Judy was always in shape. But while the 36-year-old loved getting her heart pumping through cardio, she made a conscious effort to stay away from weights. “I thought lifting weights was going to make me really bulky, like those bodybuilders, and I really didn’t like that,” she says.
But after encouragement from her partner, Judy tried a weightlifting class six months ago and has been hooked ever since. The part that she likes the most is the effect of it on her body. She found that lifting weights is “a really good way to tone up and lose weight.”
As you build strength, it’s important that you continually progress by doing more repetitions or increasing the weight you use.Credit:chubby
Judy is far from the only person who avoids weights due to concerns about building bulky muscles, says personal trainer Kylie Anderson. But she, she explains, women don’t have enough testosterone to “bulk up” the way men do. Instead, she says, women who do resistance training are more likely to tone up as they gain strength.
Exercise physiologist Tara Jenkins echoes that sentiment. “There’s a lot of intent in a bodybuilder’s physique, so no one is going to look like that unless they’re actively trying,” she says.
While adding weights to your workouts is unlikely to break you down, it can do wonders for your bones. As we age, we lose critical bone density, which increases our risk of fracture. Weight training can help maintain bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, explains Jenkins.
It’s also a great way to control your weight. recent research from the University of NSW found that we can lose around 1.4 percent of our body fat with strength training alone, which is similar to the amount we can lose with cardio.
“A lot of people think that if you want to lose weight, you need to get out there and run,” says Dr. Mandy Hagstrom, an exercise physiologist and lead author of the study. “But our findings show that even when strength training is done on its own, it still causes favorable body fat loss without having to consciously diet or go for a run.”
Lifting weights can also be good for your heart, with investigation 2018 from Iowa State University that found that doing such exercise for less than an hour a week can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 percent.
However, before you launch into the weight section of your gym, there are some important tips to keep in mind. Starting with the correct technique is key, says Anderson, as this will ensure that you’re not only targeting the correct muscles when he trains, but that he’s doing so in a way that prevents injury. If you’re not sure if he’s pulling off a perfect move, ask a qualified trainer for advice.
