Ladies, we need to have a talk. It’s 2017, and it's about time women learned the truth about lifting and why we should all be doing it, or at least giving it a chance! There are so many positives to lifting, and I'm here to shed light on some of those in the hopes that women will realize that there are more ways to be healthy and fit other than spending hours on the treadmill.
1. Lifting makes you feel powerful
There's nothing quite like seeing the weight that you're lifting increase or seeing new muscle definition in the mirror, even if it's only slight. Lifting makes you feel powerful because you know that your body can do this brand new thing and that it's adapting each and every time you lift. It's empowering!
2. It helps build confidence
In the same way lifting can empower you, it also helps to raise your self-esteem. When you realize what your body is capable of, you start to appreciate it.
3. It's not super high-intensity like cardio
This isn't to knock high-intensity workouts; cardio is important. I personally hate cardio, but you gotta do what you gotta do to be fit. One thing I really love about lifting is that it's not high-intensity. Yes, your heart rate gets up, but it's in intervals and not constant like running. Try it out!
4. It can be relaxing
Just as with any type of exercise you enjoy, it can be therapeutic! Going to the gym, putting in your headphones and getting in your lift for the day can help you shut the world out and to forget about any worries you may have. Find what you love and make it a hobby, and it'll be your own form of stress relief.
5. It builds muscle mass, and more muscle mass = more fat burn
The more muscle mass you have on your body, the more your body can burn fat! Even hours after you exercise your muscles are burning energy. So, if your goal involves losing some fat, lifting is a great way to help!
6. You can build a butt
This one goes out to the biggest reason I hear girls begin working out: to get a booty. I hate to break it to you guys, but if you want a butt like that gif, you have to lift. You have to build muscle in your glutes, and to do that, you have to lift some weights. Getting a booty shouldn't be the only reason you have for working out, but if it gets you to the gym, so be it.
I hope that eventually you begin to appreciate what lifting does for your body and decide to do exercises that target your whole body, not just your glutes! Sometimes women are afraid of lifting their upper body because they think they'll get bulky, but I promise you won't. Women don't have the physical capability that men have to build muscle, as we lack the testosterone. As for the women you see in bikini bodybuilding competitions, those women dedicate 100% of their lives toward eating perfectly and lifting multiple times a day in order to look that big. You won't look that way with a moderate workout regimen.
Trying new exercise regimens can be intimidating, but it can also be the doorway to a new passion. You might begin weightlifting only to realize that you want to build your muscles and feel strong.
