Written By CorDell L
Fact #1 — Less than 20% of American women engage in both aerobic AND muscle-strengthening activities. (1)
Yet, almost half of American women have made resolutions to exercise more in 2021. (2) Are you one of these women?
Do you run, bike, or use the elliptical but avoid dumbbells and barbells? If so, why? Do you think cardio is all you need? Do you think strength training is just for men? Are you afraid of getting big and bulky? Maybe you think you don’t have the time, or you just don’t know where to start.
In this article I’ll bust three common myths about women and strength training. I’ll give you three compelling facts why women should strength train. And, I’ll provide you with an easy, short strength training workout you can do to get started. So, keep that new years’ resolution this year by adding strength training, and read on!
Myth #1 — Strength training is just for men.
No, strength training is for almost everyone! The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend all healthy adults, both men and women age 18–65, perform muscle strengthening activities two or more times each week. (3)
They also recommend muscle strengthening activities for children and adolescents, age 6–17, and older adults. Like I said… just about everyone! And for good reasons, which I’ll explain shortly.
Fact #2 — Strength training helps women lose fat.
A field study of over 1,700 men and women showed those who followed the ACSM exercise guidelines for aerobic AND strength training reduced body fat 1.97% in just 10 weeks. (4) They also found strength training two and three times a week decreased body fat even more than strength training once a week.
Not only does strength training reduce fat, it can make weight control easier. Research shows resistance training in women increases their lean muscle mass, and lean muscle burns more calories than fat. (5)
Myth #2 — Women get big and bulky from strength training.
Not even close to the truth! You will gain muscle, but you will also lose fat. Research shows beginner weightlifters can increase their muscle mass around 1.2 lb a month on average, but they decrease fat 1.6 lb a month. (6) And, less fat with more muscle is how you get that ‘toned’ look most women want!
Instead of focusing on body size you should focus on body composition. That is the ratio of fat mass to muscle mass. As we age fat tends to increase while muscle decreases.
For example, take a woman in her 30s who weighs 120 lb, has 20% body fat, and doesn’t strength train. 20 years later, at age 50, if she still weighs 120 lb and didn’t strength train she will have lost about 10 lb of muscle, gained about 10 lb of fat, and have around 28% body fat! (6) Imagine how much better she would look at 50 if she consistently strength trained during those 20 years.
Fact #3 — Strength training is related to numerous health benefits, not just getting stronger.
By now you know strength training helps you lose fat. Research also shows it improves the strength of bones, ligaments, tendons, joint cartilage, and connective tissue. (7) (8) It even helps postmenopausal women with osteopenia and osteoporosis improve bone density and physical function. (9) Strength training improves balance, coordination, and posture. (10) It improves your cardiovascular health. Research shows it is better than some cardio exercises at reducing the risk of heart disease, and it lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. (11) (12) It may also help you live longer. A study in the American Journal of Medicine found older adults with the most muscle mass lived significantly longer than those with the least muscle mass. (13)
Myth #3 — I don’t have the time for strength training.
This is just flat wrong! You can meet the CDC guidelines for healthy adults in just two 20–30 minutes training sessions each week. One way to do this is by combining functional fitness exercises and circuit training methods.
Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to work together and simulate common movements you might do at home, at work, or in sports. Think pushing, pulling, bending and lifting, and carrying. By using multiple muscle groups together you reduce the number of exercises needed to train your entire body. An additional benefit is these movements improve your ability to load and unload your car, work in your yard, play sports, and perform several other everyday activities.
Circuit training is when you alternate between exercises that target different muscle groups. For example, alternating between push-ups (upper body) and lunges (lower body). Alternating between muscle groups minimizes rest time, which shortens workout time and keeps your heart rate elevated during your training session. Keeping your heart rate elevated means your strength training time counts towards your cardio training time as well.
Ready to start?
I’ll make this simple. In terms of what exercises to do you can download a copy of my Beginner Functional Fitness Workouts. It includes three different workouts, one for those who don’t have gym equipment, one for those with home gym equipment, and one for those who go to the gym. It doesn’t matter what you have access to, where you exercise, or what your budget is. You will find something you can do in this document. No more excuses!
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Strength training guidelines for beginners
#1) Don’t strength train two days in a row.
Give yourself at least one day between sessions to allow your muscles to recover. Two days is even better.
#2) Always warm-up before training.
I recommend 3–5 minutes of walking, jogging, biking, or even marching in place. Do something to raise your heart rate and get your blood pumping before training. I also like dynamic stretching exercises for warm-ups. A basic dynamic stretching routine might include the following: arm circles, truck rotations, forward to backward arm swings, front to back leg swings, air squats, and alternating forward lunges.
#3) Go with lighter weights to start.
I recommend starting with a little less than what you think you can do and tracking how you feel on your last set for each exercise. I have included space for this information in the Beginner Functional Fitness Workouts document. I recommend you print it out and track the number of reps in your last set and how hard the last set was to complete. Once you complete all the reps in your last set, and feel like you can do more, you can (and should) progress.
#4) You can progress by adding resistance or volume.
For example, if you are doing two sets of 15 reps with 10 lb dumbbells, you can switch to 15 lb dumbbells to add resistance. You won’t be able to do two sets of 15 reps right away. Your sets might look like 8, 8 the first time, then 8, 9, then 9, 9, and so on until you can do 15, 15. You can also add volume in the form of more sets. For example, if you are doing two sets of 15 reps with 10 lb dumbbells you can add a third set. You probably won’t be able to do 15 reps in this third set right away. So, your sets might look something like 15, 15, 3, then 15, 15, 4, and so on until you can do 15, 15, 15.
#5) Keep doing cardio exercises.
You will be doing around 60 minutes of cardio with these two strength training sessions, so you only need another 90 minutes of cardio to reach the ACSM and CDC guidelines each week. If you are just starting with cardio, I recommend three 30 minute walks on days you don’t strength train. This will keep your time commitment on any given training day to 30 minutes. If you prefer to run, bike, row, etc. then do that for 30 minutes instead of walking. You are most likely to do cardio if you enjoy it, so stick to what you like doing! And you are even more likely to do it if the time commitment is small so keep it short.
That’s a wrap!
Okay, that’s it for now. Get started! And, if you have any questions or want to discuss you can contact me at cordelllarkin@centralstreetfitness.com. I’m happy to help.
References
1. Blackwell, Debra L. Ph.D. and Clarke, Tainya C. Ph.D, M.P.H. State Variation in Meeting the 2008 Federal Guidelines for Both Aerobic and Muscle-strengthening Activities Through Leisure-time Physcial Activity Among Adults Aged 18–64: United States 2010–2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Online] 28 June 2018. [Cited: 22 January 2021.] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr112.pdf.
2. Jenik, C. America’s Top New Year’s Resolutions for 2021. Statista.com. [Online] 18 Dec. 2020. [Cited: 20 Jan. 2021.] https://www.statista.com/chart/23812/most-popular-new-year-resolutions-americans/.
3. American College of Sports Medicine. Physical Activity Guidelines. ACSM.org. [Online] 2018. [Cited: 19 Jan. 2021.] https://www.acsm.org/read-research/trending-topics-resource-pages/physical-activity-guidelines.
4. Westcott, W. L. PhD, et al. Prescribing physical activity: applying the ACSM protocols for exercise type, intensity, and duration across 3 training frequencies. Taylor & Francis Online. [Online] 13 Mar. 2015. [Cited: 25 Jan. 2021.] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3810/psm.2009.06.1709?needAccess=true.
5. Hagstrom, A. D., et al. The Effect of Resistance Training in Women on Dynamic Strength and Muscular Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. SpringerLink. [Online] 9 Dec. 2019. [Cited: 25 Jan. 2021.] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01247-x.
6. American Council on Exercise. Personal Trainer Manual. 5th. edition : American Council on Exercise, 2014.
7. Fleck, S. J. and Falkel, J. E. Value of resistance training for the reduction of sports injuries. PubMed.gov. [Online] Jan.-Feb. 1986. [Cited: 1 Jan. 2021.] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3633121/.
8. Hong, A. R., & Kim, S. W. Effects of Resistance Exercise on Bone Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information. [Online] 30 Nov. 2018. [Cited: 25 Jan. 2021.] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6279907/.
9. Watson, S. L., et al. High‐Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. [Online] 4 Oct. 2017. [Cited: 26 Jan. 2021.] https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jbmr.3284.
10. Cadore, E. L., et al. Effects of Different Exercise Interventions on Risk of Falls, Gait Ability, and Balance in Physically Frail Older Adults: A Systematic Review. PMC. [Online] 16 Apr. 2013. [Cited: 26 Jan. 2021.] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3634155/.
11. American College of Cardiology. Research Shows Static Physical Activity More Beneficial Than Dynamic. American College of Cardiology. [Online] 16 Nov. 2018. [Cited: 26 Jan. 2021.] https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2018/11/16/15/33/research-shows-static-physical-activity-more-beneficial-than-dynamic.
12. Liu, Y. , et al. Associations of Resistance Exercise with Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. [Online] Mar. 2019. [Cited: 26 Jan. 2021.] https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2019/03000/Associations_of_Resistance_Exercise_with.14.aspx.
13. Srikanthan, P., and Karlamangla, A. Muscle Mass Index As a Predictor of Longevity in Older Adults. 12, June 2014, The American Journal of Medicine, Vol. 127, pp. 547–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007.
