One of the best kept secrets of weight loss among women is weight training or strength training; they’re really the same thing but women seem to take “strength training better.” I have heard countless women say, “I don’t fool with weights because I build muscle fast and muscle weighs more than fat so I’ll weigh more” or my personal favorite, “I don’t like to use weights because I’ll bulk up and look manly” Today, I’d like to attempt to give a different perspective on both statements.
Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. If you take 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle, they’d pretty much weigh the same. Muscle is denser than fat and takes up less room, hence a slimmer silhouette as you gain muscle and lose the fat. Also, muscle burns more calories because it is more metabolically active which explain why some people can eat more than others and not gain weight. Their metabolism is probably through the roof! I’m working on becoming one of those blessed folk!
Now as far as the “bulking up” statement; you know the ladies you see in the fitness magazines that have allllll the muscles? Those bodies take A LOT of time in the gym and a super strict diet. Unless you’re pushing some serious steel for hours on end 5-6 days a week as well as eating tons of steel cut oats, chicken breast, and veggies it’s safe to say that you don’t have anything to worry about. Weights are such a win/win for a woman. Weight lifting and not simply cardio alone can help prevent osteoporosis related fracture. As a matter of fact, there has been studies done that have shown that weight lifting over time can not only help prevent bone loss but can have a hand in building NEW bone. How cool is that? Postmenopausal women especially need to get cracking with the weights; women suffer bone loss at a much higher rate than men.
Weight/strength training doesn’t mean lifting a gazillion pounds at a time. I believe anything that involves slower, steady movements with a nice resistance falls under this category. I said RESISTENCE people. Put them 2lb baby weights down and feel the burn! If the day after a strength training session you aren’t at least a little sore, you didn’t’ do enough. You want to aim for a nice soreness the day after a workout. It’s a sign that you have broken down the muscle so that it will begin to rebuild itself a little bigger; bigger is better in this sense. Now if you’re ready to check yourself into the ER after your work out, pull it back some. Exercise should always be functional.
I have been nic- named Mizcardio for obvious reasons but I make it a point to include weights in my workouts. I always alternate muscle group workouts. One day I will work upper body, and the next I’ll work lower. It’s absolutely vital that you allow your muscles at least 24 hours to recover from a workout. Personally I prefer to do my strength training before my cardio for a couple of reasons. In my mind, if you’re worn out from an hour of cardio, how the heck are you supposed to be able to push a decent amount of weights? You know that burning you feel when you lift weights? That’s lactic acid building up in your muscles. Cardio increases the circulation of fresh blood through your body and reduces that build up. I tend to feel “achy” after a weight training session if I don’t follow it with cardio. I can do sore but “achy” just annoys me and it hurts! There have been studies that have also proven that cardio after strength training burns more calories and I’m always out to get the most bang for my workout buck.
Try some weight today! Start out small and build from there. Kettle bells, a weighted exercise ball, strength bands, a Bowflex machine, dumbbells or a full blow weight set- give up some of the cardio and give resistance a try.
PS. Please stop walking with ankle weights on; you’re going to do damage to your knees, ankles, and hips. Ankle weights were never designed to be work while walking or running. If you want to add some weights to cardio, try a weighted vest or walk on a more difficult terrain. If you change the terrain in which you walk, please also be sure you’re wearing proper shoes.
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