Here’s why all women should be strength training

Strength training is key for women, but there are many roadblocks women face when trying to reach the minimum recommended amount of 2x/week.

Strength training as a woman can feel overwhelming for many reasons, but the key is to find an environment and the right people to make it enjoyable.

There’s still a certain perspective about taking the time as a woman (or individuals who identify as female) to work out and feel strong. Part of feminine norms in society is the concept that women shouldn’t have muscles or want to be strong, that women are weak and can’t handle sports or physical training.

It’s important to tackle this perception head-on because these views can influence girls throughout their childhood and impact their health in the future.

Adolescent girls tend to drop out of sport at high rates.

You may become used to the fact that there are fewer women in gyms, fewer women on sports teams, fewer sport social groups targeting women, and so on. The worrisome aspect is that girls and women miss out on not only the emotional, psychological, and mental health aspects but also on the important physical aspects that training and sport provide.

Strength Training is key as you age to help with:

Bone Mineral Density

It’s called osteopenia and osteoporosis when we start losing bone mineral density to a specific level. This can be countered by including resistance training in your weekly exercise routine.

Strength training from a young age can help build bone density, as your muscles pull on your bones, your body learns to adapt and create more bone in those areas. If you are starting fresh and haven’t done resistance training before, then it can still play a role in promoting bone density in post-menopausal women.

Maintaining Muscle Mass

Sarcopenia is when you lose muscle. This starts happening way before you think – in your 30s! This is an age-related process, so everyone goes through it. However, muscle is important to keep independent function as you age so it’s essential to start lifting heavy weights and resistance training as soon as possible.

Maintaining Independence and Function

You don’t think about these things while you have them, but as soon as you have an injury or lose strength in your ability to do things you were able to do before, that’s when you’ll have wished you had started training sooner! Key strength aspects that directly impact independence include:

• Getting up and down from chairs or the toilet = squats
• Picking things up from the ground = deadlifts
• Carrying groceries or suitcases = farmer’s carries
• Putting something away overhead = shoulder press
• Going up stairs = step ups
• Going down stairs = Single leg squats

Reducing Injury from falls or other unexpected impacts

Your body becomes more resilient when you put it through hard work! This is also impacted by having increased bone mineral density so your body can handle impact.

Resistance training can improve bone mineral density in the femoral neck (the top of the thigh bone that is part of the ball and socket hip joint) and the lumbar spine (the lower back joints) for women who are pre- and post-menopausal.

Where should you start?

Getting into a regular strength training program can take time to build up – gradually working into more specific and targeted exercises is like injury rehabilitation.

You can start bodyweight, but it is important to add further resistance to be able to build up muscle and bone. Progress to using bands and dumbbells.

Before starting new exercise, check with your physician or primary healthcare provider to ensure there are no contraindications to exercise.

If you are clear to exercise, start with movements like:

• Squatting to a bench
• Stationary lunges
• Push ups on a bench
• Double leg calf raises

It should be staged and progressive! It’s also a good idea to find activities you enjoy or groups of people who will hold you accountable so that resistance training can become a habit for life.

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