LADIES: The weight lifting is waiting for you. (BONUS full-body workout attached to blog!)

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

How many of you will enter the fitness center with pure intent of just using the cardio machines? Well guess what, that won’t burn away hundreds of calories nor give you the muscle and bone building you actually need.  In this blog you will learn WHY women should to strength train and the major benefits that you get when you do it.

What is strength/weight training?

It is a method of training that will improve your strength, bone density, flexibility and balance. Regimens include:

·         TRX Suspension Training®

·         Circuit Training

·         Training that includes dumbbells, resistance bands, barbells, or equipment that adds resistances or load.

·         Boot Camp

·         Personal Training

It is typically common to see women only using cardio machines partly due to three reasons:        

1.       “I read that cardio burns more fat.”

2.       “Only men lift heavy weights.”

3.       “I don’t want to get bulky.”

Your answers to all questions: FALSE

Cardio will burn calories, but so does weight training.  Assume 100 calories on average per mile walk or run.  As you are only burning X amounts of calories, running or walking is only recruiting and generating a select amount of muscles.  With that in mind, you may be missing out on serious posture, balance, and strength development. 

The other myth that only men lift heavy weights is a topic I hear often. “Will I get too buff if I lift heavy weights?”  General strength training programs such as weight lifting and TRX Training® for an example will not create this effect on women.  Strength does not have to come with bulk!

A Personal Training client of mine, looking great on the TRX Straps!

So what are your benefits?

Strength Training will:

·         Reduces levels of fatigue (Daily Fatigue Patterns, Wiley). 

·         Decreases your risk of osteoporosis.  As well as prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.  Curtain training will benefit your bone health through impact loading and resistance training.  Example exercises: Squats and push-ups. (ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal 5:6-14.)

·         Decreases your risk of heart disease, body fat, cholesterol and blood pressure. (Journal of the American Medical Association 259:1537-1540.)

·         Decreases your risk of type 2 diabetes. (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 24:331-333.)

·         Studies link exercise to reduced risk of breast cancer. (Cancer causes and control, 2001.)

·         The more muscle development you have, the more calories you burn.

YOU’RE FREE FULL BODY WORKOUT: Find these exercises on youtube.com keyword UVACSWIM!

Before you get started:

 Warm up: 5 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical  

Stretch: 3-5 minutes of stretching

The workout: Complete 3 rounds…

Goblet Squats, 12 reps.

Push-Ups, 10 reps.

Static Lunges, 10 each leg

2 Arm Row, 12 reps.

Ball Slams, 15 slams

:45 plank

The Finisher: complete as many rounds in 7 minutes!

                Jump Squats, 12 reps

                Dead Bugs, 20 reps (10 each side)

                Side Planks, :15 each side

                Jogging in place, :45 

WANT MORE WORKOUTS, TIPS ON TRAINING OR MEET A PERSONAL TRAINER? Contact me at kmacpherson@uvac-swim.com or stop by the Upper Valley Aquatic Center!

Resourses:

Anna, L., Schwartz, Ph. D. 2001. Daily Fatigue Patterns and Effect of Exercise in Women with Breast Cancer. 8: 16-24.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 24:331-333.)

Metcalfe, L., T. Lohman, S. Going, L. Joutkooper, D. Ferreira, et al. 2001.  Postmenopausal women and exercise for prevention of osteoporosis: The bone, estrogen, strength training (BEST) study.  ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal .

Pia., K. Verkasalo, Hollie, V., Thomas, Paul, N., Appleby, et. Al. Cancer Causes and Control. SpingerLink. 12: 1.

Thompson, P.D. 1988.  The benefits and risks of exercise training in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Journal of the American Medical Association 259:1537-1540.