Women need to strength train for many reasons:
- It boost metabolism.
- It builds stronger bones.
- It helps us stay independent.
- It creates the right curves in our jeans and gorgeous tank top shoulders.
But most women are afraid to pick up a dumbbell. Why?
Fit Myth number #3:
I don’t need to lift weights. I don’t want to get bulky; I just want to get toned.
It’s time to stop being afraid of weights. We need to stay strong to live life. Kids don’t get any smaller. The laundry basket weighs at least 10 pounds. If we don’t strength train we lose our ability to do our daily tasks. No more 3 pound dumbbells. You need to lift a weight that is challenging. That’s how you’ll stay functional and fit.
In reality, adding a lot of muscle is actually pretty hard for ladies. With lower testosterone and more estrogen, women have to follow a pretty intense regime of training, eating and supplementation to get a competition ready physique. Doing bodyweight and functional strength training 2-3 days a week will help shape the lean body you want.
Unless you fall victim to…
Fit Myth #4:
I’m exercising so I can eat whatever I want.
The reality is you can’t out train a bad diet. Most of us tend to overestimate the amount of calories we actually expend via exercise. 30 minutes of strength training (for a 160 pound female) averages a calorie burn of about 200 calories. She can also expect a metabolic lift via the rebuilding process of about 84 calories (estimated BMR of 1200 x 7% increase). That’s 284 calories of burn vs. an extra slice of pizza (300 on average) or a muffin (350 for an Apple Bran) with your coffee at Starbucks. You’ve erased your burn, not created a calorie deficit.
No workout plan will help you lose fat if you aren’t paying attention to what you eat. If you don’t, you might actually end up getting bulky. Not because you’re adding muscle but because the fat over of the muscle isn’t going away or perhaps even getting bigger.
Strength + Cardio + Food Quantity + Food Quality = Fat Loss
Miss one and the whole equation is off. Where are you finding yourself out of balance?
