Why Women Should Lift Weights
While some women may desire and seek to build large muscles, strength training is versatile and can fit into just about anyone's fitness routine. Furthermore, most women are genetically incapable of developing extremely large muscles because of insufficient hormones. You can safely let go of the fear you may have of developing an Arnold Schwarzenegger type physique. What you will develop are stronger, longer, lean muscles that will aid you in battling some of the biggest health threats to women, including heart disease and osteoporosis.
While cardio activity and a sensible diet are crucial to fitness and heart health, they cannot provide the tone and definition that you get from a good strength training regimen. And if it's fat burning that you desire, strength training is a must. As the size of your muscle fibers increase, so does the amount of energy that your body burns.
Weight lifting even increases your resting metabolic rate, making it even easier to burn off the fat. This is a very attractive benefit, as a woman's metabolism slows down with age. This increased metabolic rate acts as a fighter against fat and the greatest killer of women - heart disease.