Women: Lifting Weights Can Save Your Life

There's no denying it—strength training is important. It can help us maintain a healthy weight, improve our overall fitness level, and even fend off injuries. But despite all of the benefits, there's still one group that seems to be underrepresented in the strength training world: women. This variance is called the strength training gender gap.

In fact, according to a recent study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, only 30.2% of adults surveyed were meeting the muscle-strengthening exercise requirements and being female was significantly associated with lower odds of meeting the strength training requirements.  Consequently, women are more likely than men to develop chronic conditions that can be prevented with regular strength training.

So, what's holding us back? And more importantly, what can we do to close the strength training gender gap and start reaping the rewards that come with lifting weights? Let's take a closer look.

• TLDR - Click To Read The Summary

  Strength training is beneficial for women's health in a number of ways, including improved bone mineral density, reduced arthritis symptoms, better balance and flexibility, and weight management. Strength training is especially important as we age, when our risk of falling increases. And, contrary to popular belief, women will not get "bulky" from lifting weights; in fact, they are more likely to lose weight and body fat.

  Even though there are many health benefits to strength training, women are less likely than men to participate in this activity. This is often due to a lack of knowledge about strength training, a fear of not being able to do the exercises correctly, and a fear of being harassed by men at the gym. Additionally, many women have a lack of access to gyms and other fitness facilities.

  More women are starting to lift weights, but there are still some things that need to change. Some solutions that could help close the strength training gender gap include better education about strength training for women and more accessible and safe fitness facilities for women.

  Gyms need to provide more equitable access to strength-training equipment, trainers need to program workouts that use affordable equipment, and women need to reject the sexist attitudes that pervade the fitness industry. Additionally, community support is crucial for women's success in fitness, and online groups can provide that support. If these changes happen, women will be able to comfortably and confidently pursue their fitness goals.

  CBM Training Club was designed specifically with this goal in mind. With our flexible programming options and a supportive online community , we hope to make strength training more accessible and welcoming for women of all levels of experience.

The Benefits of Strength Training for Women

I'm not dramatizing this: women are suffering serious health consequences because they aren't strength training as regularly as men. Strength training isn't just for men who want to bulk up—it is for anyone who wants to improve their health and prevent the development of chronic medical conditions.

There is a strength training gender gap in our society, and women are the ones who are paying the price. Here are just a few of the many benefits that women can enjoy by making strength training a regular part of their lives:

Lifting Weights Maximizes Muscle Mass and Strength

Most people are more concerned with how their muscles look, instead of what they do for our health. Adding muscle mass not only helps build your strength; it also benefits your immune system, increases insulin sensitivity and delays age-related muscle loss.

As women grow older, their reduced muscle quantity and strength has a detrimental impact on their physical ability and autonomy. This, in turn, can lead to a decrease in their quality of life.

In fact, research has shown that after the age of 60, there is a sharp decline in muscle mass in women. This age-related loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, can start as early as age 30.

But sarcopenia isn't inevitable. With regular strength training, women can slow down or even reverse loss of muscle mass with age.

Having more muscle mass also improves the immune system's response to infection and disease and increases insulin sensitivity, further improving your ability to stay healthy as you age.

Strength Training Strengthens Your Bones

Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis compared to men. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis affects over 10 million Americans, with a staggering 80 percent of those being women.

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle—to the point where even a simple fall can cause them to break. What is the best approach to increase bone density and avoid osteoporosis? Strength training, of course.

The best way to keep your bones healthy is to regularly perform weight-bearing and resistance exercises. In the same way that weight lifting strengthens our muscles, it strengthens our bones.

In a study of postmenopausal women, those who participated in a strength training program for 6 months saw an significant increase in bone mineral density in their lumbar spine compared to the control group.

Strength Training Reduces the Onset of Arthritis

Arthritis is a chronic condition where the joints become inflamed and painful. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it affects around 58.5 million adults in the United States, with women being more often affected than men.

Furthermore, women undergo more knee replacement surgeries due to arthritis than men. In fact, the number of women undergoing knee replacement surgery has doubled between 2000 and 2010.

Increased muscle mass helps support joint function and strength training can reduce the symptoms of arthritis. In studies including of people with osteoarthritis and people with rheumatoid arthritis, those who participated in a strength training program saw significant improvements in strength and physical function and quality of life.

Strength Training Improves Balance and Flexibility

Falls are the most common cause of injuries among adults 65 years of age and older. According to the CDC, one in four adults aged 65 and over falls each year—and falls are the primary reason for both fatal and non-fatal incidents in this age group.

Falls become more likely as we age due to a decline in muscle mass, strength and balance. This is especially true for women, who are more likely to experience a loss of bone density and muscle mass as they age.

But, there is good news. Strength training can help improve your balance and flexibility, both of which can help reduce your risk of falling.

And, in a study of adults aged 60 and over, those who participated in a strength training program were 23 percent less likely to experience a fall over the next year.

Strength Training Contributes to Weight Management

One of the most common reasons women give for not strength training is that they don't want to get "bulky." But here's the thing: you won't get bulky from lifting weights—you'll get leaner.

Incorporating strength training is one of the best long term strategies for weight management. Muscle plays a big role in total body metabolism. This means that the more muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be— resulting in more calories being burned at rest.

Why is it that men always seem to be able to quickly lose weight while women seem to struggle? A big factor is their muscle mass. On average, men have more muscle mass than women—which means that their resting metabolic rate is higher.

In one study, women who participated in a 20-week strength training program significantly increased their resting metabolic rate. The average change to metabolism resulted in burning an extra 247 calories a day.

Another study found that people who participated in a strength training program three times a week for 8 months lost more body fat than those who only participated in an aerobic exercise program alone.

Why More Women Don't Strength Train

Despite the benefits of strength training, women are still less likely to participate in this type of exercise than men. The strength training gender gap is a real phenomenon—and it's one that needs to be addressed.

Recently, a group of researchers at Penn State surveyed 319 students measuring their physical activity and comfort using fitness facilities. There was a significant difference between male and female students.

Women reported less muscle-strengthening exercise, less frequent weight usage, and more frequent group exercise participation than men. Women were less comfortable using fitness facilities when compared to men. This included machine weights, free weights, and indoor running tracks.

The study revealed that women's concerns about not using weight lifting equipment included men's presence and behaviors, feeling unsure how to use the equipment correctly, and feelings of self-consciousness.

There are a number of factors that contribute to the strength training gender gap. One of the most common is a lack of knowledge. Many women simply don't know how to get started with strength training or they're unsure of what exercises to do. They also worry about not being able to do the exercises properly.

This starts as early as childhood because of the inequities girls face in youth sports. According to a recent study from Arizona State University, fewer girls participate in youth sports than boys. This is because of a lack of access, safety, and financial support. It was discovered that by the age of 14, young women quit athletic activities at a rate two times greater than boys.

These gender inequities continue into adulthood. I think all women can agree that the worst part about going to the gym is the leering and unwanted advancements from men. It alone is enough to stop a woman from going to the gym.

Going to the gym can be an intimidating and deeply self-conscious experience for both men and women. It's already uncomfortable to think about people watching you struggle to break a sweat. Now, couple that with the fears of having to deal with creepy men jacked up on pre-workout and having to engage in polite conversation, so you don't get murdered in the parking lot.

And this is all if a woman has the privilege of getting to a gym for their strength training sessions. Most women can't. Between childcare costs, familial duties, or the time it takes to travel, many women have to workout at home.

It's no wonder there is a strength training gender gap, yet this is still one of the most unaddressed obstacles in the fitness industry. And it's not without some obvious solutions.

It's Time to Lift Like a Girl

Before we get into what I think will work, let's address what clearly isn't. I can't tell you how many articles there are out there (written by men) that suggest things like buying new workout outfits to boost confidence or asking gyms to create "women's only" workout spaces. These are incredibly weird suggestions because to me, they seem to perpetuate the problem with strength training that we are trying to solve.

Women aren't unconfident because of the way they dress at the gym. They lack confidence because they don't have the same exercise knowledge and community support that men have. A new pair of leggings with a matching sport's bra does not teach a woman how to adjust her squat pattern to stop her knees from caving in or how to change the pins on a rack.

And I could go on about how useless women's only workout spaces are, but I'll try to keep it succinct. How does a room full of cardio machines and neoprene dumbbells help teach women how to strength train? 

Some women's rooms I have been in have had dumbbells that go up to ten pounds. TEN POUNDS! I know several women off the top of my head that have given birth to babies heavier than ten pounds. We can certainly lift more than that.

These women's only rooms aren't an attempt at creating equity in the gym. If they were, we would have access to the same strength training equipment given to men. It's ludicrous to think this could help women feel safe strength training when they're not even given access to strength training equipment. 

Until I see strength training equipment in women's only areas (barbells, racks, platforms, and a full range of dumbbells) they can't claim it's a solution to the strength training gender gap.

Demand Equitable Access to Weight Lifting Equipment

Does your gym have a "women's only" area but lacks proper equipment? Call it out. Go to the desk and ask for the strength training equipment you want to see. Ask the gym managers what they are doing to address the strength training gender gap in your community.

Even if you don't have a women's only area, you can still ask for the strength training equipment you need. Are the squat racks ALWAYS full when you show up? Ask the gym if they can add more to meet demand.

I promise this isn't as weird as it sounds. Just like asking a grocery store to stock a specific item, gym managers are always looking for feedback to improve member retention. I am asking for new equipment that I think would benefit my gym all the time! And you know what? So far, I have always gotten what I have asked for.

Develop More At-Home Strength Training Solutions

This is a note for all the trainers out there. If you are programming workouts for women, you need to be meeting them where they're at. And for most women, workouts happen at home. At-home workouts shouldn't be limited to online cardio videos. We want women to be strength training!

Fitness professionals need to be developing more efficient strength training programs that use affordable at-home workout equipment. It's just as unrealistic to expect a woman to put a $4000 squat rack in her living room as it is to expect her to be able to consistently get to a gym. A well experienced trainer should be able to craft an efficient workout using a few sets of dumbbells and other small pieces of equipment that can be tucked away when not in use.

Reject Fitness Misogyny

Pay attention to the way things are weirdly gendered in the fitness space, and reject it. It's not a "girl push up" when you drop to your knees; it's simply a modified pushup from the knees. It's not a "women's" barbell; it's simply a 33lb or thin grip barbell.

Using this verbiage around strength training subtly reinforces the sexist norms in workout culture. Women aren't weaker. Our reproductive anatomy doesn't dictate which exercises are more or less appropriate or which equipment we should be using. Call it bullshit when you hear it, we aren't saying those things anymore.

Seek Community Support

I saved this one for last because I think it's potentially the most powerful tool we have access to right now. Many people don't realize this, but men have the privilege of community support.

Think about it. When a guy first starts working out at the gym, he will usually meet up with his pals for a workout. In this safe and comfortable group setting, he has the chance to watch and learn seasoned gym-goers use gym equipment. His friends will show him how to do exercises and encourage him to progress.

Men get to watch and learn while being surrounded by their friends but women don't have that same privilege.

More often than not, when women decide to start lifting weights, they are doing it alone.  They have to learn how to use the equipment alone. They have to learn how to do the exercises alone. And that’s even if they can get out of the house and get to a gym to begin with!

If women can find a way to take advantage of group support, I think they can find the confidence to begin working out consistently. And this support doesn't have to be in person.

Online fitness support groups are an excellent way for women to connect with other women. Ask questions, get feedback, and be celebrated as they hit strength training milestones.

It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one starting out on your fitness journey but you’re not. There are other women out there who are just like you. Finding community support will help push you to reach your fitness goals. Reaching your fitness goals will help inspire more women to do the same. It’s exactly the kind of momentum we need to close the strength training gender gap.

Conclusion

Regardless of the many barriers we have to face, it is critical that women begin strength training. Women have been led to believe for far too long that weight lifting is dangerous, unnecessary, and unfeminine. But the truth is, lifting weights can save your life.

So, let’s do this; and let's do it together. Let’s bridge the strength training gender gap and get more women strength training today. I know it can be hard to find the time or courage to get started, but CBM Training Club was designed specifically with this goal in mind. With our flexible programming options and a supportive online community of women just like you, I know we can get there together.

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