As I mentioned last week, I’m a massive fan of ‘proper’ weight training for a multitude of reasons. There is something pretty cool about being strong for your everyday life, especially for women. This means the simple things like carrying the groceries and opening jars become much easier – as well as being able to do much more fun stuff!
I’ve lost count of the number of women I’ve trained over the years, who didn’t play sport while growing up or had never lifted weights – this meant they have never felt the empowerment that being fit and strong gives them. My female clients primarily come to me for weight loss and ‘toning’ but as the “increased strength side-effect” of training kicks in they have bit of an epiphany as they suddenly discover that being stronger rocks!
So although it’s great to have some quick, effective workouts to hand – like the “Stability Ball & HIIT Mini-Circuits” (Circuit 1, Circuit 2 , Circuit 3) they are really only there to fill the gap when not able to lift in the gym.
The Top 5 Benefits of Lifting Weights
1. Muscle Fights Fat:
And no, ladies, lifting weights won’t make you bulky! It takes a serious amount of training, a prodigious amount of food and the right hormonal profile (ie testosterone) to ‘bulk’ up. However, what lifting weights will do, is improve your metabolism – and the knock-on effects of having better blood sugar control (greater insulin sensitivity), which then means a reduced diabetic risk and improved heart health – talk about a win-win!
2. Fight Osteoporosis:
As you age, you naturally lose muscle and bone mass. This is of special concern for women, whose bones are smaller to begin with and can become dangerously weakened by age. Weightlifting can help fight this, just as your muscles adapt to the stress of weightlifting by becoming bigger and stronger, your bones also adapt – anytime your bones perceive stress, the response is that more bone will be deposited, making them stronger. Improved balance is another ‘side-effect’, which helps to reduce falls and the risk of a broken hip as we age.
3. It Will Make You Mentally Stronger:
When you feel stronger physically, this increases your confidence and you usually feel stronger mentally. Weightlifting teaches you the skill of perseverance, the ability to overcome discomfort and challenge yourself. Both weightlifting and aerobic exercise have been found to reduce the symptoms of depression – get moving and your body and brain will love you for it!
4. Be Better at Your Sport:
No matter what sport you are into, weight training in the gym will translate into better performance. Weightlifting also improves dexterity, endurance and hand-eye coordination, all of which will help you be at the top of your game.
5. You’ll Look Better!
Plain and simple, weightlifting is the best way to get a sleek, toned, sexy body — for both men and women. You can do all the cardio you want, but without some form of resistance training to challenge the muscles, you won’t get those toned, lean muscles in all the right places, the ones that shape your body.
The reason I train is to be fit enough and strong enough to do whatever I fancy – being an active person, who seeks out fun things to do and playing sport, this is my focus. The associated benefits are that, as long as I stay on track with my nutrition 80-90% of the time too, I stay in great shape.
The questions is, why do you want to exercise? With my clients who come to me for more aesthetic goals, I get them to also chose a fitness goal as well. The reason for this is so that everything doesn’t just revolve around what you look like but also how you feel, how your body is functioning and how many more great things you can do.
Check out the “Get Fit & Fabulous” programme to see how we can make your weight loss and fitness goals a reality!
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