5 Reasons why Women Should Lift Weights

I highly encourage all my female clients in our Outdoor Group Bootcamps to give resistant training a go, also known as weight training.

I know you have probably heard the horror stories when it comes to girls lifting weights.
It will make you big and bulky, it’s bad for your joints, if you build muscle and stop it will turn to fat. Sound familiar?

I can tell you, I too have heard it all before.
But I am here to tell you that it is all BS and I want to share with you some awesome benefits to lifting that iron.

Are you ready?

Highly Effective For Fat-Loss – This is one of the many reasons why I love to incorporate weight training into my workouts and all of the programs I have created over the years for my clients in Milton, Bardon, Auchenflower, Toowong & Paddington.

When you do cardio, you are only burning fat during the workout. With resistant training, when you have completed a workout, you can burn fat for up to 72hrs post workout. SAY WHAT?
Yes, that’s right. This is commonly known as the “after burn” or officially known as EPOC (Excess post-exercises oxygen consumption)

When your body uses more oxygen, it requires more energy expenditure and an increased metabolic rate.

More Muscle More Fat-Loss – As you start to build muscle
and increase your strength, your body will use calories more efficiently.

One of the sayings I have always followed is “The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn”
I think that is a win win right there.
Increased Energy – When you weight train, your brain releases endorphins throughout the body leaving you feeling amazing, on top of the world and you are full of energy.
This almost “euphoria” like feeling boosts your mood, leaves you feeling more energized and positive.

Stress Relief – Exercise overall is one of the best ways to release any tension or stress that you may have built up.
Researchers have consistently found that those who weight train regularly tend to manage their stress levels better and experience fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations then those who do not exercise.

Better Sleep – It’s very rare that I come across women these days that say they sleep right through the night without tossing or turning or getting up to go to the toilet, which to me doesn’t sound like a great quality of life.
I say life because the quality of your sleep then plays parts in all other areas of your life, like your moods throughout the day, productivity, attention span, alertness etc.

Strength training will improve your quality of sleep and will allow you to fall asleep faster, have a deeper sleep without having to wake up as much if not at all during the night.

So there you have it, no need to be scared anymore about lifting weights. There is no cardio machine that can shape and tone your body like resistant training does.

I believe incorporating a mix of different training styles together into your weekly workout routine will give you the ultimate results and the variety will keep you excited to work out and you will keep coming back for more.