While struggling through long jumps and lunges during a recent class at my boxing gym, the owner suggested I lift weights—heavyweights—to help build strength in my legs and protect my joints. Specifically, he suggested I try powerlifting. It was an intriguing suggestion that ran counter to what I’d been told all my life, namely, that I shouldn’t lift heavy weights or I would “bulk up.” But what’s wrong with that? As it turns out, nothing—in fact, lifting heavy can be very healthy for women, particularly as we age.
Debunking the Bulk Myth
An article on Insider (medically reviewed), neatly unpacks some of the myths around women and weightlifting. Among these myths is the idea that lifting weights will make you look “bulky.” The article states:
“Building muscle takes significantly longer than burning fat, and years of hard work are required for the lean muscle mass you see on ‘bulky’ athletes.”
Even if that weren’t the case, what’s wrong with looking muscular? I would love to look like Serena Williams or Aly Raisman, I just clearly don’t spend enough time in the gym.
Benefits of Weightlifting
So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, why should women lift weights? According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, weightlifting has a number of benefits for women:
It can help you move better. By targeting “underactive muscle groups,” it can help ward off chronic pain caused by poor movement patterns. In other words, the owner of the gym was right! Lifting weights might make me less creaky.
It can make you more confident. “Resistance training programs can aid women in changing their focus to increasing strength rather than losing weight,” according to the article. In a recent podcast, we talked about dieting and obsessive scale watching (of which I’m guilty), so perhaps weight training can serve as an antidote to that.
It helps protect your bones. Loss of bone density can be a big problem for older people, and particularly for women since loss of bone density accelerates during menopause. While several types of exercise can slow bone loss, studies have found resistance training to be particularly effective for preserving both bone density and muscle mass.
It can help you lose weight. In addition to the calories burned during a session, weightlifting increases your resting metabolic rate so that you continue to burn calories after you leave the gym. And lifting heavier weights increases this effect.
You’re Never Too Old to Get Ripped
It’s an unfortunate fact that muscle mass starts declining after age 30 and speeds up after age 60. However, lifting weights can slow—or even reverse—the decline. According to a study in Geriatrics:
“Progressive resistance exercises can produce substantial increases in strength and muscle size, even in the oldest old. For many older patients, exercise represents the safest, least expensive means to lose body fat, decrease blood pressure, improving glucose tolerance, and maintain long-term independence.”
Another study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that heavy resistance training is “safe and enjoyable” for women over 60 and reaps benefits even for those who are already active.
How To Get Started
While weightlifting has many benefits, it has some risks as well. Improper form can lead to injury and lifting too much too soon can be a recipe for disaster. As a result, it might be a good idea to start out with a personal trainer. During my first foray into strength training, I met with a personal trainer once a month to keep the costs down, and he gave me a program that I could use throughout the month while progressively increasing the weights that I used.
An article in American Family Physician has a few additional tips, including using a spotter (someone who can help you if the weight ends up being too heavy), warming up properly, and not lifting if you feel pain. It listed a couple more that I found obvious and somewhat humorous:
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Don’t hyperventilate (breathe in and out fast) or hold your breath when you lift heavy weights. You may faint and lose control of the weights. Breathe out when you lift or press.
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Don’t lift weights if you are light-headed. Stop your workout and start again the next day.
I would say those two apply to most types of exercise!
While I don’t think I’m ready to add powerlifting to my fitness repertoire right now, I am definitely adding strength training a couple of times per week and focusing on heavier weights with fewer repetitions versus lighter weights with more.
Have you had success with weightlifting? Tell us about it in the comments.
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This article originally appeared on Practically.fit and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
What to eat before, during & after you work out
Food is the fuel that allows you to perform during workouts and recover from them afterwards. Get-Fit Guy, Dr. Jonathan Su, provides simple and straightforward advice based on the latest research on how to best fuel for your workouts.
Total daily nutrient intake has become more important than the timing of intake for athletes and active individuals alike. That said, there are still situations where nutrient timing may be important:
- If you work out first thing in the morning or before dinner at the end of a work day, a light pre-workout snack will give you energy without weighing you down.
- If you plan on exercising for more than 70 minutes, try to fuel with small snacks every 15 to 20 minutes.
- To enhance your recovery, eat a post-workout snack or post-workout meal containing carbohydrates and protein within two hours.
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The essential ingredients for this cake are movement, nutrition, recovery, and mindset. But as any baker knows, timing is crucial. When it comes to nutrition, questions about what to eat before, during, and after workouts frequently come up.
These are important questions because the nutrition you derive from food is the fuel that allows you to perform during workouts and recover from them afterward. If you’re fueling your body right, this back and forth between performance and recovery progressively leads to a leaner, stronger, and healthier body.
Nutrition scientists are realizing that when you eat doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference for most people when real changes such as performance gains are measured over longer periods of time.
In this episode, I’m going to provide you with simple and straightforward advice based on the latest research on how to best fuel for your workouts.
Listen to Dr. Su’s podcast here
I’m also going to share with you some of my favorite recipes for meals that are delicious and nutritious that you can quickly put together, all available from our colleagues at Cookstr.
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Before we delve into recommendations about what to eat before, during, and after your workouts, it’s important to note that scientific knowledge about exercise nutrition has deepened over the last decade. As more research has become available, total daily nutrient intake has become more important than the timing of intake for athletes and active individuals alike.
In other words, the question of whether your total energy needs are being met should be prioritized over questions of timing. Nutrition scientists are realizing that when you eat doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference for most people when real changes such as performance gains are measured over longer periods of time.
That’s not to say that nutrient timing is dead. Nutrient timing is helpful if you’re a weight class athlete, serious endurance athlete, professional bodybuilder, or if you train twice a day.
If you’re like me, and your goal is to get healthier and more fit, nutrient timing may not be that helpful and can add layers of unnecessary complexity. That said, there are still situations where nutrient timing may be important.
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If you workout while you’re starved, you simply won’t have the energy for your body to perform and this may hinder your fitness gains.The best time to work out is three to four hours after eating, depending on how large a meal you’ve eaten.
If you work out first thing in the morning, a pre-workout snack of fresh fruit or a glass of juice will give you energy without weighing you down. If you exercise before dinner at the end of a work day, a pre-workout snack of instant oatmeal, yogurt, and/or fruit 30 minutes before your workout are great options.
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If you exercise for a long time without eating, you’ll feel fatigue and limit your ability to maintain your workout intensity. If you plan on exercising for less than 70 minutes, you don’t need to eat; just make sure you hydrate with small, frequent sips of water during your workout.
But if you’re doing something like a long run or bike ride, or maybe a couple of back-to-back fitness classes, try to fuel with small snacks every 15 to 20 minutes, preferably from a quick carbohydrate source that is easy to carry, like a ziplock bag of raisins, bananas, or white bread with honey.
For years, it was believed that we should consume fast-digesting protein and carbohydrates within 30-45 minutes after exercise. New research shows that this window is actually a lot bigger than previously believed.
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If you don’t feed your muscles and replenish your energy stores after exercise, you won’t have the necessary building blocks for recovery. For years, it was believed that we should consume fast-digesting protein and carbohydrates within 30-45 minutes after exercise.
This was known as the post-workout “anabolic window of opportunity” where our bodies could best use the nutrients for optimal recovery. New research shows that this window is actually a lot bigger than previously believed.
After you exercise, your muscles will be hungry for protein and carbohydrates. To enhance your recovery, eat a post-workout snack or post-workout meal containing carbohydrates and protein within two hours.
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I’d like to share with you a few quick and easy recipes for your post-workout meal that’ll provide the nutrients your body needs for optimal recovery. All three of these recipes are available from our colleagues at Cookstr. Cookstr is the world’s best collection of cookbook recipes available online, featuring thousands of recipes from hundreds of the world’s top chefs and cookbook authors. These recipes are trusted and tested for home cooks, and you can find a recipe for just about any craving or need.
Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Tofu and Sweet Potato Curry (vegan, gluten-free)
White Bean “Chicken” Chili (vegan, gluten-free)
I picked these recipes because they provide protein, carbs, and veggies. They’re also easy to prepare and taste delicious.
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Now it’s time to put this knowledge into motion with our 5-day nutrition challenge. Over the next five days, your challenge is to apply what you just learned and notice how you feel before, during, and after your workouts. Give it a try and let me know how you feel by emailing me at [email protected] or leaving me a voicemail at 510-353-3104. Definitely get in touch if you tried one of the recipes!
All content here is for informational purposes only. This content does not replace the professional judgment of your own health provider. Please consult a licensed health professional for all individual questions and issues.
This article originally appeared on QuickAndDirtyTips.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Featured Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
