Exercise is suppose to be good for us all! SO it can really put a damper on things when you get hurt while… working out! I’ve had this happen quite a few times and more often then not, it’s because I think I am superwoman and do too much too soon. Oops…

Anywho… this is a great guest post from my friend Pat. Enjoy!

Avoiding Common Strength Training Injuries For Women

Strength training, whether you are at the gym or at home, is important to any workout. Running a marathon, training for softball, playing tennis or simply wanting to look more toned are all reasons for strength training. Strength training tends to have a bad rap – people think of bulging biceps when they hear the term. Yet on the contrary, most women don’t develop those kinds of muscles because of the level of estrogen coursing through their bodies.

Unfortunately, there are a few common strength training injuries that afflict women. These injuries can keep you off the playing field or out of the gym for days, weeks or even months. This is valuable time spent away from something you love. Yet, these injuries do not just occur in women, but also afflict experienced athletes.

People generally experience these injuries because they have gotten careless and are no longer taking the appropriate precautions. However, by learning how to switch up your routine, add reps and slowly increase a workout, you will be able to prevent many of these injuries from happening.

Muscle Strain

Muscle strains are very common, and oftentimes, a person doesn’t feel them while they’re at the gym. They feel

Ever pulled something... not fun!

them the next day, when just the thought of getting out of bed hurts. Muscle strains can occur anywhere there’s a muscle, such as the arms, legs, back and neck. The way to avoid a muscle strain is by doing a proper warm up and to get your muscles ready for exercise. For instance, if you go right from your job to the gym where you begin with weights, your body hasn’t gotten a chance to get accustomed to the activity.

The muscles aren’t warmed up and as a result, they’ll strain instead of stretch. It’s also important not to overdo things. Follow the correct number of repetitions and sets as recommended. If you think you’re ready for more, increase your routine by only 2-3 repetitions, not 10-12. The same goes for sets.

Shin Splints

Almost every athlete has experienced a shin splint at least once in her life. (Taylor butting in: I’ve had shin splints so bad they ended up as fractures… don’t ignore them!). It’s a sharp pain in the shin of their leg, sometimes to the point a person cannot even walk. There are many things that cause this, including overexertion, moving from different workouts within a set too quickly and trying to push too much weight (including squats and leg press).

The good news is, there are many things that can be done to prevent shin splints. The first is getting a good pair of sneakers. Many sneakers are designed for certain sports. As such, ones that have a good shock absorbent platform will be much better than just a plain pair of tennis shoes. Also, gradually increasing your workout is important, so whether you are going from flat ground to an incline on the treadmill or suddenly deciding to go from lifting 100 pounds to 200, you should plan on making the transition in several steps.

Lumbar Pain (Back Pain)

Lumbar pain is best described as either a shooting pain or soft, constant pain in the lower back. It can hurt to stand, sit or lay down when you’ve got lumbar pain. Sometimes it feels like as long as you’re able to curl into a fetal position and stay there, you’ll be fine. Luckily, lumbar pain is completely preventable, just like many of the other injuries women suffer during strength training.

Think it's for older woman? Think again, I've had a herniated disc since I was 15!

Stretching, again, is a big part of avoiding lumbar pain. It’s also important to make sure that your workouts are balanced. If your workout is focused completely on your back and deltoids, these muscles will become very sore. However creating a balanced workout where a set works your quads, glutes, deltoids and back will ensure that your back doesn’t take too much of a beating.

The amount of weight you are using can be a huge factor in lumbar pain as well. If you are experiencing back pain after every workout, it’s time to decrease the amount you are lifting.

Bone Bruises

Bone bruising is a trauma to the bone, and is usually caused by a fall or when an object strikes the bone. It can be very painful and is quite common during strength training in women. Lifting heavier weights than your body is used to can also cause bone bruises. There are many things that can cause bone bruising, but ultimately, avoiding situations where you could fall or where objects could fall onto you will ensure that you don’t experience this kind of bruising.

For example, using a machine as opposed to free weights can help prevent bone bruises because there’s less chance of dropping weights onto your body. However, if you must use free weights, ask for a spotter. That way there will be someone there to help you if anything goes wrong. It’s also important to wrap your ankles and wrists to provide a little extra support and stability. Finally, be careful not to overexert yourself, as this can cause careless mistakes. These careless mistakes usually result in a person getting severely hurt. Listen to your body and it will keep you safe.

Finally, rushing during repetitions can cause injury as well. Therefore it’s important to pause before going to the next activity within the set, as you can pull muscles if you are trying to hurry through your routine. Make sure every repetition is completed before doing the next one.

Also, in between sets, you should rest a few minutes before starting a new cycle. Take a few drinks of water, catch your breath and do some breathing exercises before you go to the next set. Listen to your body. If you feel out of breath or your muscles are starting to burn, slow it down. Overexerting yourself isn’t healthy and your muscles will suffer.

Regardless of the level of athlete that you are, mistakes can easily happen. However simply finding a trainer at the gym for assistance (or even a fellow athlete) makes it easy to avoid sustaining many of these injuries. There’s nothing worse than not being able to workout because of an injury, so when it’s time to amp up your routine, use caution.

Patricia Walling is a blogger for Medical Billing and Coding. She self-identifies as a perpetual student of medicine, and can be found most of the time researching anything related to the field. She lives in Washington, and as a result of the long winter there is itching for the sun to return so she can run outside and play!

I received a great gift from my friend Stacy. If you’ve seen any of my recent videos or pictures then you’ve noticed that I have changed up my hair and got bangs. I love them, but they drive me CRAZY when I workout.

It is so annoying to try running and having my hair flip into my face with each stride. It sounds trivial, I know, but it is a pain in my tush.

So any-who… Stacy owns a great company called We Cover Your Head, and she recently made a line of headbanks (Punkeelove Headbands) geared towards looking cute and being functional for active women.

I love headbands but I have a strange shaped head and more times than not they literally end up “popping” off my head and flying off. It’s funny to watch but a hassle to deal with (pain in my tush #2)… but Stacy’s headbands are able to be custom sized. They have these great crystal buttons on them so you can adjust them to fit your head.

Plus they are lined with felt of velvet so it stays on that much better.  My headbands are now a part of my workout attire just like my sports bra. I am like the female Andre Agassi of the gym. Sporting a great look that deserves to be passed on!

I will take a picture this week. The weather has been either terrible or I have been sick, but now the we’re having 80 degree temperatures and the sun is shining again, I will show off a headband or two!

GET YOUR OWN HEADBAND

If you “JOIN” the We Cover Your Head Fan Page on Facebook Stacy is going to choose one person to receive a free headband! It’s definitely worth it! Here is their facebook page:

Facebook.com/PunkeeloveHeadbands

I have been doing some brainstorming and having fun with this blog post! Here are the 10 ways to know you might be relying too much on cardio for your workouts! I got these from when I really was a big cardio freak and from what I see around me at the gym!

Cardio Lover!

10 Ways To Tell If You’re A Cardio Freak

(I use freak as a term of endearment of course! Afterall, I can stand up proudly and say that I have done all of these in my past!)

1. You named your favorite treadmill. There is that one machine in the gym that you have bonded with. It knows how to get you from the start of a workout to the end seamlessly. And you’ve named it… “I am off to do my run on Speedy” for example or maybe you’re going to take your stress out on Petunia today?
2. You give the evil eye if someone so much as looks like they might get on your treadmill before you can reach it… and God forbid that someone is on it already when you get there. What are they thinking!? They must be outside their mind after all.
3. You can look down at the belt and tell which sweat spots are yours from yesterday.
4. You know exactly which cardio machines have working headset plugs so you can hear the tv.
5. You have been on every piece of cardio equipment in the place but never touched a weight.
6. You know down to the minute how long it takes to burn 300 calories going at a particular speed.
7. You get excited when a new magazine is put out because you’ve read what is there more than once… and even grabbed the guy’s magazines from time to time.
8. You used to love running now you hate it and have to force yourself to push the “start” button.
9. You have daily meet-ups or a fellow cardio junky that works out beside you each day… same time, same place, same cardio machine.
10. AND THE #10 WAY TO TELL YOU’RE A CARDIO JUNKY: You’ve been working out for months and have gotten very minimal results.

If these sound like you then it is time for a change! Start enjoying your workouts by simply changing what you’re doing and you will be surprised with the results you will see!

When I think of the treadmill this is what I think of:

Here It Goes Again… (LOVED THIS!)

The Bosu Ball is definitely a great piece of equipment! The problem is that few women know what the heck to do with it. It can be intimidating at first, but once you see the power it has to help tone up and improve your muscles and your balance you will want to give it a try!

What do you think? Have you ever worked out with the Bosu?

Yup… me! haha, I am so excited about this! Though I am sure you can tell.

Months ago I contributed a recipe (and I do mean months ago, I am talking last July). Anyways it was chosen to be published in the April/May edition of Oxygen Magazine! Not just that I also have another recipe on their website…

Oxygen Magazine Online

In case you don’t know… I love Oxygen. I love the example they set for women, even though I don’t always agree with their workouts. But hey, they are trying to sell magazines. I have interviewed the Clean Eating Pro: herself, Tosca Reno and fell more in love with the magazine from that chat. If you haven’t read her book I suggest that you pick up a copy

The Eat Clean Diet... Eat Break Down To Eat Healthy

Anyways, my ultimate fitness goal is to be a cover model for the magazine and this gets me just a little closer. At least I am inside the pages… just gotta slowly work my way to the front (maybe I should send in recipes every month till they get sick of me!).

Next time you’re out, grab a copy of the magazine and give the ratatouille a try (then let me know what you think of course!) On the Oxygenmag.com website you can get my recipe for my beloved bison meatballs!

Of course remember that you can get these recipes and DOZENS more of healthy, delicious and EASY meals at The Art Of Weight Lifting!

I am so bummed this morning. I was feeling a bit off yesterday starting around 5:00, my throat started to ache and my head just wasn’t right (then again I don’t know if it ever is). Anyways, I got home and rested hoping that I would be fine today so I could get up and get a killer workout in. But nope.

I woke up pretty much off and on all night long because of my throat, this morning it is worst! I have slight chills, nasal pressure and a low grade fever. Believe it or not, I did get up, put on my workout clothes but then it hit me that if I want to get better faster, my body needs rest and if I did get to the gym my workout would be sub par for sure.

I hate this…

And on top of it, I can’t take off work today because we already have some people out, so I have to be there. This is not going to be a wonderful day, but I took my Vitamin C, ate my cereal and praying that if I take it easy as possible I will be on my game tomorrow. Which I have to because I have appointments all tomorrow too!

Here’s my plan:

I Can't Live W/out My Spa Bear... throw it in the microwave and it stays warm for hours!

• Drink lots and lots of fluids
• Eat soup (a study shows it really does help recovery)
• Take Tylenol to get my fever down
• Lots of throat soothing cough drops so I can make it through the day talking
• Take my heating bear with me to keep the chills away
• Take the day off from the gym (if you have a fever you should never workout, if slightly sick light exercise isn’t bad for you).

With me luck! Off to start the day and back to crash tonight.

It’s Monday already? That means it’s time to start hitting my goals, I have been putting it off a little bit, waiting to get rid of all the chocolate and other not so clean foods in my house from the Holidays. But now it’s out the door and time for me to get serious.

I am going to start my progress pictures today as well, if it warms up enough this morning I will do one and put it up this evening! But I need motivational help too and these pictures help me out so much. It is best to take them about every 2 weeks, that way it’s time enough to get results but not too far off where motivation falls.

Because I am launching my new Charleston Boot Camp, working on The Art Of Weight Lifting and planning a wedding I have decided NOT to do any fitness competitions between now and the wedding (Sept 2010) to help keep me sane. I think I would be the moodiest and most stressed out person if I tried to do it all. So competitions will have to wait for either later in 2010 or even for 2011.

My Stats:

• 112 lbs.
• 20% Body Fat

My Workout:

I just finished a great workout program, I really saw some great results from it and it makes me more excited to change it up so I can stay on this path. My arms have finally started to shape up! I am a classic hardgainer, it’s hard for me to add any  definition and muscle no matter how I eat, so my programs have to be intense and heavy! Here’s the one I just finished:

1. BB Deadlifts 120 lbs
2. Bench Press 80 lbs

1. BB Upright rows 50 lbs
2. Dips

1. Cable Chops 20 lbs
2. Chin-ups

This really was a great workout, but to make sure I don’t plateau it’s time for a change!

Getting Nutrition In Order

Just a quick update… I changed up my oatmeal for muesli cereal. It’s the first time I have had this stuff, and I gotta say that it doesn’t taste much different from oatmeal except that it has sunflower seeds and some other grains in it. I think next week it will be back to the oatmeal, same great taste for a fraction of the price.

I am cutting back to just one cup of coffee per day, not that coffee is bad for you but I used sugar-free creamer which isn’t the best option. I hate back coffee though, so its the only way to get my coffee fix in the am. I am used to drinking about 2 cups not, so taking out one won’t be hard. Instead when I need something warm at night, I bought an herbal tea… Ginger and Lemon. It’s great! I am loving it right now, even though I have only had one! HAHA.

So that’s a wrap on my personal journey…

There are going to be a few changes for Women’s Lifting Revolution for 2010 and for me! It’s going to be an amazing year and I am already overwhelmed with what’s to come in the next several months.

I love writing and talking with you here at Lifting Revolution so that’s not going to change at all… but I now have a Charleston Boot Camp going on (if you’re in Charleston, SC check it out!), I am always working to make The Art Of Weight Lifting the best it can be for women’s online fitness training and I have a wedding to plan!

Just call me Super Taylor! Not really… as long as I stay organized it shouldn’t be a problem. And that’s the main thing… I am going to be organized, heck I am even going to try and follow daily to-do lists! Imagine that, I might work a bit more efficiently if I have exactly what I need to do in front of me! Haha.

For changes with Lifting Revolution here’s what I have in mind:

More video podcasts. My plan is to have a new video up daily! Some will be posted here but all will be on Youtube. Great workouts, fitness tips, clean eating advice and much more. So make sure you’re a fan of my Youtube page so you can make sure to get access of my videos.

Get more personal… I am starting to lean out tomorrow. And I really do what I recommend. I will be taking full access of my blog to help me reach my goals. It’s our personal journal after all. So I will post pictures, my personal ups and downs and more. I am human after all and I need help and motivation as much as the next gal.

And I want to hear from you! what do you want to see more of here? More audio podcasts. recipes, fun statistics and studies… you name it and I will see if it can be done!

In this podcast Dan and I covered a lot of great stuff going around the news world today…

Get Your Workout On!

Take for example… did you know you’re more likely to succeed in life and be smarter (literally) if you just worked out? That’s just one story covered. I was also really passionate about the Lincoln University drama going down about overweight kids being forced to take a health course to graduate.

AND… here’s another fun science leason… recent research discovered why people that workout regularly look younger. It’s because we are younger! You body is aging 10 years slower than the unactive woman beside you. But of course to get the details you have to listen in.

So listen up to the podcast below and then I have also posted a great interval workout below and circuit workout to end on a really helpful note! Though, lets face if the entire podcast is helpful!

This Week’s Exercise Tip: Add intervals into your workout to speed you workout time up, burn calories and blast fat!

The 3-1 Interval Fat Burning Workout

• Min 1-3 Slow jog or quick walk
• Min 3-4 Full out or as fast as you can go for 1 minute
• Min 4-7 Back down to slow jog
• Min 7-8 Full out
• Keep this pattern going for 18 minutes
  
• The last 2 minutes finish with 30 second sprints and 30 second rests.
  

The Up and Down Circuit

The wide range of motion will have this women’s circuit workout toning your body and burning body fat! And it’s quick… done in 15 minutes!

1. 10 Hurpees
2. 10 Lunge Walks
3. 10 Push-ups
4. 20 Mt. Climbers
5. 10 Candle Stick Jumps
6. 10 Close grip push-up
   

To get more info about the reports and studies we mentioned just click below:

• College’s Too-Fat-To-Graduate Rule Under Fire
• Young Adults Who Exercise Get Higher IQ Scores
  
• Key To Long Life May Not Be Calorie Restriction But Balancing Protein Intake

Click to See All Of: The Art Of Weight Lifting Podcasts

The 2010 Ball Drop is coming really fast… are you ready for it?

You don’t have to put off getting in shape for the New Year… you can start now. And why not? Or if you don’t have goals to lose fat at least you can make sure you don’t add on any during the next 4 weeks. This is the most rapid fat gaining time of the year!

Holiday Fat Stats

Just to really drill in the importance of what I am talking about take this stat… the average woman consumes an extra 300-500 calories PER day from Thanksgiving to New Years! That’s where the sudden jump in weight gain comes from. And not to mention the average Turkey day meal is 3000 calories… that’s really building a surplus!

Happy Holidays!

Free Personal Training To Lose Body Fat

But it doesn’t have to be that way and that is why I have put together a 4 day Holiday Special Teleseminar. You will learn everything from how to handle holiday parties, keep your nutrition in check, learn quick effective workouts that take up no more than 30 minutes and much more!

This is suppose to be “The Most Wonderful Time… Of The Year” so don’t let it bring you down! To sign up and get your FREE spot for the seminar just visit Holiday Fat Loss Teleseminar and at the bottom put in your name and email… that’ it!

The schedule and time is also listed up on the page above too!

Be sure to also check out and subscribe to our… The Art of Weight Lifting Podcasts! We also want to you to comment… at least tell us what types of fitness strength training for women topics you want to hear more about.

We will greatly appreciate it.

If I am not training women, running the bootcamp, working on the site or working out myself you are likely to find me training gymnasts and cheerleaders at a local facility here in Charleston. I have gotten to know some really great families being there and it’s pretty cool to see these kids kick ass and achieve great things.

A few months ago one of the moms was diagnosed with cancer (I think adult leukemia) and it is amazing… since her diagnosis she hasn’t missed a day of bringing her daughter to practice (3 times a week), standing at the side cheering and talking it up with the other moms and she always wears a smile. She has a beautiful wig and carries herself taller than ever!

Get Your Tush Up

This got me to thinking…

This lady is motivation for EVERY woman

If she can get out of bed every morning and put on a brave smile for friends, family, and the world then there is no reason you can’t achieve your goals… no matter what they are. I figure if she can get over her hurdles and win this battle then we can all get out of bed on these cold mornings and get our workout done.

Make A Pledge

<p class=”alert”>You can make it here, or write a sticky note and put it on the fridge that you are determined to hit your goals, lose the fat, tone your body and not just for a party next month but for the long term.</p>

On those days when you don’t feel strong enough to get up and get to the gym (because you don’t want to get out of the warm blankets) or you just want to sit and eat Holiday Cookies, remember the mom and the other women who are an inspiration everyday!

You can do it!