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By: Paul McIlroy, Personal Trainer, Model

Girls, you have the right to be strong!  History has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that mental and emotional strength are possessed in equal measures by both men and women.  Why is it then, that society propagates the myth that women are somehow less “entitled” to possess physical strength and power?  I challenge this prejudice and respectfully invite you to do the same as you follow me through this “one stop” guide to becoming as strong as you like while simultaneously improving your feminine aesthetic as well. 

Free weights, THE most effective method of strength training

Free weights can be intimidating.  At first glance the untrained eye, observing that only the biggest, strongest (and lets face it, sometimes ugliest) men in the gym frequent the free weights area, would reach the conclusion that this is no place for a woman to reach her goals, right??  Wrong!  Allow me to put some long standing, but misinformed myths to rest once and for all.

Q) will lifting weights make me look like a man, I seen Mr Universe in a magazine, I don’t want to look like that?

A) No, weights will not make you look like a man and you certainly have the proverbial “snow balls change in hell” of looking like Mr Universe.  Quick physiology lesson ladies, I’ll try not to bore you if you promise to bare with me for a second here.  One of, if not THE most important variable for bringing about the physiological adaptations brought about by weight training, those associated with masculinity, muscular size and bulk/strength, is the hormone testosterone.  Although as women you do posses testosterone, your plasma concentrations are minute in comparison to that of a man with even average genetics for building size and strength.  Even men, with our abundance of testosterone, have trouble becoming “to big”, this is the biggest reason why bodybuilding magazines and supplement companies make so much money, because building muscle is harder than it looks for most people.  As for Mr Universe, this person is usually the product of superb genetics for building size, with 20 plus years of training experience, throw copious amounts of anabolic steroids into the mix and you’ve got one potent muscle building machine!  So as you can see, your fears of becoming muscle bound, whist understandable, are misplaced. 

Q)  But I seen Miss Universe and she looked just as Bad!!

A)  Again, what you seen was one in 10,000 genetic abilities coupled with a lot of anabolic steroids which act to synthetically mimic the actions of testosterone within the body (no doubt her 12 O’clock shadow was better than that of your sturdy boy friend).

So if there’s no reason not to use free weights, can you give me a few good reasons why I should?

The short answer is yes…. Here’s a longer answer;

1)You will vastly increase your physical strength.  With this ability you give yourself the gift of an easier life.  Cumbersome household or workplace related objects that were previously “glued” to the ground will float up with ease!  You will have more energy to keep up with your children (or more power to bully your man into doing it for you).  If you’re into sports you’ll be better at them, if your not, you might feel like it more now that you’re stronger.  You stand a much better chance of escaping any potentially detrimental situation. 
2)You will improve your figure.  Building a little bit of muscle is not a mortal sin for women.  Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue under our manipulation, if you build muscle you speed the metabolism, if you do that you burn more fat whilst at rest (that’s right, having more muscle burns fat even when your sitting watching your favourite episode of Friends)!  For girls who’ve got a more slender figure but would like more curves, free weight training offers probably the most effective, cheapest and healthiest way to legs like Beyonce or a butt like J Lo. 
3)It is now relatively well known that weight training increases bone density, which is especially important for post menopausal women.  This will help prevent osteoporosis in later life. 

Ok, hopefully I’ve convinced you that you should be training with free weights, now I’m going to explain how.

There exist 6 basic athletic human movements 1) Squat, 2) Bend, 3) Push, 4) Pull, 5) Lunge, 6) Twist, this holds true for both males and females.  During our evolution we’ve needed little other than proficiency in those 6 movements to secure our survival (yeah, that and the whole superior intelligence plus opposable thumbs… but you get the idea).  This is the way we were meant to move, anything to far removed from this in the weight room is largely superfluous.  More often than not you’ll see men doing these movements, meanwhile women are patronised with isolation exercises which lack potency (triceps kick backs do not exist in nature, nor should they in the weights room), just say NO to convention and follow me down a road less travelled. 

Swing Snatches

The swing snatch is a conglomerate of Squat, Bend and Pull movements all rolled into one!  It also represents possibly the most cardiovascular challenging exercises ever created.  For this reason it simaltaniously burns fat, shapes your butt, legs and stomach, develops strength endurance, power, speed, CV fitness and co-ordination!!

The swing snatch can be performed with either a dumbbell or a Kettlebell, (a kettlebell is a Russian conditioning tool which looks like a cannonball with a handle) with the kettlebell version being more challenging and therefore offering more benefits.  However the dumbbell swing snatch is still highly effective.  

1)pick up the K-bell or D-bell your weak hand, keeping your knees slightly bent, your back arched, your head up, and your weight on your heels (it helps to visualise pushing your butt backwards as if trying to sit into a seat placed behind you).  Swing the bell back between your legs.  Notice how your weight remains on your heels and how your shins are vertical with your knees behind and not in front of your toes, this is the same alignment that should be practised on any squatting movement for maximum safety and strength. 
2)You should feel the bell pulling you backwards onto your heels (especially if using a kettlebell).
3)Snap your hips through explosively.
4)Visualise projecting the bell straight ahead with the power of your hips.
5)Ultimately, the goal is to project the bell over head with the bicep close to the ear in a “Saturday Night Fever” pose.
6)From here you let the bell fall at about 85% top speed, not TOO fast, but then again not too slow.
7)As soon as you reach the bottom position again, instantly rebound back to the top, keep this perpetual pendulum motion going throughout the set.
8)Start with a really light weight and move slowly from start to finish until you warm up and get used to the motion, but at some point during the workout practice at full speed (although still with a light weight).  Starting with your weak hand do 5 reps then switch hands and do the same, continue in this way until you’ve completed 10 sets of 5 reps each arm without stopping (the weight you use must be light enough to make this challenging but achievable). At every subsequent workout add 1 rep per set until on day you complete 10 sets of 10 reps, at this point you increase the weight of the bell slightly and drop back to 10 sets of 5 reps, following the same progression format in future workouts. 

Bench Press

1)lie on a stable bench flanked at all time by your spotter, plant your feet flat and firm on the ground.
2)Grab the bar with a wider than shoulder width grip, wrap your thumbs around the bar.
3)As you and your spotter lift the weight from the rack pinch (Adduct) your shoulder blades together before you bend your arms to lower the weight, this immobilises the shoulder joint reducing risk of injury.
4)As you lower the bar to your chest, suck as much air as you can into your chest, suck it in through pursed lips.  Visualise trying to touch your chest to the bar as opposed to touching the bar to your chest, lower slowly!
5)Pause briefly on the mid line of your chest before driving the bar explosively to lockout.  You may hold your breath on the way up with the weight this will create greater intra- thoracic pressure and thus more strength, but if you have blood pressure problems or have had open heart surgery, breath in on the way down and out on the way up, never hold your breath!
6)Start with a weight you can do 10 reps with and do 3 sets of 2 reps. At each subsequent workout add 1 rep to each set until you’re doing 3 sets of 6 reps at this point add the smallest amount of weight possible to the bar and drop back to 3 sets of 2 reps and repeat the process.

Turkish Get-Up

This is an exercise that’ll you’ll virtually never see, which is a shame as it successfully mixes both Lunge and Twist movements all in one.  It’s fantastic for core stability and will tighten the muscles in your waist.  It can be done with either a D-bell or a Kettlebell, its more stable and safer with the kettlebell,

1)lie on a flat and stable grounded surface.
2)Use both hands to elevate the Kettlebell to arms length.
3)Slowly and carefully (there’s nothing explosive about this exercise) place the same leg as the working arm flat on the ground
4)Now slowly roll away from the bell, keeping your eyes on the bell at ALL times!
5)Stay tight, especially in your stomach taking shallow breaths throughout the set.
6)Prop yourself up on your free elbow, straighten your free arm and lift you free leg into a kneeing position.
7)Straighten your torso until your in a lunge position with the bell fixed overhead
8)Now stand up!
9)Reverse the whole process one segment at a time until back in the start position, this is just as hard if not harder than getting up!!
10)Follow the same progression format as was observed in the Bench Press.

Bent Over Kettlebell Rows

1)stand with a kettlebell between your legs, take a wider than shoulder width stance
2)pick up the weight with both hands, keeping knees slightly bent, your back arched, your head up and your weight on your heels.
3)Break the bell off the floor and hold your torso at about 45 to 60 degree angle
4)Now pull the kettlebell into your belly button, lower slowly and under control.
5)Follow the same progression format as the Bench Press.

A word on women and progressing with free weights

Most commercial facilities use equipment with allows 2.5kg weight jumps as the smallest possible progression.  That’s fine if you’re a big guy Bench Pressing over 100kg, in this case 2.5kg represents a paltry 2.5% or less.  But if you’re a beginner female who has a max bench of 25kg this becomes a 10% jump!! Way too much.  Its here where the use of micro plates (easily obtainable on the internet) become indispensable.  These plates allow for jumps as low as one 8th of a pound, which can insure progress continues much longer!

So there you have it ladies, your one stop guide to physical liberation.  Take what you’ve learned and set put to prove that there’s no such thing as the weaker sex!

(You can reach Paul McIlroy on his website: www.paulmcilroy.com)