21st Century Sports

Have you ever look at a man and wonder how he can have nice toned arms but still have a huge fat belly while you’re a lot leaner? Do you work out your arms on a regular basis and still have hardly any definition in your arms? One of the big concepts to understand is the secret behind a man’s physique. Men have more muscle mass than females.

While many women work hard to avoid it, women’s workout routines should include muscle building. I love how muscle definition looks on a female. It’s a great way for others to instantly see that you’ve been working out. The great thing that happens naturally, once you’ve melted away enough of the body fat, is to see muscle definition.

The Benefits of Building Muscle and Why You Need to Do It

There’s no denying that nicely defined muscles look sexy. Muscle mass is about more than just making sure you look good though.

Muscle building will:

Increase your strength and flexibility
Improve your posture
Give you better balance
Increase the number of calories burned with each movement, making it possible to burn more calories overall throughout the day
Make daily tasks easier to perform
Improve body composition

The Importance of Metabolism in Women Workout Routines

There are a few things you need to know about muscles, energy, and metabolism:

Muscles use energy when they contract (they’re highly metabolic).
The more intense muscle contractions become, the more energy they’ll use to perform the movement.
Eventually, movements can become so intense that your muscles will use more oxygen than your body can produce. This creates an oxygen deficit that can last for hours after a workout.
Your body needs more nutrients after an oxygen deficit because it needs to replenish its energy and oxygen levels.
Resistance training and high intensity exercises prevent muscle loss by stimulating protein synthesis.

The only way to keep your metabolism at its highest levels and ready to burn calories is through regular resistance training, eating healthy, wholesome meals frequently and consistent, and customizing your workout routines to avoid muscle adaption. And if you stick to these three steps, your body should stay healthy, fit, and young for years to come. Ensure your female fitness workouts include resistance training so you can look and feel your best.

The Importance of Tempo Training in Women Workout Routines

Weight lifting tempo refers to the number of seconds it takes for you to complete a full range of motion of one repetition, usually called a lift. There are four numbers represented when using tempo:

The first number is the eccentric or down motion of the lift, also known as the “negative” phase. It is during this phase that the muscle is being stretched. When trying to build muscle, this number is usually slow and controlled to fatigue the muscle, causing breakdown and thus, stimulating growth.

The second number is the pause or hold before the concentric phase or upward motion, which represents the third number. The concentric phase is also known as the “positive” phase in which you are contracting the muscle while carrying the weight or load. Here we typically use a faster momentum to return the weight to the start position. The fourth number represents the starting point of the movement. Here you can either pause or immediately begin the next repetition.

Changing the tempo of a lift is good practice to provide a different stimulus on the muscle. Once the muscle has adapted to a certain tempo, changing the tempo will stimulated the muscle, causing increased fatigue and results in more strength and muscle gains. It is important to note that using proper form is most important element when weight lifting. A common mistake beginners make is using a fast tempo that sabotages form. When momentum is introduced, there will be less tension on the muscle, which will lesson your gains.

5 Exercises for Women Workout Exercises for Beautiful Defined Arms

1-Shoulder Press

Muscles targeted: front deltoids, middle deltoids, and triceps. Also activates your upper traps, rotator cuff and serratus which assists and stabilizes.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart or narrower and grab the bar with a slightly wider-than shoulder- width grip. To get the bar into position, you can either forcefully pick it up off the floor and up to your shoulders or set the bar on the supports of a power rack. If the bar is on the rack, push it off and let it rest against the front of your shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and push your chest out.

Begin pressing the bar overhead, moving your head back as the bar rises to keep it out of the way. When the bar passes your head, press it up and slightly backward so that it ends up in line with the back of your head. Hold for a moment, and then lower the bar back to your shoulders. That’s one rep.

2-Bicep curl

Muscle targeted: elbow flexors
Tip – to ensure your elbow flexors are getting the most range at the bottom of the movements squeeze your triceps. This will ensure full lengthening of the bicep.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, while holding a dumbbell at your side, with you palm facing forward. Next, curl, or flex, your elbow so that the dumbbell moves up towards your shoulder. For the return phase, slowly lower, or extend, your elbow to reassume the starting position.

3-Tricep Parallel dip

Muscle targeted: triceps brachii, anterior deltoid, rectoralis major, and pectoralis minor rhomboids, levator scapulae, latissimus dorsi, trapezius and biceps brachii Grasp two parallel bars that are approximately shoulder-width apart. Raise yourself up to an initial position with your arms extended and supporting the entire weight of your body.

Next, lower yourself to a final position where your elbows are bent and your shoulders are mildly stretched, and then use your arms to push yourself upwards to the initial starting position.

4-Pull Up/Chin Up

Muscles targeted: tere major (stabilizer muscle) and biceps.

Grab the bar with a shoulder-width underhand/overhand grip .Hang at arm’s length and pull your chest to the bar. Try to pause at the top, with your chest touching the bar before you slowly lower yourself back down.

5-Push up

Muscles targeted: pectoralis major, front deltoids and triceps. For stability muscles, your rotator, traps, serratus anterior and abdominals all assist with this movement.

Place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your glutes for the entire movement. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Tuck your elbows as you lower your body and don’t drop your hips. Pause at the bottom before pushing yourself to start position. Your head should remain in the same position throughout the movement.

An important aspect of any woman’s workout routine should always include a solid arm exercise regime to get beautifully defined and toned arms. In order to have gains in muscle building it is always vital to understand the science behind each and every exercise for the best results.