\\\ 10 REASONS WHY WOMEN SHOULD LIFT ///

We often hear from Women, that they don’t want to get to bulky, so avoid lifting weights and/ or are scared of working out with Barbells.

What most women don’t realise, is how important strength training is for them.

Again and again, research has shown that women who maintain a regular, moderate strength training program enjoy a long list of health advantages. Some women still fear that weight training might bulk them up in unfeminine ways; however, as women of all ages realize the benefits of resistance training, negative attitudes about women in the weight room are rapidly fading.

1. You’ll Lose More Fat Than You’ll Gain in Muscle
The average woman who incorporates strength training into their workouts two to three times a week for eight weeks gains 0.8kg of lean weight or muscle and loses 1.5kg of fat. Unlike men, women typically don’t gain size from strength training, because compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause bulking up.

2. Your New Muscle Will Help Fight Obesity
As you add muscle from strength training, your resting metabolism will increase, so you’ll burn more calories all day long. For each 0.5kg of muscle you gain, you’ll burn 35 to 50 more calories daily. So, for example, if you gain 1.5kg of muscle and burn 40 extra calories for each 0.5kg, you’ll burn 120 more calories per day, or approximately 3,600 more calories per month. That equates to a loss of 4.5 to 5.5kg in one year!

3. You’ll Be a Stronger Woman
Through the inclusion of weight training in your regular routine a Womens strength is able to increase by 30 to 50 percent. Extra strength will make it easier to accomplish some daily activities, such as lifting children or groceries. Most strength differences between men and women can be explained by differences in body size and fat mass; kg for kg, women can develop their strength at the same rate as men.

4. Your Bones Will Benefit
By the time you leave high school, you have established all the bone mineral density you’ll ever have—unless you strength train. Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 13 percent in six months. So strength training is a powerful tool against the fight against Osteoporosis.

5. You Will Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
Adult-onset diabetes is a growing problem for women and men. Research indicates that weight training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23 percent in four months.

6. You Will Fight Heart Disease
Strength training will improve your cholesterol profile and blood pressure. Of course, your exercise program should also include cardiovascular exercise and flexibility training – good thing we do all that in CrossFit classes.

7. You Will Be Able to Beat Back Pain and Fight Arthritis
A recent 12-year study showed that strengthening the low-back muscles had an 80 percent success rate in eliminating or alleviating low-back pain. Other studies have indicated that weight training can ease arthritis pain and strengthen joints.

8. You’ll Be a Better Athlete
Strength training improves athletic ability. Golfers, for example, significantly increase their driving power. Whatever your sport of choice, strength training may not only improve your proficiency but also decrease your risk of injury.

9. It Will Work No Matter How Old You Are
Studies show that strength improvements are possible at any age.

10. You’ll Strengthen Your Mental Health
A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did. Women who strength train commonly report feeling more confident and capable as a result of their program.