Iron and Women: 5 Exercises for Cool Athletes

It is not easy to decide on a diaphoretic workout with real iron, but the benefits are undeniable. With these 5 exercises, you’ll be the queen of the gym and give yourself some respect.

Girls, it’s time to go down from the impregnable tower in the cozy women’s section of the gym, go to the power frame and stand under the barbell. It’s time to put the chrome dumbbells aside and grab something that at first glance seems large and overwhelming. Trust me, with this you will be able to progress faster and the results will be much better.

Since many women are afraid of heavy strength training, let me allay your fears and concerns. No, you will not become a “pile of muscles”. No, you will not become “like muscle guys.” And no, your testosterone levels will not rise, and chest hair will not start to grow. Lift weights to the best of your ability – without fanaticism, with the right technique – and without any side effects, you will speed up your metabolism, develop and accentuate beautiful muscles, and become much stronger.

Even if you are not planning to become a pro in bikini, weightlifting or any other category, you should think about the longevity and reliability of your body. Basic exercises are best suited for these purposes. They make you stronger and more athletic. They strengthen neuromuscular connections. They build character.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or how long you’ve been training. Add these exercises to your workouts and your wings will spread. You will become much more confident in yourself because you will know for sure that your body is capable of incredible things.

Exercise 1. Romanian wide grip deadlift

The deadlift is one of the best exercises, if not the best, for developing general strength capabilities. What could be more functional than lifting weights from the ground, right? Unfortunately, many people lift the barbell off the floor incorrectly, especially when they are still learning. The movement is not functional, but traumatic.

But mistakes are not a reason to give up on the deadline, you just need to start with a variant that teaches the correct technique in itself. In this respect, nothing beats the Romanian deadlift! It runs from top to bottom, not bottom to top, and the difference is much more significant than you might think. Starting with an eccentric, or “downward,” phase of movement, you almost automatically engage your core, glutes, upper back, and hamstrings at the very beginning of each rep. When lifting a barbell off the ground, it is much more difficult to achieve this.

Place the barbell on the rest of the power rack at mid-thigh height, then lift it up and take a step back. Perform a series of repetitions slowly and in a controlled manner, then step forward and return the projectile to its place. To keep it really cool, grab the bar with a straight wide grip. This will increase activation of your lats and upper back muscles, help you master the correct technique, improve your posture, and develop strong lower body muscles.

I guarantee your muscles will hurt after that, but in a good way. In addition, the Romanian deadlift develops the combination of strength and control that will allow you to perform the deadlift from the floor safely and effectively in the future.

Exercise 2. Front Squat

If you think that there is not much difference between classic and front squats, think again. Front squats develop muscles and hone your figure faster, but with less risk of injury. Sounds unlikely? See for yourself.

Since the bar is in front of your body and not behind your shoulders, it acts as a counterweight and allows you to squat deeper while maintaining a more upright posture. In other words, you squat with the best technique! Master this squat variation, and your core muscles will become insanely strong, and your legs and buttocks will get used to squatting very deeply.

There is less pressure on the spine during the front squat because you are doing the movement with the natural neutral position of the spinal column. If you have problems with posture, and even if they do not, it is better to do the front squat, rather than the classic squat with a barbell on the back. Yes, the working weights will be lower than the classic squat, but you will be working at full strength and full amplitude.

Plus, if you squat well in the gym, you can sit down spectacularly on the dance floor. Double benefit.

Exercise 3. Pull-ups

Want to have a muscular back that makes your waist appear thinner? Or build muscle strength in your upper body? Being able to save your life by hanging on the edge of a cliff? You need chin-ups for all this.

Most girls have a weaker upper body and shift their weight to their hips and buttocks. Because of this, it is difficult for them to pull up, but it is difficult – it does not mean that it is impossible.

If you can’t do a few chin-ups yet, there are many ways to do simplified chin-ups. They will be an equal replacement with the same beneficial properties until you can pull yourself up without assistance. Here are some options:

• Hanging on bent arms for a while at the top point of the pull-up.
• Active hanging on the horizontal bar on straight arms (“scapular” pull-ups).
• Pull-ups from a jump with slow negatives.
• Pull-ups with the help of a partner.
• Pull-ups with rubber.
• Pull-ups in the simulator .

Many people come to the conclusion that the last two options are not as effective as slow negatives and hangs, or even pull-ups with a partner, during which they help you, but in the most minimal amount. But you try all the options. Each of them increases strength capabilities and develops lagging muscle groups.

Bonus: in the gym, you will look unrealistically cool. Have you often seen other women who playfully pull themselves up on the horizontal bar?

Exercise 4. Press with dumbbells or barbell

The push press can seem like a tricky move at first, especially if you’ve only done overhead presses with dumbbells or a barbell while sitting or standing. It will take a little time – and some with the help of a trainer – to find, for example, the right degree of leg involvement. But once you master the bench press, you won’t look back.

The push press is a great exercise because it is by definition a full-body movement, starting from the floor and going up to your hands. The exercise mainly works on the shoulders, but you will also use – and strengthen – your legs, core and back.

As a bonus, the push press teaches you the correct coordination of your movements, which is beneficial for all sports. Plus, doing the exercise will make you look so cool that some muscular guy will probably ask you to back him up.

Exercise 5. Hang dash

Coming to more advanced exercises. If you’ve ever been interested in weightlifting or CrossFit and want to know where to start, this is the hang dash.

Why throw a barbell over your head? Here we are dealing with movements that simultaneously work out many muscle groups. These are not simulators that meticulously train one single muscle at a time. You want to progress, and you want to progress quickly, don’t you? If so, the hang dash is one of the best full body exercises of all time.

Hanging dash requires a certain amount of coordination and balance, but it is not difficult enough to seek help from a world-class master of sports in weightlifting. Start with simple, lightweight workouts – start from your legs, pull and push with your upper body, and use your core muscles for balance and control of the bar. Strength, power and coordination are all in this exercise.

Keep working on the hang jerk, and sooner or later you will be able to say: “Power lifting the bar to the chest? Barbell Jerk? Not a problem! ”

Become super cool

Not sure how to squeeze all this into your workout routine? How many sets and reps to do? There is no simple answer. All of these exercises can be done with heavy or light weights, as many times as possible, or just a couple of sets of three reps.

Instead of going into details, I suggest you take a look at the big picture and make these exercises the core of your workouts. If you get stronger in two or three of these movements, in any repetition range, you will get stronger, period. Use them as a litmus test, incorporate variations into your workouts year-round for great results.