More and more women are seeing the benefits of using resistance training as a form of exercise. The weights section of a gym, a once feared over-masculine zone, has now become a place where many women now make their home. The obvious benefits of resistance training, from strength sports to high-intensity functional training such as cross fit, include developing a leaner, athletic physique. Women now aim to be fitter, stronger and develop self-confidence, which promotes a healthier body image than has previously been portrayed in the media.
Aside from these benefits, researchers into women’s health also highlight the fact that there are some ‘hidden’ benefits of resistance training, which means that women should seriously consider using resistance training as part of their exercise program.
1. Bone mineral density.
Oestrogen is an essential hormone that regulates the female reproductive cycle, but it also plays important role in bone formation. Unfortunately, as women age and reach menopause, oestrogen levels fall and their capacity to form healthy bone is diminished, which can cause osteoporosis. However, resistance training not only causes an adaptation in the muscles but makes bones grow stronger, increasing their bone mineral density. Therefore, it is essential that women frequently load their bones using exercise throughout their life to help develop stronger bones, and resistance training is an excellent way to do this for the whole body. This will protect them against risk of fractures as they age, which can be a serious problem as we get older due to increased risk of falls and trips, leading to debilitation and even death.
2. Sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia is the age-related decline in muscle mass that occurs in both men and women. However, if we consider the fact that women typically carry less muscle than men, then this further decrease in muscle mass will likely make them weaker, less stable and put them at increased risk of slips, trips and falls. If you combine this risk of falling with weaker bones, this becomes a recipe for severe breaks and fractures. Resistance training not only increases and protects muscle mass, but it also helps the body’s nervous system function. Even in previously untrained men and women, resistance training has shown to protect muscle against age-related decline and improve coordination, reduce pain and improve other markers of health. It is never too late to reap the benefits of weight training.
3. Healthier pregnancy and childbirth.
Resistance training will help women develop stronger muscles around the hips, legs, abdomen and lower back. This has obvious benefits for pregnancy as the body will be better able to handle the extra stress placed on the body. Although resistance training intensity should be lowered into the last trimester of a pregnancy, it can be included throughout pregnancy as long as under correct supervision and under medical guidance. A leaner, stronger, healthier mother-to-be is likely to have a less stressful pregnancy and birth, which has positive effects on both the mother and child’s health. It is also likely that they will return to their pre-pregnancy physique much more quickly.
So there you have it, resistance training not only promotes a healthier look, but also has several important women-specific benefits that should encourage women, whatever their goals, to include regular resistance training as part of living an active and healthy lifestyle, to not only develop the physique they want, but to protect their health into older age.
