Strength Training As You Get Older

Ladies, why are lifting weights so important? 

Yes it allows you to build muscle mass so you can have that “toned” look that everyone is going for.

Yes it allows you to develop some womanly curves and creates that hourglass shape.

But one of the most important reasons is a reason that we often forget about and that is its necessity to our overall HEALTH. Especially as we get older. 

Now I know that not every woman wants to look toned, not every woman wants an hourglass shape. And for those who aren’t aspiring to achieve these physique goals, they often avoid the weights altogether.

“Well I don’t want developed shoulders, so why would I train my shoulders?”

That’s like saying I’m not going to be a tooth model for a Crest commercial, so why would I floss my teeth?

Just because we don’t want to be a bodybuilder, doesn’t mean we should avoid lifting weights. 

Ok, so why the heck is lifting weights so damn important? 

Before I get into that, I just want to QUICKLY assure you that lifting weights will not make you bulky. I feel that this fear IS slowly starting to die. But for those who are still afraid that you are going to look like a man, let me assure you that unless you take performance-enhancing drugs, it is impossible. 

I have been lifting weights for over 10 years now and I still get told that I’m so tiny. I promise, you are not going to get bulky.

Glad we cleared that up!

Now there are several reasons as to why you want to start taking resistance training more seriously. But I want to just cover a couple of the more important ones. 

Reason #1: You need muscle to lose fat

As your lean muscle increases so does your resting metabolic rate. This is the calories you burn when you are at rest.  You actually continue to burn more calories all day long after your training session. If all you are doing is cardio, you aren’t going to build the muscle needed to receive the same benefits.

Too often I am seeing women prioritize the amount of cardio they think they should be doing because we have this believe that the more cardio we do, the more fat we are going to burn. This is not actually the case and we are giving cardio way too much credit.

I am not trying to bash cardio. Cardio is a great tool for our long-term health. All I am saying is that we are placing way too much importance on cardio.

Let’s go back to our oral care analogy, shall we? Where resistance training is our floss and cardio is our scope.

Scope is a nice feeling after we have flossed teeth. But if we ever forget to scope, it’s no big deal. We are still going to have healthy teeth if we don’t always scope.

But we are going to have to get root canals and replace our teeth if we don’t floss. Flossing is on the higher end of the hierarchy of importance when it comes to oral care, whereas scope is on the lower end of importance. 

The same holds true for resistance training and cardio. Resistance training is on the higher end of the hierarchy of importance for fat loss and overall health, whereas cardio is on the lower end of importance.

Still important, just not as important. 

Make sense? 

Reason #2: You reduce back pain and improve posture

Resistance training not only builds stronger muscles but also builds stronger connective tissues and increases joint stability. This helps prevent injury and even improves our posture.

So even if you don’t want to have jacked shoulders, training your shoulders is still necessary for postural and stability purposes. If you often have sore shoulders, you might be lacking the necessary strength needed in that muscle group.

While resistance machines may be used in early stages of training, where appropriate, we should use free weight, multi joint resistance training exercises, which provide greater overall training stimulus and place a greater demand on postural stability.

Now if you still aren’t convinced, let’s talk about the final and yet most important reason. 

Reason #3: You reduce risk of Osteoporosis

It has been reported that weightlifters who regularly train with heavy weights while performing multi joint exercises display levels of bone density well above values of age-matched controls.

Why is this important?

As we get older, we have an increased risk of developing osteoporosis, a clinical condition characterized by low bone mass and an increased susceptibility to fractures. Postmenopausal women are at a greater risk for osteoporosis because the body no longer secretes estrogen.

Any increase in muscle strength or mass may therefore result in a corresponding increase in bone mineral density or the quantity or mineral deposited in a given area of the bone. 

Thus, exercise that stimulates muscle growth and strength gains also stimulate bone growth.

And I don’t know about you, but if I can mitigate the amount of pain and risk of injury as I get older, I’m going to try.

Overall, resistance training is much more than just achieving a desired physique. There’s much more importance when it comes to our overall health now and as we get older

Resistance training can benefit in all aspects of your life.

Lift those weights, ladies!