Fun Ways For Women To Build Muscle and Bone Mass

building bone mass

For health reasons, adding some more muscle to your physique is something that is a goal of a lot of women over 50. It is also something people are interested in for surface-level reasons like looking more fit. We all know the benefits of cardio and how important it is. A lot of people overlook the importance of strength training for its internal benefits like increased metabolism and improved bone density. Regular weight training is shown to help prevent osteoporosis. As women age their bone density lessens and weakens. Building muscle through strength training is an effective way to help prevent this. Strength training does not have to be just pumping iron, there are a lot of fun ways to strength train. Check out these fun ways to strength train below. You might have a new interest in such an important part of taking care of yourself.

Machines and Free-weights

Lifting weights using these methods are a classic way to strength train. If it is your first time or you are a novice it is highly recommended that you enlist the help of a trainer to spot you. Trainers can show you the right form, and make sure you do not hurt yourself while learning to use heavy equipment. Using the right technique as opposed to maxing out on weight is much more important in the beginning. Do not exercise the same muscles over and over again. Make some sort of rotating schedule so that you address all of your muscles and don’t end up with an imbalanced physique. Make sure to do lots of squats, curls, and dead-lifts. No, this is not bodybuilding. It is strength training and is extremely important to your health. As a woman, if you are afraid of bulking up, be assured that your body will not respond this way unless you make a specific effort to do so because it is not designed to respond that way. If you want bigger muscles, use larger weights with fewer repetitions. For leaner muscle building, use lighter weights with more repetitions.

Fitness and Dance Classes

Even though they aren’t what you think of when you think “bodybuilder,” dancers have a lot of strength. You can tell the difference between the kind of muscles dancers and runners develop when you think of their body types. Dancers typically have extremely strong, lifted, firmer muscles while runners develop extremely lean, less developed muscles. There are a lot of fitness and dance classes out there today like Barre classes that bring the muscle-developing power of ballet bar exercised to the masses. If you go to other types of classes like boot camps or Zumba an extremely easy way to add more muscle. You can also add small free weights during your workout. Keep light weights next to you while you work out. Grab them when your instructor starts telling you to do a certain move. This way you can add muscle while getting in cardio at the same time. Dancing and other weight-bearing activities, which you can read about here, are known to improve bone mass.

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Eat Quality Food and Care For Yourself

Some people feel that one of the best things about strength training is the part where you need to eat a lot of high-quality, nutrient-dense food to build more muscle. After you put in all of the work to lift weights make sure the muscle you are building has the energy of great food to use as building blocks. Avoid alcohol, refined sugars, and processed foods. Eat a lot of lean protein, whole grains, and “good” fats from natural sources. Avocados and olive oil can help build muscle the best you can. Make sure you are getting enough sleep at night to recover from your workouts and properly hydrating. Getting the right vitamins and nutrients is very important and taking a multi-vitamin is a good way to get peace of mind you are doing so.

Do not forget this extremely important part of the exercise. Whether you are taking Zumba, Barre classes, boot camp, or doing a weight lifting regime, wear the proper clothing and fitness footwear. It isn’t all about cardio. Even if you are dieting, a lot of weight loss can come from muscle if you aren’t careful to keep up your muscle building. The more muscle you build the more calories you will burn, even when you are resting. With proper rest and diet between workouts and the drive to be consistent, you will see results.

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Fun Ways For Women To Build Muscle and Bone Mass
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