The weight room has always been a comfortable place for men who love to get a good iron pump. We can thank the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger for that one. But seriously, there has never been a time when I have been in the weight room and not seen a guy with a cut off bench pressing.
But the weight room and all weights at the gym are not just for the fellas. They are most definitely there for the ladies too! So what are the benefits of weight lifting for women? Why should all women incorporate weight training into their workouts? It is time for the ladies to leave the treadmills and pick up some iron!
Weight Training Burns Fat
Women naturally carry more body fat than men. Therefore, when working out, women should most definitely weight train because lifting weights actually burns more fat than cardio alone. Cardio definitely burns calories, but science has proven that a woman’s body continues to burn fat after she is done with weight training. So when your cardio session is finished your body won’t continue to burn fat as it would after a good strong weight training session.
Weight Training Gives You a Toned Body
In case you haven’t noticed, big round booties are in! That’s right, all the girls want a nice toned booty these days. It could even be assumed that leg day is a woman’s favorite day at the gym! And ladies, I promise you are not going to get the booty you want on the elliptical.
The best way to build your booty is to build your glutes and hamstrings. One of the best workouts for this is the squat. Not only will squats help build those glutes, but it will also help strengthen your core, balance, and posture. Squats will also build your quadriceps giving your legs a toned strong appearance.
There are many variations of squats that can be used together to target all muscles of your lower body. If you are looking for a great squat workout to target that lower body check out this article here. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19904135/types-of-squats/
As much as we love the idea of building a strong, toned bottom, let’s not forget how important it is to use weight training for a woman’s upper body as well. Building strength in your arms, upper back, neck, and chest is not only physically appealing, but is also important to prevent women from injury.
Who doesn’t want to get rid of that flab that hangs at the bottom of our arms? Weight training won’t make a woman bulky. It will however, decrease fat and grow muscle, creating a tone strong look. With that being said, weight training will definitely give you a toned, strong body.
The best way to work out your glutes is with a glute machine. TheHealthPlaybook.com put together a nifty list of the best machines available on Amazon.
Reduce Risk of Injuries
When you work out the muscles in your body and make them bigger and stronger, the less likely you are to injure yourself. It is really easy to think about. Picture a table with four really thin legs holding it up. You would probably be very doubtful that the table could hold much before it may collapse.
But if that same table had four stronger, bigger, more sturdy legs, it could most definitely support more than the smaller, less sturdy legs. There is not much difference with the human body. The stronger the muscles, tendons, and ligaments are in our bodies the less likely our bodies are to fall apart. Weight training does just that. It builds the muscles and allows them to protect the body.
Enhance Your Mood
If you have never experienced the rush of endorphins after a great weight training workout let me tell you…you are missing out! Our body produces endorphins to relieve stress and pain. They work very much like the drugs called opioids. However, endorphins are the body’s natural way to give you that feel good high.
What is the best way to experience this rush of an organic feel good drug? WEIGHT TRAINING. During a weight training workout, you are putting your body through stress – in a good way. In order to build muscle, it first gets broken down by getting over worked. As a broken down muscle heals, it grows back stronger and bigger. That is the general concept behind all weight training. Therefore, our body senses that we are stressing it out and during and after a solid weight training session, endorphins are released.
It has been proven that exercise can help battle depression by stimulating parts of the brain that aren’t as responsive during a depressed state. A good workout routine that includes weight training can keep a woman distracted from another part of her life that could be bothering her. Because proper movement and good form is very important during weight training to prevent injury, it is important to stay focused. This can be very beneficial for someone battling depression or just needing a good distraction.
Weight training can also be a great way for women to stay connected with other women and build friendships! Having a workout buddy can make your weight training session a lot more fun and hold you accountable to stick to a healthy exercise routine.
Prevents Heart Disease and Diabetes
Heart disease is very common in women. Strength training can help reduce LDL, aka the “bad” cholesterol and increase the HDL, the “good” cholesterol. Overall weight training will help keep your body weight and body fat down, which alone, will fight cardiovascular disease.
Incorporating weight training into your routine physical exercise helps prevent diabetes by making your body by increasing the insulin sensitivity of your cells. Meaning, when you exercise and weight train, your body needs less insulin to keep your blood sugar under control. Women have actually been able to reverse their Diabetes Type II once they started weight training and exercising on a routine basis.
Overall, weight training is very beneficial to women. Weight training burns fat, tones the body, can help reduce the risk of injuries, be a mood booster, and can prevent heart disease and diabetes. Weight training can be done at home or at a gym. No woman should ever feel intimidated walking into the weight room and should actually embrace it! Move over boys, make way for these strong ladies.
