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In the past, women avoided weightlifting as an exercise method out of concern that they would end up seeming "too masculine" or "getting too big." Female strength sports were not fully acknowledged until the 1970s and 1980s, with the recognition of female bodybuilders (1977), female powerlifters (1987), the Women's Weightlifting Championship (1987), and the Strongest Woman competition in 1997.

Since the emergence of CrossFit in the early 2000s, the concept of female strength athletes has grown even more in popularity.

The significance and advantages of strength training, however, go far beyond improving athletic performance. For women of all ages and stages of life, strength training is an essential part of a well-rounded fitness regimen and healthy lifestyle.

5 justifications for women lifting

1. Creation of Healthy Movement Patterns
2. Increasing Confidence in Oneself
3. Elevating RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate)
4. Reduced Metabolic Syndrome Risk
5. Enhanced Bone Mineral Density

Many women start weightlifting routines for cosmetic reasons. She may have seen a social media post or magazine article with photographs of ladies who are extremely toned and slender that she wants to imitate. Perhaps she has been told that working out with weights will aid her efforts to shed weight.

These illusory motivational factors might actually be true — Toronto personal trainers confirm strength training can enhance appearance. Lean body mass gains can help with fat loss, but they are insignificant in comparison to the very real, frequently game-changing advantages of strength training.

Development of pain-relieving movement patterns and reason 1

Remember the saying, "If you keep making that face (or in this case, doing that movement), you will get stuck that way?" The human movement system is particularly prone to muscular imbalance and the emergence of dysfunctional movement patterns, therefore there is a kernel of truth to this assertion.

Many adults experience persistent shoulder, knee, back, or neck pain.  Up to 70% of individuals will experience one of these ailments at some point in their lives. In the modern era, musculoskeletal pain and related syndromes are the main contributors to disability worldwide.  This form of pain is typically attributable to ingrained bad movement patterns.

Targeting weak muscle groups during strength training with a competent fitness professional might be helpful. Additionally, it enhances general movement patterns, which significantly reduces discomfort in the musculoskeletal system. The bottom line is that strength training can keep us moving without pain.

Improvement in self-confidence and the choice of healthy goals are the second reason.

In both younger and older women, having a poor body image is a prevalent problem. Women's perceptions of their bodies and other self-esteem indicators have been shown to improve with strength training. In contrast to other exercise modalities like walking, this is valid.

Women may participate in disordered eating habits and fad diets as a result of the pressure they feel to see that number on the scale go down. Resistance training programs can help women shift their attention away from weight loss and toward building strength.

Resistance training programs, improved the psychological results for women who had a history of eating disorders. The main conclusion is that strength training can help us break the pattern of dieting and achieving unattainable body image goals.

Reason 3: Increasing Metabolic Rate of Resting Cells

Our resting metabolic rate (RMR), which contributes between 60 and 70 percent of our total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), is the main source of TDEE. Due to the high metabolic activity of muscle, a person's lean body mass (muscle, bones, connective tissue, and body water) has a significant impact on overall RMR and metabolic rate. In comparison to adipose (fat) tissue, it therefore needs more energy to maintain itself.

RMR calculator here.

For instance, Sarah and Rachel are both 140 pounds and 5'4" tall at the age of 30. Since these two women are the same height and weight, we could initially presume that they have the same metabolic rates. There is a sizable difference, though.

As a recreational powerlifter who works out five days a week, Rachel has a body fat mass that accounts for 18% of her entire body weight. Sarah, on the other hand, is largely inactive and has a body fat percentage of 35% of her total body weight. Sarah has a lean body mass of 91 lbs, compared to Rachel's total lean body mass of 114.8 lbs.

RMR for Rachel: 1,497 kcal per day

 RMR for Sarah: 1,263 kcal per day

The greater fat loss that results from strength training over time is demonstrated by the example given here. Strength exercise does not need a lot of energy in and of itself; rather, it raises your TDEE, which over time might result in a leaner body.

Because of Rachel's slightly higher lean body mass, her RMR is higher than Sarah's. The important line is that having more muscle mass boosts our daily caloric expenditure, not just on days when we exercise.

DECREASED RISK OF METABOLIC SYNDROME (EH HEM...DIABETES AND HEART DISEASE) IS THE FOURTH REASON.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently 8.6% prevalent in the United States. According to Westcott, this translates to about one in twelve persons in the US who are currently managing type 2 diabetes. Similarly, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is currently the leading cause of death for women in the US.

These two conditions are connected because people with DM have a substantially higher incidence of CVD and are therefore much more likely to receive a subsequent CVD diagnosis. The body's metabolic malfunction and inflammation are the causes of these two diseases. Strength training can considerably increase metabolic efficiency, lower inflammatory indicators in the body, and improve insulin sensitivity.

Regular strength training may result in a 40–70% reduction in CVD risk for individuals (Liu et al., 2019) as well as a 40% reduction in DM risk for women. The important line is that strength training greatly lowers our chance of developing heart disease and diabetes.

Improvement and protection of bone mineral density (hello osteoporosis) is reason number five.

Osteoporosis is frequently a bone fragility disease that goes undetected until the affected person sustains a fracture. Did you know that 1 in 3 women will sustain a fracture as a result of osteoporosis at some time in their lives? The most prevalent bone disease in the world, osteoporosis has become more widespread as global life expectancy has increased.

This illness is characterized by decreased bone mass and generally weakening bones, which increases the chance of fractures and eventually immobility in those who are affected. The body regularly breaks down and replaces bone, much like it does with muscle and fat. For this tissue to stay strong and healthy, the rate of bone accretion (growth in bone) must be greater than the rate of bone reabsorption.

Similarly, for this process to take place, the skeleton needs to be subjected to some stress (more than the stress of normal activities). The best method for applying the right amount of stress to bone tissue to promote bone growth is resistance training. Conclusion: Strength exercise keeps our bones strong and healthy.

ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING WOMEN AND WEIGHTS

A WOMAN SHOULD LIFT WEIGHT HOW OFTEN A WEEK?

The answer to this question is wholly dependent upon your objectives, movement style, and stage of training. With two sessions per week and 8–12 repetitions of 8–10 exercises that target the main muscle groups, you can meet the training frequency needed to maintain your basic health. A well-rounded strength-training program, however, must first and foremost address any movement compensations you might have. This includes a flexibility component (strength and foam rolling).

The five training phases of the OPT modelTM are determined by the phase's goal. The first phase of this process is stabilization-endurance, the second is strength-endurance, the third is muscular development (hypertrophy), the fourth is maximum strength, and the fifth is power. How many sets, repetitions, and training frequency are decided during these phases. Women who are new to strength training could spend a lot of time in phase 1.

Some women might not want to advance past phase 2. Women who want to gradually increase their strength may cycle through Phases 3 and 4, which may necessitate more frequent exercise (perhaps 4 sessions per week as opposed to 2.

CAN LIFTING WEIGHTS HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT, OR SHOULD I PRIORITIZE CARDIO?

A person's resting metabolic rate will be higher the more skeletal muscle they have. The same is true for skeletal muscle, which increases insulin sensitivity. If weight loss is your objective, these elements will enable you to do it over time.

Remember Rachel and Sarah from our example. Your TDEE is significantly influenced by the metabolically active skeletal muscle in your body. In a healthy person, skeletal and cardiac muscles make up about 30% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

Cardio, however, is a crucial component of any weight loss program. A calorie deficit, or rather when total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) exceeds total daily energy intake (TDEI), causes weight loss. Cardio is therefore required to raise TDEE because strength training may burn fewer calories per session than cardio activity. Consider it in terms of a monetary comparison.

Strength training is like your investment in the stock market, while cardio is like your daily paycheck from work. Strength exercise will increase your skeletal muscle mass and indirectly raise your TDEE by raising your RMR, whereas cardio will increase it directly. The main line is that both aerobic AND strength training will be a part of a well-rounded workout regimen with a focus on fat loss.

WILL STRENGTH TRAINING MAKE ME EXTREMELY BULKY?

You can relax knowing that while engaging in a strength training program may provide some muscle hypertrophy (great growth), it is unlikely to produce large, bulky muscles.

While having big, bulky muscles is a fantasy for some women, for others it may be unsettling to begin a strength training regimen. Compared to their male counterparts, women often have smaller muscle fibres, a lower concentration of type-II (fast-twitch) muscle fibres, and significantly lower serum levels of testosterone (the most effective anabolic hormone) (between one-eighth and one-tenth).

Even when subjected to comparable training volumes, these characteristics enable greater muscular hypertrophy (development) in males compared to females. It is also crucial to keep in mind that developing really large muscles necessitates extensive targeted high volume strength exercise combined with careful nutritional approach.

In other words, it takes a lot of effort and commitment from both men and women to succeed.

WILL LIFTING WEIGHTS IMPAIR ME?

If suitable corrective exercises are used, a properly planned strength training program is more likely to reduce the risk of injury and may even relieve musculoskeletal pain syndromes.

The equipment in the gym can occasionally seem frightening. Some women worry that lifting weights can cause them to be hurt, especially if they already have a musculoskeletal condition (such as back, knee, or hip problems).

The best method to identify your movement compensations, rectify them, and learn safe and effective weight-lifting techniques is to engage with a competent fitness professional.

 CONSIDERATIONS FOR WOMEN OVER 50 WHO WANT TO LIFT WEIGHTS

Long after menopause, many women are still perfectly capable of taking part in strength training regimens. The decrease in circulating anabolic hormones (estrogen and testosterone) and the decline in muscle satellite cells may make it more difficult to achieve strength gains, though muscle hypertrophy is still possible with carefully planned exercise regimens and nutrient timing.

Nothing in particular about this time in a woman's life precludes her from obtaining (if desired) extraordinarily high levels of strength. There are a few things to keep in mind, though.

In this age group, problems from CVD are more frequent. Furthermore, certain types and intensities of exercises may be counterproductive for those with diseases including high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, and/or they may need a doctor's approval before beginning an exercise program.

It's also important to remember that osteoporosis is a potential risk for women in this age group, and some of them may not benefit from high-impact exercise, exercises that increase the chance of falling, or exercises that put a lot of pressure on the spinal cord.

LAST THOUGHTS

For women of all ages and stages of life, a regular and well structured strength training program is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle.

Resistance training can help us reach our more aesthetic fitness goals by strengthening our muscles, bones, metabolic systems, and psychological well-being.