Strength Training for Women: Myths vs. Facts

Myth: I won't burn as many calories in a weight training class as I would in a traditional cardiovascular class.
Fact: Although resistance training does not result in significant immediate caloric expenditure, it does positively impact lean body mass and resting metabolic rate(1). As your muscles get stronger, the number of calories you burn just sitting around also increases.

 
Myth: The purpose of weight training is to look muscular and buffed.
Fact: Weight training has numerous benefits that go beyond just looking better. Resistance training can help women (and men):

• Build strength and lose fat faster
• Lower chances of osteoporosis and improve bone density(2)
• Lower blood pressure
• Help reduce cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease(3)
• Improve insulin sensitivity
• Improve sleep

 
 
Myth: Strength training will make my muscles large and bulky.
Fact: That is simply not true. The ability to increase total muscle mass is highly dependent on many factors like total resistance volume (the amount of weight you left), increased caloric intake (you will have to eat a lot more), increased recovery time (you will have to sleep more), genetics and circulating levels of testosterone. Strength Training will not cause muscles to be bulky in women, but will help shed inches not gain them.
 
 
Myth: I have to join a gym to perform strength training exercises. I can’t afford to buy expensive dumbbells and weight machines to use at home.
Fact: Resistance training can be performed almost anywhere – it just requires some creativity. When you are starting out, household items – such as bags of rice, cans of soup and books – can make convenient weights. If you want more resistance, elastic bands which are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased over the Internet (or at retail stores) are great for building strength and endurance.

 
Myth: I’m too old to begin a strength training program.
Fact: Research has shown that people of all ages can benefit from strength training. In fact, strength improvements of up to 174 percent have been reported in 90-year-old, institutionalized volunteers.(4)
 
 
Myth: I’ll have to radically change my diet to obtain any benefit from strength training.
Fact: Strength can be increased simply by increasing stress to the muscles. Researchers have found that women can significantly reduce their percent of body fat and increase fat-free mass and resting metabolic rate without significantly restricting their dietary intake.
 
 
Myth: Strength training can be harmful during my pregnancy.
Fact: Assuming you have no complications from exercise and your physician has cleared you to exercise, resistance training during pregnancy can have numerous beneficial effects like:

• Prevent or reduce low back pain
• Help build and improve stamina, especially during labor period(5)
• It may help women with gestational diabetes improve and reduce their need for insulin therapy(6)
• Can help enhanced maternal psychological well-being before and after delivery
• Help return to pre-pregnancy weight

 
Ready to start Strength Training? Check out the FREE Strength Training plans for an easy-to-follow downloadable programs.
 
Happy Healthy Transformation!

Your Trainer,
Rami Aboumahadi
 
(1) Effect of resistance training on resting metabolic rate and its estimation by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry metabolic map.
(2) The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density: a review.
(3) US News Health
(4) High-Intensity Strength Training in Nonagenarians: Effects on Skeletal Muscle
(5) The Importance of Exercise as a Therapeutic Agent
(6) Exercise guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus