It is well known that when it comes to exercise choices women tend to shy away from resistance training and lean more towards aerobic types of exercise. Which are great for stimulating cardiovascular system, but not as great for reaching the optimal body composition since they are missing a key component - progressive resistance. Resistance training is equally important for women as for men. We are all made form the same tissues. If we do not use our muscles we lose them, which leads to sub-optimal physique, and many orthopaedic issues. A strong body will give us a solid base for an active and pain-free life regardless of our gender.

In the following newsletter Lisa talks about some misconceptions when it comes to women and resistance training.

There are many myths when it comes to women and resistance training:

• Strength training makes me bulky
• When you stop exercising, your muscles turn into fat
• A higher number on the scale means have more fat

This article will debunk these myths and explain why strength training is great for women. 

There is this misconception that strength training will make women appear bigger. Physiologically, there are gender differences in terms of hormone changes. Both estrogen and testosterone hormones are produced by both men and women. Women produce more estrogen than men. Men produce more testosterone than women. The testosterone hormone promotes muscle strength and mass build up. Yes, women have minimal amounts of testosterone but strength training will not turn you into a bodybuilder (unless you consume extra supplementation). Women will not be able to gain a lot of muscle mass because physiologically, we cannot.  

Muscles and fat are different types of tissues. 

The skeletal muscles are muscles that work with motor neurons to activate muscle fibers. It supports neuromuscular activity that deliver oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from working tissues through activities of both cardiovascular and respiratory systems. 

Body fat, or fatty tissue, is the body's means of storing metabolic energy over extended periods of time. 

As we lose muscle due to a lack of exercise and/or  aging (a condition called sarcopenia), we simply replace muscle tissues with fat tissues. 

To prevent and/or slow down this process we need to engage in resistance training. However, not all resistance training routines are created equal. Low intensity resistance training is not nearly as effective as high intensity one. High intensity training will recruit all the muscle fibers available to their full potential, while low intensity exercise won't. With high intensity training we send a strong signal to the body to either build us more muscles or to preserve what we already have. With low intensity exercise the body would shed larger fast-twitch fibers due to the lack of their use. If we don't use it we lose it. The forces of sacropenia are unavoidable, but with high intensity training we could really slow them down.

With proper strength training, the muscle fibers are contracting and will increase in size. The size of lean muscle mass will increase. As shown in the photo above, lean muscle mass is smaller in size but weighs heavier because it is denser in comparison to fat. 

In this photo, the same woman is weighing in at 155lbs. The only difference is that the photo on the right is more toned. Toning focuses on exercising to enhance muscle physique while decreasing the amount of fat in our body. By increasing the muscular physique, we appear more muscular and fat is diminished. As mentioned earlier, muscles are denser and weigh more than fat.