Strength training is often done for gaining muscle mass. But there are also a number of other benefits to doing so, especially for women.
As most of us already know, strength training can be an important factor when it comes to keeping yourself in top shape. Too often, strength training for women is overlooked and aerobic activities are emphasized instead. However, you should not ignore its importance and value.
For a long time, women didn't pay much attention to strength training as it was seen as a 'men's sport. Fortunately, people know that this is nonsense, and people's mindsets are changing, especially with advances in scientific understanding.
In today's post, we'll look at the importance of strength training for women and all the benefits it can provide.
Differences Between Men and Women
As we just mentioned, women often ignore strength training because of certain myths or misconceptions. A particular fear that women have is the fear of bulking up.
However, in most cases, this fear is false . This is mainly due to an error in terminology, because strength training need not be just about muscle volume.
Adaptation to Strength Training for Women and Men
Science offers a more positive response to the concern about the way this body adapts to strength training for both men and women.
The basic starting point for muscle size and strength in both sexes is very similar. The only difference is that men gain more strength as a result of training. This is because of increased testosterone levels in our body.
But there was a study in 1988 in which men and women did the same strength training routine . The results were stunning. After performing the same training set, the proportional increase in muscle mass was the same in both men and women.
Importance of Hormonal Factor
Clearly, testosterone levels play an important role in strength development. This is the main reason why some women are able to develop more strength and power than others. Regardless of gender, the higher the testosterone levels, the more strength gains.
Benefits of Strength Training for Women
As we can see, the body adapts in the same way, regardless of the gender of the athlete. Based on this premise, Steven Fleck, in his book "Designing Resistance Training Programs," claims that strength training is more beneficial for women than for men.
Now, we will be looking at the benefits of this for women:
1. Increases Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal metabolic rate is a measure of the number of calories our body burns at rest. Increasing this is obviously good news for people looking to lose weight or reduce body fat.
2. Increases Bone Density
Strength training can become crucial for conditions like osteoporosis . Thanks to the increase in muscle mass , the bone density also increases, and conversely, the risk of bone fracture is reduced.
3. Psychological Benefits of Strength Training for Women
Undoubtedly, when talking about the benefits of strength training for women, the psychological effect may be the most important. A study by Hatfield and Kaplan showed that strength training can help reduce stress and combat depression and low self-esteem.
4. Increases Strength
This may seem obvious, but strength training obviously increases your ability to perform any type of task more efficiently. And that improves another vital thing: your quality of life.
5. Reduces Body Fat
This is another thing that motivates many women to exercise. Thanks to strength training, muscle mass increases and body fat percentage decreases significantly.
6. Increases the Capacity of Tissues
The connective tissues of the body are made up of tendons , cartilage, and ligaments. As your body strength increases, the resistance of these tissues also increases significantly, which provides greater stability to the joints. This will reduce your risk of suffering any injuries later on.
Results for Strength Training for Women
As you can see, strength training has numerous benefits, from increased functionality to improved quality of life. It's time to put these false beliefs about women's training behind them. So what do you do to increase your muscle strength
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