Originally published July 27 2005
More women trying strength training for toning up
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
More women are taking an interest in strength training, and experts say strength training will not make women get "too big," as some of them fear, unless that is their goal.
Getting hurt is a legitimate concern, but proper training and form will diminish the risk, and well-developed muscles generally protect your body from injury.
Having more lean muscle mass helps burn calories, so while the scale may not budge (it may actually climb) losing fat means losing inches.
Ravenholt works with Seattle personal trainer Nancy Jerominski, who is both passionate about the subject of strength-training and critical of the media's body-beautiful obsession.
She acknowledges the importance of assessing a client's goals, limitations and health concerns, but maintains that, done correctly, anyone can benefit from weight training.
"I think it is deeply etched into our cultural state of mind that strong women are somehow manly --- unless you are some kind of all-star athlete," says Jerominski, who credits weight training with helping her overcome a series of personal problems.
Mandy Cordova, a personal trainer at the Seattle Athletic Club at Northgate, fuses weights and aerobics in a popular class.
The high-energy Cordova believes that adding resistance while in an aerobic state incorporates immediate fat burning with the long-term benefit of lean-muscle mass and strength.
She started lifting weights when she was 14 and is still in tremendous shape in her 40s.
Cordova says some people just don't work hard enough in the gym and, worse, they never learned the proper techniques and fundamentals.
"The problem with people who may have lifted weights in high school and are now in their 40s or 50s is they tend to forget their bodies have changed!"
Elderly women should approach weights cautiously, but trainer Laura Martin says maintaining strength helps fight age-related loss of muscle mass and bone density, and proper, targeted work, say on quads and glutes, can help with daily living activities.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml