Many women are afraid to “pump iron” fearing
that they will build large bicep muscles and huge thighs.
In reality, lifting weights increases your lean muscle mass which makes
you burn more calories and lose more fat, eventually making you smaller
not bigger. You may, however, get on a scale and see that you are
not losing weight. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. The
best way to judge your progress is to take body measurements. This
way you can see the true results of your hard work. Strength training
also raises your metabolism which results in you losing more calories per
day.
According to the American
College of Sports Medicine, you only need to weight train two times
per week, with each session lasting less than a half an hour. It
is very important, however, that you balance your muscle workouts.
For every primary muscle (agonist) you work you must work the opposing
muscle (antagonist) to lessen the possibility of muscular imbalance and
injury. For example, if you are working your bicep muscles you need
to also work the tricep muscles. You should also vary
the exercises that you perform. You do not want to stress the joint
and its attachments in the same area over and over. A variety of
exercises strengthen both the agonist and the antagonist muscles and will
improve joint stability.
These exercises should be performed slowly.
This will allow full range of motion and concentrated work on an isolated
muscle that you are working. It is important that you do not work
the muscle beyond the point of fatigue. This will cause other muscles
to take over to continue the work. If you perform the movement too
quickly you are often relying on momentum rather than working the muscle.
This may lead to a joint or muscle injury. Strengthening a muscle
requires working the muscle against resistance in a controlled, deliberate
manner. Some ways to perform resistance training is by the
use of hand held weights or free weights, rubber tubing, or resistive equipment.
There are many benefits from weight training
besides the obvious of increased muscle strength. Progressive resistance
training has a positive effect on bone density especially in the elderly
and women. The increased muscle strength will benefit the elderly
in walking and will decrease their risk of falling. The most
important muscle that is affected by weight training is the heart.
The function of the heart and lungs is improved which reduces coronary
disease risk factors. Resistance training also plays an important
role in weight control, lowering blood pressure, preventing osteoporosis,
and managing low back pain.
