I also perform conventional push-ups and inverted push-ups
As a woman, I don’t want to build big masculine muscles. I hope to tone and strengthen without increasing size. I’ve always kept very physically active and involved in various sports. For most of my childhood, I trained as a gymnast and played on volleyball, basketball and softball teams. As an adult, I continue to make my physical fitness a priority. I make it a point to workout every single day for a minimum of an hour. I usually spend the majority of the time on high intensity cardio exercises. I focus mainly on increasing stamina and burning calories. However, I really do enjoy lifting weights. I take pride in how much weight I can manage to lift and how many repetitions I can manage. I have to be super careful with how much weight training I allow myself to do. It’s way too easy for me to start increasing muscle bulk. I then start looking sort of masculine. I don’t want to end up with broad shoulders, a thick neck or large thighs. I hope for long, lean muscles. I’ve figured out that it is best to keep the level of weight I workout with very low. I only allow myself to lift 8 pound hand weights at most. I often use four-pound and two-pound weights. As I’ve lowered the amount of weight I lift, I’ve increased repetition. I’ve also added more exercises that strictly rely on my own body weight as resistance. I support the plank position for one to two minute intervals. I hold this position with straight arms as well as balanced on my forearms. I also perform conventional push-ups and inverted push-ups. I’ve started adding some ballet-style leg lifts, plies and stretches into my daily workouts as well. These movements are targeted at flexibility and balance.