9 important things woman can learn from strength training

So ladies, now once butter by the fish. If you really want to achieve your dream body, you have to work hard for it. And working hard doesn't mean doing a little workout on the stepper and following some pseudo-program of celebrities. What really promises success, however, is simple strength training. And no, you don't have to be afraid of looking like Hulk Hogan afterwards, because our hormone levels alone are already set in such a way that we can't build up such muscle mountains naturally. So what can we effectively learn from strength training and use it for us?

1 - Take a different perspective

Hand on heart. Of course, we all want to look great in the mirror so we can impress others at the beach or open mouths with our daily Instagram posts. However, it's a mistake to rely solely on the mirror as a measuring tool to gauge your progress, because if there's one tool that just doesn't make your progress objectively assessable, it's the mirror. This is where a very simple principle of strength training comes into play, where the mirror is relegated to a mere side issue. The principle of what is called "Progressive Overload" simply states that you increase yourself during each and every training session by increasing the training load either through additional repetitions or by increasing the training weight. Keep this principle consistent with each session and record your progress. This way you can be sure that you are making steady progress in terms of performance. The physical adaptation comes all by itself. To remind yourself that the mirror is a false friend, you should also get into the habit of taking a photo of yourself in the same pose under the same lighting conditions every week. Compare them from time to time and you will see that you are getting noticeably closer to your goal. The mirror would not have told you this.

2 - Improve your sleep quality

For a long time, the connection between the development of ruminations, anxiety and a miserable quality of sleep has been known. So while other people are sinking into the land of dreams, you're lying in bed fretting about the outcome of the latest Games of Thrones episode or worrying about whether that nice guy in the next department has a crush on you. The whole thing sounds like the familiar chicken-and-egg problem, especially since the question arises as to whether bad sleep triggers brooding or whether it drags down the quality of sleep. Actually, it doesn't matter, because basically it boils down to the fact that the lack of sleep has numerous negative effects on your mood and your performance the following day. So how can the problem be solved? Simple. Go to the gym for an hour and really push yourself during strength training. No matter what was going through your head beforehand, you'll sleep like a baby after that hour.

3 - Train your mental strength

Sure, lifting weights regularly gives you numerous psychological benefits. The most important point, however, is building mental strength, which comes from the will to always achieve new personal records in weight training. Even if you don't realize this at the beginning, you will definitely agree with us after a few years of training experience at the latest. Only if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone, which you have to do to achieve success in strength training, you will reach your goals. This principle will gradually creep into your life outside of sports until you don't even notice that you are tackling problems and challenges much more energetically and therefore more successfully.

4 - Sharpen your senses

You are also one of those people who get up in the morning and have a slight haze in front of their eyes until early afternoon? You experience the first hours of the day as if through a absorbent cotton cushion and feel only slightly efficient? Then you should carve out some time in the morning to move your workout to that time of day. After your workout, you'll notice that your senses are much sharper and you'll go through the day full of energy. This state even lasts well into the day. A scoop of a workout booster before your workout will further enhance this effect.

5 - Build strength

Of course, now you think that weight training will help you build strength. After all, you're lifting weights. That's not a new concept, of course, but building strength is much more important, especially since it's not primarily about just lifting heavy things as impressively as possible or moving the washing machine down to the basement all by yourself. Rather, it's about training inter- and intramuscular coordination through regular strength training at a moderate intensity, thus building functional strength. This strength will benefit you in numerous areas in your everyday life. In addition to the increased physical resilience, this primarily concerns the strengthening of the supporting muscles, which improves your posture and stabilizes the spine. In addition, of course, there is the aspect that the built-up strength shows itself in the form of muscles that give your body an aesthetic-athletic shape in the first place.

6 - Burn fat while you sleep

We don't know about you, but we think that sleeping is one of the best things in life, next to watching TV and working out. But did you know that sleeping is not only extremely relaxing, but you can also burn a lot of fat virtually overnight without having to do anything yourself? No, it's not too good to be true, because strength training simply causes you to gain muscle. And it is precisely these muscles that cause you to burn extra fat, because unlike body fat, they belong to the active body tissues and consume energy at all times - even while you sleep. So the more muscle you gain through strength training, the higher your calorie consumption will be.

7 - Stabilize your joints and eliminate pain

Many women (but also men) think it is particularly desirable to be hypermobile and to impress in yoga class by squeezing the legs behind the head. However, common sense actually already tells us that constantly exceeding the natural range of motion of the joints is anything but healthy, especially since ligaments and tendons, which are responsible for stabilizing the joints, wear out due to the excessive stretching. As a result, the likelihood of acute joint injuries increases, as does the risk of premature wear and tear on joint structures. Even minor missteps during sports can lead to injuries of the joint capsule if the ligaments are worn out. Strength training ensures that not only the muscles that stabilize the respective joint are strengthened, but also that the ligaments and tendons themselves are strengthened and regain traction. Often, joint problems such as instability are already present due to weak muscles and little movement in everyday life, which can cause unpleasant pain. Often, strength training is already sufficient at this point to put an end to the complaints.

8 - Strength training makes pregnancy more comfortable

We're going to assume that you certainly weren't thinking about pregnancy when you came across this article, right? However, strength training does have an impact on potential pregnancy. This primarily concerns heavy basic exercises such as squats and various variations of deadlifts, because these train both the deeper abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor muscles, which play a major role in pregnancy and childbirth. However, it is not only worthwhile to exercise in the run-up to pregnancy, but also during pregnancy. Of course, in the ninth month you should not necessarily try to set a new personal record in deadlifting, but there is nothing wrong with moderate training with adapted volume and moderate weights.

9 - Overcome boundaries

Many people still associate strength training with sweaty musclemen who all take steroids anyway and destroy their bodies by lifting weights. Biomechanist Bret Contreras puts it well with his statement, "If you think strength training is dangerous, try going through life weak. Being weak is dangerous!" sums it up very well. However, a certain pattern has become ingrained in our society that promotes pigeonholing and forces the avoidance of any risks, so that no one falls out of their role. Take the opportunity to use strength training to break this cycle and overcome limits. Show the men how tough you are and prove that even a woman can move twice her body weight in the deadlift. So, what are you waiting for?