Womens Weight Training

Hi guys,

I've spoken to a few of  my clients and members over the past week about starting a Womens Strength & Conditioning class, so i thought i would give you a  bit of information about the benefits and the myths that come with it.

Heres a couple of quick points.
- Doing weights WILL NOT turn you into the incredible hulk! Bodybuilders work for years to get where they are with a high calorie diet and bodies full of testosterone.
- Regular weight training will help to gain strength and tone muscles to get that beach body you have always wanted.
- Weight training will help to improve posture for people who have mainly lower back problems for example an inward curve on the lower part of your back known as Lordosis.

Now heres a couple of questions I get asked regularly with some easy to understand answers
 

"I only exercise to lose weight” and "I only exercise to get thinner. I can burn far more calories doing light cardiovascular work than heavy lifting, shouldn't I just stick to the treadmill?"

While cardiovascular exercise is a great way of burning fat, adding a little strength training to workouts will earn you extra calories every day. You’ll even be burning extra calories while you’re sleeping or sat on the couch watching eastenders.

Research has shown that regular resistance training can increase your Basal metabolic rate by up to 15%. So for someone burning 2000 calories per day, that’s a potential 300 extra calories (more than a mars bar), burned every day.

 Do not be dishearten if at first you do not lose a great amount of weight or gain slightly.

Muscle weighs more per square inch than fat, so whilst your weight might not be dropping off very quickly, your clothes will be feeling baggier, you are feeling healthier, more energetic and looking slimmer in the mirror.

                                                                                   

"Is weight training right for women? I loved Terminator, but being 5ft6 and female I'm not sure Arnie's muscles would suit me."

 

Right, this is a big myth I would like to clear up! A lot of women are under the idea that if they use weights they will become muscularly or manly. This is defiantly not the case! Weight training is just as suitable for women as it is for men. Testosterone is a very important factor in the development of muscle growth, so as women have very very low levels of this hormone their muscles develop differently, meaning resistance training will not lead to a bulky, butch physique!

"How can weight training make me healthier?"

 Recent research has shown that weight (resistance) training can greatly reduce a number of health risks.

It has been proven to have a positive effect on insulin, resting metabolism, blood pressure, body fat and gastrointestinal transit time, factors that are linked to illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this clears up a few things for all the women out there! The womens S&C will be starting at Bodytorque Gym on Wednesday 23rd January! First class is completely FREE, so what have you got to lose?

 

 Written by: Emma Rushton