Women get in the weights room

This blog is about women & their terror of the weights room

It's like a taboo, it's never talked about except by women who already use weights

I'm guilty of this too. For years the only weight training I did was body weight resistance. So why are we so terrified of weights?
Well partly because it's a kind of male dominated area. Look at the free weights area in any gym and it's mostly men.
The other reason is women don't want to get bulky. So we have become cardio queens & the men have the eggy smelling heaven of hypertrophy

This is sad because there are very good reasons why women should use weights.

For example ; As your lean muscle increases so does your metabolism, this means you will be burning extra calories just through normal living. If , for each pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35 to 50 more calories each day, as has been generally found, that is a potential of 245-350 calories per week just existing

Women, unlike men, women typically don't gain size from strength training, because compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy (growth). You will, however, develop muscle tone and definition.

So why is it men get hench and women don’t?

In order to look at this we need to look at what hormones promote muscular growth in the human body

You trigger hormone production in your body by practically everything you do. Hormones are the chemical messengers the endocrine system secretes in order for your body to stay healthy. In order for to understand how muscle growth works we need to understand how they influence fat loss and muscle growth. Rather than a lesson on how the whole endocrine system works, which is complex and unnecessary, It is probably easier to focus on the specific hormones related to our subject in hand

Some hormones build muscle while others actually breakdown muscle. Some hormones burn fat, while otherhormones can actually cause you to store more of it. In understanding these hormones and how they interact with each other we can, through diet & exercise influence our body shape.

There are 6 major hormones that will affect muscular growth

Testosterone, Insulin, Glucagon, IGF-1 (Insulin like growth factor), Cortisol, Growth Hormone (GH)

Because I’m aiming this at women I am only really going to touch on testosterone but if you want more info then by all means research the other ones for yourself

This is probably the first hormone that people will think of when it comes to muscle hypertrophy (growth) and you would be right. Its primary role is muscle growth. It also helps to burn fat and establish your sexual identity. Men have significantly higher levels of testosterone than women.Testosterone causes muscle growth by directly stimulating protein synthesis and is the primary reason why men can get hench and women can’t. This is also why women should train with weights. We can build strength at a similar rate as men but we can never build muscle at the same rate. So unless you are crap with your diet you can’t get ‘big’. It doesn’t matter how heavy you lift you will never get hench.

Oh and just in case you are wondering about the manly muscle women in the pictures you see in muscle magazines, they are assisted.

Testosterone levels can be controlled by to some extent by our diet and exercise.

Plenty of the B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc and manganese as well as a higher fat intake will stimulate higher levels oftestosterone production. Fat provides cholesterol, which is needed for testosterone synthesis.

Testosterone will decrease the higher your stress levels go. Alcohol will also decrease testosterone levels plus the sugar will get turned into body fat, something we want to avoid

Another thing to remember is that although intense training causes an increase in testosterone, post work out, it will drop. It will stay low for a day or so, before rising again areason why recovery is important.

So good news for us ladies eh? We can pump Iron like Arnold but still look feminine. So aside from the fact we are going to look damned hot on the beach in our swimwear (I cant think of a better reason to be honest) why else should we weight train?

Weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density. This, coupled with an adequate amount of dietary calcium, can be a women's best defense against osteoporosis.Strengthening the lower back muscles can eliminate or alleviate lower back pain. Other studies have indicated that weight training can ease the pain of osteoarthritis and strengthen joints

Over and over research concludes that strength training improves athletic ability in all but the very elite athletes. Golfers can significantly increase their driving power.Cyclists are able to continue for longer periods of time with less fatigue.Whatever sport you play, strength training has been shown to improve overall performance as well as decrease the risk of injury

Strength training not only builds stronger muscles, but also builds stronger connective tissues and increases joint stability. This acts as reinforcement for the joints and helps prevent injury.

Increasing your strength will make you far less dependent upon others for assistance in daily living. Chores will be easier, lifting kids, groceries and laundry will no longer push you to the max.

If your maximum strength is increased, daily tasks and routine exercise will be far less likely to cause injury. Research studies conclude that even moderate weight training can increase a woman's strength by 30 to 50 percent. Research also shows that women can develop their strength at the same rate as men.

When cardiovascular exercise is added to all of this, these benefits are maximized.

The No. 1 benefit of following an aerobic exercise plan is the change in your cardiovascular fitness that results from this kind of training regimen. Regular aerobic exercise causes your lungs to process more oxygen with less effort; your heart to pump more blood with fewer beats; and the blood supply directed to your muscles to increase. As a result, by performing cardiovascular exercises, you are increasing your body's endurance and efficiency. An important thing to remember though is that once the exercise is finished calorie burn is over

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Resistance training (weight training) can play an important role in the development of self-confidence and body satisfaction by increasing strength, sculpting muscles and increasing muscular endurance. It can also help maintain lean body mass (important for individuals attempting weight loss), decrease the risk of osteoporosis, develop coordination and balance, and prevent injuries resulting from weak muscles. The nice thing with this work out is that the fat burn can continue up to 12 hrs after the workout. Providing the intensity is high enough.

So in short ladies, cardio gets your heart and vascular system fit, weights burn fat and make you look fit

Get in the weights room girls, show the boys how we can do it and look fit, hot & sexy