Lifestyle

Don't Be Afraid To Lift: 20 Benefits To Weight Training For Women

by Liz Rae

Being a woman who wants to work out can be tough when there are so many options. There are barre classes, sculpt classes, treadmills, boot camps and so many gyms to choose from.

No matter which gym you choose, lifting weights just to gain some strength is the best way to go. After being told by a bunch of people to start weight lifting, there is definitely a difference in the way my body feels.

If the weights seem scary, take into consideration these following reasons to try it.

The obvious: You’ll be in shape.

It’s one thing to do cardio all of the time until you become so thin it’s just weird. If you weight train and do cardio equally, you’ll be equally in shape.

There’s nothing more awesome than being toned and sculpted.

There’s a difference between being thin and being in shape. People notice those who are toned because when you are, you carry yourself in a different, more approachable way. You worked for it!

It makes doing any sort of cardio a lot easier.

After I started lifting weights more consistently -- specifically lifting with my legs -- it made running a heck of a lot easier for me. I had enough strength to get in the miles I needed, without totally exhausting my body.

The same goes for swimming, snowboarding and all of the other sports I love to do. The more I lifted, the easier it was to do anything.

You’ll be able to take the stairs without losing your breath.

Not that outrunning anyone on the stairs is worth bragging rights, but getting past one without wanting to curl up in a corner and just breathe for a good five minutes is a pretty awesome feeling.

Taking the stairs will start to feel like more of a challenge you'll want to take instead of avoiding them at all costs.

If you ever get robbed, you’ll be strong enough to fight back.

This shouldn’t be the main motivation, and I’m sure there is some self-help guide that says a girl shouldn’t fight back, but seriously; if a robber came at me, anything would be fair game.

You don’t get a booty by doing regular squats -- add some weight to that.

Anyone who complains about her behind should find some weights. Yes, some people are born with it, but they also say that about success. They also say that if you work at it, you can have it. The same goes for your body.

Hello, abs.

Need I say more?

You won’t know what the term "cellulite" even means.

I lift and I certainly have no idea what cellulite is even like, and hopefully won’t for the next 10 years. It will also save you a bunch of money on that cellulite cream or whatever people are using these days.

Heels will be a heck of a lot easier to manage.

If you ever get tired from walking in heels or your thighs ever feel sore, it’s because you don’t lift enough. The more you lift, the higher your heels. If you've ever seen those girls who walk around with half of their bodies facing forward and an awkward walk, this is the reason. Don't be one of them.

No more baggage -- and by baggage, I mean men having to carry things around for you.

Men are nice to have around to carry things, but when groceries need to get home, the last thing I want to do is convince someone to carry them for me. If you lift enough, you won’t have to. Lifting anything around the house becomes easier.

Can you imagine how long you can last in a plank?? Days. DAYS.

You could set a world record! You could also just out-plank everyone in yoga sculpt, too.

LEGS.

No one ever got great legs by doing just an hour on the elliptical! Do some squats! You can get some amazing legs by sculpting them to be exactly how you want them to be. Dresses will be even more fun to wear when you start lifting.

If you lift properly, there’s less of a chance of injury when doing everyday tasks.

My first back injury came from lifting something incredibly poorly without any real prior experience with lifting, and it’s something I will always pay for. The more I have lifted, though, the less back pain I have.

You can finally ask men, “Do you even lift, bro?!” Because you certainly do.

And, it’s not like you would be lying to them. Plus, showing some sort of physical endurance is pretty awesome; it means you take time out of your day to take care of yourself and care about the way you look.

You can wear crop tops in the summer without having to worry if your abs exist.

If you lift, they’re definitely there. They may not be super defined since you still have to eat right, but your stomach will not have any extra cushion to it.

You can even wear crop tops in the winter since you work out in the winter.

Crop tops in the winter are pretty scary if you’ve let yourself go. Don’t be like the rest of them. Lift your way to the winter crop top.

Your legs won’t get exhausted at EDM festivals because you lifted a bunch.

If you’ve ever been to an EDM festival and felt like your legs didn’t exist after, it’s definitely a sign you need to lift more.

Your body will feel more alive.

There’s a lot of sayings about being weak mentally, but being weak physically, too, is just deathly. Lifting can bring so much more energy to your life and make daily tasks a lot less bearing. You'll be able to hold your body better on a consistent basis.

You can laugh at the people taking selfies at the gym.

If you’re lifting at the gym, you certainly don’t have time to take selfies. You’re the real deal. You don't have time for selfies because you have weights to lift.

Most of all, you’ll have more confidence in yourself and the way you look and feel.

There's no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin, and this is just one of many ways to get that feeling. To have a body that doesn't feel sluggish every day and gives back everything you gave it is an exceptional feeling.