For a lot of women, the idea of exercise is based on cardio. Going for a long walk or run does certainly burn the calories, however there’s a lot to be said for weight training. Only around a fifth of women practice weight training – something that’s surprising considering the amazing benefits it can have on your exercise regime.
Weight training for women is important, though many don’t realize it and fear it will bulk them up – it won’t by the way. Lifting weights is shown to increase the levels of lean muscle, increase the metabolism and encourage it to burn for longer and also help build bone density and strength. It’s hard to understand why so many women tend to say no to weights – however let’s have a closer look at the benefits.
Muscle Mass
Muscles tend to naturally diminish with time and age and the best way to counter such an issue is to do strength training. Without effort and weight training body fat percentages rise with age and strength training prevents this. It enhances muscles and the whole use it or lose it philosophy rings very true here.
Weight and Calorie Control
By incorporating weight training into your regime you will reduce body fat as we’ve mentioned and also burn more calories. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has shown that women who did this sort of training burned around 100 extra calories in the 24 hours following the session than if they skipped the strength training.
Bone Density
Women tend to lose bone density when they get older due to changes in their bodies, this can cause brittle bones and issues such as osteoporosis. However, by adding weight regimes into your exercise regime you can help keep density levels up and strengthens the bones. This helps you to maintain strength and also reduces the chances of you having bone defects – a significant benefit of this exercise in old age. Other things that weaken bones and decrease density include caffeine, sodium, red meat and alcohol.
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Tips for Building Muscle
- Ideally you should work out a few times a week (3 or more). This is enough exercise to help the body to build muscle.
- You need to push yourself when building muscle. If you are not pushing yourself, you will not build muscle. The burning sensation (resistance) your get when building muscle is created by lactic acid and this stimulates muscle growth. This resistance creates stronger muscles and a more toned look.
- At detox-fit.com we believe food is very important when exercising. For instance if you are cutting calories and also trying to build muscle you may have problems, your muscles may not have enough energy. When building muscles try to ensure you are at the very least keeping protein levels up.
- There are three large areas in the body for muscle building – the quads, the abdomen and the ham strings. Make sure to work out all three for the sake of balance and also to increase the amount of muscle in the body and the benefits of building muscle.
- When building muscle you should measure your body fat and not your body weight. Muscle weighs more than fat and if you’re gaining muscle you may in fact gain weight. Essentially, it’s about how you look and feel and weight may not always be a good signifier of this.
Muscle mass is very important and can have a number of benefits for women in terms of how they look, feel and are in health terms.
What are your thoughts on weight training for women? Will you be incorporating weight training in your workout regimen?
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