Women and Weight Training - Why Every Woman Should Lift Weights!
Many women worry about weight training! I hear it all the time from new clients and from women I speak to around the gym. Many women worry that by lifting weights they will somehow transform into a Hulk-ette, so instead spend hours doing cardio in order to maintain or get their “feminine” figure.
One thing that is correct when training with weights, you will increase your muscle mass, but that’s a good thing, as the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn, which ultimately means you will be leaner. No disrespect to cardio, but if you want to blast away the fat, get fit, in shape, and look sexy as….. then strength training is the way to do it.
Thankfully, Over the past few years, I have noticed a massive increase in women adopting a strength based fitness program into their routines.
So what really happens when women lift weights?
You will lose fat! As stated previously in order to lose fat you need to be burning more calories than you consume. Weight training will help you increase lean muscle, and muscle is a metabolically active tissue where carbohydrates and fats are burned as energy. Too much aerobic exercise will ultimately burn both fat and muscle, which we don’t want! A decrease in muscle means a slower metabolism.
You’ll burn more calories at rest! Yes, that right, if you incorporate resistance training, you’ll still be burning calories sitting on your butt reading this. This ties in with point one, the more lean muscle you have the more calories you will burn.
Whilst weight training is great for muscle tone and strength, you will also be training and strengthening your bones. So, next time you are squatting or on the leg press, not only are you strengthening and toning your thighs and butt, you are also strengthening the bones that support them, therefore bones become more dense, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis, which is a risk in postmenopausal women.
You’ll drop a size. At the beginning of the article I said strength training had a reputation of making women bulk up! NOT TRUE. If your body weight comes more from muscle rather than fat then you will be smaller in terms or dress size and circumference size. You may not see a drop on the scales, however it is very common for many women who start weight training to drop 1-2 dress sizes, and you will not turn into a hulk-ette as women only produce around 10% of the amount of testosterone as men do, meaning you’re not going to get big.
You’ll increase flexibility and ease joint point. Proper strength training is the solution to joint issues. Stronger muscles better hold your joints, and full range resistance training can improve muscle flexibility through the muscles complete range of motion.
Strength training can improve your heart health. Doing 45 minutes of moderate intensity resistance training can lower blood pressure by 20%.
You’ll get more curves. As you build muscle, your body begins to take a nice hourglass shape. Most woman I know or work with want toned arms, legs, butt and tummy. You’re not going to get this by spending most of your time on a treadmill.
Relieves Stress. Exercise in general is a great way to relieve and manage stress. Regular strength training will stimulate hormones to help you manage stress better, and you will have fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations as those who don’t exercise. In addition, resistance training in older adults improves memory and cognitive function. So, next time you need to blow off steam, hit the weights room.
Ladies, as you can see there are many benefits to lifting weights. You will feel stronger, more confident, fit into your jeans better, be able to move furniture and look and feel better in yourself.
Resistance training can benefit with all aspects of our lives. Put it into your fitness plan and feel stronger, fitter, healthier and more confident. If you are struggling with where to start, or the terminology in those fitness magazines confuses you, then get in touch with us at Build a Body and we can tailor a program specific to your needs. We are also launching our new MOMS SQUAD course in January 2018, which will incorporate a tailor-made resistance program for our amazing mums who are looking to get fit, strong and lose fat. Contact us for any of these or book in for a FREE Lifestyle consultation at buildabodypt.co.uk.
