Ladies are the recipients of a considerable amount of false information regarding exercise.  This causes ladies to adopt exercise routines that are not only ineffective but oftentimes harmful to their health.  It is the goal of this blog to help ladies apply research-based science to help them achieve their weight-loss and fitness goals.

Weight Lifting: many ladies avoid weightlifting like the plague.  They feel that it is either unnecessary or will cause them to look like a man.  This is simply not true.  Ladies need to lift weights as part of their regular exercise routine.  Below are just a few of the reasons for engaging in weightlifting:

Perhaps the biggest reason the ladies fail to lift weights is their fear of looking like a man.  This is an unfounded fear.  The fact is that women lack the hormones necessary to develop excessive muscular growth.  The stereotypical lady bodybuilders are excessive drug abusers of steroids and growth hormone.  A lady may have a particular body part that tends to grow more than other body parts, but on the whole, the average woman will never become overly muscular.  As a worst-case scenario, if a muscle does grow beyond the desired size, reducing it's size is as simple as stopping the exercise that is stimulating the muscle.  The body is very efficient and it will not maintain muscle on the body unless it is continually utilized.  Muscle that goes unused is quickly reduced in size. 

 

  • Weightlifting has been shown by research to be more beneficial than cardiovascular exercise for many aspects of your health.  For example, weightlifting exercise has been shown to have a greater effect on blood pressure and cholesterol lowering than cardiovascular exercise (a combination of both is considered the best).
  • Weightlifting involves contraction of the muscles.  Muscular contraction is what stimulates bone growth (not weightbearing activity as was previously thought). Healthy production of bone mitigates your odds of developing osteoporosis.  Note: osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones that leads to potentially catastrophic fractures, typically in older individuals.  Reversal of osteoporosis is extremely difficult even with medication and exercise.  Prevention is the best treatment for osteoporosis.
  • Weightlifting improves muscular strength.  This translates to an improved ability to perform functional activities.  Improvements in strength will also help to improve a person's balance and reduce the risk of falls and injury.