Why Females Should Lift Weights

An Industry Full of Gibberish

‘Learn form my experiences, mistakes and wins’

#30 – Why Females Should Lift Weights

Hi Team,

This weeks article is aimed towards females, however thats not to say you shouldn’t read it guys.

I communicate with roughly between 50-100 females a week about body shape, and it still amazes me, even with the impact of social media and the press, that so many females who want to change their body shape are getting it so wrong.

The most effective formula’s to improve a females body composition (ratio of fat to muscle), which in turn will create a more ‘toned’ looking physique always includes lifting weights.

Yes, cardio (cardiovascular training) and more importantly NEAT (daily general activity) are important, and must be considered, yet lifting weights is paramount!

When I first start with a female Personal Training client or Group PT member I often come across poor flexibility in the thighs and hips, poor pelvic floor muscles and a pelvis that is tilted forward (especially post-natal), glute muscles that are not firing correctly, or struggling to fire at all, complaints of lower back pain and a poor posture, including rounded shoulders, a thoracic spine (upper spine region) which often sits in flexion (kyphotic posture – hunchback of notre dame).

Unfortunately, these aren’t areas that can be improved by simply prescribing more work on a treadmill, circuit training, exercise classes, etc,. These areas need precise exercise selection and executon in order to strengthen and progress, IE, they require prescribed weight training.

One of the main things that worries women about lifting weights is getting big muscles. You’ve probably heard this a hundred times before, but you really won’t end up like Arnold Schwarzenegger if you start lifting. Why?

Women typically have 10% (30% maximum!) of the testosterone that men have. Testosterone is the primary muscle building hormone, so women are going to struggle to gain large amounts of muscle mass, it any at all. Also, women typically don’t eat enough to develop a lot of muscle mass.

Weight training will however increase and improve muscle density.

You must create damage to the muscles (through strength/weight training), and then provide them with adequate protein and other nutrients to support the repair of the tissue. This will give you more ‘tone’ and shape.

Here’s the main benefits of weight training for females:

• Stronger bones and connective tissue – lifting weights is load bearing exercise which helps strengthen your bones. Maintaining strong and healthy bones lowers your risk of osteoporosis.
• Lifting weights increases EPOC (excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption) – your body always likes to return to a state of natural balance after anything that it does, this is called homeostasis. When you lift weights your body has to work very hard to bring you back to balance. This extra energy required to bring you back to homeostasis burns calories for many more hours after your session.
• Your metabolic rate will increase – for every pound of lean muscle mass (muscle density) you gain you burn an extra 50 calories per day.
• Decrease your risk of injury – lifting weights helps you develop stronger tendons, this gives your joints more support and stability through daily tasks.
• Boost stamina and energy levels – when you are stronger you have more energy for day to day tasks and you don’t get anywhere near as tired.
• Increase your self confidence – i’m yet to come across a woman who hasn’t felt 100% better in herself from becoming stronger and uncovering a more toned and shaped body. The benefits of increased self confidence carries over into everyday life and relationships. I’ve seen females transform their life through weight training and there transformation.
• You have so much more variation available to you if you lift – weight training is so much fun once learnt, there are countless exercises for different muscle groups, you can change the reps, sets, tempo and rest to make each and every session different. If you just do cardio or exercise classes, you only have that one bit of kit, or that one particular class to utilise which can become tedious.
• Anti – aging – You lose muscle and strength as you age (after 35 often), however if you partake in weight  training you will develop and retain your strength and muscle mass helping to maintain your youthful shape, size and strength.
• Reduction in body fat levels – This goes hand in hand with EPOC, having more lean muscle mass and speeding your metabolic rate up. Lowering body fat obviously improves your health, makes you feel better about yourself, however it also reduces the amount of toxins in your body which improves the quality and elasticity of your skin.
• When women lifts weights regularly they tell me that they feel empowered, stronger and so much sexier  – true story. They feel amazing and have a completely different perspective on life.

Below are just a few body and lifestyle transformation’s, plus a testimonial i’ve achieve with my clients and we have achieve as a business on our female Group PT programme.

The common denominator is that they all utilised strength/weight training as there primary source of training!

If you want to start weight training and transform your life/body, please use the button below to get in touch with me and ‘the boys’. A few of the boys have slots available for 1-to-1 Personal Training, and our next female Group PT programme kicks-off on Monday the 1st of October.

#ladiesthatlift