Regardless of your reasoning for wanting to gain muscle, to produce your desired results, consistency and patience are key. There are numerous exercises you can do both at home and at the gym to build muscle. Strength-training involves resistance-based exercises that help to increasingly advance muscle growth.
In addition, when trying to build healthy muscle mass, an adequate protein consumption is essential. You can get protein from eggs, beans, meats, supplements and more. The amino acids derived from proteins also aid in muscle growth and development.
Here are 10 of the best strength exercises for women to build muscle:
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1) Leg Raises
You can do these exercises either at the gym with equipment or at home. Both ways can benefit the quadriceps, abdomen area, plus more. Leg raises are one of the best strength exercises for women because they utilize multiple muscles simultaneously and efficiently help to increase body strength.
To complete a leg raise: Begin by lying on your backside with your arms placed at your sides. Then, steadily raise both of your legs upwards to an almost 90-degree angle. Briefly hold this position, and then lower your legs back down. Repeat your desired number of repetitions.
2) Pull-ups
Pull-ups require almost all of your upper body strength, so it comes as no surprise this exercise makes the list for the best strength exercises for women. You can complete this exercise at any time, especially with an at-home pull up bar. The muscles that this exercises benefits include the back, shoulder, and chest muscles.
3) Bench Press
The bench press allows for exponential muscle growth. Since you can adjust the amount of weight to lift, it helps to build muscle/strength faster as you gradually add heavier weights. Also, the bench press doesn’t just benefit your biceps and triceps, this exercise also helps to strengthen your back muscles, quadriceps, and utilizes the majority of your other upper body muscles.
4) Dumbbell Curls
Dumbbell curls are great strength-training exercises for beginners but can be expanded on with heavier weights for those who do heavier training or lifting. This strength exercise increase your biceps, triceps, and shoulder muscles. Here are some of our favorite dumbbells of various sizes to get started.
How to complete a dumbbell curl: Start by standing with your feet placed shoulder-width apart. With a dumbbell in both hands, curl your arms and bring the dumbbells towards your body. Briefly hold this position, and then lower your dumbbells back to your sides.
5) Hip Bridge
While there is no way to actually make your hips “wider” in skeletal structure, there are ways to build muscle in the surrounding areas to help give the appearance of wider hips for those who desire. Hip bridges help with this but are also a great way to stretch and strengthen the back muscles. You can also try resistance bands with these exercises to give your muscles more stretch and movement for a full workout.
How to complete a hip bridge: Begin by lying on your backside with your knees slightly bent and your feet placed flat on the floor. With your arms at your sides, lift your hips upwards and briefly hold this position. Then, lower your hips back down to the surface.
6) Pulse Squats
Pulse squats involve the same movement as a regular body-weight squat. However, with this exercise you are remaining in the squat position but rather than squeezing as you pull up, you are repeatedly squatting up and down with your feet a little more than hip-width apart.
This will create a “burning” sensation letting you know your muscles are really getting a workout. This strength exercises targets your glutes, thighs, and more.
7) Dumbbell Row
Another one of the best strength exercises for women, dumbbell rows are very beneficial and tone your arms, targeting the biceps and triceps in addition to your shoulder muscles.
How to complete a dumbbell row: Find an elevated bench or surface to place one arm on upright, and lift the dumbbell with the other – switching arms after completing your desired number of repetitions.
8) Ab Crunches
You can really start to feel the effects of this strength exercise almost immediately. This ab exercise differs from sit-ups in that you are not lifting yourself all the way up. Crunches involve repeated repetitions, tightening and toning your core abdomen area.
9) Calf Raises
This strength exercise involves no equipment yet is highly effective. Simply stand on a flat surface and raise your calf muscles by repeatedly lifting yourself up, standing on your tiptoes. This of course tones your calf muscles as wells as your hamstrings and quads. Try ankle weights for even more strengthening benefits.
10) T Push-ups
T push-ups start off with doing a regular push-up. Then, you are going to twist one side of your body to the left, and extend your opposite arm up. Follow the same steps when turning to the right side, keeping your body straight and turning your feet on their sides to follow the movement. This strength exercise benefits your body entirely – legs, abdomen, arms, chest, etc. making it one of the best strength exercises for women.
When trying to build muscle mass, protein is a necessity. Here are 12 high-protein foods for quicker weight gain:
Disclaimer: We are not medical professionals or experts. What is written throughout the content of our website is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or professional advice. What you choose to do with the information provided is at your own risk and discretion. Before making any significant changes to your diet and / or lifestyle, be sure to contact your health practitioner.