Walk into any health club, and you will likely see women tolling away on the elliptical machines or running on a long line of treadmills to burn off those stubborn last 10 pounds, or, last night's dinner. There may be a few women benching weight plates or completing a circuit on the strength training machines but probably not as many. Despite the known health benefits of strength training for women that include reducing blood pressure and strengthening bones to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, many women still do not incorporate a strength component into their workout routine. It is never too late to start strength training.
Benefits
Weight training for women older than 40 is especially important. As women age, fat distribution changes, hormones fluctuate with menopause and metabolism slows down. Fat present in arms, legs and hips moves toward the abdomen, according to MayoClinic.com. Gaining fat in your abdomen presents more health risks that include increased risk for heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. Strength training develops muscle, which helps your body burn more fat even at rest. Added muscle increases the amount of calories your body burns in a day, which helps ward off weight gain.
Strength Training Outline
If you are a beginning weightlifter, remember to take things slow and progress gradually to prevent injury and give your body time to adapt. For general health benefits, women should weightlift at least two times a week for at least 30 minutes each day. Ask an employee of your health club for advice on learning the proper techniques for different weight lifting exercises. For a beginning program, do one or two sets of each strength exercise. Lift a weight that allows you to perform 12 to 15 repetitions without losing form. However, the weight should be high enough that by the last repetition, your muscles are tired.
Exercises
Create a list of about eight to 10 strength exercises you will complete for your weight lifting workouts. Combined, the exercises should target all of your body's major muscle groups. Begin the workout with compound exercises such as squats, lunges, the bench press or the shoulder press. Perform exercises you feel comfortable doing or that you enjoy. For example, if you prefer using machines over free weights, use machines. Ten exercises you may choose to start with are squats, chest presses, lunges, lateral pull-downs, calf raises, shoulder presses, stability ball situps, bicep curls, triceps push-downs and lower back extensions.
Considerations
After a weight lifting session, the muscles you targeted need a day to rest, recover and grow back stronger. Plan your strength workouts so they occur on nonconsecutive days if you plan on strength training for your whole body each day.
When you reach a point in an exercise when the weight is not challenging enough, increase the weight or the number of repetitions to continually challenge your muscles.
After four to five weeks, change your weight lifting program to reduce boredom and prevent your muscles from plateauing.
Warnings
Consult a doctor before beginning an exercise program. If you have a history of muscle pain or a recent injury, ask your doctor what your exercise restrictions are to prevent doing more harm to your body.
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