05/27/2026
The chest press is an excellent standard test for upper body pushing strength, so this is one of the lifts we're always working on getting stronger at. Chest press quantifies how much weight you can PUSH away from your body, which is a key functional movement.
A lot of women come in starting at 8 to 10 lbs. I let them get comfortable & build confidence with the move before challenging them to try 12's or 15's. And most find that, when challenged, they can do at least 12's. And then I watch and wait, and challenge again. Maybe 20's??
We tend to play it safe with our weights. But if you actually want to build muscle, your muscles have to be challenged and challenged CONSISTENTLY.
Strength can't be defined by just one lift. Some of the other lifts we use to look at the big picture of overall strength:👇👇👇👇
For pulling, we do Pullovers or Dumbbell Row.
For overall lower body strength, it's the good old squat.
For posterior chain (back of the body), we use the deadlift.
We do some variation of these moves in every strength training class and I'm reminding them that they want the weight to be heavy (but doable with good form), because these are the big dial movers.
A bicep curl? Not so much. But moves like the squat, chest press, and deadlift recruit multiple muscle groups at once. These trigger a much larger hormonal and neurological response than isolation exercises, allowing you to build muscle faster and more efficiently. 💪💪💪
You're also getting a boost in your metabolic rate (key in helping you manage your weight!!!!). How does this work? The more muscle you have~ the hotter your engine burns, even at rest.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
So if you're one of those women stuck on cardio, here's what you need to understand: Even if your goal is weight loss, you want to put on muscle. Its not all about burning calories. Because remember....when the cardio is over, so is the metabolic burn.
The "toned look" comes from having muscle. Muscle is going to make a huge difference in how you look, feel, and live/move as you age.
It's not the 80's. Women aren't just trying to get as skinny as possible and end up frail anymore. We KNOW better now. That's why more women are weight training and picking up heavier weights and backing off all the crazy cardio we once thought we had to do.🏋♀️🏋♀️🏋♀️
Training priorities start to change around age 45 as our hormones change, and building muscle becomes one of THE MOST IMPORTANT things we can do for ourselves and our overall health. #
***CLASSES ARE OFFERED IN A SMALL, PRIVATE SPACE IN DOWNTOWN MIFFLINBURG. RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO INSPIRE WELLNESS STUDIO. SAME BUILDING, RIGHT NEXT DOOR. SIGN-UPS IN THE COMMENTS.
