Over the years, I have been interviewed by all of the prominent women’s magazines, including Women’s Health, Prevention, Shape, SELF, and Fitness. As you may know, I am the go-to expert strength training for women.

Recently, I was asked…

“So, what is The Holly Perkins Strength Training Method?”

And I was stumped! I hadn’t ever really defined my methods into a “method”! So guess, what? It’s time that I do.

Strength training is a critical component of your health plan.

Strength training is THE PATH to creating the body that you want.

Strength training will empower you into new places of unlimited personal strength.

After nearly 25 years as a fitness and nutrition coach, I have chosen to focus specifically on helping women learn how to lift weights properly.

And yes, I do have a “method.”

There are many different ways that you can become stronger. You can take classes, throw around a kettlebell, take yoga, use a TRX system, or do body weight-only moves. These are all things that will improve your strength…to some degree.

As I always say, anything is better than nothing when it comes to improving your strength. Please, do something at least two times every week that challenges your physical strength so that you become stronger over time.

Now, if you wanna get real serious, create magic, and transform your life, we need to get a bit more strategic. And that’s where The Holly Perkins Strength Training Method comes in!

Listen up… (and be sure to watch this week’s video by clicking on the button below)

1. All of the approaches that I mentioned above will only get you so far. They are a great way to get started improving your strength. Once you’ve got a foundation, it’s critical that you begin to follow a “progressive overload” approach to strength training.
2. Progressive overload means that you continually increase the resistance in your workouts so that your body keeps adapting to harder and heavier weight loads. This is nearly impossible in a yoga class, boot camp or TRX workout.
3. Using traditional strength equipment (like you find in a gym) is the only unlimited approach to changing your body. This does not mean that you have to join a gym, but you do need to use things like dumbbells and resistance bands, where the weight can be increased over time.
4. The goal of a proper strength workout should be to truly fatigue your muscles in a big way. The most direct way to do this a “straight set” protocol. This means that you perform one set of an exercise, then you rest for a designated period of time, say 1 minute. Then you perform another set of the same exercise, and repeat this system of work, rest, work, rest. This is different from a circuit training style where you keep moving and don’t rest.
5. Most women over the age of 35 are severely weak in some muscle groups. In order to get the body into strength balance, it works best to address each muscle group in a concentrated and dedicated way. For this reason, I incorporate about 80% of exercises that isolate muscles or muscle groups. For example, a Dumbbell Bicep Curl is a single joint, muscle-isolation move that allows you the energy and focus to specially improve the Biceps without wasting energy on using any other surrounding muscles like the Shoulders or Chest.

Also, be sure to check out this week’s LIVE with Holly (or watch it on replay HERE) as I’ll be talking even more in depth about these concepts. It’s going to be a GREAT episode that you don’t want to miss!

Ready to get started using my method for effective strength training? Checkout one of my absolute best strength-building workouts the Build Your Strength Workout(yep, it’s free!). Click HERE to get it!

Be sure to check out this week’s video below!

Holly started Women’s Strength Nation to improve the ratio of women to men strength training around the world. You can Join the Movement by sharing your thoughts and questions below. Your thoughts and ideas may help another woman’s journey. Please join the conversation and leave a comment below!

Stay strong, friend. 

Want to hear even more on this topic?

Be sure to check out “LIVE with Holly” HERE!