A woman lifting weights
The majority of women spend their time in the gym focusing on cardio with little or no resistance training at all.
However, resistance training is important for women for many reasons.
- Osteoporosis
- Reducing Body Fat
- “I don’t want to bulk up”
- Stronger muscles
- Stronger tendons
- Improved body shape
1. Osteoporosis
Current statistics show that over 50% of post-menopausal women suffer from some degree of osteoporosis. This is because a change in the hormonal balance leads to the female body literally breaking down its own bone mass.
If bone density is increased over a prolonged period prior to this, the risks of osteoporosis are greatly reduced. Resistance training does exactly that.
Repeated use of muscles attached to bones through resistance training leads to thickening of the bone mass which can delay and possibly avoid the onset of osteoporosis.
2. Reducing Body Fat
Cardio burns fat, but not all the calories burned will be from fat. If you’re lucky it might be half and once you stop your CV workout, so does the fat burn.
Resistance Training places a much greater stress on the muscles. As a result, when you finish your workout your body begins to repair the microscopic damage that has occurred, leading to an increase in your metabolism whilst this process takes place.
Studies have shown that this can last up to 36 hours after a resistance workout. If you add cardio to this resistance mix, you’ll gain the benefits of both.
3. “I don’t want to bulk up”
You won’t. Resistance training is often associated with bulking up muscles but this won’t happen overnight. It takes a long time, with a particular type of program involving high volumes of sets and exercises.
Also, women’s hormone levels are different to men’s so women can’t naturally gain muscle as quickly as men.
4. Improved neuromuscular activity
Your muscles are made of thousands of separate fibres, which are grouped together into bundles. Each bundle is triggered by its own nerve.
When lifting or moving a weight, your brain will initially only trigger the muscle bundles it thinks it needs. With regular resistance training and the right guidance, your brain and neural system will adapt and learn to recruit more muscle bundles.
This leads to a much more effective use of the body’s muscle tissue, and greatly reduces the risk of posture-related injuries and conditions.
5. Tendons strengthen providing joint support
All the fibres in our muscles join up to form tendons which connect muscle to bone. This allows us to facilitate movement.
Resistance training develops both the muscle fibres and the muscle tendons. Where a tendon crosses a joint, this assists the ligaments in supporting the joint, reducing the chances of injury from a trip, slip, fall or other trauma.
6. “I want to change my body shape”
Although cardio can assist in reducing body fat, most forms of cardio don’t place the muscles used into an overloaded state, so don’t greatly change the muscle’s shape.
Resistance training can be used to focus on particular muscles around the body, helping to increase definition and achieve a new body shape.
Look to carry out a resistance workout within your exercise program 2 to 3 times a week. Don’t forget to always seek the advice of a member of the Fitness Team before undertaking any new exercises.