Unless you've been living in a cave somewhere in the middle of nowhere, you should be well aware that the gym is no longer just for men, and neither is weightlifting. Gone are the days when women spent their time at the gym running on a treadmill, taking aerobics classes, and avoiding the free weights section.

Although treadmills, aerobics classes, and weightlifting machines still have their place in a woman's gym world, more and more women are discovering and taking advantage of the many benefits offered by weightlifting.

For years, women were scared away from lifting weights by ridiculous rumors and disinformation - usually from muscle-headed men or trainers who knew little about what they were talking about. Weights were for men and so was weightlifting.

Women were often relegated to using cute little dumbbells for the purpose of toning their bodies. Weightlifting, they were told, makes women bigger, puts them at risk of injury, and makes them look less feminine.

Today many of those misconceptions no longer exist, and if they do, most women ignore them. There are simply too many benefits to lifting weights for women not to include a weightlifting workout into their current exercise routine.

Reasons For Lifting Weights

Weightlifting for women takes place for a variety of reasons. For most women, lifting weights is an effective way of getting their bodies toned and firmed. Most of the time, this type of weightlifting involves light weights and high numbers of repetitions, usually 10 to 15 repetitions of each lift for 2 to 3 sets.

Another reason for why women begin lifting weights is to promote improved weight loss. Lifting weights can increase the body's ability to burn more calories and fat than exercise alone. Any woman looking to lose weight will definitely consider adding a weightlifting component to their workout.

Weightlifting For Women - The Plan Of Action

Like a weightlifting routine for men, weightlifting routines for women are most beneficial when they involve a full-body workout. For most, this means about 45-60 minutes of hitting the weights, and a series of exercises that will target all of the major muscle groups in the body.

Not to say that there is something wrong with exercises that isolate specific muscle groups, but most of the time (especially for beginners) a complete body workout is often the best approach.

Exercises that comprise a weightlifting routine for women might include the following: lunges, bench press (with barbell or dumbbells), leg curls, rows, crunches, flys, squats, back extensions, deadlift, shoulder press, calf raises, step-ups, reverse flys, and reverse crunches.

Of course, its impossible to fit all of these exercises into one day's workout, but selecting 5 to 6 different exercises to do every other day is a very effective approach. It is always important to give your body (especially your muscles) a chance to repair themselves and rest. For this reason, weightlifting should be done at least every two days, and rarely should it be done on consecutive days.

In terms of weight, repetitions, and sets, consider doing 2-3 sets (depending on ability and experience), with 8-12 repetitions per set. Typically, many repetitions of light weights are meant to promote weight loss, while few repetitions of heavier weights tend to be beneficial for building muscle.