Will Lifting Weights Help You Lose Weight?
WILL LIFTING WEIGHTS HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT? Coupled with a clean diet (our 80/20 mantra), YES! There are many benefits to having an effective exercise plan that incorporates both strength and cardio conditioning. A huge advantage of weight training is weight loss. For many women, the thought of lifting weights is frightening. Getting "bulky" is a fear that paralyzes most women into never picking up a set of dumbbells. I am here to ease your fears, ladies. If done right, strength and resistance training can impact your weight loss just as much as cardio conditioning can! It will help you slim down and actually change the shape of your body.
Here's how:
• It boosts your metabolism. When you lift weights or strength train, you gain more muscle. Muscle uses more energy and therefore burns more calories than fat. You will have a higher resting metabolic rate. Studies have shown that a well designed strength program can increase your metabolism for up to 38 hours after the workout. Yes! You read that correctly! So increasing your muscle mass will not only boost your metabolism, but you will continue to burn calories long after a great strength training workout!
• You'll lose fat. Long-term resistance training can lead to the decreases in adipose tissue (fat), which can also contribute to weight loss. I won't bore you with the science behind a study done by Drs. Lawrence Herrera and Len Kravitz from UNM, but it supports this claim of strength training burning fat. Their study is the first to directly show that resistance exercise increases the breakdown of fats and thus contributes to improved body composition. Yippee!
• It can change your shape. Trainer Tia Falcone states, "You're not going to change the shape of your body with just cardio, you're just going to be exactly like you are but you'll be a smaller version. Want to change your shape? Lift weights." People who lift weights look leaner because their muscles are more prominent and fat takes a back seat!
Keep in mind that "weight loss" might not necessarily correlate to a number on a scale. You might look leaner and slimmer, but the scale won't budge. Don't panic! Judge your progress by how you look and feel. How do your clothes fit? Cindy and I just had a client share a photo of how her shorts from last summer no longer fit, because....they were too big! She's seeing success with her fitness goals. Clothes are a wonderful gage for how your fitness journey is going and how much fat you've lost. But most importantly, how much muscle you've gained! So don't be afraid to pick up weights, ladies. Lower weights and higher reps can transform your body and always combine your strength training with cardio conditioning. When you approach your strength training in this manner, change will happen! Dumbbells can be a powerful tool in your weight loss story! Give it a try!
