Strength training for women, does that sound a little unfamiliar to you? Well, it does for a lot of women, because it is a division of gym workout that has been primarily dominated by men. But today, strength training is no longer an alien concept to women. You will find thousands of reels on Instagram where women flex their strength while carrying big weights.
The social media posts of women doing strength training might have motivated you as well. You are pumped to go to the gym and start strength training. But before you start, I feel I have a duty to give you some tips and tell you about female strength training benefits.
Let’s start with the tips that I feel I must give you so that you can have the most amazing strength-building journey.
The first tip that I am gonna give you if you are starting with a strength workout for women is to start with the basics. I know you are motivated, you want those strong arms, aesthetically pleasing glutes, defined abs and muscular legs. But this does not say you must go hard from the start. If you do, you might hurt your muscles or get other kinds of hurts. So, I say start with easy strength moves like lunges, squats, deadlifts, and body weight moves like push-ups. Then slowly, when you feel good with the easy stuff, try light weights with dumbbells, barbells, and bands. Add lower weight, then slowly increase the weight. Also, gradually, you can change the reps and intensity.
The next tip in strength training for women is to balance both your upper body and lower body while training. Leg training is the dominant one in women’s strength training. But you need to ensure that you are not only strengthening your legs, but you are also giving strength training to your upper body, arms, and core. For symmetry and balance, you need to train both your upper body and lower body
Also, take rest, it is super essential for strength training. You should always give your muscles time to rest and recover. If your muscles are sore, and you train them again, it can be harmful. 48 hours of rest is a must for muscle recovery. Similarly, as women, if you are having heavy period flow and extreme cramping, then you should also take rest.
An essential tip for beginner strength training for women is maintaining the right form of the exercises. If you do not maintain the forms properly, you might end up getting injured, and you may not even see a good result.
Always take help from your trainer, let them give you advice regarding your posture and form, and then continue.
Women with their lean body goals often make the mistake of eating less. If you are engaged in a strength workout for women, you need to give adequate fuel to your body. Eat protein-rich food, ensure your food has enough fibre, good fat, and complex carbohydrates to support your body to do the workouts that you are doing.
Before you start with your training, ensure you do a proper warm-up, because it’s essential to activate your body, muscles, and joints. At least 10 minutes of simple warm-up exercise will help you perform your strength exercises better.
Cooling down your body after intense strength training is also recommended for better muscle recovery. Doing some simple stretching, particularly for the muscles that have worked up during strength training, is very crucial.
If you are wondering about the benefits, then I must tell you that female strength training benefits are more than what you imagine. Let me give you a little insight into how you can help yourself with strength workouts for women.
Women have weaker bones than men. This is from low bone mass. But if women lift weights, it can help a lot. It makes bones strong. Moves like squats & lunges are good. They help the cells that make bones. So, if you are a woman & over 30, you should lift weights for your bones.
Female strength training benefits in increasing resting metabolism. Resting metabolism increases the scope of calorie burn even while you are not active. If you maintain a balanced diet and also combine some cardio exercises along with your strength training, then you will have higher chances of maintaining a healthy yet good weight.
Due to less testosterone in the body, women tend to gain lean muscle mass. Men tend to grow bigger muscles. Lean muscle mass is good for boosting resting metabolism. It is also good for women. It helps their whole health. So you will get a toned figure and good health.
Women are engaged in various physical functions all day, and therefore, strength workouts for women are very helpful for their functionality. Whether you have to carry your groceries or carry your baby, and do stair climbing, strength training will give you a great advantage.
You might not believe it, but strength training for women is also great for mood improvement and stress relief. Regular strength training helps in releasing endorphins, and that helps in reducing the level of stress, the occurrence of anxiety episodes, and depression.
Back Rows, Squats, Chest Press, Lunges, and Deadlifts are some of the best strength training workouts for women. You can try to do these exercises in your gym for good results.
Women generally do not get bulky with strength training, as they have low testosterone levels. High testosterone in the body creates a higher, bulkier body mass. But as women do not have them much, they generally do not grow bulky muscles. However, if you have high testosterone, you can get bulky muscles.
Yes, strength training is actually good for the health of women with PCOS/PCOD, and even beneficial for reversing the symptoms. They help in insulin sensitivity, help in weight management, and even with blood sugar control.
Strength training helps in building strength, maximising the metabolism in the body, and improving balance and endurance.
Yes, strength training can be done at home. You can even use small weights like dumbbells to perform them, or do simple bodyweight training, lunges, and squats. But ensure to maintain the right posture when you are doing them.
If you ask me, I think strength training for women is crucial for their complex body functions and requirements. Women's bodies deal with various unique hormonal and physical conditions, which make them more vulnerable than men. Strength workouts for women can give them some extra benefits, but to get those benefits, it is necessary to maintain a few things, like gradual progress, balanced eating, balanced training, etc. So do strength exercises, but also do them with caution.
CLOSEST CLUB
Your Local Crunch Noida
SEE OUR MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS