Summer’s over and Fall is nipping at our feet. How are you changing up your workout routine this Fall?
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A total body resistance training program works all the major muscle groups of the body: chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, legs, abs/core, and glutes. Each muscle group is different in size, so they require different weights or bands. Biceps and triceps are the smallest, so they require lighter resistance than back and chest muscles (the largest muscles in the upper body). Shoulder muscles link the chest and back to the biceps and triceps, so they require a middle-of-the-road weight or resistance. The leg muscles are the largest muscles in the body, so they can handle the most resistance. As such, go with heavier weights when doing leg exercises (squats, lunges, etc.)
Some exercises use your body weight as resistance, like crunches, push-ups, lunges, and squats. For body weight exercises, maintain good form and execute fully until you feel your muscles activate. Most targeted exercises for shoulders, biceps, and triceps use weights or bands. The key to great results is using the proper amount of weight for your fitness level and each muscle group.
Failure = Success
When it comes to weight lifting, muscle failure is a GOOD thing! You’ve reached muscle failure when you absolutely cannot do another rep. The goal is to fail by the targeted # of reps for that exercise. Meaning, it should be difficult to get out the last few reps. If you’re looking to build size, then you need to “fail” on rep 8, 9, or 10. If your goal is to simply look more toned, muscle failure should happen at reps 13, 14, or 15.
The struggle to find your max at the end of the exercise has everything to do with picking the right weight. As a rule of thumb, I lift as heavy as I can for each muscle group. If you use the same weight for every exercise, you’re not sufficiently challenging the larger muscles that require heavier resistance to grow and build – and you won’t achieve optimum results.
I Don’t Want to Bulk Up!
I hear a lot of women say they’re afraid to lift heavy weights for fear of bulking up like a man. As you can see from the weights listed below, I lifted as heavy as I could and got lean muscle as a result – not bulk! Physiologically, men are built very differently than women and have much more testosterone so they build muscle much more easily than women (and can lift much heavier). So don’t be afraid of going heavy.
The Weights I Used to Get Lean and Strong
Many people ask me what weights I used for ChaLEAN Extreme. These are the weights that were necessary for me to get optimum results, but I gradually built up to these weights as I got stronger. It may be different for you depending on your current conditioning and fitness level. So these weights are for reference purposes only and are not a suggestion on the amount of weight you should be using.
- Chest: 20 lbs
- Shoulders: 17.5 – 20 lbs
- Biceps: 15 – 17.5 lbs
- Triceps: 10 – 12 lbs
- Back: 25 lbs
- Legs (squats & lunges): 25 – 30 lbs
Whatever weight you choose, make sure you can lift it with proper form. If you can’t, reduce the weight until you get stronger. And don’t be afraid of bulking up. Here’s to a beautiful, fit and fabulous NEW YOU!! Go for it!!
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Unleash the power of FAT BURNING lean muscle to reduce body fat and get the lean, toned beach ready body of your dreams!
It’s a fact: Muscle burns fat! The more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn.
Weight lifting does so much more than build pecs and biceps. It causes the body to burn calories all day long and even while you sleep. It protects joints from wear and tear. Bones become denser and less prone to injury. Strength training reduces body fat, arthritic pain, and muscle loss as we age. It increases metabolism and lowers the risk of diabetes because it improves insulin sensitivity.
Chalene’s proven Lean Phasing technique supercharges your metabolism by shifting your body’s fat-burning focus from cardio exercise to resistance training. You burn fat long after your workout. With the ChaLEAN Extreme 90 day training system, you’ll get:
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Hello, gorgeous! I'm Miko. My mantra is write my own story and design a life I love! I'm a content creator living in Atlanta.
This is my blog, where I post my hair, fashion and lifestyle tutorials and inspo. Be sure to visit my Amazon store for my fave fashion & beauty products that help you look and feel your innately fabulous best self! Let's get this glow up!
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