Reasons + Tips to Start Weightlifting!

Even though I have always considered myself to be super 'athletic', as I have played nearly every sport on the planet from horseback riding, to cross country, to volleyball, I never really knew what to do while at the gym. I would simply get on the treadmill or eliptical for an hour and then leave. A huge reason for this was because that was what I saw every single other female at the gym do. I had the huge misconception that women did cardio achieve their ideal body and men lifted weights to achieve their goals. However, after my freshman year of college, I became frustrated in the fact that even though I had an 'athletic shape', I was not seeing the result that I wanted: a more toned look with a bit more muscle definition. Here are the top three misconseptions that hold a lot of women, myself included, back from weight lifting.

Misconceptions:

1. Lifting makes you 'bulky' or 'manly':

So many women think that picking up a pair of weights or a barbell will automatically make them as muscular as a guy. However, because of the differences in hormones (mainly testosterone), it is nearly impossible for a woman to gain as much muscle mass and strength as quickly as a man. This is because the excess testosterone in men, in comparison to women, denotes the secondary sexual characteristic of body composition, meaning that men are inantely born with a higher capability to build muscle and even bone mass. Another hormone, leptin, is "strongly related to the percentage of body fat and in women leptin values are always twofold those observed in men" (pubmed). This means that, genetically, it is typical for women to have a higher body fat percentage, and that the distribution of fat on the body between men and women is different. So, it is much harder for women to achieve a very muscular physique and there is no need to worry about looking 'manly' from lifting. In fact, lifting is a tool that will actually make you look more toned, rather than bulky.

2. Lifting is not effective for fat loss:

This misconception originates from the idea that cardio leads to fat loss. However, the more muscle that you have, the more calories your body will have to burn to create and maintain that muscle, increasing your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the amount of calories that your body burns without any physical activity. So, if you are looking to shread fat and achieve a more toned look, weightlifting will help you do so! Personally, it has helped me look much more toned because it led to muscle growth while lowering my body fat percentage at the same time.

3. Don't lift too heavy, only lift light weights:

Although you should ease your way into lifting, your goal should be able to lift heavy with proper form. If your form is incorrect, there is no point in lifting. It is much more effective to start at a weight that is challenging, yet you can properly perform the exercises correctly. Correct form also reduces the risk of injury while working out. Once you start to feel comfortable in a high rep range of that particular weight, you can then progressively increase your weight. This is called progressive overload, which is a key tool in building muscle. While this process of gaining strength and muscle takes time, remember that the more muscle you have, the leaner you will look!

Reasons to Start Weight Lifting:

1. It will increase your metabolism and help you lose fat:

As I mentioned above, increasing your muscle mass will increase your basal metabolic weight (BMR). Instead of doing lots of cardio to shread fat, lifting weights is doing twice the work of cardio by building up muscle and breaking down fat at the exact same time. Before I started weight lifting, I thought that my physical goals would result from solely burning fat, however I became frustrated when this misconception was not producing the results that I was looking for. Typically, slaving over cardio produces a 'skinny-fat' body type in comparison to a more toned physique, which is why lifting weights will help you shread the fat that you are looking to lose while defining your abs, upper, and lower body.

2. Strengthening bone and muscle density:

Although it may seem obvious that you will build muscle by lifting weights, lifting also increased your bone density. Maintaining muscle and bone mass as we age, is crucial to prevent injury and live a healthy lifestyle. As we know, geriatric individuals are more prone to injury, which is a direct result from the muscle and bone loss that comes with age. So, even if you are not looking to change your physique, adding strength training into your workout routine will help you stay healthy in the long run.

3. Lowers blood pressure and boosts heart health:

Similar to the last reason to begin strength training, this is a long term health benefit of weight lifting, rather than a goal surrounding your physique. Although cardio is known for boosting heart health, strength training is also a crucial tool for this. A 2019 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise "examined the exercise habits of almost 13,000 adults (average age 47) who did not have cardiovascular disease. The results: those who did at least an hour per week of weight training (using free weights or weight machines) had a 40% to 70% lower risk of heart attack or stroke compared with those who did not exercise" (health.harvard).

Tips To Begin Weightlifting:

1. Get a trainer:

As I mentioned in my before, it is incredibly important to perform exercises correctly. Not only will this prevent you from getting injured, you will build muscle much more efficiently if you know what you are doing. If you are brand new to weightlifting, it can be very tempting to pick a heavy weight and start doing a random exercise that you saw online, without paying attention to proper form or the purpose of that exercise. Before performing an exercise ask yourself (a) if you know the exact muscles that you are supposed to be strengthening (so you know which muscles to 'squeeze' while performing the exercise) and (b) if you know how to do the exercise correctly and also what the incorrect form looks like. If you are looking for a trainer, reach out to your local gym or hit me up (I will become a CPT in August 2020 as long as I pass my test)!

2. Activate your muscles beforehand:

This is definitely one tip that I wish I learned sooner. If you activate the muscle group that you are about to exercise using resistance bands, you will begin to tear your muscles as soon as you start performing your sets, rather than a couple sets in. Activating your muscles is sort of like a mini practice session before you actually begin training. It will help you make sure that you are using proper form, while warming up that muscle group to prevent injury. Muscle activation also makes your sessions more productive because you are creating those mini tears in your muscles much more quickly.

3. Progressive overload:

I mentioned this in one of my misconceptions about weightlifting, that women should not lift heavy weights. Whether this comes from the idea that women will injure themselves if they lift heavy weights or the misconception that lifting heavy will make them 'manly', you actually should be focusing on increasing your weight overtime in order to build muscle. Although proper form should always be your main focus, progressive overload should also be a primary goal. If you do not look to increase your weight, you will stop making progress and simply be maintaining your strength.

I know that weightlifting can be very overwhelming at the beginning, so if you have any questions at all, leave them below or dm me on instagram (@sydlerz.fitness)!

Happy lifting!!!

Stay kind,

~Syd