Benefits of weight training for women - By Thordis Berger

Posted on fitness And tagged Workout, Strength, Weight Lifting, Women, Exercise, MD

Some women avoid weightlifting and weight training because they are worried that this type of workout may increase muscle mass too much and may even make the body look more masculine.

It is time to set this right and also explain why strength training is crucial and has many benefits.

In fact, weight training helps to reduce body fat and increase lean body mass. These changes may result in a slight increase in weight, as lean mass is denser than fat.

However, women have different physiological characteristics than men and for this reason, it is more difficult for women to build muscle than for men.

Differences in hormone concentrations

The most obvious difference between men and women in the impact of exercise is the male hormone testosterone. Both men and women produce testosterone, the difference is that the concentration in men is 10 to 20 times higher than in women! Testosterone is a natural anabolic steroid, which has higher, superior muscle development in men. This gives men an advantage in strength, performance and speed in every sport that depends on these variables. In other words, a man is always stronger and, as a result, faster.

Differences in muscle fibers

There are two main types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch fibers (type I), short S fibers, which are mainly used for endurance performance, and slow fast-twitch fibers (type II), called F fibers, which are primarily used for fast and explosive movements.

Although women have the same types of muscle fibers as men (fast-twitch fibers and slow-twitch fibers), women have fewer of them and they are also shorter than men's.

Differences in strength and performance

For the reasons mentioned above, women simply do not have the same genetic profile and hormonal requirements that contribute to these factors. On average, a woman's total body strength is around 60% of a man's total body strength. The average upper body thickness of women is between 25 and 55% compared to men. As for lower body strength, the average is 70-75% compared to men. It is therefore not surprising that most women have more difficulty lifting weights with arms and upper body (examples: push-ups and lifting) than with their legs and lower body (examples: squats and lunges).

In conclusion, women can and should practice bodybuilding without worrying.

• There are numerous benefits of weight training for women, such as:
• increase in lean mass (muscles), decrease in fat percentage
• Increased functional capacity for everyday use (e.g. playing with children, shopping, climbing stairs);
• Increased bone strength, i.e. reduction of the risk of osteoporosis.
• Fighting age-related muscle loss: Without exercise power, adults lose 6 to 10 pounds of muscle mass every decade.

Posted on fitness And tagged Workout, Strength, Weight Lifting, Women, Exercise, MD.