full-body workout while weight training.

So after you’ve acquired a few weights via the bargain route, and discovered that you enjoy working out with weights (and after you’ve worked out for a few weeks and see the dramatic improvement in your body, chances are you will want to continue) then it’s time to stop in at your local fitness store and pick up a set.