Should Women Strength Train and Why?
What Exactly Is Strength Training?
Strength training (also known as resistance training) involves exercises designed to improve muscle strength, endurance, and size by working against a force. This force can come from many different sources, including:
Free Weights: Dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells
Weight Machines: Equipment found in most gyms, such as leg presses or cable machines. Plate-loaded and pin-loaded
Resistance Bands: Elastic bands that add tension to movements and can be easily used at home or on the road
Bodyweight Exercises: Movements like push-ups, squats, and planks that use your own body weight for resistance
The main goal is to challenge your muscles so they adapt and become stronger over time. This increased strength carries over into everyday tasks, sports, and other forms of exercise.
Strength Training and Mental Well-Being
One of the biggest advantages of strength training is its impact on your mind—not just your muscles. Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals that combat stress and anxiety. Over time, having consistent mini “victories” as you lift heavier or complete more challenging workouts fosters a strong sense of self-confidence and accomplishment. This mental empowerment can carry over into other parts of your life, from work and relationships to your ability to handle everyday stress.
Mood Booster: Endorphins help lift your spirits and reduce anxiety.
Self-Confidence: Setting goals (like achieving a new personal record) can boost self-esteem and make you feel more empowered.
Sharper Focus: Exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function, helping you stay mentally sharp.
Health and Longevity Benefits
If you’re aiming for a lifestyle that supports long term health, strength training is an essential component. Women, in particular, often face a higher risk of osteoporosis, so activities that help build and maintain bone density (like lifting weights or using resistance bands) are crucial. Here’s how strength training supports your overall health:
Bone Density: Resistance training helps slow bone loss and strengthens your skeletal structure, reducing the risk of fractures.
Joint Stability: Stronger muscles mean better support for your joints, which can help prevent injuries and aid in everyday activities and sports.
Metabolic Boost: Building lean muscle increases your resting metabolic rate, which can help with long-term weight management and energy balance.
Goals and Body Confidence
Culturally, many women feel pressure to look a certain way. Whether its lean and athletic or curvy with a small waist, strength training offers a practical, science-backed method to sculpt and build the body while boosting overall confidence. When you engage in regular resistance workouts—whether it’s with dumbbells, machines, or bodyweight exercises—you increase lean muscle mass, which in turn helps your body burn fat more efficiently.
Sculpted Physique: Resistance exercises help shape and define your muscles, giving you a strong, lean appearance.
Posture and Poise: Strengthening your core and back muscles can improve posture, making you appear taller and more confident.
Sustainable Weight Management: A faster metabolism from increased muscle mass supports long-term weight control without drastic dieting.
Pregnancy and Postpartum Support
Thinking about starting a family at some point? Strength training can be a game-changer for pregnancy and postpartum health. By strengthening your core, back, and pelvic floor muscles before and during pregnancy (with medical clearance, of course), you can reduce common discomforts, lower the risk of tearing during delivery, and aid in a quicker recovery afterward. Something many women deal with is diastasis recti. This is when the two parts of your vertical abdomen muscles, rectus abdominis tear apart during pregnancy. This can cause pelvic floor issues and a weak core/back. Prevention of diastasis recti can be done through strength training of the core and surrounding muscles before and during pregnancy.
Core Stability: Strong core muscles help manage the extra weight of pregnancy and reduce back pain.
Easier Labor: When your body is stronger, you’ll have more stamina for labor and delivery.
Faster Recovery: A well-trained body can heal more efficiently, benefiting both you and your baby in the postpartum phase.
Strength Training for Every Age
Whether you’re in your early 20s, juggling a busy career and family, or looking to stay mobile and independent in later years, strength training remains a key element in maintaining a healthy, vibrant lifestyle. The benefits—improved muscle definition, better bone health, and enhanced mental awareness/health.
Final Thoughts
Strength training is so much more than just lifting weights; it’s an investment in your health, mental well-being, and self-confidence. From managing stress and sculpting a strong physique to preparing your body for pregnancy and supporting a healthy recovery afterward, the benefits are both wide-ranging and long-lasting.
Keep in mind, that something is better than nothing. Meaning if you are already using weights in the gym or at home but you’re planning on going on vacation with no access to a gym, you can pack some resistance bands to use for your squats, pushups, pulls, etc. However, building muscle takes progressive overloading. This means you have to move forward at some point to heavier weights to grow and keep your body from adaptation. Adaption happens over time when our muscles become comfortable with certain weights or movements. We need adaption to grow, yes, but there is a point where our body will not progress any further during a phase of training. This is why it’s crucial to keep certain compound movements in your routine and change up some isolation exercises when you feel like you haven’t progressed in a couple of weeks. I will keep 3-4 compound exercises the same all year long. Every month and a half to two months I will switch out some of the isolation/accessory movements to keep myself from adaption. You don’t have to change the whole routine either! Just one or two is perfectly fine. (I will be making a blog post about this topic here soon as well! So stay tuned for that!)
If you’ve ever been on the fence about picking up a pair of dumbbells or hitting the weight room, there’s no better time to start. With consistency and proper guidance, you’ll soon discover that strength training is a powerful tool in helping you look and feel your best—through every season of life. If you have any questions or you’re interested in taking a step to a better and healthier you, visit my contact page today!