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Strength training is incredibly beneficial for women. Helping build lean muscle mass, assists maintain body shape and improving our overall body strength as we travel along with life’s demands. All this plus it will keep our mindset positive, pumping us full of feel-good endorphins and increasing our overall self-esteem.

As women, we worry about how hard it can be to maintain our bodyweight, manage hormonal fluctuations, maintain strong bones, maintains lean muscle and keep our metabolism up as we age…and rightly so! The older we get the harder it can be and yes that little more work needs to be done. Strength training has been scientifically shown to improve bone density and help prevent Osteoporosis (bone mineral density loss) and improve outcomes for those with Osteopenia (less severe bone loss), it also helps prevent Sarcopenia (muscle loss).

Strength training is essential to maintain a healthy body composition. A slowing metabolism does not need to be a fact of aging, nor is it exclusive to aging. If we can maintain adequate lean muscle mass for our height then we can not only stay stronger but we will be able to keep our metabolism healthy – more importantly, our fat burning furnace, pumping along. As we lose lean muscle mass we tend to lose activity of all types, we feel weaker and have less need for the energy our food provides us with, so we grow fatter and more lethargic…. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Properly programmed strength training, applied with good technique improves our posture and joint alignment, helping to maintain joint health, helping with the management of those already compromised and increasing our overall bone strength. We can continue to add muscle and make changes to our body right up to the time of death so age is not the limiting factor… it’s our beliefs and mindset.

Strength training using great technique execution, will require the use of your pelvic floor, for some though, we may need to reset the clock a little and do some re-education and specific training along with the other work. It will then become stronger and help with any incontinence issues you may have…. There is definitely no reason to stop training – we just train you smarter!

Strength training will also help improve your insulin sensitivity levels. People with low insulin sensitivity levels such as diabetics and pre-diabetics require more insulin due to their poor insulin sensitivity and so are said to have “Insulin Resistance”. Having insulin resistance is a sign that your body is having difficulty processing and using blood glucose. This can indicate other health problems such as high blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Strength training is extremely beneficial to women who suffer with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and will assist keeping blood pressure within a healthy range.

There’s nothing quite so rewarding after exercising to see some soft muscles forming and to feel those butts lifting and the arms & legs becoming less jiggly. Couple that with the feeling of increased overall health and energy, not to mention the confidence and ability to pull out a few hidden items from the backs of wardrobes, makes strength training for women an absolute must.

If you would like to know more about strength training or more specifically for your age, injuries or the current state of health, give us a call or better still, come and try a class. Women’s specific classing is available and is part of our women’s only hour so there is no need to worry about it not being a suitable session.

Coach Tracy

Prescriptive Exercise Specialist

Beyond Limits ~Performance Education Results ~ Coffs Coast