Simple workout that uses many of your muscles

The key is to start with light or even no weight on the bar and get the form right. This is a variant on traditional squats which also use more muscles than most lifts.

Video courtesy of our friends at Crossfit.

Note Sarah is clearly strong and in great shape. More healthy and attractive than a waif don't you agree?

Just because you can bench press 150 LB doesn't make you look manly!

World record holder Yelena Isinbaeva benches 150 yet no one would argue she doesn't look "female". We will see if anyone can topple her this Olympics.

Female Olympians over and over again highlight Strong is the New Sexy!

Summer Strong 2012

Here is our idea of a prototypical Strong not just thin summer lady. You can see while she is not a bodbuilder she's worked her core, arms and shoulders to add strength not simply lose fat

I'll take my 3 tumblr pics over the "models"

Seriously, how long before advertisers and the other people who pay professional models realize MEN and WOMEN find fit more attractive than skinny? I'll take the 3 images I found on Tumblr over the 3 "models" shown first any day of the week

Strong and Thin: Pulls up a great way to add strength if you are thin

Pilates for a stronger core

You won't gain the raw strength of Crossfit or the upper body definition of powerlifting, but Pilates does a great job of improving the strength of your core, allowing better performance in all other forms of strength and cardio exercise.

Paleo Diet and how it helps make you Strong vs thin

You will see us stress the Paleo diet more in the coming weeks as many of the people doing CrossFit and other strength endurance workouts find this diet critical to their success.

Here's a dialog on this subject for women http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/07/03/women-and-muscle/

"The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet" source Wikipedia

Insantity Workout, another method of focus on getting strong and fit not just thin

Insantity Workout is one that is along the lines of P90X and Crossfit in terms of mixing a variety of exercises to improve strength and cardio.

We have a few examples of the improvements that occur on this

More "typical" women who decided to get strong

We get pictures each week of women who chose to add muscle versus simply diet to lose weight. All of these ladies have ADDED weight over the past year but dropped bodyfat considerably

Crossfit is Awesome,

We wanted to stress that Crossfit is one of the leading source of strong attractive women. If you wish to have great abs, strong arms and a tight lower body this workout is the best.

Another site that promotes strong = attractive women

Herbodies means strong and sexy

Seriously you build strength endurance beyond belief with these amazing tools!

Boxing workouts make you fit, strong, lean

You can train and even spar without getting killed, here is a location in the Chicago area which promotes women boxing workouts

Ultra Mom's...last one before Mother's Day

Do you have a favorite muscle mom? Are you a Mom with Muscle? Let's us know, we celebrate women who choose strength over starvation, muscle over marshmellow

Kettlebells make Mom's strong and lean

Having young kids makes it extra challenging for women to stay healthy and in shape. Kettlebells offer a great way to combine cardio and strength building working out at home. Here are some pics of ladies who used kettlebells to get back in shape and check out the video, Holly has a whole set of videos focused on how to perform strength exercises. She is pound for pound very strong.

In Honor of Mother's Day...Mom's with muscle

What's the best, healthiest way to lose pregnancy weight? Starve yourself? Exercycle for hours? how about lifting weights so you can be as hot and healthy as these ladies

Abs Month continues

5'7" 135 LB in season (see above) 142LB off season, choice abs

Which sport produces the best abs?

Bodybuilding and Fitness competitors aside, I think Track might win this one. Have you ever seen a pole vaulter, sprinter or distance runner WITHOUT great abs?

Abs Abs and more abs

We've been told strengthening your core is good for posture, reduces injury, increases overall strength among other benefits (more on that in a future post).

We're celebrating abs for the next few days

Feel free to post your best example of someone who has a strong stomach vs a skinny one