Benefits Of Weight Lifting For Women

Many women still believe that weight lifting will make them big and bulky, so tend to stick to hours of cardio. These women are missing out on all the amazing benefits of weight training.

Reasons why lifting heavy weights won’t make you bulk up:

• Women have 15-20 times less of the testosterone hormone than men, this hormone helps to build muscle. So, you can see that it is more difficult for woman to build muscle and bulk up.
• To bulk up you will have to be in a calorie surplus. The more lean muscle you have the more calories you will burn, therefore making it even more to difficult to be in a calorie surplus and become ‘bulky’.
• Increasing weight and bulking up is solely down to eating more calories than you burn. So, if you are eating at a calorie maintenance or deficit, you will not put weight on even if you are lifting heavy weights.
• Building muscle takes time and consistency. Progression rates largely differ from person to person. It would be impossible to become ‘bulky’ overnight.

Benefits of weight training for women:

• Effective for weight loss. If you are trying to lose weight, then your body is already stressed from being in a calorie deficit. Weight training expends less energy than cardio training making it easier for you to cope when in a calorie deficit.
• Quality sleep. Strength training can greatly improve sleep quality, aiding in your ability to fall asleep faster, sleep deeper and wake less often during the night. The idea is that weight training requires more effort compared to cardio training resulting in more muscle soreness and fatigue, making it easier to fall asleep at night. 

• Improved heart health. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that those who lift weights are less likely to have heart disease risk factors such as a large waist circumference, high triglycerides, elevated blood pressure and elevated glucose levels.

• Bone health. As you age, you are more at risk of losing both bone and muscle mass. Postmenopausal women are also at a greater risk for osteoporosis because the body no longer secretes oestrogen. Lifting weights is an excellent way to combat the loss of bone mass while also decreasing the risk of osteoporosis.

• Stress relief. Exercise in general is a great way to manage stress. Researchers have consistently found that those who regularly lift weights tend to manage stress better and experience fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations compared to those who don’t exercise. In addition, resistance training studies on older adults show that moderate intensity weightlifting improves memory and cognitive function.

These are just a few of the many benefits lifting weights can offer you. Lifting weights will not only improve your physical health, but also your mental wellbeing. To find out more, please feel free to contact us today at David Jones Personal Training.