Strength Training For Women

By Graham Monger

“I don’t want to do weights, I’ll bulk up”

Strength training plays a vital part of women´s health and wellbeing. Below we have gone over a few points to help reassure you that regular strength training is very beneficial and can make a huge difference, not only in body composition, but in general health as well.

Fat loss

The fastest way for women (and men) to lose body fat and reshape their bodies is strength training. Strength training increases the lean muscle mass of the body (due to the weights you lift and the time your muscles are under tension in each set), the more lean muscle you have, the more body fat you can lose. This is because fat is an energy source for the muscles.

Increasing lean muscle mass for women, we can see why you may think that you will bulk up like Arnold, we have all seen those women that are built like a tanks. The truth of the matter though is that to get that size for a female, you have to inject testosterone into your body. A female´s production of testosterone is around 15-20 times lower than a male´s, so don’t worry about increasing bulk like men, it simply won’t happen.
Weights Vs Cardio

So compare weight training to cardio shall we? (We would just like to say that any exercise is better than no exercise, so if you enjoy running, do it.) Everybody wants to train smart, and the perception of correct exercise for fat loss is spending hours on the cardio equipment. We have to ask you though, are you losing body fat? Not weight on the scales, but body fat. It may come as shock, but from what I have seen over the years, and what evidence shows, is that long term cardio actually increases fat storage. Why? It’s done through increasing the body´s cortisol levels (stress levels), and the reduction of muscle. That’s right! Cardio reduces your lean muscle mass. Remember, fat is an energy source for muscle, the less muscle you have the more body fat you have.

“But the scales are going down!”

Scales can go down for sure, but it’s not because you are getting leaner. Muscle is much denser than fat; if you compared one pound of fat to one pound of muscle, there would be a clear difference in sizes.
So the scales are going down, brilliant. All that’s happening though is that your body is breaking down lean muscle, therefore giving you the illusion of going in the right direction.
If you get your body fat tested before you start a cardio programme, a few weeks later you would probably see an increase in body fat and reduction of lean muscle. So this is why strength training, and not cardio, will make you leaner.

Posture

Weight training is a great way to improve posture. Spending hours day in and day out at your desk at work and/or having a big bust, you are more likely to have posture problems. (This is due to certain muscles in the back not being strong enough to support the front.) Upper body structural balance, with regular weight training, will strengthen up weak muscles in your body, giving you an improved and stronger posture.
Risks of having low muscle mass

There can be only negative effects on the body of having low muscle mass. Low muscle mass has a direct link to the following:

Accelerated ageing
Diabetes
Heart conditions
Osteoporosis
Brittle bones
Poor posture
Colds
Low mood
Depression
Poor sleep
Increased risk of complications during pregnancy

Strength training makes you look and feel great!

Increasing your lean muscle mass by regular strength training will give you the “female curves”. You name it; legs, abs, arms and ass, you will have the shape you always wanted.

Looking the way you want to, and buying the clothes you dream of buying, those are the benefits of strength training. This in turn will make you a more confident person, and if you are looking for that special someone; guys dig women who are in shape.

Thinking about becoming pregnant?

An interesting study I came across spoke about mothers and the health of their future child/children. There is a direct correlation between the state (health) of the mother and the health of the entire future of her unborn child.
The lower lean muscle mass and poorer nutrition the mother has, the more likely it is for her baby to become insulin resistance. This will increase the child´s risk (throughout the Childs entire life span) of becoming overweight, obese, and contracting major conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
By increasing lean muscle mass through strength training and good nutrition, all of the negative effects we mentioned above can be reduced greatly.

“Train smart, Lift heavy, Have fun”