Probably the single most important reason why women should lift weights is the prevention of Osteoporosis, but there are many other benefits to resistance training for women. The biggest concern I hear is, ” I don’t want to bulk up”. But women do not have to worry about bulking up unless they train very, very heavy and hard. And resistance training comes with so many other benefits like increased strength, faster metabolism and of course, better appearance. We all know that firm muscle looks better than flab!

As recent as 15 years ago, doctors were telling women that bone density loss was inevitable and that once lost, bone was gone forever. Today we know better. Research shows that resistance training as little as 2-3 times a week not only prevents bone loss but can result in bone cell production!

Female bodybuilders struggle very hard to gain muscle mass and “bulk up”. Do not fear adding muscle as the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn and lower body fat percentage decreases the risk of heart disease, Type II diabetes and many cancers. But my favorite reason why women should lift weights is to be stronger. The stronger you become physically, the stronger you become at everything. The stronger you become, the better you look and feel. Be a strong woman, lift weights!

For more information on resistance training for women ask a Personal Trainer at Club Sweat.

Dan

Certified Personal Trainer

Creatine  has long been used by athletes and weightlifters, myself included, because it was considered a safe supplement with no other side effect but that “bloated feeling”.  Creatine is an amino acid compound formed in the body by food consumed, mainly meat and fish. Additional supplementation of creatine accomplishes two things: an increase of stored muscle energy known as phosphocreatine and increased muscle hydration. Both of these benefits allow a lifter to get one more rep or an additional set and increased muscle hydration also assists recovery.

Creatine has been thoroughly researched, is considered safe and is classed by the FDA as a food supplement with no restrictions or regulations. However, while doing some research for a new Club Sweat member, I found two interesting studies from the University of Kansas, that show that creatine supplementation significantly increases anterior compartment pressure.

What does this mean? If you have a history of Compartment Syndrome (a condition of elevated pressure within muscles that can damage nerves and muscle tissue and prevent blood flow), or if you suffer from shin splints or other chronic muscle issues, then creatine should probably be avoided.

I have linked the studies below and hope you find them as interesting as I did! If you have any questions contact a trainer at Club Sweat.

-Dan

Certified Personal Trainer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11403120

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12937429