Woman tend to shy away from weight and resistance training,
especially heavy lifting. They prefer to do light weights
with lots of reps or long slow cardio. Many think lifting
heavy weights will bulk them up which is not possible because
women lack the male hormone testosterone. The also feel long
slow cardio will take body fat off faster when moderate to
heavy weight training is far more metabolic.
Here are several reasons women should perform resistance training:
1)You will get stronger without putting on a lot of lean muscle
mass. Some lean muscle is desirable as it improves your appearance
and raises your metabolic rate. You will not, however, bulk
up. The strength you gain will make everyday activities much
easier.
2)You will lose bodyfat. Weight training is the fastest way
to lose fat. Gains in lean muscle mass mean increases in metabolic
rate and calorie burning 24 hours a day.
3)You will decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Research has
shown that weight training can increase bone mineral density
just like weight bearing exercise. Add some dietary calcium
and you have a good program for not developing osteoporosis.
4)You will improve your mood. Weight training has been shown
to improve both depression and anxiety. It also raises self
esteem and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
5)You will reduce your risk of diabetes. Resistance training
improves how the body processes sugar which can reduce the
incidence of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is growing and
research indicates that weight training can increase glucose
tolerance.
6)You will reduce your risk of heart disease. Improving cardiovascular
fitness has always been a part of the aerobics domain. No
longer! Research has shown that resistance training can improve
heart health in many ways. These include improvements in cholesterol
profiles, lowering blood pressure and reducing coronary artery
disease.
7)You will reduce your risk of injury, back pain and arthritis.
Building stronger muscles also builds stronger connective
tissue between the joints. Strengthening the lower back is
also a very successful method to reduce low back pain.
8) You will improve your recreational and sports performance.
Weight training improves overall athletic ability. Your exercise
performance will increase dramatically if you weight train
Over the last decade, researchers have made strong arguments
for the participation of women of all ages in resistance training.
Still, the number of women who actually heed this advice is
lower than expected. Now that you know all the benefits, grab
yourself a personal trainer if needed, and start pumping iron
for optimal health.
Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President
of The International Fitness Academy. For more cutting edge
fitness and training information go to http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com
