Women are the most challenging to train. Nine out of 10 women who walk into a gym do not want to do weight training, because they believe it will make them bulky. They will do their cardio and a little bit for their waistlines and outer thigh, and leave the gym. If you ask them what they are looking for, the usual answer is that they want to reduce fat and be fit.
There are many pre-conceived notions about weight training for women. But I have seen many women hit the treadmill and cross-trainer for years together, without even the slightest change in their appearance.
Women have only one-tenth of the hormones men have and it's almost impossible to get bulky doing only a few sessions a week. For hypertrophy to occur, it will take years of strenuous workouts and a high protein diet. More interestingly, excessive cardio work, after the first year gives you a lot of oxidative stress and slows down your metabolic rate; in fact, you age quicker than your weight-training counterpart.
Women who want to tone up the body need to understand that their curves are closely linked to the muscle in the body.
Lets dispel some of the myths about women and weight training.
Myth 1: Only walking helps lose weight.
Walking with weight training increases muscle tissue, which will help burn calories better.
Myth 2: Women should avoid high intensity training.
Intensity is the key word if you want to improve your training. Without increasing intensity over time, you tend to hit a plateau.
Myth 3: If you are pregnant, you should stop all training.
Pregnancy is not a disease; in fact, weight training under supervision will strengthen the muscles and will facilitate normal delivery.
Myth 4: I am too old for weights.
The older you are the more the reason for you to start weight training to stop degeneration. However, take clearance from your physician and consult a qualified exercise professional.
Weight training is beneficial for very many reasons: one, it increases your metabolic rate, so you burn calories while training and even while at rest; two, it improves blood pressure and lowers LDL and improves HDL; three, women are at an increased risk of bone loss, even at the age of 25, which may lead to osteoporosis.There is no cure for osteoporosis, but weight training increases bone density and that's a great help; four, five to 10 per cent muscle loss is seen every decade after the age of 30, so weight training will help to maintain muscle mass and bone density; five, menopause can increase the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, irritability, diabetes, etc. Weight training can help fight all these issues; and finally, it boosts self-esteem.
(The writer is a CSCS, (NSCA), C.H.E.K. and expert trainer)
