'But Vogue says the ‘she-hulk' look isn’t in this season'.
-I just want to tone up...
-If I so much as look in the direction of a barbell, I may as well say goodbye to normal life and start signing up for bodybuilding shows and getting custom made jeans.
- I just want a thigh gap, hip dips and Kardashian 🍑
-Weights = for men, cardio = for me.
-I NEED fat burners and ‘women’s protein powder’.
- The weights area scares me. Only men go in there.
I think in recent years in particular, a lot of positive things have happened in the health and fitness space for women. There's more education, better access to credible resources, lots of fantastic female sporting role models and a shift in interest from being runway model stick thin to feeling healthy, strong and focussing on things other than just the scales.
Which is GREAT and all, but I still see things floating about that have me banging my head on the wall. With a lot of bull*** still floating about on the internet & women's only products, fad diets, 'influencer social media hot trends' still hot topics of conversation, it appears that the media and internet are still determined to mislead people.
The benefits of resistance training go way beyond just how you look though and there are lots of things that come with lifting weights, that will have a huge impact on women in particular.
-Weight management & body recomposition; essentially building muscle & losing fat. Despite popular belief, it is a misconception that to lose fat you should only do cardio. Whilst cardio plays a very important role in this, it's also really important to build the muscles underneath so once we begin to drop fat [whilst in a deficit], the muscle underneath is more prominent.
-Increased bone density and strength with a reduced risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia.
-Reduced risk of health complications such as diabetes, heart disease and pulmonary complications.
-Increased metabolic rate; essentially, burning more calories during both exercise, resting, sleep and through NEAT
-Delaying onset of Sarcopenia caused by ageing, inactivity and poor overall health. As we age, we involuntarily can begin to lose muscle mass [known as sarcopenia] and whilst we can't prevent this completely, we can slow the effects. One of the reasons for this is a natural decrease in natural testosterone levels in the body. Preserving and building as much lean body muscle mass when you are younger and then continuing to maintain this, gives us a more solid base. The more muscle we have and stronger joints, particularly as we age, will also mean we are less likely of injury through accidents like falling, tripping and being unable to lift ourselves out of a set position.
-Maintaining functional ability, both in exercise and everyday life. Movement requires muscle and having a larger proportion of muscle benefits performance across the board. The ability to move in a certain way and perform exercises or movement patterns with good quality - the more muscle we have, the more everyday tasks will become easier.
In addition to the above, resistance training provides ALL the mental benefits of regular exercise- nothing feels as good as SMASHING targets and lifting new personal bests. It is incredibly empowering. There are plenty of studies to show that resistance training is a great stress relief too due to the hormones released during and after.
Now before you go away from this thinking you need to run to the gym, start slogging around huge weights in order to achieve some of these benefits, PAUSE.
Resistance training includes but is not limited to body weight training, resistance bands, kettlebells, weights, dumbbells etc..You can pick exercises based on experience and can start slowly and then progress and work your way up. There are plenty of credible resources, coaches and information out there to help you chose the best exercises, training plans and ways of incorporating resistance training into your routine!
Or alternatively, you could always reach out and give me a message either on social media or through my website and I'd be happy to help dispel any myths, encourage and support you in your fitness journey!
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