Weightlifting for Women

January 5, 2018

Weightlifting alone will not make you bulky

Weightlifting has so many benefits for all people. More and more women are adding weights to their workout routines and finally seeing the results they have been striving for.
A lot of women come to me as a personal trainer, with their health and wellness frustrations and goals. The goals vary, but the most common is to “tone up,” or “lose weight.” When I hear these goals, the first thing I ask the client is if they are currently lifting weights or doing any sort of resistance training. The most common answer is “no” and their reason is “because I don’t want to bulk up.” Getting “bulky” strictly from lifting weights is a myth. It takes a lot of precise nutrition and very heavy lifting to have huge muscle gains. It is especially difficult for women to have extreme muscle gain because women have less testosterone in their bodies.

I encourage everyone to lift weights as an addition to their normal workout routine. The benefits are vast and include reducing body fat percentage. As humans, we cannot determine where we lose and store fat in our bodies. Every person’s body is different. However, we can increase muscle mass throughout our bodies. Increasing muscle mass will lower body fat percentage, which will then translate into a higher metabolism. A higher metabolism equals more calories burned per day and a more efficiently working body.

Another benefit to weightlifting is increasing bone strength, in turn reducing the risk of Osteoporosis, which women are more susceptible to than men. Stronger bones mean less chance for injury and less money spent at the doctor – another great reason to add weights to your routine.

Additionally, weightlifting strengthens joints and connective tissues in the body. One of the most common and costly injuries are knee joint injuries. By adding weights to your routine the risk of those types of injuries dramatically declines.

Have you ever felt that after workout “burn?” When you are weightlifting, you are creating tiny tears in your muscles (don’t worry, this is a good thing). When you add weights, you will actually continue to burn calories and break down fat stores even after your workout is complete, while your muscles are repairing and re-building.

Still another benefit of lifting is that doing so reduces stress and enhances mood. When you exercise, endorphins are released which make you feel happy and fight pain and depression. You’ll also experience decreased stress and anxiety and increased energy.

Some great body weight and weightlifting, beginner exercises to add to your workout routine are squats, lunges, plank, chest press, row and Lat Pull Down. If you’re unsure how to perform these exercises, seek out an Innovative Health & Fitness personal trainer (always in red) to guide you through the exercise or explain how our fitness equipment works. We also offer free equipment orientations and personal training consultations to help you figure out what will work best for your body and your goals and help you get the results you are after. Contact us at (414) 529-9900, ext. 730 to set up a free consult.

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