Is Weightlifting the Best Form of Exercise for Women?

Is Weightlifting the Best Form of Exercise for Women?

Dec 9, 2024 mindpump

Let me clear something up right away: weightlifting isn’t just for guys trying to get huge. In fact, women often benefit MORE from strength training than men do. Here’s why.

The “Getting Bulky” Myth

First, let’s kill this myth once and for all. Women don’t have the testosterone levels to build massive muscles accidentally. That fit, toned look you’re after? That comes from lifting weights, not endless cardio. Think of it this way: when you see those women with amazing, athletic physiques on Instagram, they’re not doing 2-hour cardio sessions. They’re lifting consistently.

What Actually Happens When Women Lift

Here’s what strength training really does for women:

• Builds lean muscle (which speeds up metabolism)
• Strengthens bones (crucial for preventing osteoporosis)
• Improves posture
• Boosts confidence
• Increases functional strength for daily life

By resistance training regularly, you are building that “toned” physique you’ve always wanted.

Feeling Good

Strength training does something cardio never will: it changes how you view yourself. There’s nothing quite like hitting a new PR (personal record) to make you realize how capable you really are. On a much deeper level it is improving your hormones. Women who workout regularly find they have better insulin sensitivity (less energy swings), better able to handle stress, better sleep quality, and lower cortisol levels. For myself, whenever I get anxious, nothing clears it out more than being able to go to the gym and focus on anything other than what is causing me stress.

Lifting Is Better For Fat Loss

If you’re trying to lose fat, weightlifting is your secret weapon. Why? Because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn doing absolutely nothing. Don’t worry, you won’t end up looking like a bodybuilder. Guys in the gym will literally spend their ENTIRE lives trying to get too big. The ones that look enormous generally are on steroids or are the 1% that have elite level muscle building genetics. They’re also dedicating their entire lives to fitness. We don’t want you to have to sacrifice your life, just enhance it.

How to Start

Start with 2-3 days a week, focusing on compound movements. These are exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press, and rows. They provide the most bang for your buck and hit multiple muscle groups at once. You can include isolation exercises, just keep in mind that it would require more of those to hit as many muscles as the compound movements.

Get 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep. Eat mostly whole foods with a focus on protein to fuel your muscle building efforts. Muscle grows outside of the gym and needs protein to grow appropriately. Stay hydrated, and make sure you are going to the gym at a frequency you can see yourself doing 12 months from now. What I don’t want you to do is think you have to go 7 days a week because that’s what your favorite influencer says. It’s all about what is sustainable. We have busy lives and not everyone wants to be in the gym every day. That is totally okay. If two days is all you can do, then start there. We want to make this a habit that is easy to adopt.