Weight loss and fat burning, improving muscle tone as well as fighting osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are just some of the benefits women can reap from weight training. Many studies have revealed that weight training can improve physical and mental health, reduce musculoskeletal ailments and some of the troubles linked to getting older, for example osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and muscle wasting, and develops mobility and function.

One of the most unrelenting myths some women have about strength training is that working out with weights will turn them into female hulks. This just won’t happen, except a woman hits the gym with a vengeance, determined to look like the cover girl of a muscle publication. Instead, resistance training, as its often called, helps a woman develop a stronger heart and stronger connective tissue.

Opposing Myths And Misperceptions

Women think their exercise plans should be quite different from men’s programs, since the majority of women have no interest in becoming huge and muscular. Numerous myths and misperceptions have developed about women’s weight training from this key fear – becoming too big. This commentary opposes myths and misperceptions about women and weight training and makes the case that in nearly all instances the exercise plans for both men and women will be almost indistinguishable. We need to almost indistinguishable. We need to understand the physiology of strength training in order to dispel the myths.

Should Women Pump Iron?

Any woman who ventures into the weight room – a/k/a the unofficial boys’ club – may be hassled, because pumping iron is usually a man’s game. Increasing numbers of women are hitting the weight room, and the historical gender lines that divided the men from the women in the gym are vanishing rapidly, especially now with the phenomenal wave of aerobics that integrate martial arts, boxing and other forms of more masculine training routines.

A woman who begins lifting weights will soon find out that the benefits and results are amazing. Cardiovascular exercises by themselves can only do so much – but if you really want to reshape and tone your body, weight training is a must. You can achieve a great physique and keep your feminine curves by working with a reasonable amount of weight. If you’re a beginner, get a personal trainer for the first few sessions so you can learn proper techniques and posture to avoid injuries.

How Women Should Train

1. Train with weights – an attractive female physique is one that can only be attained by moving some serious iron in the weight room!
2. Train heavy – this is the best way to get hard and strong – but not big.
3. Train with compound, multi-joint movements – big, compound movements such as the deadlift and the squat are better than machine, isolation-type exercises for firming your thighs and butt as they let you use maximal weight while training a number of muscle groups simultaneously.

Training For Strength

Women pursue fitness for myriad reasons. A number of significant physiological changes take place when women train the body for strength.

1. Metabolism increases. This is particularly important for women of middle age, as it can help them avoid that predictable metabolic sluggishness that often occurs at that stage in life.
2. The density of the skeletal bones increases.
3. Strength training develops stronger ligaments and tendons, which work to hold up our joints and reduce the odds of injury from other activities.
4. Our muscles slowly diminish in size and strength unless regular muscular stimulation is performed.

The value of strength training for women should not be underrated. From juvenile athletes to seniors, strength training has been demonstrated to benefit all populations. Women are often told to lift very light weights to avoid gains in muscle mass. Unfortunately, without sufficient weight, the muscle will not change, and the goals of “tone” and “shape” cannot be achieved.

A Great Way To Prevent Bone Loss

Weight training has gained notice in recent years as a way to avert bone loss in postmenopausal women. The American College of Sports Medicine, in issuing updated, wide-ranging exercise strategies for kids and adults, highlighted not just the benefits of cardiovascular exercise but also the rewards of often-overlooked resistance training. Wendy M. Korht, Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Sector and lead author of the exercise strategies, published in the July 2005 issue of Medicine & Science, said “these types of exercise have been shown to increase bone mineral during pre-puberty.”

Do Women Who Train With Weights Look “Bulky?”

Regardless of what program they pursue, few women can build up large muscles; they simply lack the testosterone to achieve this. Female bodybuilders are self-selected for their genetic capacity to build muscle, they do a huge quantity of workouts, and they frequently take anabolic steroids, or other supplements with comparable effects: their results are very uncommon.

Feminine vs. Masculine Muscular Growth

A study done with tennis players of both sexes a few years ago found that all title holders at different levels of competition – junior, collegiate and professional – were found to have elevated amounts of the “male” hormone testosterone naturally present in their systems. In addition to having a higher percentage of body fat, women gain advantages in certain sports from not being as big or as muscular as men.

Weight Training Tips For Women

For women as well as men, the importance of weight training is unquestionable. You can’t refute the extra appeal of a potentially tighter and toner physique, especially when beach season rolls around. Here are some training tips you can use to get the most out of your weight training sessions:

1. Set an objective
2. Be consistent.
3. Become skilled at correct form and technique.
4. Work muscles to fatigue.
5. Vary your workouts.
6. Move slowly.
7. Work balanced muscle groups.
8. Find female-focused exercises.
9. Choose a get-buff pal.
10. Drink caffeine before lifting.
11. Be patient, and when you start seeing results,

Love your muscles.