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| Fitness |
 Strength
Training for WomenBy Trisha Stuart The importance of strength training for women should not be underestimated. Once a practice reserved solely for competitive athletes and bodybuilders, strength training has gained increasing popularity over the last decade. It is now realized that strength training is an essential part of any fitness program. Along with activities that focus on cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and body composition, strength training insures a well-balanced, injury free lifestyle. Strength training has been proven to benefit all populations from adolescent athletes to seniors. Women, in particular, see tremendous benefits. Women once relied on cardiovascular activity and a low calorie diet to change their physical appearance. Unfortunately, low calorie diets decrease the metabolism and, without including a consistent strength training program, effective change is not possible. We now know that strength training is absolutely essential if we wish to create visual changes in our bodies, and we’ve discovered that the benefits of strength training extend far beyond the visual. Strength training creates strong ligaments and tendons, which support our joints and decrease the likelihood of injury from other activities. Bone density also increases dramatically, reducing our risk of osteoporosis. It enhances quality of life, enabling us to better perform daily activities that require lifting, pushing and pulling. A greater benefit for women is the increase in resting metabolism that occurs with regular strength training. Because of this increase, women who are trying to reduce body fat will do so more easily. When done sufficiently and consistently, strength training increases muscle fiber size. Once muscle fibers enlarge, they consume more energy, which boosts our metabolisms. For middle-aged women, this is very important. Strength training can help avoid that predicable metabolic sluggishness that often occurs at this stage in life. The true secret to keeping middle age pounds off is not to eat less, but to strength train more! Many women are afraid of strength training because they believe that it will create large, unattractive muscles. This is a common misconception. The vast majority of women cannot build large muscles because they are genetically incapable of doing so. They lack sufficient hormones or body structure. It is impossible to turn fat into muscle, or muscle into fat, as each cell is unique from the other. In order to avoid this gain in muscle mass, women are told to lift light weights. This recommendation is oftentimes interpreted to the extreme, and women perform many repetitions with 3 or 5 pound weights. Unfortunately, without sufficient load (weight), the muscle will not change, and the goals of ‘tone’ and ‘shape’ cannot be achieved. In order to shape or tone your muscles, you must lift weights that are heavy enough to create muscle fatigue. Working your muscles to fatigue means that you work your muscles until they refuse to lift/move the weight in a correct fashion. This will not necessarily create large muscles, but will create the definition sought. Body structure and body composition plays an important role in how you respond to weight training. Each body type responds differently to exercise. It is recommended that you seek professional advise on how to create a weight training program that best suits your body type, goals, lifestyle and overall fitness level. Undoubtedly, women of all shapes and sizes can benefit from strength training. Strength training need not be complex or overly time consuming. It can fit easily into any woman’s lifestyle, since it requires minimal equipment and time. Free weights, weight training machines, rubber tubing or your own body weight will all enhance muscular strength and endurance with as little as 20 minutes a day of training. All major muscle groups need to be worked to avoid muscular and postural imbalances. It is recommended that you choose a weight or load that produces muscle fatigue somewhere between 8-12 repetitions of an exercise for the upper body, and 12-15 repetitions for the lower body. Most current research recommends 1-3 sets per muscle group, depending on your goals and current fitness level. Again, for the safest, most effective program you should seek the advice of a certified fitness professional. Also, there are many books on the subject. As always, get approval from your physician before starting any exercise program. Trisha Stuart, yoga instructor & fitness trainer, offers yoga classes & personal training at home or work. Phone 403.802.0229 or email: yogawithtrish@hotmail.com |