I was with a female friend of mine the other day and as always between us, the conversation turned to training and inevitably, fat loss around the hips, bum and thighs.
I have known my friend since we were in middle school (for those that remember middle school) so we go back a long way. She is as fit as a fiddle but just can’t shift that weight around her problem areas.
She is the queen of Boxercise, Zumba, Body Pump and all those other super cool sessions that most gyms run these days. Yet she is still super frustrated that these problem areas are there, will not budge for love nor money and she is almost resigned to the fact she will have to accept her lot in life.
I asked if she had tried strength training…….I got a blank stare as though I had just spoken a foreign language
“I don’t want to be big and bulky” came the reply.
I realised that I had just hit on the biggest problem with women and strength training.
Strength training for women has had a bad rap for years. Ever since I was a lad, watching Thin Lizzy on breakfast TV get her thing on in dayglo lycra, bouncing around advocating aerobics I have heard the negatives of strength training for women:
It makes you huge like those body builders.
Let me tell you those women that look huge have devoted their entire lives to trying to look like that. What makes you think training a few times a week without eating to get huge will make you look like they do. I would hazard a guess they have had to go through pain, the majority of their income and sacrificed their social lives to get to that point. Not to mention they MAY have taken the odd substance you can’t buy in the shops. Trust me, you won’t look like that with simple strength training.
It won’t tone your muscles like lifting lighter weights
Lifting lighter weights for lots of repetitions doesn’t tone your muscles in the way you understand tone. Losing weight will provide you with the toned look you are after. Lifting lighter weights lots of times WILL provide you with strength endurance. The irony is that you require strength first before you attain strength endurance.
When you lift weights you get STRONGER muscles, not necessarily BIGGER muscles. Strength training improves the speed at which the muscle speaks to the brain and vice versa, making your movements more efficient. If you lift weights and eat to lose weight, you will get STRONGER, move more efficiently and become more TONED.
It isn’t as good as cardio for losing fat
Popular consensus seems to be that you need to do cardio to lose weight/fat and this is the best method to adopt. You only need to observe the streets in January to see this (New Year’s resolutions and all that).
This is also the message that the massive, ‘low fee’ chain gyms tell you. The reason being is that they have invested heavily in rows and rows of cardio machines that you see people toil away on then day after day, week after week. These gyms can get away with hiring a low paid attendant to monitor it whilst raking in the cash.
Go back a year later and you will probably see different people (as the others gave up) who are built the same, doing the same thing, achieving the same results (going nowhere fast).
Sure, cardio can be used to help shift body fat but I would argue that strength training does a better job of it, due to the high energy demands placed upon the body for recovery following the training session (this is known as Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption or EPOC – but enough of that science stuff).
What you need to know is that the demand for energy from the muscles also increases your metabolism in general following repair.
This means that your body will continue to burn more calories for DAYS following your strength training.
What you put in your mouth as way of food has a greater impact than either cardio or strength training but that is a story for another day. Just be aware that cardio is not the be all and end all for fat/weight loss and that strength training will not only help lose fat but it will have you moving better and enable you to carry out more daily functions, which I go into below.
The majority of the reasons you hear hitting on strength training are utter nonsense!
- Lifting weights will not hurt your back. Lifting weights (or any other object for that matter) incorrectly will hurt your back.
- Neither is bad for your knees. In fact, stronger connective tissues and tendons may relieve joint pain.
I can point to hundreds of studies printed in reputable journals that advocate the benefits of strength training for women.
3 Reasons Why Women Should Strength Train
However, I realise you don’t have all day and you certainly don’t want to read my ramblings as I drone on and on about these so called benefits, so I have picked out 3 very important reasons why women of all ages should conduct some form of strength training each week.
1. It will improve your physique without you having to focus entirely on it
So many women worry about their physiques and how they look. This is not a bad thing by any means! However, women will restrict themselves from a whole host of enjoyable real life activities, foods and treats in the attempts to look great in the mirror.
Strength training has huge benefits for your physique that you may be unaware of. Firstly, your muscles will burn more energy when repairing themselves and afterwards too when they are stronger.
This will result in a greater amount of fat burned without actually having to do anything other than eating intelligently. Secondly, you can focus on something else other than what the scale weight says. You will start to count how many repetitions you are able to do in any given exercise or how long you can work without needing a rest. This will give you a much needed mental break from worrying about the fat loss.
So long as you eat consistently well, strength training will result in burning fat without thinking too much about it. That doesn’t mean you can eat what you want and lose fat. I am saying you can focus on something else instead and have the benefit of losing fat at the same time. How cool is that?
2. It will help you move better, reduce risk of injury and increase bone density, therefore, minimising the risk of osteoporosis
When someone strength trains, the process strains the muscles. These strains cause micro-tears in the muscle fibres, which the body repairs to withstand the same stress should it happen again.
When this happens the muscle comes back stronger and more efficient. It is more capable of doing more and withstanding stress, aiding in the prevention of injuries.
What people don’t know is that the same happens to your bones. Strength training also causes tiny little micro fractures in the bone, which are repaired to withstand the next bout of stress. The result is more dense, stronger bones. The stronger bones will be able to withstand the rigours of life more and will offset the risk of osteoporosis as you age.
The end result is you age beautifully and are able to get the most out of life, regardless of your age.
3. It will make you feel like a bad ass
Close your eyes for a second and imagine taking that jar of peanut butter off your other half as he struggles to open it. You grip tightly, strain a little and open it pops…
Obviously, he loosened it for you! Either that or you are stronger than he is. How cool would that be?
Or, you are in the gym in a group class and you are blasting the guys off the floor with how much work you are able to smash out. Strength training consistently will make you stronger than most of the nation (including guys).
I have indicated that strength training will help you to move better, be resistant to injury, allow you to do things you were previously incapable of and it will help you look great in the mirror. Imagine the confidence that would give you! What else could you do in life if you were brimming with confidence and feeling like a bad ass?
Bonus
It will inspire other women to improve also!
Despite many women now taking part in strength training, it is still seen as a guy’s activity. However, take a look at those ‘normal’ women doing it and see how fantastic they look.
How easy they move and how they are able to do superhuman feats normally reserved for men, such as moving furniture around the house, mowing the lawn and changing car wheels (sexist I know – tongue in cheek though).
Seriously though, think of all those shopping bags you could carry!
The simple fact is that strength training is good for you for a whole host of other reasons that I have previously mentioned such as improving posture, improving movement efficiency, making you look great in the mirror as well as many other health reasons too.
You could do all of those things and you could have all those benefits….if you strength train.
All you have to do is release those pre-dispositions.
The more women who do it, the more exposure to strength training women will get, which will lead to even more women doing it.
This means, even more, women moving, feeling and looking great. It is a circle of inspiration.
Be one of those who inspires others whilst being a superwoman bad ass at the same time!
What an amazing thought.
That and the thought of having a boatload of super strong chicks walking around mowing my lawn and changing my car tyres does it for me.
Take care and speak soon.
Gaz
