Historically, in the quest for a “better body” the female gym goer has gravitated solely towards cardio vascular training, or super light weight circuits. Thankfully there has been a big movement in recent years towards strength training for female fat loss and body composition, we’ve become smarter about getting what we want out of the gym. Here’s a few reasons why workouts focused around weight training are the way forward…
Burn more calories
The amount of muscle mass you have greatly determines your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you burn whilst resting) and through weight training you can of course increase muscle mass. The more muscle you have – the more energy is required from your body in order to maintain it. More energy used = more calories burned.
Stronger bones
Bone density is obviously really important, especially as you get older – training with weights has an osteogenic effect on the body. Research has shown that individuals who were exposed to very heavy loads had much higher levels of bone mass density compared to the general population.
Healthier heart
One thing we all know for sure is that lifting weights builds muscle – What is the heart? A muscle! When we consistently weight train there is an increased blood flow to limbs, longer-lasting drop in blood pressure and reduce risk of many diseases.
Positive Hormonal Changes
Weight training helps to increase testosterone levels. Whilst females naturally have a much lower testosterone level than males, elevations in T can still have tremendously positive impacts on body composition and fat burning potential. It can also help promote a better testosterone cortisol ratio leading to more energy, better mood and increased sex drive.
Sculpt your figure
Losing weight is one thing, but losing fat and achieving your ideal figure is another. To give yourself shape and tone in all the right places requires progressive weight training methods to ensure you force the body to adapt to new stimulus. Whilst it would make sense not to neglect any single body part for metabolic purposes, be sure to pay the most attention to progressing key exercises that are going to force those changes to occur where you want to see them most. Think of it like building a sculpture except this time it’s you. If you are in need of a little extra booty for example, make sure you focus on getting strong in lifts like the barbell hip thrust, Squat variations and Romanian Deadlifts.
Here’s a sample workout to focus on developing that peach and overall strength!
A1. Barbell Back Squat – 3 x 12 reps – 4010 tempo – 90 seconds rest
A2. Flat Db Chest Press – 3 x 12 reps – 4010 tempo – 90 seconds rest
B1. Barbell Romanian Deadlift – 3 x 15 reps – 4010 tempo – 60 seconds rest
B2. 45 degree Incline Db Chest Press – 3 x15 reps – 4010 tempo – 60 seconds rest
C1. Barbell Hip Thrusts – 3 x 15 reps – 4010 tempo – 60 seconds rest
C2. Db single arm row – 3 x 15 reps – 3 0 1 0 tempo – 60 seconds rest
Written by Roar personal trainer Ethan Kenny
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