woman in need of advice!!

J

jenn

0
okay so keeping in mind i am of the female gender i need some guidance in strength training. i am going thru school to be a paramedic and need to be able to lift some substantial weight. i'm 115lbs and 5' 3". i can bench(on machine) 100lbs 10 reps, 2 sets but would like this to be easier. i can lift my 190lbs patient with 35lbs stretcher and equipment with a good partner. again would like to make it an easy thing. so i am in decent shape but need to be in top shape in Feburary. thats when we have our fit tests. i workout mostly at home(have 2 boys under 5yrs) and i live with no other adults, so have a bench and free weights etc. but not sure what to do to improve the muscle strentgh i do have. the womens site not so helpful so i'm hoping the men in this site will help and not assume i'm weak. any advice is greatly appreciated.. :)
 
This might sound stupid but if I were in your position, I would seriously consider sandbag training.It is cheap, can be done at home, and builds an appreciable level of strength.When some of the old time lifters didn't have access to weights they use to lift bags of sand or other materials to build strength.As a matter of fact, it has been suggested that the olympic snatch lift originated from a contest where participants would see who could throw a heavy bag of sand from a position at their feet to an elevated surface from the longest distance.

Another thing to keep in mind is that unlike a balanced barbell or dumbell, a shifting bag of sand calls into play stabilizer muscles more heavily and the "play" the bag has will very closely simulate one of your patients you have to lift and carry.

You can purchase a sandbag at any army/navy surplus store for $35 or so and the sand can be bought at a hardware store or similar establishment.For less than $50 you have a portable gym and can do tons of exercises; squats, deadlifts, power cleans, standing presses, etc as well as unique exercises like lift and load drills onto a platform, shouldering, carries, throws, dragging, etc.The one thing to remember with sandbag lifting is to always adhere to proper lifting mechanics.Don't get sloppy.

You can also combine your sandbag work with other forms of training to build strength and conditioning simultaneously.You can pick one sandbag lift (ex-the clean and press) and alternate sets of 5-10 reps with 50-meter sprints or 50-meter bear crawls.You have tons of options.
 
sounds good, will that help me with the bench press, i mean making it easier the last rep is a killer. i can do it but damn i want it to be a sure thing ya know!
 
jenn said:
will that help me with the bench press
Click to expand...

If you hit your shoulder presses hard (using a sandbag) it may help a bit but I doubt there will be much significant carryover to your bench.Because of how the bag must be lifted and most movements done with the bag, it typically builds the muslces of the back, grip, and legs.If you want to improve your bench, I would look into Bill Starr's programs, specifically his 5x5 system and chase it with a few back off sets using lighter weight and emphasizing explosive lifting speeds.
 
Sometimes I love Ballast. :p

Is the bench press part of your fit test? I'd think in your case it'd be one of the last movements you'd really want to concentrate on (if it's not on your fit test).

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Concentrate on back (mostly lower) and legs. The sandbag idea is a great one. However, you could get by with your weight set by doing bench, deadlift, hack squat, and shoulder press (check out the link I gave you).

Also, on some of the sandbag and db work, Scrapper has some great stuff-www.trainforstrength.com

Let us know if you need more help.
 
the bench is on the fit test. due to my weight i need to bench 100lbs 10 reps perfect form no plates touching smooth fluid movements. the 10th rep is doable but lets just say i feel the burn. i can do two sets consectively but i want it to be easier. problem is with no one to spot me at home and no bar rest it is not so easy to train. the guys at the gym i hit once a week don't help(more interested in showing off for the young giggly college girls peeking in). so the whole test is this- 100lbs bench 10 reps; 1.5 mile run in under 9 min; 190 lbs patient on fracture board with equipment up from the ground and up 4 flights of stairs; same patient on a stair chair up and down 4 flights of stairs; same patient on a p35 stretcher(the one everyone sees us with) from lowest level to top level and down and then up 2 flights turn around and back down. all of this is done carrying our equipment which is approx. 85 lbs and the carry equipment weight varies from 35 to 65 lbs. so not too light but the only things i really am worried about are the bench and shaving 25 seconds off my run. like i said before i have 2 boys and we live alone so hitting the gym is not easy. i do have free weights with bar and dumbells and two benchs(incline, decline). my routine varies from week to week so far mostly for endurance- lighter weight and more sets. some stuff for strength ie. deadlifts etc. but i'm at a loss for where to go next. so thats why i am trying to get some info here. i do a lot of lifting and i am not very big so people kind of look scared of me at first, so i have to prove myself to them and to myself. this has been my dream for a long time and i refuse to give up so whatever it takes i will work it.thanks so far for all the info you all have given, i really appreciate it.
 
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If you wanted to join a gym, they often have child care--just food for thought.

You might go and pick up some saw horses from the local hardware store. You can use the saw horses as safety bars for benching; this also works great if you want to squat. You might also pick up a chin up bar and perhaps some more dumbbells or weight plates.

So, you have four months and you can already complete teh reps (for the most part) and you want to shave some time off your run? I'd say if you just kept doing what you're doing, then you should be fine.

But just keep these movements in your bag-
deadlifts, hack squats, Romanian deadlifts, shoulder pressing, bench pressing, bent over bb rowing, Bulgarian squats.

I would start lifting a bit more strength oriented. So, I might be inclined to lift three times a week.
I'd do
M-
bench, hack squats, romanian deadlifts, bent over bb row
W-
bench, deadlift, bulgarian squats, 1 arm db row
F-
The Bear http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=274bear2

I would work near your 10 reps on one of the days and use heavier weight for less reps the second day.

Of course that's just a sample of how I might structure your training. I'm not sure about the cardio since you have your kids and your schedule you can get in your cardio. Obviously your best choice would be to shave off 5 seconds every week.

Hope I helped some.
 
my routine usually includes tae bo, core training- i'm big on the plank 3min, and each side 3min; then usualy squats , dead lifts both stiff legged and not, lunges, bench dips curls, kickbacks, tri extensions, shrugs-another one i'm big on; hammer curls wrist curls-both ways, bent over upright rows. and so on. i am quite strong i just need to be stronger. i guess i need to prove i can do it all!! had bad stuff in my life previous so the self cofidence is a bit shaot you know. but i know that i am in great shape espec. give two kids and a few abdo surgerys. i have a good amount of defintion in the ab butt areas and good upper arms . this is just for me i guess - i have to do it and do it with ease. so far your info has been helpful, thanks alot. if you can think of anything else i'm in. the gym thing is abit tricky as i'm putting myself thru school, maintaining a home and i do not get help from the boys father- deadbeat.. so money is tight.but i will try to scrape together the funds or find someone strong enough to help me at home. the saw horse idea is great a definate do.
 
karl78, best advice you can ever give anyone. (if i was talking i would have said period, but i figured i would just push the button for it).

to help answer your question I would say sandbag training and "turkish get ups" are all you need, along with whatever the fitness test requirements are.
 
just do it with a regular dumbell, make sure its heavy enough so you could probably only do about 10 reps. do 5 reps with it every day.
 
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