When you hear "strength training," you might picture burly jocks bench-pressing overloaded barbells, but it's an essential part of any fitness regimen that women often overlook. If you're sticking solely to the treadmills and elliptical machines, you're missing the opportunity to quicken weight loss and improve your strength and stamina. Learn the basics, but, as with any exercise routine, first get advice from your doctor about the types of strength training that will benefit you the most.
Benefits
If you're exercising to lose weight, strength training will help you reduce your body fat levels and look more toned, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Having better strength and endurance also will help you with everyday activities, be they tending the kids or carrying a bag of heavy groceries. Other benefits include better balance, better coordination and better circulation. More importantly, strength training will keep you healthy as you age. Strength training will help you maintain muscle mass, which will prevent you from becoming frail. Additionally, it can help lessen bone loss related to osteoporosis.
Misconceptions
You might have shied away from strength training for fear that it would leave you with a bulky, muscular body. Women's estrogen levels, however, generally prevent them from gaining large amounts of muscle mass, according to the Women's Heart Foundation. Strength training will make your body tighter and firmer, not bulkier. You also might associate strength training only with lifting heavy barbells. In reality, strength training can involve a number of exercise styles, including simple weight machines, resistance tubing or even simple push-ups and squats. At the same time, you don't want to stick to just light weights, as this will not change your muscle tone.
Considerations
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you perform strength training exercises two or three times a week. Each session should last about 20 minutes. For each exercise in your regimen, do eight to 12 repetitions. Choose a weight level that you can lift comfortably but is still heavy enough to make the last one or two repetitions difficult. Only do one or two sets of each exercise, and do about six different exercises per session. Make sure they equally work your upper and lower body muscles.
Types
The Women's Heart Foundation recommends beginners try simple exercises with dumbbells for upper body strength training. These include curls for your biceps and triceps, raises for your shoulder muscles and rows for your neck and upper back. Work with a trainer or knowledgeable friend first to make sure you are using the right motions and maintaining proper posture. For the lower body, try squats, which are deep knee bends, or lunges, in which you thrust one foot forward and bend your knees toward the ground. Sit-ups for your abdominal muscles can round out your routine.
Warning
Stretch both before and after strength training to increase your range of motion and prevent joint injuries. Also start with a light warm-up on the treadmill or elliptical for five to 10 minutes. Don't overdo it with strength training. If a weight is too heavy for you to lift once comfortably, you risk injuring your bones or joints. You also risk injury if you do strength training for too long in a single day or more than a few days a week. Always let your muscles rest for a day after you do strength training exercises.
Member Comments
belindagates March 6
Nice article, but don't you think it's a little dated to assume that the daily activities of a woman are just tending to the kids or carrying groceries? These are old cliches that aren't relevant anymore. Please use current examples.
onedaylilly March 6
my thought exactly!!!
Melissa2180 March 6
Who cares what examples are used? You got the info and that is all the author was getting across. Woman=lift weights. Simple, why the drama? Oh wait lets try this cliche, you are women, drama follows you. sheesh.