There has been a big shift in the fitness space the past 5 years (maybe longer, but that’s when I’ve recognized the change). I used to do SO MUCH CARDIO! I would never lift weights in the gym unless I had to for soccer. I actually loved being in the weight room in college and doing strength training, but it’s not something I did on my own. Post college my idea of a workout would be a 90 MINUTE spin class and maybe some abs after. The more cardio the better. I thought the more time spent on a cardio machine the more effective my workout was. I had it so wrong.
For a lot of reasons, women tend to gravitate towards cardio for exercise. It might be because of the misconception of cardio helping with weight/fat loss, feelings uncomfortable in a gym weight room, not knowing how to properly lift weights, or even fear of getting too big/muscular.
While I still think there is a place for cardio in our workout routines, it shouldn’t be the majority. Cardio is good for cardiovascular health (I mean it’s in the name) and for me personally it feels good mentally, but it should not be excessive (aka 90 minute spin classes).
Done correctly, strength training has so many health benefits especially for women:
- Lifting weights helps build and maintain lean body mass. This will change the way your body looks.
- It strengthens you for everyday life. Many moves…think squats and lunges…actually strengthen your joints and mimick functional movement patterns. This makes every day movements easier like bending down to pick up heavy groceries, lifting up a baby/child, getting up from a chair, etc. This is especially important as you age.
- Lifting weights is low impact. You can still get your heart rate up without stressing out your body (increasing stress hormones) the way something like running can.
- Helps with weight loss and maintenance. Building and maintaining muscle mass burns way more calories (and fat) than cardio alone.
- Strength training protects bone health. This is especially important for women as we age in preventing osteoporosis by supporting bone density.
- You feel powerful and strong which improves mood and energy. I feel great after lifting heavy weights and love feeling sore the next day.
My favorite strength workouts right now are on the Peloton app. We are always sharing the classes we are taking and loving on Instagram. The Sweat app also had a good strength program as well.
This is not something you need to do every day (and actually shouldn’t do every day). You need to give your body rest days in-between strength training sessions in order to give your muscles time to repair and get stronger with adequate hydration, nutrition, and stretching! I would recommend adding strength training into your routine 2-4 days a week for about 20-45 minutes a session. If you’re new to strength training it would be a good idea to work with a trainer or an app like Peloton that really teaches your proper technique.
I like to add in walks, yoga, short runs or cycling class, and always stretching in-between strength training. Reference my post on recovery on how to ensure you’re giving yourself proper active and full recovery days and what that looks like. Your workouts are only as good and your recovery and you can’t get stronger without address the recovery piece.
I used to be self conscious of how muscular I am, but now I love it!n My fitness goals have shifted over the years and I’m now motivated to continue to get stronger and preserve the muscle I have.
Let me know if you have any questions!
xx, A
