Should women strength train?

When women ask me how to “tone up” I tell them weight training is a necessity. They immediately shy away in fear of looking like a female bodybuilder. What will weight training do for you? It will tone you up and turn you into a calorie-burning machine!

Weight training is amazing for women and for muscle tone!

Women simply do not have the hormone levels that men do to turn into a female bodybuilder. Therefore it is much more difficult to create massive muscles like the professionals. Women who do have a larger amount of muscle may have had years of heavy explosive training for a sport or have supplemented with anabolic steroids. In other cases more athletic women may carry more muscle tone but could have a layer of fat on top of which prevents them from looking lean. The muscle will give them the appearance of being smooth, but they may have more fat on top to give the look of "bulkiness." Lucky for them as soon as they lean up a few pounds they will have nice definition underneath.

The burning question is, "Does muscle weigh more than fat? And if it does, why would I want it?" I don't want to get too technical or scientific, but a pound is a pound. One pound of muscle is just denser compared to a pound of fat. The pound of lean muscle will simply take up less space and be smoother than fatty tissue. Say YES to muscle tone and YES to weight training!

Weight training for women has many benefits - here are my top favorite!

1. Muscle requires more calories per day for your body to maintain than fat. Fatty tissue can just sit there and chill out requiring no energy to stay on your thighs. With added weight training and muscle tone your metabolism goes into overdrive! In time, an increase in muscle tone will decrease fat without changing your diet! Planning on eating a little healthier and decreasing your calorie intake? Even better! Weight training can increase your metabolism and help you lose those unwanted pounds!

Example: Gain 7 pounds of muscle and you'll burn about an extra 350 calories a day. That equals jogging more than 3.5 miles every day! Over 10 weeks that is a 7-pound fat loss! Just changing your body composition from fat to muscle tone will naturally rev your metabolism at any age!

2. Ever thought about buying cellulite cream? Think again. Whether someone is overweight or not, many women have cellulite. Cellulite creams temporarily fill the cells around the fat with water, making you appear puffy and smooth. Don’t we want to look lean and smooth? To decrease the appearance of cellulite; weight train! Build some muscle tone in the area to smooth it over! I cannot tell you a better solution. Women that are even underweight can have cellulite. So instead of reaching for cellulite creams or paying premium price for cellulite miracle massages; reach for the weights! Weight training is much cheaper, it is NOT temporary and instead of being bloated and smooth you will be toned, tight, smooth and firm!

3. Plastic surgery anyone? Liposuction? We all have those areas on our bodies we secretly wish were not there. Create curves on your body naturally in the right places with weight training! Forget breast implants. You can create cleavage that is all yours girl! Higher, firm and natural! How about a rounder, smoother back side? Bring sexy back with weight training exercises! Gain muscle tone in your butt to create longer, leaner legs. The higher and tighter your butt, the more leg is exposed! There is no need for plastic surgery to remove flabby areas. In months it will return. Tighten up areas permanently with weight training and toning exercises. My favorite is making your own tummy tuck. Create lower abs with core exercises that could even make your low-rise jeans cry for more.

4. Weight training prevents injuries and helps strengthen bones and ligaments. If you want to lose weight you have to be strong first to prevent injury. Injury will only set you back. If you are a runner, swimmer, tennis player, walker, or love the elliptical; weight training can prevent injury from the repetitive motion of those exercises.
5. There's nothing sexier than a woman with flexible long lean muscles! Walking in heels takes some core balance! Adding muscle tone can do wonders for your posture and poise. Hit the weights and strengthen your core. Keeping your shoulders back and your tummy tucked in takes more energy than you may think. Weight training will strengthen those muscles making it second nature! It's never too late to start!

6. Warning! Weight training increases athletic ability which may in turn create competitiveness with your husband and friends! If you're a woman with active children or friends who like to be outdoors, go play! Why not enjoy the outdoors? Be strong enough to roller blade with your kids, play tennis, show up your husband on the golf course, pick up three kids at once and keep up with your younger gal pals.

7. Increased confidence! A confident woman is a strong woman. A strong woman feels sexy which can lead to many other benefits in her life.

8. Weight training will extended your life span. Who doesn't want to live longer? I know my family will want me to be around and I also know that my grandchildren will want me to be there to see them get married. What have you got to lose? 30 minutes a day?

OK, so now that you are ready to get started on weight training, put together exercises for every muscle group. You want to have muscle balance so that you are not stronger in certain areas and weaker in others. Your weights should be light enough that you can complete 12-15 repetitions, but also heavy enough to stimulate the muscle fibers into changing shape and becoming stronger. The last 2 repetitions should be difficult to do. It helps to complete one exercise after another with minimal rest so that you can burn more calories and raise your heart rate.

Try incorporating some jump rope or aerobic exercise between strength training exercises to burn more calories (circuit training). This will help with slimming and burning the layer of fat on top of that hard-earned muscle tone!

If you think you are too bulky and have too much muscle tone, continue weight training but mix up your cardio routine with it. Also take a second look over at your diet and see if you are creating a deficit in calories. Questions about diet? Send your question to us!

Weight train, tone up and let me know how it goes! I guarantee you will love it.

It also helps to have a set fitness program. Let me know if you would like one! Email me at Katrina@Baby-Strong.com.

Feel free to contact me with questions or just to share your goals!

Katrina

Baby-Strong Trainer
BS, NASM, AFAA, Perinatal Fitness Specialized