Resistance Training for Women: Myth or Fact

“Resistance training makes you bulky”

MYTH

For most people, particularly women,  the opposite is true. Strength training will help you burn calories, lose fat and develop muscle. This will help you look leaner. Additionally, the muscle you build will continue to boost your metabolism. Due to the physiology of the female body, compared to men women produce much less testosterone. That means that adding two days of resistance training to a weekly exercise regimen can increase lean muscle mass, but it won’t add pounds of “bulky” muscle.

“Resistance training makes you less flexible”

MYTH

Resistance training does not reduce flexibility. When an exercise is performed properly, through a full range of motion, it will actually help increase your flexibility. Think of the mobility it takes to do a squat, for example. To perform a proper, full depth, squat you must have good hip, knee and ankle flexibility.

“Resistance training is great for your physical and mental health”

FACT

Whether you’re trying to cut fat, get stronger, or build tone and definition, resistance training is for you. There is a long list of benefits that resistance training has for women no matter their goals. For example, if you are looking for fat loss a heavy round of strength training leads to high consumption of oxygen which requires more caloric expenditure and leads to more calories burned and greater fat loss. It’s also great for stress relief and increased energy levels. Exercise in general releases endorphins that make you feel good. It is also found that people who do resistance training regularly tend to manage stress better. Resistance training also improves the overall quality of your sleep during the night which means you feel more rested when going into the next day.

“To start resistance training you have to have weights or use gym equipment”

MYTH

A gym membership or a set of weights aren’t essential for resistance training. Essentially, resistance training is a form of exercise that involves making your muscles work against a weight or force. This weight force can be any number of things, including free weights, resistance bands, weight machines, resistance springs or even your own body weight.

You don’t necessarily need weights to build lean muscle mass and tone your body.

“Resistance training is bad for your joints”

MYTH

Resistance training can actually help you prevent injury of your joints. Resistance training strengthens muscles and increases flexibility – factors that can keep you injury-free. This is extra important as you age and your body composition changes. If you’re worried about injury, seek expert help from our physiotherapy team who will ensure proper technique and alignment with all movements.

“Older people benefit hugely from resistance exercises”

FACT

As we age our metabolism slows, our bones lose density and we lose muscle mass, so making sure you do some resistance training even as an older adult means you can slow or delay these natural processes and keep yourself feeling healthier and fitter for longer in life. Resistance training increases bone density and reduces the risks of breaks, it also promotes muscle growth which leads to stronger and improved functional movement and helps to maintain good body composition.