by Indy Anna

Created on: April 29, 2008   Last Updated: May 05, 2008

When woman think about strength training; they often to conjure up images of people with overly bulky muscle mass and too few brain cells. The whole idea of pumping iron is something of an obscene taboo. Let's face it, how many muscle building pros look remotely feminine. But let's get serious, unless you have vast amounts of time to devote to a high regiment of weight lifting and or lots of cash for those shots of steroids, the achievability of becoming like Arnie is highly improbable.

It is true that strength training has been coined as being a male oriented activity, a kind of a boys club. But listen up girls; lifting weights has noting to do with gender specifics, it is about health.

First and foremost strength training is not only about lifting free weights, there are also weight lifting machines, swimming, walking up hill and my personal favorite the cross trainer. The whole concept is about adding weight resistance to make your muscles work a little harder. In return your body benefits by increasing muscle strength, power, endurance and improvement in mobility, flexibility, balance as well as a decrease in pain.

As we age our bodies are more prone to injury and disease. One of the most common disorders for woman is osteoporosis. Another name is brittle bone disease. What happens is our bones loose density and become fragile. Often this problem can go undiagnosed until something breaks like a hip, wrist or leg sustains a fracture with little force. The good news is that strength training can actually increase bone density as well as prevent other injuries.

According to the experts there is ample evidence that a consistent resistance training program can in fact lower your cholesterol and blood pressure as well as increase your metabolic rate so that your body will burn more calories through out the day. This is great news for those who are trying to shed a few pounds or those who are at risk of heart disease.

What better reason to add strength training as a consistent part of your lifestle, than to ensure that you age gracefully? Physical activity keeps us active and healthy. Strength training ensures we are strong enough to participate in all aspects of daily living including the things we love such as; sports, gardening, walking and any other activity that involves movement. With inactivity and age our muscles atrophy and we become weak. But all is not lost, Senior citizens can also benefit with weight resistance training; they too can increase their strength. Strong seniors don't fall down quite as often. If they do, their stronger bodies are more resilient, and are apt to heal more quickly after injury.

It is recommended that strength training exercises are performed at least two days a week for total of twenty minutes. You will want to vary between the different muscle groups. As always it is best to start with light weights and work your way up. Never lift more than you can handle, because it will hurt and can cause strain. Consulting with a physician is highly recommended before starting any kind of exercise routine.

In conclusion, everyone can use a little resistance exercise, it has so many benefits, it may just be considered the fountain of youth. So move over boys, give us girls a little space, we want to pump some iron.

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