Why Women Need To Lift Weights To Lose Weight

I just got off the phone with a woman who will begin working with me next week.  She mentioned, like dozens of other women I have worked with have mentioned to me before, that she has hit a plateau in her results and that no matter how many hours of cardio she is doing, she cannot seem to lose any more weight and tone her body. This has led her to a point of frustration, thus seeking my help. 

Why is this woman having a hard time achieving her goal if she is working out for hours a week?

Doing constant cardio to lose weight and tone up is not the means to the end she is looking for. It’s like navigating New York with a map of Detroit. You have an end goal in mind but will never reach it because you have the wrong map, the wrong plan. There is a right way, a wrong way, and a very effective way to workout. 

The Effective Way

Women NEED to workout using weights. Not 5 pound or 7 pound weights, I mean heavy weights. It is not uncommon for the women I work with to lift heavier weights than half of the guys I know. Also not uncommon is how these woman are constantly asked by their friends, family and strangers the following questions; “what are you doing?” “how do I get arms like you?” and “how did you lose so much weight?”

What Do I Mean By “Heavy Weights?”

The definition of heavy weights, for the purpose of this column, is working in a rep scheme of 10 repetitions. This means that if you are doing 10 reps of an exercise, you should be able to do an 11th rep but definitely not anymore. If you are doing an exercise for 10 reps, you should not be able to do 20 reps with the weight you chose for that exercise. This is ineffective and will not lead you to your desired result. 

I Don’t Want To Get Bulky!!

Myth: Women should lift light weights for high reps in order to slim down and not get bulky.

Fact: Muscle bulk comes from a high volume of work. High-volume results in muscle damage, which in turn results in hypertrophy (increase in muscle size). More weight/less reps contrary to popular belief, is better for losing body fat, and increasing muscle tone. 

Add This Circuit To Your Routine This Week

1a. Dumbbell Split Squats - 10 reps/each leg

1b. Dumbbell Bench Press - 10 reps

1c. Dumbbell Row - 10 reps/each arm

Like mentioned earlier, select a weight you can lift for 10 repetitions but the 12th will be a struggle. Repeat the circuit three to four times with a minute break after completing all three exercises in a row.