When it comes to weight loss, most people are aware of the benefits of cardio and diet for reaching their goals. Many people, especially women, seem to neglect adding strength training to their regimens.
When I talk to women about strength training and weight loss, the most common thing I hear is, “I just want to tone/lose weight, I don’t want to get bulky”. Although this is a very common thought among women, it really is just a myth.
Fears of Bulking Up are Overblown
Many women have seen pictures of professional female bodybuilders, and get the idea that if they start lifting weights that they are going to have bulging biceps, and this just isn’t true.
Testosterone is the main hormone responsible for increased muscle mass, and women just don’t have the testosterone levels to “get bulky” without the use of drugs, steroids, and an intense supplementation program. In addition to that, it takes these women years of intense training to get where they are.
When I first started my weight loss journey, I was concerned about how strength training would change my body. I wanted to be strong, but I didn’t want to appear masculine. After doing some research, I learned how beneficial strength training was.
In the past year, I have really gotten in to strength training and lifting weights. I have put most of my focus on gaining muscle with the hopes of competing in a figure competition, and I have discovered how difficult gaining muscle mass really is.
I now lift the heaviest weights I can five days a week, and am on a supplement program that is specifically designed to help me build muscle. The progress is slow, and I often wish that it was as easy as I used to think it would be.
Even if you aren’t ready to start curling thirty pound dumbbells, adding strength training to your program will be extremely beneficial for your weight loss as well as your general health.
Why You Should Strength Train
The first reason that strength training should be added is because strength training has been shown to elevate your metabolism for up to 38 hours after you are done. That means that even after you stop strength training, you are still burning calories.
However, with cardio, the increased calorie burn practically stops as soon as you are done with the exercise. Additionally, the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism is – even when you’re not being active. In a day, one pound of muscle burns approximately 5.67 calories, whereas a pound of fat only burns approximately 1.98 [1].
Another reason that strength training is important is because when you get on the scale and see that you have lost 2 pounds, that doesn’t mean it is all fat. Some may be fat, but you can also be losing muscle.
Seeing as most people’s goals are fat loss, adding some kind of strength training will help you to retain more muscle. In addition to that, adding strength training can help with bone health, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis, and improve one’s mood [2].
Overall, strength training has many benefits and can yield better results than diet and cardio alone. If you still hesitate to strength train because you don’t feel like you know what you are doing, schedule an appointment with a personal trainer. They will show you the equipment, how to set it up, how to use it, and how to properly perform exercises.
If that isn’t an option, you can do research online. Research strength training exercises for beginners or read a fitness magazine. Lastly, understand that people at the gym aren’t making fun of you just because you are starting out, because we were all there once.
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I started a diet and exercise program at the beginning of May and I can proudly say that I am down 60 lbs. It’s under a doctor’s supervision, so I’m taking an apetite suppressant and 700 calories a day- lots of protein, no fat, and no sugar.
I decided to start the exercise program and to do some strength training. I try to do a different muscle group each day (back, arms, legs), but my main focus is on my core muscles to help with my herniated disks in my lower back. I’ve been shedding lbs, but the loss of inches in all my measurements has been the most rewarding part. I’ve lost 11 inches in my midsection and 9 in my butt/hips!
I haven’t had any issues with my disks since I began doing the strength training and my migraines are gone too! Becoming a gym rat has been interesting and not something I thought I would ever do.
What apetite suppressant are you taking? Anything would help me
Adipex- I was prescribed the full 37.5 tab, but I only take a half tab each day. It is prescribed speed though, so sleeping is an issue, even taking something each day to sleep.
I also took Adipex along with several ladies I worked with. None of which including myself kept the weight off when we stopped taking it. I do hope it works for you. One thing you are doing right is exercise. As far as I know none of us worked out. We just relied on the pill. I have joined weight watchers and work out now. The weight loss is slower but I feel like (hopefully) I can keep it off. I’m sorry you feel like everyone is being judgemental. The last thing you need is anyone giving you bad feedback. Congrats on your success. As my dr told me Adipex is a short term jump start on weight loss. It helps you get started but it is up to you to change your eating habits long term. If used in that perspective it can help getting a start in a weight loss journey.
Yikes, a doctor prescribed 700 calories a day? better check his credentials…
Thanks for being judgemental.
No one is being judgmental. I also felt immediate concern for your health when I hear you were prescribed speed and sleeping pills and 700 cal/day. Especially if you are working out you need extra calories. Less than 1200 is dangerous without working out. I would hire a new nutritionist and doctor. What do you think is going to happen when you come down off of all those pills?
Obviously, as the person being judged and questioned- I feel that it’s “being judgemental”.
I was not prescribed anything to make me sleep (I have to take melatonin/benadryl/Zzzzquil) to fall asleep, but I’ve had insomnia issues for years- it’s not new territory for me. Also, when I do exercise or will be out hiking I do allow myself more calories. I am consistently monitoring my blood pressure and have the doctor, a consultant, and an online diet coach. And no, I wasn’t actually prescribed speed, but it is a form of phentermine which is a stimulant.
The point of my original post was that I am happy with my results since I began exercising. I have increased my calories and such so that I can continue to exercise.
Thanks for the concern, but I do not need it.
Hi Tara,
I was once also on adipex. I was perscribed the 37.5 mg and I took the medication daily for 4 months. Wow, I felt great, the weight seemed to just melt off and people really noticed the accelerated loss.
My doctor was also aggressive and gave me a strict calorie restriction.
My wake up call came one day as I sat in his office and he talked about how awful potatoes were, regardless of the form. He actually recommended putting them in my mouth to get the taste but then to spit them out in the napkin when company looked the other way.
I quit taking my meds that night. Within one month, my weight spiraled out of control, and I gained weight if not twice, but three times as fast as I had lost it. My suppressed appetite came back with a vengeance. I had not taught myself how to properly eat and exercise without my appetitie-supressing, 45-red-bulls-a-day medicine.
I am no means trying to be judgemental, and I really don’t think any of these people are either… just trying to give you a warm Please-be-careful advice.
Good luck to you, Tara. I hope you had better success with Adipex than I did.
Tara,
I don’t know anything about your situation. But I’ve been a yo-yo dieter for years….and I went to a great nutritionist and have for the first time lost weight that I’m able to keep off and on a path that I feel like I can live on forever…no pill, no counting calories….just eating no fat and watching sugar intake and eating mini meals. I think it’s much healthier and more doable than trying to exist on 700 calories…just something for you to think about. Oh yea and I haven’t had to do any exercise….and have dropped 2 sizes in clothes…and I’m 55 years old….now I’m getting ready to add strength training. My point is you do not have to starve yourself, pop pills, and exercise for hours to get results…just have to have the right type of program. Where I got my results – Institue of Eating Management and Relapse Prevention Center (Houston, TX). It’s the first thing I’ve tried that I’ve seen real results and that I can live with…a lifestyle change for sure, but so easy! Wishing you luck on your journey!
I am a runner and have strength trained here & there but nothing consistent. What would you recommend to get started to incorporating ST into my exercise regimen? How long & how often to be more specific?
Hi Kara, that’s going to depend on your goals. If you’re a passionate runner and want to keep the focus on that, I’d recommend a minimum of 2 days of strength training a week. As a beginner, you can make these full-body workouts. Focus on using compound exercises that recruit many different muscles at one time. Pressing movements such as pushups or bench press, pulling movements such as pullups or rows, and lower body movements like squats should be staples in your routine.
Wonderfully written article…I feel like when I walk into the weight room, I’m walking into the Men’s bathroom lol…no women ever go in there :/
thx for this article, loads of women use the machines,i’ve been one of them for last 10months.i used to be on a protein diet and lost 25kilograms in 6months,at that time only walked/jogged n did sit ups at home-350-500a day.i still have some weight on me,10kilograms to lose according to the scale,but even though i havent lost anything in last 11months off my weight or centimetres,my body and metabolism have changed so much. i love weights and strength workout,i havent built the muscles like the women from the pictures.i have toned up and nobody says i look my weight.now after over a year i see the difference in metabolism,i can consume more calories without gaining weight.i fully agree with the article and highly recommend strength training
How many days a week should you strength train and should you also do the cardio piece as well? I like to run and take spinning classes and I didn’t know if I should cut down on those classes and only do that 2x a week? Just trying to set up a schedule to get in the best exercises to lose body fat. I’ve lost a lot of weight so far, but I definitely lack the discipline to strength train regularly.
Hi Kelly, your workout schedule is really going to be dependent on your goals. What are you trying to accomplish? A great basic exercise program alternates strength training days with cardio days, with a day off each week.
I am trying to break a plateau that I have been at forever. I worked with a trainer recently to learn more about the equipment but should have asked for more of a “schedule” for workouts. Ideally, I would like to lose more weight and get more muscle definition. Should I work on separate muscle groups every other day or do full body workouts on the strength training days? Without a schedule, I tend to get “lost”…thank you so much for your response and your website–so glad I found it!
There are many different ways to accomplish this. One way would be to do a push/pull/lower body split, where you focus on hitting each muscle once/week.
For example:
Monday (push) – Work all upper body “pushing” muscles. This would include chest, triceps, shoulders (front).
Wednesday (pull) – Work all upper body “pulling” muscles. This would include back, biceps, shoulders (rear).
Friday (legs) – Work all leg muscles. Quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes, calves.
Tues/Thursday/Sat would be cardio days, and Sunday you’d take off.
Again, this is just one of probably a hundred different ways you could arrange your workouts.
Can you suggest some exercises in those groupings? I can look up some in a book that I have but I didn’t know if there are some “staples” that I should be doing and how often should you “change up” the exercises–I heard you should do that for muscle confusion?? Thanks again!
Monday – bench press, incline press, overhead press. You can do these with barbells or dumbbells.
Wed – pullups, rows (many different variations)
Fri – squats, deadlifts, good mornings, front squats, stiff-legged deadlifts
I’d say those are the basic core movements.
As for changing things up, there are all kinds of periodization theories. I’d suggest you good periodization and see if you can put together a program. For simplicity’s sake, as a beginner you could probably get away with doing the same exercises each week for a 12 week cycle, and just increase the weight or reps each time.
Thanks again! I will definitely start working on this routine and hope to see some results and break this plateau! Appreciate the advice 🙂
Kelly,
I started crossfit 3 months ago, 3 times a week. I am now up to 4 times a week. Have seen great results, and it is a lot of fun. I have recommended it to many other people, and they are hooked as well. Never the same excersise so never boring. The movements the coach calorie recommended are the movements we do. There is usually running involved as well.
Denise
What ST exercises do you recommend for hips?
For weight training, squats, good mornings, deadlifts, and their variations work well.
Hello,
I’ve read the comments to this article and I found it very helpful. I’m a zumba instructor and also started incorporating strength training in my routine. My routine is to go to the gym in the a.m. and do my strength training then 3x a week I teach class. I’m about to increase that to 5x a week. Can that count as my cardio? It’s an hour long class and I really push myself and my attendees. 🙂
For the longest time I was told to use light weights, but it doesn’t challenge me. I’ve discovered that I can use 15lb dumbells and feel more of a workout than 5-10 lbs. I really want to tone my arms (I”m most conscious about them) but feel that 5 lbs wont do anything because it’s so easy for me. Is using the heavier weights ok?
Also, if my arms is what I want to give extra attention to, should I be working that muscle group more than once a week?
And lastly, I would like to lose 30 lbs. I had a baby a year ago and it’s been really hard to drop the weight. Even with Zumba classes! Any suggestions??
Thanks so much!
Melina
Absolutely, Zumba can be counted as cardio.
It sounds like you really haven’t done much strength training before. I know you want to focus on your arms, but I would advise against focusing on any one body part, and instead emphasize your entire body. Compound exercises will tighten you up all over.
Don’t worry so much about the isolation exercises right now. Curls and tricep pushdowns are fun for your arms, but great arms are built through heaving pressing and pulling movements.
To tie that in with your last question, do really drop the pounds and show the definition in your arms (and rest of your body), it’s going to come down to your nutrition. You’re really going to have to clean up your diet. That means getting rid of the processed food and making sure you are providing the necessary nutrition to fuel your workouts.
Thank you so much for your response! I appreciate your suggestions.
Just one last question. Could you explain the front and rear shoulder muscles to me? And a couple examples of exercises for them?
Thanks!
Your shoulders have 3 “heads” to them, the front, lateral (side), and rear. The front gets stimulated with pressing movements like the bench press or overhead press.
The rear gets stimulated by rowing movements like pullups and rows. They can be emphasized more by changing the range of motion slightly.
The side get stimulated from a mixture of both, but there are some isolation exercises that can hit them directly, like side dumbbell lateral raises.
You can get instructions on how to do these by googling them, or by searching on YouTube.
Great words! Question.. I thought it was good to have a day in between weights to allow our bodies to heal.
Yes, it’s good day have at least a day in between weight sessions that hit the same muscles. That’s why people do “splits” – so that they can work some muscles one day, and some another.
Oiy!! I do all moi muscles the same day.. so I forgot about rotating muscle groups!!
Thank C.C.
I really enjoyed this article. I am the opposite, I would like to be a little bulky and very toned but I have this mindset that I have to do cardio everyday or I will gain weight. I do strength training everyday too. I split it up and do chest/back one day, abs one day, triceps and biceps one day, and legs one day. I run about 2 – 4 miles depending on how I feel and usually get on the elliptical or stair climber after running. I feel like the gym was a wasted trip when I leave and ONLY do strength training. I need a new mindset. HELP!
Hi Holli, “a little bulky” and “very toned” are kind of contradictory. I’m assuming you just mean lean and muscular.
Perhaps you can find a way to boost your intensity in the gym. Maybe you can time your rest intervals, or try some supersets or dropsets to change things up a little.
After a workout consisting of squats and deadlifts, I never feel like I wasted my time!
You do make a good point! After leg day I am exhausted. I do a workout sometimes where I run a mile, do 100 pushups; 200 bent over rows; 300 squats, and then run another mile. That seems to get to me! I wish I had other simple, but yet challenging workouts like that.
Holli, have you thought about increasing the weight and doing squats with weights if you are not already and doing far fewer reps?
I am a runner as well and have worried about bulking up too much. I recently started a strength training program and am realizing that it is will take longer to bulk up then I realized.
Thanks for the article.
Brandon
Great Article Laura!
Girls need to embrace strengh training to get the fastest results and to get toned!
Would cycling come under the banner of strength training as you are working your biggest muscles in the thighs??
Are nautilus weight machines ok to use? I am more comfortable with those, but I see mixed reviews on using this method as opposed to using free weights.
Not technically, but if you are doing sprints on them, you can certainly build some nice legs.
I prefer free weights, but there’s nothing wrong with machines. Do what you enjoy doing.