Benefits Of Strength Training For Women

By Bhumika Chitkara

If you are someone who thinks strength training is just for men then you are at the right place! Be it the fear of going to the gym or the thought that it can make you look muscular, many women still refrain from strength training and gravitate towards cardio. Strength training benefits for women are way beyond just toning up the body. The best part is that you don’t even need some fancy gym equipment like dumbbells! Strength training for beginners can be really overwhelming and if you are intimidated by the thought of going to the gym, you can try some body weight  exercises at home too! Push-ups, pull-ups, squats are some of the exercises for strength training for beginners!

BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN:

Extremely beneficial for women with PCOS:

The symptoms of PCOS can be managed by making a few healthy lifestyle changes! One of these changes can be strength training which has proven to show tremendous improvement in PCOS symptoms. While it is believed that including strength training can worsen these symptoms as the body already has high levels of testosterone but on the contrary it can be extremely beneficial. If your body is insulin resistant then this can be your way to improve it. One of the most heard complaints from women with PCOS is that they are not able to lose weight, including strength training in your routine can help you lose some inches, not just kilos! One thing most women with PCOS look forward to is keeping their androgen levels under control, lifting weights can improve their chances to keep them in check.

May help with type 2 diabetes:

Lifting weight can be a great way to keep those elevated blood sugar levels in control. Insulin resistance is a situation where the body is not able to absorb glucose from the blood, this is the major cause of type 2 diabetes and weight lifting can help with this situation. In addition to lowering the blood sugar levels it also helps in reducing liver fat. 

Helps in reducing weight:

If you are wondering that only cardio can help you lose weight, then you should probably try strength training to lose weight! One of the biggest myths related to strength training is that it only assists in gaining muscles. But surprisingly, pairing strength training with cardio can actually double the benefits! You won’t just notice the difference on the weighing scale but also some inches going down! By increasing the metabolism rate, weight lifting can increase the chances of burning fat. Get started with strength training and be ready for some compliments coming your way!

Helps in making joints stronger:

The pain caused due to exercising probably makes you want to quit the gym, right? Try giving it another shot as this might be beneficial for making your joints and the muscles around it stronger. Women who often face an issue of joint pain can actually benefit from strength training. You probably are wondering how? Continuous resistance training can help with stiff joints which causes pain. This might also reduce the chances of injuries. So if you are someone who has achy joints, try strength training and the best part is that you don’t even have to have the fancy gym equipment.

Increases bone density:

Strength training is probably the most beneficial form of physical training for someone with low bone mass especially older women as they are more prone to losing bone mass which makes their bones weak. Including strength training in your daily routine can help your body stay active, preserve bone mass and increase bone density. Women in their postmenopausal age can benefit from strength training if they are looking to increase their bone density more than anyone else!

Better posture and increased energy levels:

Strength training is the best way to improve your body posture and it has shown some tremendous benefits when it comes to energy levels in many people. As strength training supports tissues, muscles and bones, this is the reason why it helps in improving the body posture. It helps in improving your energy levels and makes you feel less lethargic. Lifting weights lifts a lot of things like your mood and your energy levels. What more can we ask for!

SOME MYTHS RELATED TO STRENGTH TRAINING

Strength training is just for men

That is a complete myth that needs to be busted in front of every person who thinks that strength training is just for men. Weight training is a form of physical training that can be performed by both males and females. Women are equally efficient in lifting weights as men are, so this is absolutely FALSE!

Strength training will make you look muscular and broad:

While it is true that strength training can help you build muscles, it is absolutely false that it will make you muscular. The fact is that it will make your body look more toned than muscular. So it is one of the biggest myths believed by many people which is completely false.

Only cardio can help you in losing weight:

Activities like running, swimming, cycling and other forms of cardio activities can surely help you in losing weight but performing strength training regularly can make you burn fat rather than just some calories. Not just on the weighing scale, you will be able to see your clothes getting loose. So strength training is as effective as cardio when it comes to burning fat.

Women should not lift heavy weights:

More often than not, we must have heard people say that women should not lift heavy weights, instead they should just do more reps on light weights. The major purpose of strength training is to tone up your body and give it a more sculpted and firm look. So again a myth that needs busting!

Strength training helps in targeted fat loss:

That is completely FALSE! No form of physical activity aids targeted weight loss be it strength training, cardio or even yoga. Fat loss happens all over the body due to how it's distributed.