10 Reasons why women should lift weights
By Martin Ebner, Head PT and sports nutrition specialist at Ebylife. (Updated 12 Nov 2021)
Photo by Cesar Galeao
There is still a big misconception among some women that lifting weights will make them “Bulky”.
There's also the belief that weights are only beneficial to those wanting to build serious muscle and get “swole”. The truth is, the benefits of weight training go way beyond building muscle and if you’re worried that by merely looking at a dumbbell you’ll magically transform into a female Hulk, here are 3 reasons why you needn’t worry.
First and foremost, building muscle is extremely hard to do! It takes time, dedication, consistency, planning and a LOT of hard work.
Secondly and perhaps most importantly, in order to build muscle, you need one critical component, Testosterone. Sorry ladies, us men have a lot more of it than you do. Around 10x the amount to be specific. It's just genetic! That means that unless you're megadosing a testosterone supplement, your chances of building excessive muscle from strength training is near impossible.
Thirdly, in order to build muscle size (which is different from muscle strength), you need to consistently train in a very specific manner. One in which you push your muscles to failure on an almost daily basis, and I'm guessing that's not part of the plan!?
Last but not least, gaining muscle mass as a consequence of weight training is as much about fueling and sports nutrition as it is about hitting the gym. So, unless you’re consuming a calorie excess by eating chicken breast, rice and broccoli for breakfast, lunch and dinner, lifting weights alone is not enough no matter what gender you are.
Now that's been clarified, let's look at some of the amazing benefits of weight training for women.
1. It makes you strong
I may be stating the obvious here but one of the main benefits of lifting weights is that it makes you stronger. I said stronger, not bigger. There's a difference!
Getting strong is beneficial in so many areas of life. From being able to piggyback your best friend home after a big night out and carrying your bike down a flight of stairs to building a strong core that improves posture and helps alleviate stubborn back pain.
2. Muscle helps to burn more fat
When you lift weights, you change your body composition. That means a better ratio of muscle to fat. Lean dense muscle is more metabolically active meaning that your body burns more calories throughout the day performing your normal daily tasks. Regular weight training should be as important as cardio exercise for weight maintenance and fat loss.
Related: 5 Best Stimulant-free Fat burners for Men and Women
3. It can help reduce your risk of injury
While it might sound counterintuitive, it's a fact that strength training (when done properly) can help reduce your risk of injury. Not only will it strengthen your muscles and bones, but it also helps strengthen the connective tissues – the ligaments and tendons that keep your body operating at peak condition.
4. It can improve the appearance of the body parts you least like
Unfortunately, you cannot spot reduce fat in certain areas of your body no matter how hard you try. You can, however, with weight training enhance the aesthetics of these troublesome areas (for women this is most typically the back of the arms, hips, and bottom) by building lean, dense muscle that helps improve the shape and therefore the appearance of these body parts.
Related article: Female Body types: How best to eat, train and supplement for your body type
5. Optimise Sleep
If you've ever done a tough weight training workout, you can appreciate the sometimes blood, always sweat and often tears that are involved. When you push your body hard during workouts, you increase your body's need and ability to get a good night's sleep.
Note – if you do struggle to fall asleep, try not to work out too close to bedtime. While exercise can help you nod off and sleep more soundly, when you exercise just before bed, you raise your core body temperature which can have the opposite effect.
Related: Performance Lab Sleep review
6. It helps improve sporting and athletic performance
Long gone are the days that athletes trained only in the area of the sport they performed. These days, almost all athletes, regardless of their sport, follow some form of strength training plan.
Incorporating weight training into your workout program specific to your sport can help you improve your power, strength, and speed to make you a better athlete.
Related: Life after sport - Fighting post athlete depression
7. It adds a new challenge to your exercise routine
If you've been doing the same traditional cardio workouts week in week out for years, chances are your results have slowed and you're feeling a little bored. Incorporating weight training into your exercise routine can be a great way to mix things up and offers a new challenge for your body.
Related: How to build a successful workout plan
8. It makes you feel great
If you've ever lifted your own body weight above your head you can appreciate how exhilarating it can be. Much like other forms of exercise, weight training can not only make you look great, it can make you feel great too by building confidence, improving body image, reducing stress and anxiety and giving your body a big energy boost.
9. It adds longevity to your life
While staying fit and healthy can add years to your life, weight training has particularly good longevity benefits. As we get older our bodies begin to lose muscle (Sarcopenia) which reduces strength and mobility. A 2014 study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that the more muscle mass you have as you get older, the less likely you are to die prematurely. That means that as opposed to focusing on how much you weigh, we should be trying to maximize and focus on maintaining muscle mass as we age. What better way to do that than by lifting weights!?
Related: How to stay lean as you age
10. You'll look better in skinny jeans (and naked)
Ok, so on its own, looking better in a pair of skinny Jeans isn’t that great of a reason to lift weights and apparently, Generation Z are well on their way to having them canceled anyway. However, it is one of the many benefits of strength training. Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up a lot less space. So if you’re trying to fit back into your skinny jeans or feel sexy in that cocktail dress, drop the excessive cardio and pick up some weights!
