Why Women Need to Lift Weights

When most people think about lifting weights, the first image that may come to mind is of big bulky men in front of a mirror in the gym – you probably don’t think of Women lifting weights.

There are a couple of myths around lifting weights which can often put Women off;

·        Lifting weights will make me bulky

Lifting weights won’t make Women bulky, it will help make you leaner and more defined, to become big and bulky would mean spending hours and hours (and hours!) in the gym and eating a very restrictive diet.

·        Muscle turns to fat if you stop weight training

Muscle and fat are two completely different things; If you stop training you would lose lean muscle mass- and if you kept eating the same number of calories each day you would then be more likely to put on more fat, but muscle will not turn into fat…

·        Women shouldn’t lift weights as we get older

Women absolutely should lift weights as we get older. Lifting weights means retaining our lean muscle mass & helping to protect our bones.

The truth is that lifting weights is incredibly beneficial for Women, it’s something we really need to be doing!

Here are just some of the benefits of weight training for Women

·        Get stronger

This is an obvious one! Lifting weights regularly will make you stronger, this means being stronger for everyday jobs and activities whatever they might be. Light weight training will build endurance, while lifting heavier increases strength - It also means you will be less likely to pick up injuries.

·        Burn calories, burn fat

If you are wanting to burn fat, it’s natural to think that you need to do cardio – but there’s a mounting evidence that lifting weights can be as, or maybe even more effective at burning fat. After weight training, the bodies metabolic rate stays increased for hours after you workout , meaning you keep burning calories at an elevated rate for longer.

Also, the more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will to burn.

·        Lifting weights strengthens bones as well as muscles

As we age, we lose bone density – this is because from around the age of 40 the rate at which we replace bone starts to become slower than the rate at which we lose it. For Women this bone loss is accelerated by menopause, where bone loss can lead to Osteopenia (loss of bone mass density) or further to Osteoporosis where the bone density decreases even further – in severe cases they can weaken so much that a minor fall or even a bump can result in a broken bone or fracture.

The good news is that lifting weights will help combat this bone loss; as you workout with weight, you don’t just place a strain on your muscles , you also place a strain on your bones – this stimulates the growth of new bone and helps maintain bone density. The added bonus is improving your strength can help improve your balance, reducing the likelihood of falls. The Royal Osteoporosis society recommend 2-3 resistance exercise sessions per week to help improve bone density.

·        It makes you feel good!

Working out with weights feels good; it stimulates the release of endorphins (feel good chemicals), helps reduce anxiety and makes you feel more energised. Improved sleep quality is another benefit – studies have shown that regular weight training can also change sleep patterns for the better, with longer, deeper unbroken sleep meaning we feel fresher and sharper.

If you would like to try resistance training with weights, Lift Lean is a fun, 30 minute class you can do at home with minimal equipment. All you need is a set of hand-weights and an exercise mat. For more info, please get in touch.