For you women looking to get in shape, strength training and lifting weights is always going to provide you with superior benefits than those of running, walking, or doing some other form of long distance, repetitive cardio training. I can think of many different ways why women should strength train, and I have narrowed down the list to my top 3.
Reason #1: Improved Bone, Joint, and Overall Health
Like muscle, your bones are made of living tissue that responds by growing stronger and denser when increased demands are placed on it. By not strength training and placing higher than normal demands on your bones, joints, and skeletal system they get weaker and weaker over time.
Bone and joint strength becomes increasingly important as we age. If you are not taking your bone and joint strength seriously right now then this statistic might change your mind.
24% of people over the age of 50 that fracture their hip, die within 12 months after the injury because of health complications directly related to the injury!
Reason #2: To Get Toned
It’s impossible to get toned if you don’t have any muscle. You get the toned look through the presence of muscle and the absence of fat. If you are a “cardio queen” then the only toning you’ll see will be the lines your skeleton will produce as it presses on your skin.
Reason #3: To Lose Weight
Lifting weights and strength training breaks down your muscle tissue. Your body then has to use energy to repair that broken down tissue. Carbs are one of the first sources it goes to, to get this energy. Once it uses up all the carbs in your system your body will then start using stored energy in the form of fat to repair the muscles.
This muscle rebuilding process burns calories without you even knowing what is going on, and it can last for days after a good strength training workout. Compare this to running where your body stops burning calories as soon as you stop moving.
Sources for this article:
NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
Natural News
“The smug feeling you get after a workout is far better than the guilty feeling you get if you’ve given exercise the cold-shoulder!”
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