And no, it won’t make you look bulky.
As a child of the ’80s, I grew up in diet culture. Marked by the rise of fad diets, diet pills, and Jane Fonda workouts, I was bombarded with messages that told me thin was in. I may have been a young girl, but the meaning didn’t escape me. I still vividly recall the magnet we kept on our refrigerator that proudly boasted, “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!”
Over time, society continued to drill these ideals into our impressionable heads. While research evolved and diet structures morphed to accommodate burgeoning new findings, the overarching idea that being skinny meant being healthy was as pervasive as ever. So it’s no wonder that when people think of fitness today, their goals are often aligned with getting thin.
But that’s not necessarily the ideal shape we should be getting in. When it comes to fitness, it is crucial to build muscles — especially as we start to age. Our skeletal muscle mass decreases as we get older, most notably between the ages of 40 and 80, when it can decrease by 30 to 50 percent. This loss of muscle mass can lead to weakness, which can cause gait disorders, functional restrictions, and an increased risk of falls. By building muscle, we can decrease these risks and stave off conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis later in life.
This kind of forward thinking can be hard to embrace when we’re not only accustomed to instant gratification, but indoctrinated to achieve thinness. But consider how diligent we are with financial savings like a 401k plan — the goal being to protect our futures. Treat this the same way. The more muscles we put into our body bank now, the better off we’ll be later on.
It may be wise at this point to dispel a common strength-training myth among many women: Lifting heavy weights will not make you bulky. I often hear women say they’ll lift, but only with light weights and high reps, because they don’t want to get too big. The fact is, many women are genetically unable to create bulging muscles because they lack sufficient hormones or body structure to do so. So the focus should be on lifting a weight that is just heavy enough to create muscle fatigue (also known as failure). Working your muscles to fatigue means that your muscles refuse to lift/move the weight any longer in the safe, correct form. Reaching this point will not create unsightly muscle mass, but it will challenge your muscles to rebuild stronger.
As with embarking on any exercise, it starts in the mind. Assuming a confident, capable, and dedicated mindset is critical. Just like you’ll find with cardio activity, the change in our bodies happens during the truly strenuous moments. So when you’re lifting weights or doing a resistance exercise and it begins to get difficult, don’t let your thoughts permit you to stop or you’ll miss the magic. Remember, the brain will always quit before the body.
Now, it would be unrealistic to dismiss the aesthetic benefits of strength training, and there’s certainly no shame in reaping them. Building muscle can make you look leaner, tighter, and more toned. Muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space in your body for its weight, making you appear firmer. A pound of muscle also looks leaner than a pound of fat.
Furthermore, strength training increases our resting metabolic rate (RMR) by increasing lean muscle mass. RMR is the number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing, circulation, and digestion. Lean muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat, so a body with more muscle mass requires more energy, even when you’re not working out. In layman’s terms, if you’re trying to reduce body fat, it’ll happen more easily with muscle present.
Still not sure? Here’s one final advantage that might sway you: Engaging in strength training can aid in lowering stress and anxiety, enhancing your mood, and decreasing your risk of dementia. You can achieve greater happiness, increased strength, improved physique, better brain health, and be more ready for what lies ahead. Now that’s worth its weight in gold.
Three must-try strength training exercises:
Biceps/Arnold press: Grab five- to 10-pound weights. Perform a bicep curl, fully extending your arms at the bottom. Once curled, keep your upper arms tight at your sides. When the dumbbells reach your shoulders, twist the dumbbells to have your palms face out. Now, drive the dumbbells overhead. Repeat 10 times for two to three sets. This compound movement targets the biceps, triceps, and deltoids.
Reverse lunge: Take a step backward, keeping your upper body aligned and your back straight. Lower yourself enough for your front leg to be at a 90-degree angle. Perform this movement slowly, with a four-count as you lower and a two-count as you raise back up. Complete 10 to 12 lunges on each leg for two to three sets. Backward lunges target your glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and core, and they can help improve your balance and stability.
Plank up/downs: Start in a plank position, with your wrists under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart. Bend your left arm, place your left elbow on the mat, then bend your right arm and place your right elbow on the mat. Then place your left hand on the mat, straighten your left arm, followed by your right hand on the mat, and straighten your right arm. Repeat this up-and-down movement 10 to 12 times for two to three sets. This exercise strengthens and tones your core, glutes, arms, wrists, and shoulders.
Jill Goldstein is a freelance writer and co-founder of WeArePitch.tv, an agency specializing in writing and designing pitches for TV, film, and advertising. She is also a certified personal trainer in Los Angeles, helping people find fitness in healthy and realistic ways. She’s most fulfilled when she can combine these two passions by writing fitness content. Jill is married with two children. Follow both her Instagram accounts for exercise tips and personal updates.
