Gym Workouts for Women

A gym filled with shiny weight stacks, clanging dumbbells, a gridlocked cardio area, dozens of group fitness classes and a juice bar that serves 14 ingredients concoctions can leave any woman confused. However, as you are paying a fairly hefty sum for membership, you should get your money worth of toning or weight loss. Here are some gym workouts for women to lose weight.

Cardio
Cardio is great for your body and heart. Gym workouts to lose weight fast always consist of a significant amount of cardiovascular exercises. The way to achieve your target is to use upbeat tunes, and ensure that you are moving at a pace matching the songs, which should have between 130 - 170 beats per minute. You could use Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone (which is about 130 beats per minute) or the Beastie Boys' Sabotage which is about 170 beats per minute. If you are wondering where to get this kind of music, there are CDs tailored to suit different types of workouts. Cardiovascular are an important part of gym workouts for beginners.

Another way to make your cardio workout more effective, is to change the way you use your feet. Push with different parts of your feet, while on bikes, stair steppers, and elliptical machines. For example, if you want to work on your quads, then push with your toes. For your butt and hamstrings, push with your heels.

Another pointer for an optimized workout is not to waste time in line; instead try something different. For example if the treadmill is taken, try the stepmill. With increased speed and a straight posture, you can burn an extra 200 calories an hour, than you would on a treadmill. Instead of the stationary bike, use the rowing machine, which actually burns 40 to 50 percent more fat than cycling, and provides a good upper body workout. You may be pleasantly surprised with the results these changes bring.

Free Weights
Gym workouts to lose weight often require the use of dumbbells. Our advise is to use neoprene weights, as they are likely to be easier on your hands. However, as they are more hospitable to bacteria and viruses, spray the weights and benches with Clorox or a similar product, to avoid infections. Ideally, use an adjustable bench as it allows you to work a muscle in all ways. For example, to work the mid, upper, and lower chest equally, do one set of dumbbell chest presses on a flat bench. Incline it to 45 degrees for the next set and then decline it to 30 degrees below flat, for the final set.

Weight Machines
We all know that abs can be a problem area. To challenge your core while using upper-body machines for weight training, place your feet close together, or lift them off the ground. While using lower-body machines, work your midsection by interlinking your fingers behind your back, or crossing your arms across your chest instead of grabbing the handles. For muscle building, another good way is working two muscle groups without taking a break in between. The best way to do this is by targeting opposing muscle groups, which will prevent you from overworking any one muscle. For example, follow bench presses with lateral pull downs and leg extensions with leg curls.

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Group fitness classes are excellent gym workouts for women. Not only do they help beat monotony, it has also been observed that people attending group classes, show up at the gym more consistently, than those who do not. A great idea is to sign up for spinning or Tae Bo classes, which are the calorie burning equivalent of 45 minutes of running, at a 10-minute per mile pace.