Woman tend to shy away from weight and resistance training, especially heavy lifting. They prefer to do light weights with lots of reps or long slow cardio. Many think lifting heavy weights will bulk them up which is not possible because women lack the male hormone testosterone. The also feel long slow cardio will take body fat off faster when moderate to heavy weight training is far more metabolic. Here are several reasons women should perform resistance training:

1)You will get stronger without putting on a lot of lean muscle mass. Some lean muscle is desirable as it improves your appearance and raises your metabolic rate. You will not, however, bulk up. The strength you gain will make everyday activities much easier.

2)You will lose bodyfat. Weight training is the fastest way to lose fat. Gains in lean muscle mass mean increases in metabolic rate and calorie burning 24 hours a day.

3)You will decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Research has shown that weight training can increase bone mineral density just like weight bearing exercise. Add some dietary calcium and you have a good program for not developing osteoporosis.

4)You will improve your mood. Weight training has been shown to improve both depression and anxiety. It also raises self esteem and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

5)You will reduce your risk of diabetes. Resistance training improves how the body processes sugar which can reduce the incidence of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is growing and research indicates that weight training can increase glucose tolerance.

6)You will reduce your risk of heart disease. Improving cardiovascular fitness has always been a part of the aerobics domain. No longer! Research has shown that resistance training can improve heart health in many ways. These include improvements in cholesterol profiles, lowering blood pressure and reducing coronary artery disease.

7)You will reduce your risk of injury, back pain and arthritis. Building stronger muscles also builds stronger connective tissue between the joints. Strengthening the lower back is also a very successful method to reduce low back pain.

8) You will improve your recreational and sports performance. Weight training improves overall athletic ability. Your exercise performance will increase dramatically if you weight train

Over the last decade, researchers have made strong arguments for the participation of women of all ages in resistance training. Still, the number of women who actually heed this advice is lower than expected. Now that you know all the benefits, grab yourself a personal trainer if needed, and start pumping iron for optimal health.