WHY YOU SHOULD BE WEIGHT TRAINING...
WHY YOU SHOULD BE WEIGHT TRAINING!
Yes, I’ve been there before and I’m sure a lot of you have before as well where you head into the gym and you put your head down and go straight to the safety of the cardio machines!
I signed up to a gym for the first time at 16, I remember how intimidated I felt. One of the attractions for signing up here was that this particular gym had a women’s only section but before entering the women’s section you would need to walk past the open gym area where a lot of males would be training. If you currently have a gym membership and train at a mixed gender gym then you would know how crazy and filled the gym can get at peak time with groups of tradies, football players, bodybuilders, groups of ladies, yes it can seem like a pretty intimidating place as even though quite often they’re not it feels as if they’re all stopping to look at you!
Before I became a personal trainer and worked in the fitness industry my biggest fear about the weights section of the gym was that it was just for the super-fit and super-knowledgeable! I felt like I didn’t belong! Like most beginners when you hear the word “WEIGHTS” you think:
- Oh, I don’t want to build big muscles and look like a man (You won’t)
- The idea that only men know how to weight train properly (They don’t)
- The belief that weight training is dangerous (It shouldn’t be)
- The worry that muscle turns into fat (It won’t)
- The belief that cardio is best for burning fat and changing your body (it isn’t)
The truth is that weight training is incredibly beneficial, and some of those benefits are even more important for women. That’s not to say that yoga, pilates, group exercise classes, and cardio are NOT beneficial, of course they are. It’s just that weight training is equally beneficial and should be included in your workout routine.
LISTED BELOW ARE FIVE REASONS WHY INCLUDING WEIGHT TRAINING IN YOUR FITNESS PROGRAM IS SO IMPORTANT.
- MORE EFFECTIVE FOR FAT LOSS!
The huge advantage to weight training is your bodies ability to burn fat during and after exercise, that’s right! You can still be burning fat not only while you’re lifting weights but several hours afterwards! There is a very high number of the population who are overweight or obese, and those who exercise regularly do so for weight control. Most of the time people think running 10kms every day will help them lose weight or torturing themselves on a cardio machine day in and day out! Don’t get me wrong, cardio does burn calories while you do it but as soon as you are done your metabolism returns to normal very quickly which means that to control your weight and see results you will need to do cardio almost every day and in compete honestly who enjoys torturing themselves with cardio every single day. Unless you do truly enjoy it. In addition, weight training preserves and even builds muscle mass - muscle mass requires more calories to sustain in that fat. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn 24/7 – yes, even while you are sleeping!
- YOU CAN TARGET YOUR PROBLEM AREAS.
While there is no such thing as spot reduction, it is possible to spot strengthen your body to improve problem areas. Your body chooses where fat will be burnt from and usually it leaves places it is needed least. Unfortunately, areas around the stomach and back help protect vital organs and are generally one of the last places to go. You cannot do thousands of sit ups and expect to lose the fat around your stomach, but you can strengthen the muscles underneath to become stronger and more present through the skin.
You can’t spot reduce the fat but you can improve the shape and look and reduce the fat from those areas as you reduce overall body fat percentage. For example, if you dislike your skinny lean legs and want to build toned and shape you can focus on weighted leg exercise or if you are unhappy about the shape of your butt, you can do glute exercises and if you’re worried about the firmness of your upper arms, you can do exercises specifically for that. Losing fat is a mixture of diet, weight training and cardio! REMEMBER… BALANCE OF EVERYTHING.
- IMPROVES YOUR STRENGTH.
Lifting weights will make you stronger and this is kind of the point of doing so but why do you need to be stronger? Strength makes everything you do in your everyday movements so much easier. From getting up and down from your toilet, carrying groceries, running around with your kids, to opening jars of peanut butter to changing a wheel on your car, strength makes everything easier, and makes your body more toned! The stronger you are, the easier everyday life is.
- CHANGES THE SHAPE OF YOUR BODY.
I’m sure you ladies have heard this before “I don’t want to look like a man” I know many women are concerned that training or lifting heavy weights will cause them to become masculine looking and to gain significant amount of muscle but that’s simply not the case! No matter how many weights you lift you can never look like a man simply because of the way we are built up, males have a much higher percentage of testosterone which is the male hormone that allows them to grow more muscle so that they can hunt, catch, protect. Whereas women have higher levels of estrogen which means that we can never hope to grow as much muscle as the guys, its just not physically possible. The female bodybuilders who have those very masculine features look that way because they’ve trained very heavy for 10 years, ate an enormous amount of food and have injected testosterone into their bodies to help grow more muscle tissue. Us normal girls lifting a few kettle bells and doing a few squats can never grow that much muscle, so don’t even be concerned by it. All you will receive is by weight training is to develop that lean toned physique and all the additional health benefits we’ve mentioned! Weight training will sculpt your body, I highly recommend weights and resistance training to change the way you look, you should choose a weight that is challenging through your reps without sacrificing your form. There are so many exercises you can do to help you reach your goals,
- IMPROVED SELF-CONDIFENCE
Weight training doesn’t just make you stronger physically, it makes you stronger mentally too. Ever heard that quote “You will never regret a workout” It’s so true, a lot some sessions can be a drag and tough you ALWAYS leave feeling more positive and in a better mind set and once you start to see changes in your body it becomes that much more rewarding.
I hope these tips I post helps some of you ladies out, especially if you’re feeling out of place. Always remember and remind yourself that everyone started where you are. If you’re still feeling unsure or intimated then ask for help. If you’re signed up to a gym then it is the staffs responsibility to make you feel welcomed and help you with any equipment, if they don’t then you’re at the wrong gym and you should trial out some other places where you feel more comfortable. You can also educate yourself through my app, we will be uploading new online videos that will show you workouts for different sets of muscle groups and goals alongside how to perform specific exercises! Another option is investing in a personal training as a teacher/coach!
Love always...
LT. xx
