Should Women Workout With Weights?

Women and Weight Lifting

There are often many misconceptions women have about working out with weights.  Some women fear that their body will start to look bulky and masculine.  Others think that if they start weight training and then stop, their muscles will turn to fat.  There is also the myth that just doing cardio is the best way to burn calories and look fit.  The fact is that working out with weights is highly beneficial for all women for numerous reasons. So why should women weight train?

• Achieve a lean appearance.  Due to the fact that women do not produce the same amount of testosterone that men do, it is not possible for women to develop huge, bulky muscles just by weight training.  Lifting weights will tone and develop a woman’s muscles helping them to achieve a lean, strong, feminine looking body.

• Burn more calories than just doing cardio alone.  Weight training builds lean muscle mass.  An increase in the amount of lean muscle mass a person has enhances metabolic function resulting in more calories burned.  Therefore, the metabolism continues to work at a higher rate burning fat even while at rest.
• Improved physical health.  There are several benefits to women’s health attained through weight training.  An increase in muscle mass can lower the risk of osteoporosis which is especially important for women approaching menopause.  It can decrease diastolic blood pressure reducing coronary heart disease and other heart conditions.  Lifting weights can also reduce amounts of abdominal fat resulting in prevention of Type II Diabetes and gallstones.
• Improved sense of self-esteem.  The more physically fit you are the better you feel about yourself.  Did you know that one pound of fat takes up 18 percent more space than one pound of muscle?  When you weight train your clothes fit better, you feel and look younger, and your sense of self-satisfaction increases.
• Makes you feel happier overall.  Through exercise and weight training our body releases chemicals called endorphins.  As endorphins are released they interact with receptors in the brain that trigger positive feelings in the body.  The release of endorphins can naturally improve how a person feels leading to reduced feelings of stress and anxiety which can therefore result in improved mood and a sense of happiness.

For women who are looking to lose weight, have a lean, toned body, and increase their overall physical fitness, health, and mental well-being, weight training is the way to go.  For more information about getting in shape or personal training, contact us.