9 AMAZING benefits of strength training exercises for women.
Strength training for fat loss is not a new subject, but until now it has been very difficult for many women who do not want to leave the comfort of the cross-trainer zone and go straight to the free weights area.
There are a few reasons for this behaviour:
First, weights rooms are usually full of men, and many women might find this uncomfortable and intimidating. The other reasons are more technical; for example, to effectively train, you need to know how to deadlift or squat correctly. As a woman, you probably don’t want to bulk up or gain too much muscle too quickly.
What a lot of women don’t know is that luckily, for 98% of you, gaining a lot of muscle quickly is actually impossible because the female body doesn’t produce a large amount of testosterone. So, gaining a lot of muscle requires years of serious hardcore training and crazy diets. So, weight training doesn’t really pose a risk in this regard.
There is also a more compelling reason for weight training:
it is the best fat burner ever!!!
Even just a little bit of weekly weight training will result in:
- 1. Increased energy
- 2. Stronger body
- 3. Better cardio conditioning
- 4. Healthier joints
- 5. Less stress
- 6. Less depression
- 7. Less anxiety
- 8. Better sleep
- 9. A fantastic figure overall
Other spectacular benefits of carrying out regular strength training exercises include:
- Better satisfaction after the workout
- Happier mind
- Better relationships as a result
But to obtain these benefits you have to stop thinking about trying to beat your favourite youtube fitness guru by doing thousands of high-intensity reps from day 1. Instead, try and focus on form and steadiness, to maximise efficiency and get away with gaining a lot by doing very little. You can leave the high octane HIIT workout for another day, or schedule an 80/20 split program, for example:
- 80% strength resistance training
- 20% cardio, the best version of cardio is slow cardio aka just walking or uphill sprints as it acts as a great fat killer)
I don’t want to generalise, but many women tend to stick to the cardio area to tone their feminine muscles, rather than aim for extreme growth. I completely agree with this ideology, except the part where women rule out the weights area because it “buffs up the muscles too much”! In reality, basic strength training exercises are much more effective in toning your desired muscles than long hours of cardio.
So before you launch into a hardcore session, always consider whether your body has enough energy to perform hundreds of squat jumps or a 5-mile run. Your body is a smart beast and will eventually pass this stage of suffering, but putting yourself through extra gruelling hours in the gym is not worth the torture in the early days, when you are still trying to establish habits.
And the best way to get away from the pain of relentless cardio is to head over to the free weights area and get on with some strength training! It will allow you to take a break from high-intensity activity, but be productive and efficient with your time and eventually go home earlier.
While cardio training may improve your circulation, 20–30 minutes of strength training exercises can literally fire up your metabolism to burn layers of stored fat and leave you with strong, lean and sexy feminine muscles. Regardless of the stories and myths, moderate weight training will NOT cause you to “bulk up” beyond any means.
So, to conclude this article, don’t worry about what others think of you and your training. You are very welcome in the free weights area to do what is necessary to master the basic strength training exercises such as the back squat, deadlift, lunges, back row, and military press. Or just hire a coach! Train like never before and change your entire routine every few months.
The human body is very smart, and muscles have memory. If you are repeating the same routine for years on end, your body and fitness level will quickly stop progressing. Surprise yourself with an extra set, do alternate methods with lunges, for example. It seems hard sometimes.
Think about fitness not as a quick fix, but as a long journey. The results will show! You can even talk to your body like, “ok body I will take you for a long trip and you will like where we are going.”
Enjoy the journey.
Enrol in my random masterclass emails, where you can send me half-true feedback or fully true insults.
Let’s connect.
Pawel