A Quick Primer For Hypertrophy, A Fitness Program That Can Make You Feel Sexier!

Hypertrophy is a fitness program that works on the basis of weight training and improving muscles, thus increasing metabolism. The payoff – feeling sexier!

Women, as they age, need a different type of strength training and workout activities to stay fit and prevent health problems from arising. In fact, as you turn 40, your body needs more careful observance and better looking after.

Hypertrophy is one workout related process that is of significant benefits for women over 40. But before we try to understand its special benefits, let us find out what Hypertrophy is all about.

The term has mostly been misunderstood and misrepresented; resulting to a common misconception that hypertrophy invariably leads to the muscles getting bigger. This is absolutely false. Hypertrophy is all about making your muscles stronger and if you are working on fat loss, this process will actually make your muscles smaller. Also, women don’t have the hormone profile that makes your muscles huge the way it happens for men.

However, the hypertrophy workout requires you to work your muscles to the point of overload. As such, for beginners, the workouts can lead to a certain discomfort. But the viability and enhanced functionality that your muscle will gain are certainly worth the effort.

So what are the benefits of Hypertrophy?

Hypertrophy brings about multiple benefits for women and that is why it is recommended for women above 35-40 years of age. You can do your cardio till you are young, but trying out hypertrophy after a point of time is recommended for the following benefits that it offers:

Feel better about yourself

Working out and exercising is a very empowering feeling in general and more so, when you practice hypertrophy. Activities like weight lifting release your endorphins fast enough to make you feel stronger, confident and ready to take on the world.

Strengthens your overall body

Hypertrophy increases the strength of your muscles as well as your overall body. And a stronger body automatically means better prevention of injuries. Your joints that tend to get weaker with age, can be strengthened by this workout.

Hypertrophy promises your body with a good metabolism. This, in turn, makes you healthier and prevents some of the most common ailments that plague women as they age.

To get the best out of Hypertrophy workout, you must begin slow and then practice it on a regular basis to get used to the process.

Prevents ageing

Hypertrophy strength training prevents ageing and all the negatives that ageing usually accompanies. With ageing, muscle mass starts declining and hypertrophy prevents this by adding extra vigour to your muscles. Your body gains increased strength and is more prepared to deal with the hormonal disturbances resulting from menopause and so on.

Gets your muscles into perfect shape

Hypertrophy workout gets your muscle into a shape to die for. As such, this particular type of strength training can make you look way better, smarter and definitely, sexier.

Achieving hypertrophy with strength training

To achieve hypertrophy, you need to follow a particular strength training routine that combines the most effective workouts and the way of performing or repeating them as suggested below:

• Swing and deadlifting of the hips
• Squats and lunges
• Push-ups and chest press
• Pull-ups, bending over row and inverted row
• The core function of the shoulders to hips, front and back of the trunk
• Explosive movements in jumping squats and hanging clean
• Overloading muscles to the point of discomfort

These exercises need to be practiced for 25-30 minutes for 3-4 times per week and can be coupled with low-density steady-state exercises for the alternate days. Repeat each for 10-12 times and make sure you get adequate sleep and nutrition to stay away from cardiac hypertrophy and other negative results from too much exertion on the muscles.

So, now that you are all set to change the shape of your muscles, make them stronger and look smarter than ever before, start practicing hypertrophy. However, it is advisable to practice under the supervision of your gym trainer and consult a doctor in case you suffer from some kind of pain or discomfort following the workout sessions.

Image source: By Sergio Savarese from Sao Paulo City / Ipiranga, Brasil (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Sumana Ganguly

A communication professional, I Iove to stay positive, cheerful and experience life in all its

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