When most women start working out, they tend to stay away from the weight rack as much as possible, with most believing that lifting heavy weights would make them look masculine. Well, that, as has proven over and over again, couldn’t be further from the truth. Strength training is great for both men and women and for various reasons, some of which we will discuss here.
Leads to Fat Burn
Have stubborn fat that won’t go away? Cardio alone will not help, but it will go a long way when paired with strength training. Lifting weights leads to the development of lean muscle that is metabolically active even when you are resting and so you burn more calories throughout the day. Coupled with clean eating – more protein to feed those muscles and complex carbs – you will burn that fat much faster.
Makes you Stronger
A decade ago, women were happy having men carry the heavy load mainly because they were expected to be physically weaker. Well, and the fact that gentlemen will never let a lady carry a heavy load while they watch. While it is great to have someone pick things up, it does not hurt to know that you can do it all by yourself if you wanted. The more you lift, the stronger your body gets.
You Look Better and More Stable
If you compare those who lift to those who don’t, you will notice lifters look so much better. They have more mass which makes them shapely in ways cardio alone cannot. Where cardio burns fat, strength training helps with the formation of muscles. Whether you are a student or a regulatory affairs consultant in Toronto who wants to look the part, we all want to look our best.
Esthetics aside, weight lifting strengthens your bones so you don’t end up losing so much mass and being weak and unstable as you age. The joints are also put through a range of motions that makes them less prone to musculoskeletal degradation.
Perform and Feel Better
Athletes are put in strength training routines to make them stronger and help them perform better. They are also less prone to injury and because their bodies are performing at a higher level, their endurance levels go up. Eventually you could isolate muscles and work them independently to improve them even more, but that comes over time. It’s also important to also consider meditation, which helps strengthen your mind.
Over time and as the body adjusts to weight training, you start feeling great after each workout. You will look much better, thanks to the growing body mass and so you will be more confident about yourself. It doesn’t hurt being stronger too and doing your own lifting, does it?
The thought of getting into something that you haven’t done before is quite scary, but the results speak for themselves. More and more women are lifting quite heavy these days and so you are in good company. For the first month, you certainly want to hire a personal trainer and take it slow until you are at par with the other gym rats. All the best!
