five reasons why...

WOMEN SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS

1 IT WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR MUSCLES

Exercise physiologist Dr Irv Rubenstein says: “For muscles to grow stronger, all you need to do is make them work harder than they are accustomed to working. This is called the ‘overload principle’.”

It’s as simple as that: If you start lifting weights, you will get stronger. But following this principle, if you start lifting weights, you can’t just stay at the same level forever – to continue building up your muscles, you need to steadily increase your weights or reps.

2 YOU WON’T BECOME SUPER MUSCLY

One of the main things deterring women from lifting weights is the idea that as soon as you start pumping iron, you’ll end up like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Dr Rubenstein explains: “Women can get stronger but can’t, usually, get as large as men – simply because testosterone levels are lower.”

Of course, women can develop a muscly physique, it’s just harder to achieve than it is for men. “Females generally have more body fat – breast and hip tissue attest to this – so their ability to pack on as much muscle as a male would require losing a lot of fat mass,” says Dr Rubenstein.

3 IT KEEPS YOUR HEART HEALTHY

The American Heart Association recommends strength training twice a week for overall heart health.

Dr Timothy Miller, a sports medicine physician at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Centre, told US News: “Strength training often gets overlooked for its importance in improving cardiovascular health, but it can be a valuable addition in reducing the risk of heart disease.”

4 IT HELPS YOU BURN MORE CALORIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Health and fitness website Livestrong notes: “Although this type of exercise doesn’t burn many calories, it keeps your muscles and bones strong and can increase your metabolism.”

A lot of women opt for cardio-based workouts to burn the most calories possible. However, even though a weights session might not burn as many calories as running on the treadmill, it’ll help burn more in the long term.

5 IT BUILDS YOUR CONFIDENCE

There are lots of incredible health and fitness reasons to start strength training, but there’s a psychological aspect to consider too. As a woman, lifting weights has the power to hugely boost your confidence. Getting stronger is an amazing feeling, as is knowing weights are by no means a boys-only club.