Strength Training for Women - Enhance Your Confidence and Feel Empowered

Powerlifting and Strength Training – Focus on Health Not on Getting “Huge”

Strength Training for Women

Strength Training for Women

The other day I came across a great article by a female competitive powerlifter who has a great grip on the health and wellness benefits of powerlifting and strength training.

Many people think powerlifters are either “huge” or their #1 goal is to be massively muscular. Although a small percentage of women are into bodybuilding, most females ultimately want to be healthy, in good shape and possibly lose a few pounds and have no desire for big pipes and six pack abs.

The other day I wrote a post on basic strength standards as I believe strength training is essential to optimum health regardless if your goal is fat loss or to be a competitive bodybuilder. This article although targeted at the female gender is for “you too guys” so please check it out…

Powerlifting, especially from a female perspective is in my opinion largely misunderstood so I wanted to share some of the highlights from the article written by Elaine Huba from HubaMethod.com

Thanks to Elaine Huba for sharing her experience and photo…

As a personal trainer, being exposed to the fitness industry, I understand how the stigma of women lifting heavy weights has been ingrained into Western culture.  Magazines portray ‘fit’ women in a way that highlights their physical beauty with fashion-like photos, incorporating light weights as props, rather than displayed for function.  On the other hand, it is unquestionably common to see men in action shots, where the context of the photo focuses on physical accomplishments and feats of strength.  I view my role as a female powerlifter, and personal trainer, to help shape a new ideal for women, where strength is considered beautiful and physical functioning prevails over superficial appearance. Now, I recognize that “the way one looks” is important to most of my clients, but the commonly held way to achieve this is often guided by the misconceptions of how women ought to work out, which undermines the pursuit of physical strength.  Physical strength and functioning should not be sacrificed in the pursuit of a “physically fit” body, and as I will discuss, you can achieve both of these goals simultaneously.

Many of my female clients have body composition goals, that is, to lose fat.  The most effective way for women to reach their body composition goals is to build muscle through weight training due to the resulting increased metabolism.  Muscle tissue consumes calories during activity, even during rest. Therefore, the higher amount of muscle you have, the greater your caloric expenditure over the course of the day.  Women do not have to be concerned about becoming larger as a result of building muscle, because we lack the level of muscle building hormones and testosterone necessary to build bulky muscle.  Instead, lean and dense muscle creates a smaller and more compact body shape.  In comparison, fat cells are large and voluminous and do not require calories to exist.  The take home message here is that, to change your body composition, building muscle will condense your body shape while increasing calorie expenditure to assist in fat loss.

Having the capacity to lift heavy weights and increased strength also has significant psychological benefits, such as enhanced confidence and feelings of empowerment, which translates into all areas of life.  I find it sad to see the rows of women on the cardio machines draped over the handlebars, reading beauty magazines and getting nowhere, when they could be building muscle, strength, bone density, confidence and stronger ligaments in the weight section.

Powerlifting is the perfect sport for women for numerous reasons.  The sport offers women a structured method for achieving body composition goals, physical and mental strength, measurable and scheduled goal attainment, and a supportive social community.  The benefits of powerlifting also exist later in life by building a foundation of increased bone density, stronger ligaments and increased muscle mass. These elements are valuable later in life to maintain a functioning quality of movement and independence in older adults.

The most significant reasons contributing to the small number of competitive female powerlifters are that most women don’t think that they have the capacity to participate, or do not know of the various opportunity or entry points into the sport.  The most common question I’m asked when I suggest to a friend or client that they should compete is “how much weight would I have to lift?”  The second most common is “do you really think I’d be strong enough?”

I’ve built a team of nine female powerlifters in the past year.  All of these athletes were newcomers to the sport and I coached them through their first competitions.  Each woman has developed an appreciation for the sport and all share remarkable stories of how continued involvement has changed their lives. I’m particular proud of my master lifters, who are over 50 years of age. 

The concept of women lifting heavier weights has been undervalued and misconstrued in the fitness industry.  Powerlifting and other sports that foster strength and empowerment in women and older adults need visibility and promotion to encourage involvement and dispel myths.  My vision with coaching is to create a comfortable entry point into the sport for women and men of all ages, with the emphasis on promoting physical and mental health through strength development rather than pure aesthetic goals.

I cannot say it enough how important I believe strength training is for both men and women and powerlifting is a great sport to do just that.

Click here if you have any questions about this article or would like to arrange a free one on one fitness consultation to discuss your fitness goals.

Coach Weiss

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Strength Training for Women - Enhance Your Confidence and Feel Empowered