One of the things I love to do as a fitness coach is busting workout myths. I am sure as a woman, this is the one you have either heard or thought yourself: lifting weights will make me bulky.
This is simply not true.
Thanks to high levels of estrogen, women’s muscles will become more firm and toned as opposed to becoming larger in size. Strength training builds healthy bones, makes you lean and strong while helping you burn calories. Unlike, endurance training, lifting weights actually gives you more calorie- burning hours. It speeds up your metabolism so you will still be burning those calories long after your workout.
Also, as women age, muscle mass begins deteriorating at a higher rate. Lifting weights offsets this process. Due to the hormonal changes in women during menopause, they are at a higher risk for osteoporosis, thus, naturally losing bone density. Routinely lifting those dumbbells will slow the process of bone loss and helps your bones get stronger.
If you are a runner by nature… no worries! Cardio helps prevent heart disease, helps our lungs, mental health, increases our production of Human Growth Hormone and gives us better quality of life so don’t give it up. Just include strength training three times a week. Runners blogs agree that by strength training, you will increase your strength, endurance and the result will be that you will have faster running times as you are building muscle. Although cardio is great for weight loss, too much will result with the loss of muscle mass as well.
In conclusion, doing a healthy combination of strength and endurance training will give you the best results that you are looking for.
