Why Women Benefit From Weightlifting (Some Of The Reasons May Surprise You!)

Lifting weights and building muscle is great for aesthetics and changing your physique, but it's SO much more than that!

Here are a few reasons that may surprise you...

#1 It Helps Balance Your Hormones

Hormonal health is complex, but evidence shows that intelligent training has a significant and positive impact on healthy hormone balance, including key hormones like estrogen and testosterone.

Muscle mass, strength, and sex drive, for example, are all connected to testosterone, for both women and men. Regular activity -- especially resistance training -- can boost healthy testosterone levels, which can slow the natural effects of aging and keep you feeling energetic and young.

Additionally, the negative symptoms we associate with menopause are in part driven by the imbalance and decline of estrogen. Exercise – you guessed it – helps keep our estrogen levels balanced.

#2 You'll Age Better

People often associate aging with things like:

• Osteoporosis - weakened bones and decreased bone density 
• Sarcopenia - loss of skeletal muscle mass
• Anabolic Resistance -  the reduced stimulation of growth and metabolic function to a given dose of protein/amino acids (basically, as you age, your body doesn’t use the amino acids you take in quite as well)

Much of these negative effects that some consider “inevitable” can be drastically reduced, slowed down, and even avoided by maintaining healthy muscle through intelligent, weight-bearing exercise programming and a nutrient-dense, protein-forward diet. 

Jane ⬇️ can attest to that! Keep scrolling down to hear about her experience with lifting weights and aging like a boss! 😎

#3 You May Live Longer

See the points above! Having more skeletal muscle can help avoid injury (including ones commonly associated with aging, like fall-related hip injuries).

Consistent movement and strength work can slow the aging process and keep you happier and more vital as you age – something we should be thinking about while we’re still young! 

#4 More Muscle = More "Effortless" Fat Loss

After a weight lifting session, you get a metabolic fat-burning uptake for hours, helping to burn fat even when you’re not moving; this effect is not necessarily seen after cardio workouts.

Additionally, the more muscle on your body, the more calories you’ll burn at rest. While a few pounds of muscle doesn’t necessarily cause a huge difference in calorie burn throughout the day, a few extra calories burned every hour, every day, every year...adds up!

The majority of our daily calories are burned just through existing, not during our workouts, so these calories matter!

Think of muscle like a metabolic currency, allowing your body to do more, and frankly, “get away with" more as well. Pretty cool stuff!

#5 Can Improve Mental Health

In addition to balancing key sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen, which can go a long way in balancing your mood, exercise stimulates and increases key “feel-good” hormones like dopamine and serotonin.

These hormones can work to combat stress, promote better rest at night, and positively impact things like digestion, sexual function, and mood. Sign me up!

#6 It's Empowering

You know this one already, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

Learning how your body works and what it's capable of, can be incredibly empowering and rewarding. The mental and physical strength you gain from your time lifting weights carries over into other areas of your life. 

The confidence you get from newfound strength cannot be underestimated!

If you're ready to age like a boss, feel confident and empowered in your own skin, and experience all of the other benefits outlined above, check out the Muscle Science For Women program: A 12-week program on the theory & application of strength & muscle-building.

Check out what Jane has to say about her weightlifting journey and experience going through Muscle Science For Women👇