Lift that Weight, Ma'am - Reasons Why Women Should Try to Add Muscle

It never fails. I have a brand new client and she is interested in losing weight. But, just like the other nine out of ten female clients that I've had, she is worried that if she lifts weight she is going to "get huge."

This is extremely common. In fact, in all the years that I have been training, only a handful of women have actually had the foresight to want to put on muscle. I believe this common muscle-mass phobia stems from a few things. The number one thing is that those females that are new to fitness see a female bodybuilder on the cover of a magazine and fear getting that "big." Although I think that certain women bodybuilders have their own allure, more often than not competitive bodybuilders go to extremes to stand out and frequently do steroids. Yes, I know there are natural bodybuilders out there, but most females that are competitive are taking some type of anabolic steroid. Yes, there are exceptions, but this is true more often than not. Females, for the most part, do not have the testosterone levels that males do and should therefor not fear becoming as big as the female lifters of the magazines.

I think another reason that females are phobic of adding muscle is the preconceived societal norms that dictate that women should be weaker than males. It is truly a shame that this concept exists, but it seems to be prevalent. Here is the biggest reason why this preconceived notion is a shame: studies indicate that, pound for pound, when a male and female of equal sizes and relatively equal fitness levels are compared, females regularly score as high as males on leg strength, and frequently surpass their male counterparts.

Of course, these are just educated guises on my part. But to be honest with you, I'm not female and never have been, so I regularly do not know what ideas my female clients have about fitness. But I do know why adding muscle is a good thing in regards to overall weight loss and general health. I also know why females especially should seek to add muscle if they are trying to achieve either of these two goals.

Firstly, there are the overall benefits of having greater muscle mass. These include a predisposition towards greater bone density, higher metabolism, greater overall strength for daily life and general improvements in self-esteem. Let's go over each one of these.

Many of my female clients are trying to improve bone density, and rightly so. Osteoperosis is a common problem in females, especially as they age. The Internet and television are ripe with advertisements for calcium supplements. It has been noted that osteoperosis is a reduction in calcium deposits in bone tissue. But, in order to further induce bone growth, a stress to the bones needs to be created. Very few things can cause this stress as efficiently and safely as weight training/resistance training. Adding compression type weight training exercises and proper nutrition (namely calcium ingestion) is a sure way to improve bone density.

It requires a greater amount of energy to keep muscle tissue than it does to keep fat tissue. So, when the body adds any new muscle, it must work harder to keep that tissue. This increase in work causes an increase in body temperature and thusly an increase in metabolism. In other words, adding muscle makes one burn more calories at all times, at rest and during exercise.

Ever tried to keep up with your kids? My boys are bundles of energy that require constant interaction. Kids and life in general are frequently demanding great stresses on the body. Isn't it wise to be prepared as thoroughly as possible for whatever physical stresses might normally be thrown at you? Need to move furniture? Helps to have muscle and be strong for that. Need to change a tire? Muscle tissue and strength are a good thing in this case as well. Being ready for Life's little adventures is always a good idea, fitness wise.

Many studies have indicated that improvements in self-esteem occur immediately and long term when resistance training is applied. Ever see that crazy guy that has just finished doing a set of biceps curls begin posing in the mirror, admiring himself? Well, this feeling of self-satisfaction actually applies to everyone, at least on some level, when they begin resistance training within a regular fitness routine. I'm not saying you'll automatically begin posing like crazy-man, but you might at least feel as good about yourself as he does about himself.

Now we come to the main reason why, not only should females want to add muscle mass, but they should strive to add muscle mass. As mentioned before, females do not naturally have as high of levels of testosterone as males do. This may come as a shock to many readers, but it's hard for anyone to add muscle tissue, male or female. Yes, there are those that are more genetically set up to add muscle tissue; we all loath those that can get in shape by just thinking about it. But for those less genetically gifted (such as myself) it takes years of progressively increasing effort to add any amount of muscle. And even for those that can look at a dumbbell and add size to their biceps, they still have to try harder to add more muscle. It doesn't come easy, most of the time.

My point with saying all that is this: adding muscle is good for losing weight. To add even a pound or two of muscle tissue requires effort, even more so for females. So I encourage all my females clients to not simply lift weights as required drudgery, but to embrace resistance training as the effective tool that it is. Any and all weight loss routines include these three things: weight/resistance training, cardiovascular exercise (cardio), and diet/nutritional adjustments. Even if one is not doing one or two of these three things, they must take them into consideration. For example, if someone is losing weight through diet alone, they must work harder than if they have all three components. When all three are included, minor adjustments in each can produce great changes in the body overall.

Resistance training causes the food that we eat to go to muscle repair, rather than storage. It improves strength, for daily life and for greater cardiovascular workouts. It improves bone-density and self-esteem. If you are trying to lose weight and get in shape, it should be a staple in your routine. Use good form, lift weights, do cardio, watch your diet and get stronger, healthier and happier.