Weight Training for Weight Loss

Do you shy away from weight training when you go to the gym?  Most women avoid weight training because they don’t know what to do or they are afraid that they are going to bulk up.  A woman’s body isn’t going to bulk up like a man’s because she doesn’t have as much testosterone.  But adding a good resistance program to your gym routine can propel your results further than ever before.

One reason that weight training is so crucial to weight loss is because it can help you to burn more fat.  Every pound of muscle you add to your body increases your metabolism so that you can burn an extra 50 calories of fat.  In just a couple months of weight training it’s estimated that the average women loses more than three pounds of pure fat while adding on a couple pounds of muscle.

Get Lean, Not Bulky!

It’s a common misconception that a woman will bulk up while she is weight training.  Instead, she will tone her body.  Wouldn’t you rather go to the beach with a little definition to your muscles than looking slim but without any muscle?  If you use steroids then you will be able to get a huge bodybuilder’s body.  But the average woman won’t get that big.

Every day you use your muscles, which is one reason that strength training is essential.  When you move boxes around the office or put something up in your attic for storage you use muscles all over your body.

To get the most out of your workout it’s recommended that you perform exercises that are similar to daily actions.  For example, if you have kids then work your muscles in similar ways that you would to lift them up.  This is especially important in athletic weight training.  An athlete wants their weight training routine to closely simulate the actions on the court.

Reduce Health Risks With Strength Training

By adding a strength training routine to your workout you can reduce your risk for certain problems later in life.  For example, you may notice that your arthritis pain decreases or your low back pain when you strengthen those muscles.

Building up your strength can reduce your risk of injury at work or in your daily life.  Have you gotten together with your old volleyball teammates and tried to play a game of volleyball?  The next day you are so sore that you wonder how you ever played for hours every day.  But if you keep up you strength training you could go to a volleyball game and join in without worries about any pain the next day.

Strength training and weight bearing exercises are recommended for problems such as osteoporosis.  It could help to prevent you from developing osteoporosis early in your life if you are using your muscles and requiring more of your skeletal system.  For example, even running as opposed to biking is enough of a weight bearing exercise to make a difference.

Don’t you love walking over to a machine and using it better than that huge man who just left?  It’s such a confidence booster to walk up to a machine and know how to use it correctly and catch a couple people staring at you to figure out how to use it.

Exercising, and particularly strength training, can reduce depression more than counseling in some cases.  It’s especially important to beat those winter blues.  Some women have reported that strength training and developing a stronger body has given them a better outlook on life and an improved attitude that carries over to other aspects of their life.

Benefits of Weight Training

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of weight training is the changes it produces in body composition.  Let’s set up a scenario here.  A woman who weighs 140 pounds never exercises.  She tries to lose 10 pounds and does so by cutting out sugar and fat from her diet.  In other words, the only way she tries to lose weight is through diet.

Woman B also weighs 140 pounds.  She exercises daily and has included strength training in her routine.  She also cuts back on calories but has a balanced diet with exercise.

After a couple months they are both at their goal weight of 125 pounds, which is a healthy place for each of them to be at.  But if you look at the body composition you will start to notice some huge differences.  Without exercise Woman A has even more body fat than she started with since her body started to eat away at the muscle for energy.  Whereas Woman B has significantly reduced her body fat percentage by increasing lean muscle mass.

In addition to these benefits, Woman B can walk around with confidence knowing that she is strong enough to take care of herself and her body is toned and fit.  She can go hiking or biking with the knowledge that she is in good shape and can do anything.

Weight training is essential for weight loss

Even for women!  It won’t cause you to bulk up but rather you will be fit and have a better body composition.  The benefits to your health are numerous and can be seen by everyone around you.  Try adding a weight training program and see if your results are achieved faster and with better results than ever before.