The women's fitness blog

Do you ever find that no matter how hard and long you work out, you can never get below a certain weights. This is aptly described as a weight loss plateau.

Almost everyone reaches a weight loss plateau at some point. As your body adapts to your exercise routine, it may become more efficient, and no burn as many calories. Your technique will also inevitably improve with practice.

Some common reasons for plateaus include:

• Repeating the same workout week in, week out. Your body will get used to the same routine. However, if you continually change the order of your workout routine, your body will not be expecting what's coming next.
  
• Not increasing the intensity of your workout. If you find yourself daydreaming during your workout, or breezing through the exercises without breaking a sweat, you probably need to move up to a faster pace, or a heavier weight.
  
• Overtraining. If you exercise too much, the body may respond by decreasing the calories you burn during the rest of the day.

Remember, however, that you cannot go on losing weight forever. Once you are at a weight that you are happy with, increase the amount of resistance (weight) training you do - this will work your muscles , to firm you up and create a toned look.

Labels: intensity, weight, weight loss plateau

I see a lot of women in the gym who seem to concentrate on cardio work, such as running. A lot of them say they don't lift weights because they don't want to build big muscles and look like men. This is a very common misconception; the fact is that women don't have enough testosterone to build significant amounts of muscle.

If you have seen any female bodybuilders who have big muscles it's because they take steroids. Lifting weights will not naturally enhance muscle size to this degree in women. It will only add a little muscle, which gives that toned look, as the muscle pushes out more. Lifting weights is one of the best toning and all-round fitness techniques women can use. Studies have shown that resistance training beats cardio in almost every area, including fat-burning.

Women should do the same exercises as male bodybuilders, including squats, deadlifts, crunches, pulldowns and curls. If you are intimidated by all the bruisers in the weight room, go with a male friend. Guys will most likely be impressed with a woman who knows what she's doing fitness-wise.

Labels: resistance, toning, weight