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Whether you exercise to lose weight, get fit or achieve a more toned look, strength training should form an essential part of any mom’s weekly routine. Ultimately it keeps your body strong and healthy as you progress through life. Plus, it’s a great way to get your body back into shape after pregnancy.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to reap the rewards – a proper strength-training programme can be effective with as little as three hours of training per week. In fact, it can completely change your life, as many women who have successfully incorporated it into their routine will tell you.
One example is Cherylin Donnelly-Gomes, a South African mother of two who hasn’t looked back since she began strength training. “As a busy mom, my body and weight are always on my mind. Since I started using free weights and moved on to heavier weights with a strength-training programme, my health journey has changed,” she says. “I love the sense of achievement, feeling stronger and seeing muscle definition. It’s led me to stop smoking... I see my fitness achievements as huge accomplishments and continue to set myself small, attainable goals.”
Strength training has also transformed UK-based Tia Taylor’s body, along with her attitude towards exercise. “I’ve always been skinny and really wanted to get some definition, which is why I started including kettlebells, as well as both heavy and light weights, in my workouts.”
One of the best things about strength training, Tia says, is how you feel after a workout. “I feel like I’ve achieved something,” she says. “I find strength training also helps my muscle imbalances and joint pain. It’s helped to strengthen my knees, back and core, all of which I had trouble with.”
The benefits of strength training
One myth that unfortunately prevents many women from including strength training in their exercise routine is the belief that they’ll “bulk up”. This isn’t true. Women have lower testosterone levels than men, which means we just don’t have it in us to get bulky. If, however, this is what you want to achieve, very precise programming, hours of dedicated training and strict dieting are required.
The fact is that strength training offers far more benefits to women than many realise. These include:
Weight loss: With regular strength training, your body will burn calories more effectively because you’re adding more lean body mass and losing fat mass (muscle burns more energy than fat). Strength training and a healthier eating plan will also help prevent loss of muscle.
Stronger bones: Strength training improves musculoskeletal health as the loaded movements increase bone density, which in turn prevents calcium loss and subsequent bone frailty, often associated with osteoporosis in later life.
Better overall health: Strength training can help manage life-threatening conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Many chronic conditions are exacerbated by inactivity, which often goes hand-in-hand with a bad diet, but strength training in particular has been shown to positively affect insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, resting heart rate and metabolism.
Improved sleep: Strength training has been shown to improve sleep quality by helping you fall asleep faster and inducing deeper sleep.
More energy: With strength training you continue burning calories even after you train. One study conducted by Dr Erik Kirk from Southern Illinois University showed that a mere 11 minutes of strength training resulted in an increase in energy expenditure, which changed both energy expenditure and fat burning. The study showed that, on average, participants increased the number of calories they burned by 500 per day with only 11 minutes of weight-based strength training a day.
What are your options?
There are several different kinds of strength training. To find the one that best suits you, you have to make sure it fits in with your lifestyle and what you’re trying to achieve. For example, if you’re a working mom, your time is limited, so choosing a strength-training programme that takes up a lot of time and energy simply won’t be sustainable in the long run.
That said, finding the right kind of strength-training exercise can be challenging, and may require trying out a few options before settling on the kind of exercise you really enjoy and that fits into your routine. Before you get going though, it’s important to get the all-clear from your doctor and to enlist the help of a trainer – at least initially.
Some of the best options include:
Training with resistance bands: Resistance bands are a good option for beginners – they’re inexpensive and provide a challenging resistance when stretched. They’re also versatile and come in varying resistance levels, so you can adjust the band as you become stronger. What’s more, they’re perfect if you have limited space at home or if you travel regularly, as they’re light and portable.
Training with free weights: Barbells and dumbbells will fast-track you to becoming strong and lean-looking. It’s important, however, to always make sure you use correct positioning when working with a weighted load. If you’re new to lifting weights, first have a few sessions with a qualified trainer and follow a programme suited to your fitness level and goals.
Training with weight machines: Weight machines are good if you’re new to strength training as they use fixed movements at a resistance of your choice. This means you have more control over the movement.
Callisthenics: This is a form of body-weight training that includes movements such as push-ups, squats, pull-ups and dips. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s easy though. Done correctly, body-weight training can be all you need to get fit, lose weight and shape up.
Pilates: This technique uses controlled movements to build body strength, flexibility and endurance. Many women favour Pilates because one of the more popular benefits is longer, leaner muscles. There are two types: mat-based Pilates, which includes a series of movements using a mat on the floor, and Pilates done with “reformer” machines.
Yoga: There are various types of yoga, all of which can be a great addition to your strength-training programme. They can even stand alone as a restorative and intense physical practice. Regardless of the type of yoga you choose, the majority of yoga poses will improve your strength, flexibility and mobility.
Training with kettlebells: Kettlebells are ideal for intermediate fitness enthusiasts who want to step up their workouts. However, as with the free weights, it’s important that a qualified professional shows you the correct form and movements first. The most common movements include the kettlebell swing, clean, Turkish get-up and snatch. Most movements are explosive. Due to the displaced centre of gravity when using kettlebells, your body is forced to constantly recruit muscles to help maintain control and stability, providing a full-body workout.
More about the author:
Amy Froneman is an ACE-certified personal trainer and a certified kettlebell instructor.
References:
- Minimal resistance training improves daily energy expenditure and fat oxidation National Institutes of Healthhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19346974
- Psychological aspects of resistance training: Human Kinetics: http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/psychological-aspects-of-resistance-training
- Weight Training has Unique Heart Benefits, Study Suggests: Medical News Today http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207417.php
- Resistance Exercise in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease: American Heart Association http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/101/7/828.full
