You may have read that women should lift weights – but won’t that make women ‘bulky?’ Being scared to lift weights is normal, especially when there are so many lies and confusing resources out there.
This is why it’s so important to learn a little about the body and how it works – then you know what to believe and what not to believe. For example, some resources will tell you to do high reps of a low weight to build ‘leaner’ muscle, but this isn’t the case. You will build very minimal, if any muscle by doing this and will likely build up endurance more than anything. Challenging yourself with weights and aiming for 8-15 reps is a good start for anybody.
However, if you need to be convinced, read on for seven reasons women should lift weights:
1. Lifting Weights Will Help You To Get That ‘Toned’ Look
‘Toning’ is also a bit of a myth in the fitness industry, which is why things can get confusing. ‘Toning’ is basically losing fat and building muscle. Beginners can do both at the same time, but if you’ve been working out for a while you will usually want to focus on one goal at a time. If you want definition at all, then you will need to lift weights – there are no two ways about it.
2. You’ll Love How Strong You Feel
Feeling strong is amazing. Many women love how empowered they feel when they start to lift weights and this makes them want to continue!
3. You’ll Feel Fitter And More Capable In Every Day Life
Lifting weights can help women to feel so much stronger, fitter, and more capable every day. Whether you’re taking bags from the car to the house, or moving furniture around, you’ll notice a huge difference when you’ve been lifting weights consistently for a while.
4. You’ll Learn the Power Of Your Mindset
Lifting weights truly requires a focus on mindset – you need to be able to push through your sets, keep going when the going gets tough, and believe that this is something you can do. The mind-muscle link is also important, as this encourages you to focus on the muscle and ensure you’re working the right one as you train. Visualizing the muscle working is said to help get better results.
5. You’ll Burn Fat Faster
The great thing about lifting weights is that it doesn’t just build muscle – it also helps to burn fat. Spending ages on the treadmill is so outdated!
6. You’ll Have More Interesting Workouts
You’ll struggle to get bored with a weight based workout as there’s so much you can do with it. You can do circuits, HIIT, and even heavy sets with a 3 minute break in between. You can switch things up and keep them fresh.
7. Relieve Stress
If you find yourself feeling stressed, there’s nothing quite like throwing some weights around to let it all out! Many people find it therapeutic.
Are you going to try this out? Leave a comment!
