2 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

Ask most women about strength training and they will probably tell you they've never done it. If they have strength trained, they will tell you that one of their goals is to avoid bulking up and looking big. Most of them say they strength train because they want to "tone".

The truth of the matter is that there is no clinical definition for "tone". As muscles get stronger, they get bigger and that's it. After six years in the exercise industry, I'm still trying to figure out how to measure or qualify "tone"?

The saddest thing of all is that despite all the benefits of strength training, many women won't lift weights at all for one reason or another. For most women that do it, what they want out of a strength training program is to look good. The good news is that there are a lot more benefits to lifting weights than getting "toned up".

1. Weight management

Increasing muscle mass to lose weight is like collecting passive income to build wealth. It's a wonderful way to reach your goal when you're not even trying. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does and that muscle is burning calories around the clock. That means that the more muscle you build, the more calories you are burning all day long when you're not exercising.

There are millions of women struggling to lose weight that don't strength train. They rely solely on cutting calories and doing cardio to get the job done. If you're trying to shed pounds, you need to take advantage of this passive calorie-burning process.

The worst part about not strength training is the fact that the older you get and the more you don't use your muscles, the more muscle you lose. The more muscle you lose, the fewer calories you burn around the clock. It's like choosing to lower your passive income each month when you're working like crazy elsewhere to build wealth. It's crazy!

2. Fill out the flab

One of the primary reasons women strength train is to look "toned". I hate even using that word but that's what women say. Anyway, the problem is that because these women are afraid they will bulk up, they insist on using small weights. This does very little to increase muscle size and make them look more lean. This is especially true in the flabby area on the back of the arms, the triceps. Many women have a significant amount of flabby skin hanging there. Having larger triceps muscles would help to fill in that skin and make their arms look leaner.

Yes, having larger triceps muscles will make you look a lot leaner and "toned" as opposed to fat and flabby. Think about that the perks of strength training you've been missing out on the next time you decide to walk past, instead of into the weight room.