Although many think of lifting weights as a masculine activity, many women have discovered the numerous benefits and the health improvements that come with regular strength training. Benefits come to anybody who participates in strength training, but adult women have an additional motivation specific to their health needs as they get older.
Identification
Strength training is a workout technique that requires you to perform movements against some type of resistance, which can come in the form of dumbbells, barbells, machines or your own body weight. As you perform the movements against resistance, your muscles become overloaded, fatigued and suffer from minor tears. The muscles heal, adapt and grow so that they're better able to handle subsequent strength training sessions.
Program Design
Women typically have busy schedules, but fitting in an effective strength training program does not have to take up too much time. Twenty minutes is plenty of time to fit in adequate exercises. Women should strive to lift two to three days per week, with a day of rest in between. New England Wellness suggests that women choose a weight that causes muscle fatigue at around eight to 12 repetitions and to complete one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Choose exercises that work all of the major muscle groups.
Benefits
Strength training strengthens muscles, ligaments and tendons, which subsequently affect the ability to perform daily activities, such as mowing the lawn or picking up a child. It improves balance and self-confidence. The increase in muscle mass from consistent strength training results in a faster metabolism, which means that more calories are burned per unit of time, even while at rest. This facilitates body fat loss and promotes a healthy body weight.
Importance Specific To Women
Although strength training is important for everyone to participate in, women specifically should take part in a regular lifting regime to assist in the maintenance and developing of bone density. Because of hormonal differences, as females get older, they naturally lose density in their bone. The stress that lifting weights places on bones slows deterioration and can even cause bones to grow stronger, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Considerations
Many women are hesitant to participate in strength training because they're afraid of developing big muscles that many consider unattractive. It's important to note than women are physiologically unable to build large muscles like men unless they possess an abnormal amount of testosterone or receive assistance through artificial means.
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