Why women should work to get stronger
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
It’s widely reported that women should strength train if they’re trying to lose weight.
Using free weights, a weigh machine, body weight exercise or isometric exercise builds muscle and jumpstarts the metabolism.
But women have many more reasons to increase their strength.
Luke Barnes, a doctor of physical therapy at St. Joseph’s Health, said that the benefits of strength training beyond weight management include “improvements in cardiovascular health and circulation, decrease risk for diabetes or cardiovascular events, improved mental wellbeing and decreased overall pain through release of endorphins in the brain.”
While these benefits are for both men and women, Barnes noted that women also have unique benefits from strength training, like combating the bone density related to declining estrogen levels in post-menopausal women.
“Some studies cite that women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in the first five years following menopause,” Barnes said. “Weight-bearing exercise and resistance training can be an excellent way to combat this, as this positively impacts bone density.”
Loading bones through resistance training helps increase bone density. Strength training also helps reduce women’s age-related muscle loss in women.
Resistance exercises can also help stabilize hormone production. Nora Greeley, a pelvic floor physical therapist for St. Joseph’s Health, said that strength training can “create a homeostatic environment for hormone production. The fluctuation of hormones as women age is often to blame for hot flashes, mood swings, depression and changes in libido. With strength training, the unpleasant episodes often reduce in frequency and intensity and libido often improves.”
Many women older than 65 struggle to experience quality sleep. Strength training can help with this problem as well. Greeley noted that a 2019 study correlated greater hand grip strength with better psychological functioning and sleep.
Lack of pelvic floor strength can cause urinary leaking. Gaining muscle strength “affects not only the muscles of the legs and arms, but also the pelvic floor muscles,” Greeley said. “When women focus on performing squats, lunges, leg lifts and other hip strengthening movements with weights or resistance, they often notice an improvement in their pelvic floor symptoms.”
Jessie Murray, a family nurse practitioner at Oswego Health’s Primary Care at Lakeview, listed “improved bone health, enhanced mental well-being, improved athletic performance and a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.”
In addition, strength training can improve mood. Murray added that strength training releases endorphins, which can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
“Some research even suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills for older adults,” Murray added.
Lack of strength can contribute to life-altering effects in older women.
“Strength declines from the third decade — from the 50s and 60s at a rate of 8%-10% per decade,” said Carol Sames, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy Education at the College of Health Professions at Upstate Medical University. “Then it increases to 30% per decade. By the 80s, muscle mass decreases by 50%.”
Sames said that this can manifest in power capacity, such as the ability to rise from a chair or climb stairs. These limitations can reduce mobility, function and independence and raise risk of falls and death.
“Sarcopenia — age-related loss of muscle mass and muscle strength that is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes — physical disability, poor quality of life and death,” Sames said. “Older women who maintain normal muscle mass during midlife and into older age and participate in strength training are less likely to develop significant sarcopenia and are more likely to remain functionally independent during old age.”
Falling can mean a broken hip and rapid deconditioning and comorbidities.
Undertake at least two sessions of strength training weekly with eight to 15 repetitions of three to six sets per exercise. This could include:
• Weight machines (split between upper and lower body)
• Free weights (kettles balls, medicine balls, etcetera)
• Resistance bands or tubes
• Body weight: push-ups, squats — add weights, if possible, planks (30 seconds to one minute), wall-sits (30 seconds to one minute), balance (standing one-leg holds, 30 seconds to one minute), weighted vests with walking, walking on an incline and adding resistance to aerobic exercise.
“Walking is weight bearing, but not as much as leg presses and squats,” said Randy Sabourin, owner at Metro Fitness in Syracuse. “Those big foundational muscles in your legs and lower back.”
Staying safe while strength training is vital, as becoming sidelined through injury can affect both short-term gains and long-term function.
“It may be intimidating to go in and lift weights,” Sabourin said. “Have some element of supervision to be safe, especially as you get older. You don’t want to compound an injury or surgery you’ve had. A lot of people avoid rigorous exercise because they’re afraid of injury.”
Using the right technique can help prevent muscle strain. Ask for help or follow a reputable training video to learn how to do it correctly. Most health clubs offer at least an introductory session with a trainer and can provide ongoing guidance.
If a health club membership isn’t in your budget, check with your local school system or colleges, which may offer free or low-cost access to their fitness facilities.
Take time to stretch before and following strength training. Do not compromise on proper form to make the right number of repetitions.
Hormonal shifts can cause women to become more susceptible to injury, as connective tissues can be laxer during certain times of their cycle. This can put women at risk for injury.
Some women believe that lifting weights will make them appear bulky, so they stick with lighter weights. This won’t result in the gains they would like.