Having a strong upper body is the key to a well-rounded, trimmed physique as well as overall health. With better strength in your arms, back and chest you’ll benefit from a better posture and body balance[1].

All you need are a few sets of small dumbbells or resistance bands – you could even use your own bodyweight for some of these moves. Below, we’ve listed the seven best exercises to tone up your arms. For each exercise, we’ll include different options to suit your choice of resistance.

Warm-Up

Warming up before an arm workout will help reduce the risk of muscle soreness and injury. Try this sequence of dynamic warm-up exercises to prepare your body.

• Arm circles – 8 reps forward and backward
• Walk-outs – 8 reps
• Overhead shoulder stretches
• Jumping jacks – 10 reps
• Swinging toe touches – 8 on each side

To sum up

If you want to add some shape to your arms or build some upper body strength, these exercises will help to get you there and tone up your arms. To make even more of an impact, follow a calorie-restricted diet or complement these strength moves with a clever cardio routine.

Head to the gym and sprinkle some of these moves into your workout plan – you won’t regret it!

It makes no sense to hit up the gym and stray from what you’re there to do. So here are a few Spot Me Girl tips and tricks to help you be more productive in the gym

To sum up

Being more productive in the gym is what will help you start seeing results from your workouts. When your daily schedule seems like a never-ending to do list, exercise always seems to be at the bottom of the list.

Not anymore, girl! With these top tips, you can strategize your time in the gym and maximize your efforts while you’re in there.

The benefits of exercise also extend far beyond having a better figure. It’s a great productivity booster in general, working to kick up your energy levels and improve brain function. Don’t forget to make your training fun and you’ll be even more motivated to work out!

When looking for an at home abs workout routine, you need to be realistic with what you can do and how much time do you have.

Below is a 10 exercise workout routine that will likely give you hell and will even make sneezing a challenging task. But if you regularly complete this workout and mix in a proper diet, you will start seeing abs in no time.

Whether you are male or female, this routine will work for you. It’s designed to make you regret breathing, coughing, sneezing, or laughing the day after you are done. This workout routine will demolish you no matter who you are.

Best Ab Home Workout Routine

Before we introduce the exercises, let’s establish some ground rules.

• Rule #1 – Unless a set number of reps or time is specified, do the exercises until failure.
• Rule #2 – Unless a set resting period is specified, do the exercises one after the other.
• Rule #3 – Do at least two rounds of the workout, try adding an extra round every time you do the workout. Rest time between rounds shouldn’t be longer than 90 seconds.
• Rule #4 – It’s okay to post results on your Facebook and make your ex jealous.

Let’s get into it! Here is your complete at home abs workout.

1. Toe Touches

Lay on the floor with your feet up in the air, stretch your arms out and try reaching for your toes. If you can’t quite touch your toes, it’s fine. Just go reaching for the toes and your abs will start blowing up quickly.

Do 20 reps.

2. Scissor Kicks

Time to feel the burn with some scissors…. As you can see in the gif above, this will require some range of motion. Raise your legs in the air, and alternately kick your legs. As one leg is lowered the other should be raised. Try not to let your feet touch the ground.

Having a hard time with this exercise? Bending your legs slightly will make it easier to keep your legs up in the air.

Do 15 reps.

3. Half Burpees

This one isn’t as challenging on the abs as above, but it is effective. Go into a push-up position and bring your knees towards your chest, both legs at the same time.

This is the same movement as you would use to jump up from the push-up portion of a burpee, except you bring your legs back out to the push-up position.

Repeat that process for 15 reps and rest for 10 seconds.

4. Oblique V-Ups

Time to hit those obliques, with some v-ups. Lay on your side with one arm resting the floor while the other leg is curled with your palm resting on your head and your elbow pointing to the sky. Your legs should be straight and slightly facing towards your body. Start raising your legs towards your torso and your arm towards your knees.

Do 20 reps for each side.

5. Elevated Leg Holds

Lay on the floor, hands placed behind your back either right under your butt or just underneath it on your upper hamstrings. Raise your legs up in the air and maintain that position. Try not to let your legs touch the ground, as this is a hard exercise.

Hold that position for 60-seconds.

6. Russian Twist

This the best at home abs workout move in our eyes. While in a sitting position, raise your legs a tad bit with your palms crossed over each other. Now twist your entire body towards your left side and touch the floor with your hands, then return over to the right side and do the same thing there for a total of 50 reps all together.

After you’re done, rest for about 10-15 seconds.

7. Windshield Wipers

You can do this either with your arms under your butt or with them stretched out. Put your legs up in the air straight and stiff and then start shifting them from side to side just like a windshield wiper. If you can’t do with straight legs, bent legs are fine too.

Do 10 reps.

8. Leg Raises

Lay in the same position as you were in the exercise before this. Simply raise your legs up as high as you can keeping them straight, then slowly let them back down and repeat.

Do this for 20 reps.

9. Elbow Planks

This is a standard move for any at home abs workout. The standard elbow plank is nothing new or fancy. Use your elbows instead of your hands as your foundation and keep your back straight. Keep your core tight and maintain this position.

Hold your plank for 60-seconds.

10. Mountain Climbers

As the name suggests, you are simulating running up a very steep hill or mountain. Start in a push-up position and alternate your legs up to your chest. Start out slow to get form down and then strive to “run in place” as fast as possible.

Conclusion

It doesn’t take much more than hard work and effective exercises to get some shredded abs. Take this at home abs workout and run with it.

How to build muscle without weights

Building muscle without weights works just the same as it does with them. You need to push your body to make changes by challenging it.

When you get to a certain point of intensity, your body sends signals that something tough has happened. This then tells your muscles to grow back bigger, firmer, and stronger.

So, what you have to do is take yourself there. To put it simply you just move your own body weight against gravity. The world can’t hold you down, or your muscles.

Grab a bottle of water and your headphones because we’re gonna get sweaty. Here are the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle without weights.

Squats

Ask any trainer worth her weight in gym-clothes to pinpoint her go-to exercise for the lower body and she’ll say squats. They’re not just good for shaping your booty but helping with hip flexibility and core strength as well. When it comes to strength training without weights, squats as essential!

As a compound exercise, squats recruit tons of muscle fibers. Not only does this mean they burn more calories, but they’re the most economical too. Whereas a bicep curl just gives attention to one area, the squat treats many. That’s why they’re so useful in a full bodyweight workout – especially for women looking to shape their legs.

Body weight squats are one of the most natural positions women can do. In a way, we only forget how to squat when we grow up and sit down. Let’s reclaim our right to get down low, girl.

Here’s how to do your best bodyweight squat:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Ideally, your toes should be facing forward, or ever so slightly outward. Look forward to help set your neck and spine in a neutral position.
2. Brace your core by tightening your abs and hold your arms out straight in front. This will be the top position of your squat.
3. When you’re ready, keep that core tight as you sit back into the squat. Imagine you’re descending down into a chair until the backs of your legs are parallel to the floor. You’ll also want to keep your knees pressed out a touch to stop them falling inwards. If it helps, tell yourself to screw your feet into the floor and picture yourself pressing against two hands pushing them inward – or a mini band.
4. Once you hit parallel you can take a moment to balance yourself. Then, when you’re set to return to the top, push through your mid-foot with power. It’s important you don’t let your knees collapse inward here just like in the descent.
5. Rep one done – congrats. Light up those legs for the rest of the set.

Lunges

Much like its sister the squat, a lunge is mainly a lower body exercise. Yet she’s more than just meets the eye.

When you perform a lunge, you’re creating what’s called unilateral movement. This means you’re moving different parts of your body in different ways. When strength training without weights you can use tougher exercises like lunges to really test yourself

You need a helluva lot of balance and coordination to do a perfect lunge. Hitting them will light up your legs, as well as calling upon your core and lower back for balance. So, with this in mind, let’s learn how to lunge properly.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and brace your core.
2. Pick up your left leg and take a big step forward. Let your heel touch down first.
3. As your foot continues to touchdown lower your body until your left knee is at a right angle. Your front shin should be vertical too, with your back knee hovering just above the ground. If you’re flexible enough feel free to let it lightly touch the floor.
4. Push from your front heel to propel your body upright. As you land back in the starting position, you’re ready to go again on the other side.

Push-ups

We’ve looked at lower body, but what about that top half? To help add strength to your chest, core, and arms you’ve got the power of push-ups.

If you tense your glutes while doing them, they’ll even help shape your booty. After all, you’re just performing a moving plank, which is a great move for the whole body. Strength training without weights isn’t just a lower body thing, girl.

When you’re not used to doing push-ups, they can be challenging. But sticking with them can work wonders for toning your torso, especially the arms. Feel free to perform your push-ups on your knees when starting out in your strength journey to make them easier.

Are you ready to own the perfect push-up? Let’s do this, girl.

1. Lay flat on your tummy in what’s known as the prone position. From here, bring your hands up so they’re next to your chest. Somewhere in-line with the middle (where your nipples are) is best.
2. Next, bring your feet together and tuck the bottom of your toes into the floor. Now, brace your core so when you push up your body moves in one straight line.
3. Without looking up and straining your neck, tense your core and glutes as you push through your hands. Try to keep your elbows tucked in close to your body here or at most rotated 45-degrees away from it. This will help protect your shoulders from unnecessary strain or injury.
4. Push through your palms until your arms are straight. Doing this means you’re gonna get strong through your whole range of motion. The same goes for lowering your chest all the way to the ground.
5. After reaching the top of the push up get ready to descend. Keep everything braced tight as you bend your elbows and take your chest toward the floor. If you don’t want to touch the ground that’s fine – just stop an inch before you get there.
6. One down, girl. Keep at it

Sit-ups

It’s about time we showed those abs some love, right? After all, you’re here to get full-body strong, girl.

Simple but so effective, sit-ups are all about abs and core strength. For years, girls thought they were the answer to getting skinny – but throw that useless word in the trash. Sit-ups are here to empower your body and make you hella strong instead.

If you’ve got a gym girlfriend you work out with they can really help here. Have them hold onto your ankles, or even better link your lower legs so you can support one another. We’ve found the hardest part of hitting a perfect sit-up is actually keeping your feet on the floor – don’t laugh it’s true.

Here’s how you can do it.

1. Sit down comfortably with your knees bent and feet out in front. Put your soles flat on the ground so there’s about a 45-degree bend behind your knees.
2. Lower yourself down so your back is flat on the floor. Now, cross your arms across your chest or place them next to your temples.
3. Without using any momentum, call on your abs and core to raise your chest toward your knees. Your body should be in a straight line while you’re doing this. It’s easier to push your head forward when sitting up but this puts stress on your lower back and neck. If at any point you feel this happening just lower how high you sit up.
4. Sat upright? Awesome. Keep that core engages as you lower yourself back down. Descend slowly under control and really dial in the technique. You’re strong, so embrace the hard work when the reps start getting difficult.
5. You’re all done. Just repeat steps 3-4 until you’ve nailed every last rep.

Dead bugs

Some girls just don’t get down with sit-ups at all. Depending on where you are or your body type, opting for dead bugs might be a bit more comfortable.

We’ve got to warn you though, girl. Don’t confuse comfortable with easy – dead bugs are far from it. These core-crazy critters will create strength all through your abs and lower back.

This is what you need to do.

1. Lay flat on your back so you’re looking right up at the ceiling. Put your arms out directly in front of you like a mummy – keep them straight.
2. Now, pick your knees up toward your chest so your hip is at a right angle. You now kind of look like you’re sitting in that invisible chair from the squat.
3. Press your back into the floor by bracing your core. This part is really important to focus on it throughout the whole exercise.
4. Time to perform the dead bug. Lower one arm directly above and over your head toward the floor. Keep it straight like you would in a backward crawl swimming motion. Straighten the opposite leg as if you were pushing on a bike pedal.
5. All the time you’re doing this tense your abs and actively press your lower back into the floor, yoga mat, or blanket.
6. Reverse step four and go again on the opposite side. That’s one rep of your killer core strengthening set.

Last rep on strength training without weights

We told you women don’t need weights to get strong. You can shape, tone, and strengthen your body just by moving it against gravity. Plug in your best workout playlist, grab a bottle of water and get to it. We’re going to crush this strength training without weights thing.

Use these bodyweight exercises to target all the key muscle groups. Put them together into a mini circuit or focus on individual areas to match your body goals. High-intensity, slow and steady, it’s your call. Take each movement and make it your own.

Good luck out there, girl. Soon you’ll be the strongest sister on the gym floor. Enjoy strength training without weights.

Mia

Get even stronger, girl, with these:

•  Why You Should Ditch Cardio and Try Strength Training for Women
• Strength Training Exercises That Will Transform Your Performance
• The Home Beginner’s Strength Training Workout for a Woman

There’s absolutely no doubt that HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is one of the best and most widely used exercise methods for losing weight.

It’s fast, efficient and damn does it melt away fat.

However, when many of us think HIIT, images of people jumping around, lifting weights and all-out sprinting come to mind. While these types of movements are a staple for many HIIT sessions, they don’t suit everyone, and they aren’t your only option.

As trainers, we often hear complaints of cramp, injury and joint soreness from these high-impact movements. To help combat this issue and ensure you still get an effective fat-loss workout in your weekly routine, we’ve created a low-impact HIIT workout.

To do this, we’ve taken some less-demanding movements, and turned them into a truly challenging interval cardio workout that you can perform at the gym.

Check it out.

[Related Article: 13 HIIT Exercises You Need in Your Weight Loss Workouts]

Why use low impact HIIT?

There’s no denying HIIT is intense, it’s the reason it works so well for fat loss. But that doesn’t mean the movements have to take their toll on your joints.

Although high-impact movements like jumping, sprinting and weight lifting at high speeds are associated with this type of training, they aren’t your only option.

Instead, an intelligent low impact HIIT workout can help you burn fat[1], whilst minimizing joint pain and soreness.

We’ve created a more palatable workout that avoids impact-based movements and instead utilizes exercises that won’t jolt your joints or bones. While this may be a softer approach to the choice of movements, the intensity of the workout will still be high, so you can reap all the rewards of HIIT.

Check out this less demanding low impact HIIT workout below.

[Related Article: Best Pre-Workout for Women] 

Low impact HIIT workout

This is a challenging full body workout, designed to get your heartrate high and your muscles working hard. You’ll feel the burn across your whole physique with this one, even though it’s low impact, and won’t leave you hurting in a bad way.

We’ve used an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) structure, so you’re working hard with a few breaks too. The workout is spread out across five exercises and should only take you around ten minutes to complete. It’s short, sharp and perfectly designed for anyone, including those of us who don’t enjoy high impact movements.

Check it out.

The final rep

A killer HIIT session doesn’t have to ruin your joints, or put you off interval training altogether.

Instead a smart low-impact cardio workout can get your body working hard, without any of the aches and pains that certain movements can cause.

Try this one for yourself to maximize your weight loss efforts in every workout.

From you bones to your mental health, there are so many ways powerlifting can positively impact your life.

Check out these benefits of powerlifting before you get started.

The benefits of powerlifting

The Final Word

The benefits of powerlifting can stretch across your whole life. From a more powerful body to lower fat levels, better mental health to increased athleticism, this sport has a huge array of positive perks.

Why waste any time?

Start your love affair with powerlifting today, and check out our beginner program right here. 

Speak to 90% of women in the gym and they’ll tell you they’re there for one thing – weight loss.

And we can guarantee that the majority of these women are spending their gym hours on the treadmill, and getting nowhere fast when it comes to achieving their goals.

That’s where strength training for women comes in.

Despite traditional thought, not only does this type of training make you stronger, it also comes with a whole host of other benefits, one of the main ones including fat loss.

Although it might go against traditional thought, you need to step off the treadmill and give the weights a go. Discover the truth about what strength training does to your body and the health benefits you can expect.

The health benefits of strength training for women

Now we’ve busted the myths that were standing between you and starting your first strength training program for women, it’s time to take a look at the health benefits.

The direct benefit of lifting weights is more muscle on your frame. Muscle uses more energy than fat does on your body, so it promotes a higher metabolism and boosts calorie burn.

As long as your diet also supports muscle growth and you’re training regularly, you should see a reduction in the fat on your body. 10 weeks of regular strength training for women increased lean muscle weight by 1.4kg, reduced fat weight by 1.8kg and heightened resting metabolism by 7% on average [1].

[Related Article: Best Fat Burner Supplements for Women]

If you get anxious you should definitely check out weightlifting. You’ll be surprised how much strength training can help work through those negative feelings.

Studies have shown that lifting weights can actually help to lower the feelings of anxiety you feel, particularly when working at moderate weights [2].

As we mentioned above, science has found that if you don’t exercise you can lose between 3-8% of your muscle mass every decade, which can directly impact your quality of life, your strength and your overall wellbeing[1].

After 10 weeks of training, the women in this particular study showed a 1-3% increase in bone density[1].

This may not be the most obvious health benefit, but it’s still an important element to consider. After all, it’s the reason so many women go to the gym.

Scientific studies analyzed the effects of strength training in older women and found it resulted in significant improvements in body image, quality of life and satisfaction and comfort [3].

So where do you start?

Now you’re thinking about taking up strength training for women, it’s important to know where to start.

The first thing you need to do is find a good trainer and use their expertise to perfect your technique. This is key to working out safely and keeping your body free from injury.

Next you need to find a training program that works for you.

To do this you need to identify your goals, along with how much time you can realistically commit to your training.

If you’re completely fresh to this type of training we’d recommend working out no more than three times a week and beginning at light weights that you can build up. Once you get into the swing of things you can up the load and the frequency of challenging lifts as you see fit to suit your goals.

The final rep

Although it may go against what you’ve always heard, it’s not all about cardio.

If you want to improve your overall fitness, boost your wellbeing and drop fat then you need to be pursing strength training for women too.

To really boost fat loss results, combine your resistance workouts with HIIT. It’s a form of cardio, however it’s more time efficient than endurance training and it’s proven to burn fat, whilst supporting muscle.

Add this style of training to your repertoire and transform your body in a way long treadmill sessions never could.

High intensity interval training is proven to be quicker and more effective at burning fat than traditional forms of cardio. While it’s challenging, it’s probably one of the fastest workouts you’ll do – and it’ll reap the most reward too.

The trick is keeping your training fresh and stimulating so you keep pushing your body to the next level, and keep melting away the pounds. Check out our HIIT exercises list to spark some inspiration for your next weight loss workout.

[Related article: HIIT Workouts for Women]

HIIT Exercises:

[Related article: 20-Minute Kettlebell HIIT Workout for Fat Loss]

[Related article: Fat Torching, Muscle Growing HIIT Leg Workouts]

[Related article: HIIT workout Plan for Weight Loss]

[Related article: The Best Fat Burners for Women Review]

The final rep

With these HIIT exercises at your disposal you can create some truly effective weight loss workouts. Whether you opt for an AMRAP or a circuit, select a few of these movements and get to work. You can thank us later… when you catch your breath again.

When it comes to powerlifting, knowing where to start isn’t always easy. This sport is all about strength and developing that is about way more than just picking up heavy things.

If you’re a complete beginner, chances are you don’t really know what your rep and set pattern should look like. Luckily, we’ve taken the guesswork out of the equation and created a complete beginner powerlifting program for women.

We’ve designed our complete program based on the most effective training methods to build strength in the big three lifts: squats, deadlift and bench.

Our program is based around the 5×5 ‘Stronglifts’ method, which is widely known as one of the best ways to develop strength for someone who’s new to lifting.

We’ve also worked a few accessories into our beginner powerlifting program to support the big lifts, build a stronger physique and help keep injury at bay.

Before you start…

Before you hit the weights room and start this program, there are a few things you need to have nailed down.

The most important thing to work on is your technique. If you go into this training program with bad form on your lifts, you’re already limiting how much you can lift, and potentially putting yourself in line for an injury.

Speak to a trainer about perfecting your form before you hit the bar.

If you’re looking to really push yourself in powerlifting, you’re also going to change the way you normally train. Endurance exercises like running can be detrimental to powerlifting and muscle development. You’ll have to put that kind of training on hold if you do decide to pursue a beginner powerlifting program.

It’s very common for this type of training to be focused around your main lifts and just a few accessory movements.

We’d also recommend you nail down your nutrition if you want to see the best results from your powerlifting program for beginners. Building muscle is the result of lifting challenging weights and giving your body the fuel it needs to grow. That means eating plenty of calories and protein.

Find Out What You Should Be Eating Here

Our final point before you start is a very important one: remember to challenge yourself.

Your body grows muscle and develops strength through a process called progressive overload. This means continually challenging your body by upping your weights regularly. We’ll be asking you to add weight every week on this beginner program, and it’s important you do. Otherwise your body will adapt to one weight and progress will quickly plateau.

5×5 Beginner Powerlifting Program

Follow this beginner program to start building real strength in the big lifts.

 [Recommended Article: Bench Press for Women – Everything a Girl Needs to Know]

Recommended Article: The Best Deadlift Form – Everything a Girl Needs to Know]

After each workout

This type of training, especially the deadlift, can leave you with a fair amount of muscle soreness for a few days after each workout. If you don’t know how to deal with the soreness, it can be quite off-putting for a beginner on a powerlifting program.

Muscle pain is inevitable, however as you progress through the weeks, your body will come to adapt, and you’ll find it becomes less intense. You might even start to appreciate the pain, as it’s a sign of a rewarding workout.

There are also a few things you can do to help deal with it and dull the effects a little. Try the following:

By using these methods, you should be able to reduce the pain and feel fresh enough to hit the gym again for the next workout on your beginner powerlifting program.

The final rep

This program may be simple, but it’s designed to build strength, perfect form and grow power in your main lifts. Its simplicity and effectiveness makes it the ideal beginner powerlifting program for women.

As long as you continue to challenge yourself, eat enough protein and commit your self to the program, this beginner powerlifting workout plan will get results.

Try it out for yourself today.

Looking to take your body composition to new levels? A testosterone booster might be what you need…

Both are often referred to when it comes to a fat burning workout. However, there’s often disparity between which is best.

But what makes one weight loss workout the ‘best’?

To find out which will suit you and your goals, we’ve pitted the two against each other in a HIIT vs LISS battle of the workouts.

Read on and find out which one you should be hitting to lose weight.

Final word

These two weight loss workouts are almost polar opposites and, at the end of the day, you need to weigh up your personal needs against both styles of training.

Whichever one you choose, you can complement it with weight training to increase the amount of muscle you hold and therefore boost your metabolism.

Finally, if you do decide to opt for LISS, remember it can deteriorate your muscle stores, so think about adding a HIIT workout in there occasionally too.

Good luck, girl.

Gone are the days of cardio bunny workouts. We know now that hours and hours of cardio just isn’t the way to get lean, toned and strong.

This is the age of fierce, powerful women – the ones that aren’t afraid to slip on their lifting shoes, chalk up their hands, and get heavy and dirty in the weights room.

With so many different exercises to choose from, it can be difficult to know which work best. But we’ve got you covered. In this article we lift the lid on the absolute optimal strength training exercises to take you from weak to strong in a matter of weeks.

Let’s do this.

How to build strength

Being strong means different things to different people.

To some it means having the grit, resolve and resilience to lift repeatedly without fatigue. To others it’s about how heavy you can lift.

Strength training is now the most popular way for women to transform the way they look and feel. Gone are the aerobics sessions, so say goodbye to those long Sunday morning runs.

Lifting weights does it all.

But what does strength mean?

Let’s look at a common definition from any athlete textbook:

“Strength is the ability to exert maximal force in a muscle or group of muscles”

Strength is about the way you lift weights. It’s about lifting heavy, powerfully and with great technique. And there are thousands of reasons why you’d want to achieve this.

The benefits of strength training

When it comes to bang for your buck, strength training is the most effective exercise approach out there.

Not only does it improve athletic performance, it also boosts your health.

If you want to add years to your life and life to your years, grab the iron and get liftin’, girl.

Here’s a very quick rundown of just some benefits strength training provides.

There are different types of ‘strength’

Great athletes not only lift heavy, they lift explosively too.

Strength is a catch all term.

It’s fluid and adaptable.

Yes, it’s about being able to lift weights, but to be truly strong isn’t just about lifting the heaviest weights you can find on the gym floor. Its about expressing how your body deals with weights of all different loads too.

• What if you don’t want to lift 220 lb but need to be strong enough to jump higher than your opponent when rebounding?
• Or be strong enough to accelerate out of the blocks on the track?
• And if you’re an Olympic weightlifter or CrossFit athlete you don’t just need to lift a heavy bar, you have to work at high speed too, don’t you?

What you achieve all comes down to the way you train. And with so many ways to ‘get stronger’, it’s important you understand how to train effectively in the weights room.

There are in fact different types of strength.

Strength training exercises you need to know

In this section we’ve broken down the best strength training exercises.

We’ve used our collective knowledge at SpotMeGirl to pull together the very best information for you to get stronger, faster and more athletic.

To help you choose the right tools for the job we’ve also categorized them based on which type of strength they suit best… and what weight, reps and sets you should use too.

The bottom line

This is the age of strong women. The ones that aren’t afraid to go heavy and lift fast to develop toned physiques and bags of confidence.

The best strength training exercises are the ones that factor in your goal. If you want to develop brute force, accelerate at top speed or beat your opponent from the blocks with explosive muscle contractions, weight training is for you.

You just need to know which exercises suit which goal and away you go, girl.

Kettlebell training is an awesome way to develop athletic curves and a strong figure. Not only does it help to accentuate different areas of your body by providing a strong toning effect, it also burns a huge amount of fat.

Throw in some high-intensity interval training with those bells and you’ll turbocharge your gains and melt fat.

Now it’s your time to get serious with this fast-paced 20-minute kettlebell HIIT workout…

High Intensity Interval Training

Use high intensity interval training to boost fat loss, ramp up fitness and sculpt a leaner, more athletic body.

You’re here because you want to make changes to your body in the shortest time possible.

Luckily, you’re in the right place. We’re here to give you the lowdown on the most effective 20-minute kettlebell HITT workout on the planet.

It promises:

What is HIIT and why should you care?

High-intensity interval training (known as HIIT) is a training method used by everyone from athletes to housewives to get lean, toned and fitter… fast.

Unlike traditional cardio that takes up hours and hours of your day, HIIT compacts your workout into multiple high-intensity bursts known as intervals.

By adding in recovery periods between intervals, you can work harder than ever, accelerating calorie burn and fat loss. The impact on your cardio system builds endurance, stamina and real fitness too.

There are lots of ways to perform HIIT training.

You can adapt both work interval and rest interval length to suit your current abilities.

When you’re not at your fittest, make the work durations 10-30 seconds long and make sure you get plenty of recovery between reps so you’re feeling sharp.

If your fitness is looking good, test yourself by either longer work reps or shorter duration rest periods. Even add in more reps if you can.

Why use kettlebell HIIT?

HIIT is a concept not a program. It’s fluid, dynamic and adaptable to your goal. If you want all-out fat loss you can perform your workout on a bike or a running track.

But if you want to build some sexy curves while shredding fat you need to think about throwing some resistance in there too… and that’s where kettlebells come in.

Kettlebell HIIT workout

In just 20-minutes 3 times per week you’ll develop a completely new physique and mindset… and a whole lotta sass.

This 20-minute kettlebell HIIT workout is as simple as it gets. You just need a kettlebell and a little grit and determination.

Get ready to challenge yourself, girl. We want you to go as heavy as you can without sacrificing form. Women were meant to lift heavy, and now’s your time to grip, rip and teach those kettlebells what it’s all about.

The great thing about kettlebells is they’re portable.

You can do this kettlebell HIIT workout in the gym, your front room, in your garden and even on the beach in full bikini.

Here’s a breakdown of the workout:

• 5 exercises
• 30 seconds work
• 30 seconds rest
• 2 rounds

Here are your exercises:

Here’s how the 20-minute kettlebell HIIT program works…

Start with exercise one and push for as many good quality reps as you can for that first 30-second period.

The workout is classed as an AMRAP which stands for ‘as many reps as possible’. Think power and speed.

Once the timer goes off, rest for 30 seconds and move onto exercise number two.

Carry on like this until you finish exercise number 5. This completed round 1.

Once the 30-second timer goes off again, start back at exercise 1 and repeat the same exercises with even more power, speed and enthusiasm.

You need to do a total of four rounds to hit your 20-minutes.

That’s it.

20-minutes will be over before you know it.

[Related article: Best Fat Burners for Women]

The bottom line

This brutally-effective 20-minute kettlebell HITT workout has been designed by the pros to shake off the cobwebs and help you develop a fitter, leaner figure in a matter of weeks.

Build up the intensity gradually and when you’re ready just add in another round or two for maximum effect. It’ll take a little longer than 20 minutes, but at some point your new fitness levels will need an extra boost.