So often I hear people caution me not to lift heavy weights because I don’t want to “bulk up.” I hear women say they don’t want to lift heavy weights because they don’t want to look too “muscly.” Generally, women lack the testosterone needed to get super bulky muscles. We’re just not wired to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Aside from the unnecessary fear of “getting too muscly,” there are plenty of benefits to women lifting heavy weights. Here are three of them!
- You’ll burn more calories. Cardio burns more calories over a 30-minute session, but strength training burns more calories overall. The reason for this is that it takes more energy (ie. Calories) for your body to hold onto muscle cells than it does fat cells. By building muscle mass, you’ll turn your body into a fat-burning machine.
- You’ll maintain muscle. Women lose over 20% of their total muscle mass between the ages of 30 and 70. Unfortunately, that muscle is replaced with fat. Since fat takes up more room than muscle, the scale can go down and your clothing sizes can go up. The best way to mitigate this is to keep lifting weights.
- You’ll build stronger bones. As we age, women are at risk of developing osteoporosis. Weight lifting engages muscles that pull on tendons which pulls on bones. This added stress makes your bones stronger. Stronger bones lead to being active for longer, and impact your quality of life.
So pick up that barbell ladies. What have you got to lose? Besides, think how great it would feel to outlift your guy. 😉
Meghan
