The 5 Best Exercises For Women
Out of all those places carved out and earned by women for themselves in the world, that of bodybuilding and muscle building is still dominant as a man’s world. Indian Fitness is starting to have more entrants from women in the field of Bodybuilding as well. Indian Female Bodybuilders have achieved great accolades in the international arena. It need not be bodybuilding, any kind of exercise for women can help her stay fit and ready to face the many challenges of today’s world. By adjusting their diet or engaging in casual jogging, yoga too perhaps. All of the above could change your physique but not always into the one you have in mind. Strength, endurance, flexibility, agility, these are physical qualities a woman may also desire.
The exercises mentioned here are aimed at different parts of the body. The best ones are featured here that can be done at the gym or at home as well using a pair of dumbbells or a barbell.
1. The “Shoulder Press” or “Military Press”: SHOULDERS
The exercise involves lifting the barbell overhead slowly straight out over your head till the arms are fully stretched out and elbows straightened out to form a V. You may shift your upper body to maintain balance thereafter. Then the weight is slowly brought back down onto the shoulders.
If you’re thinking that this only targets muscles in the upper body you’re wrong. To main balance the body engages muscles from the feet all the way up to the neck shoulders and arms during this exercise. Doing it right should result in the well-sculpted shoulders and arms. Variants of this exercise are the Arnold press, seated press and one-handed press.
2. Mountain Climber with the Swiss Ball: ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
This will put your abs in great shape. Assume a position so that the body weight is rested on the toes and the hands as during a pushup. Only in this case the hands rest on the swiss ball instead of the ground. For this exercise to be effective, the body should form a straight sloping line from the shoulders to the heels. Move on by bending and lifting one leg as close to the chest as possible without changing the position of the lower back. Alternate between legs and continue. This is the way to go for sculpted abs and a flat tummy. It is more difficult than it looks which is why the persevering will reap the benefits if done consistently.
3. The traditional “Squat”: LEGS
Squats are for strength. Using a barbell loaded with weight while doing squats makes it more effective. But there are many that involve no weights or equipment at all. Basically you bend your knees almost all the way and balance your body weight on the upper front portion of the foot. Did you know that there are over a dozen different types of squats that you can try out? The Body weight squat, Pulse squat, Goblet squat, One-legged squat, Barbell squat are a few of these. Try them out to find which suits you the best. Squats strengthen your lower body and your overall core strength. The right combination of squats should bring you a more than satisfactory lower body.
4. The “Hip raise”: LOWER BODY
This is super beneficial in putting your core muscles into action while shaping muscles on the rear side of the body. But the muscle it specifically targets is the ‘gluteus maximus’ or the ‘glutes’ a bunch of muscles that act as the main extensor muscle of the hip. Lie flat on the ground, bend your knees and have your feet firmly on the ground. Now using the glutes, try and raise the hip and lower body up, to form a straight line from the shoulders to the knees. Hold the position for sometime before lowering your body back on the ground. Then repeat the same.This helps in strengthening the hip and core muscles and getting the rear in shape. It also removes stress off the lower back as a result. All women stand to benefit from this exercise.
5. The “Deadlift”: BACK
This is quite popular. Once the postures have been explained you’ll find they are ones you have commonly seen. Using two dumbbells or a barbell, hold them in a way by your sides such that the palm faces one forward and one backward. Now lift both arms horizontally in front you. Bend the knees slightly and bring one leg off the ground in the direction behind you. Bend your upper body till it is parallel to the ground. Do not change the position of the arms with respect to the torso. Finally the arms should be vertical and the torso and legs should be parallel. The ‘Straight-leg deadlift” does more than work on your lower back and core. It works on developing the hamstrings and other muscles of the leg. A sculpted leg is the result.
This is reaching out to all those women who have dared to be ambitious with their bodies. If you can be ambitious about jobs, positions, careers why not this? After all, when you look good you feel good. And a great figure shouldn’t be to only fit into evening dresses or wedding gowns, the fitness is for life, the strength is for life. We are daughters, sisters, spouses and finally mothers. We have plenty to lose. So when we need to defend, ourselves or someone we care about, we better make sure we don’t come up short.
