Laurie2

Women have a hard time "bulking" like the guys. We just do not have the amount of testosterone they have. Female bodybuilders have to work very hard for years and keep to a strict diet to get that way for competitions. So, dont worry there. Most really strong women look more sinewy rather than "massive".

However, you can build muscle ("toning") to become stronger and healthier. Stretching is done to warmup the muscles. This should be done before doing any lifting. A strength building workout would be moderately heavy weights at 3-4 sets of 10-12 or abit less. Most fitness instructors suggest a three day "split" (working different parts of the body on different days) workout with cardio after the workout or on the days when you are not lifting. Since this will be class, going on a treadmill or jogging on the track after the class would be one suggestion. I took a college Women's Strength class and this is what we did.

Eat a proper diet that is higher in protein and lower in refined carbs....in otherwords, cut the sugars and any junk foods. Some fat is necessary. Eat 5-6 smaller meals spread over the day and drink plenty of water.

When I went to high school (graduated in 69) we had PE everyday but only the guys went into the weights room. Society opinions then just did not see women and freeweights as being "healthy". We had "calisthetics" instead. A lot of bad "Female myths" have gone by the wayside since then and glad to see young women take the opportunity to become stronger/healthier using weights and run with the premise.

However, I dont know what your highschool schedule would call for. My son had manditory PE as a Freshman (2000 grad) and when my daughter went, three years later...there was none. It had become all elective by then. However, there was a weights class to take if they wanted and my daughter told me several girls did.

Good luck!