Strength Training (ST) also known as Resistance or Weight Training is defined as ‘exercise during which the muscle is placed under a load and therefore has to recruit more nerve cells to aid muscle contraction, thereby enlarging the muscle’
Basically, it means increasing your muscle mass!
Women’s bodies are different to mens
Did you know that women lose 3-5% of their muscle mass per decade? Did you also know this decline increases by 1-2% per year after age 50?
ST is the only kind of exercise that increases muscle size which means muscles generate more strength and force, faster.
Women have smaller, thinner bones than men and after menopause they produce less oestrogen which protects the bones.
As we age the bones become less dense and more brittle and prone to osteoporosis. When we place load on the muscle it makes the bones bear more weight and this aids in the prevention of osteoporosis.
When you ST your muscles are broken down and then rebuilt over the next 24-48 hours, increasing your basal metabolic rate. This is because muscles burn kilojoules at rest and are 8 times more metabolically demanding than fat cells! By performing ST we are increasing our lean muscle mass which leads to increased metabolism making the body more sensitive to insulin and thus more durable against certain diseases and resulting in healthy weight loss!
Many women fear that they will have large bulky muscles by doing ST but the vast majority of women are genetically incapable of doing so and they would have to be lifting extremely heavy weights with a matching diet to achieve this. In fact most women will develop lean muscle mass from doing ST exercises.
Recent studies have supported the increasing benefits to be gained from Strength Training.
The latest comparison study conducted by The University of Sydney and headed by Associate Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis compared the mortality outcomes of different exercise habits of 80,000 participants. The study which was published in The American Journal of Epidemiology on 1st November 2017 found that those who did strength -based exercise had a 23% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 31% reduction in Cancer mortality.
Professor Stamatakis stated that the study showed that exercise that promotes muscular strength may be just as important for health as aerobic activities like jogging or cycling. He went on to say that only 19% of Australian adults do the recommended amount of strength based exercise. The study also showed that body weight exercises such as lunges and push ups which can be performed anywhere, were just as effective as gym-based training with machines and weights.
Another recent 2016 study from Harvard Medical school researched 36,000 older women aged from 47 to 98 and asked them to estimate how much strength training or weight lifting they had done per week in the past year. They then tracked which women had a heart attack, stroke, or developed Type 2 Diabetes.
They found those who did some form of ST had a 30% lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes and 17% lower risk of Cardiovascular disease than those who did no ST. Adding 120 minutes of aerobic exercise per week to ST and the risk of Type 2 Diabetes was even lower at 65%!
Both studies show the positive effects Strength Training can have on your long term health and the prevention of certain diseases.
In addition to:
- Increased metabolism
- Aiding in healthy weight loss,
- Increased bone density reducing risk of Osteoporosis
- Lowered mortality rates
- Reduced risk and control of Cardiovascular disease
- and Type 2 Diabetes
there are more enormous benefits to be gained from Strength Training:
- Prevention or Control of conditions such as High Blood Pressure
- Prevent or Control Arthritis
- Eases joint pain. Stronger muscles better hold your joints in position
- Increased strength and power enabling you to perform better with all activities
- Improved physical performance
- More positive outlook on life and increased confidence
- Reduced injury risk and rehabilitation from injury
- ST protects your joints from injury and increases balance and coordination
- Prevention and control of certain Cancers
- Improved balance, reducing risk of falls.
- 30% of community dwellers aged 65+ fall at least once/yr
- Improved cognitive function
Both recent studies referenced above and numerous others prove that, safely applied, Strength training is one of the most important things a woman can do to ensure an overall better quality of life.
So I urge every female to try it. If you commit to a regular ST program you will absolutely reap the benefits outlined above!!!