8 Reasons Why Weightlifting Is A Must!

You might be killing it with cardio, but if you’re not also lifting weights, you’re not really working out, says Mihika Pai.

- Mihika Pai

Look around you the next time you’re in a gym. You’ll notice the cardio section has a decent sex ratio, but the area around the weights is a veritable sausage fest. There’s a reason women tend to avoid strength training and it’s not all down to a fear of sitting in a puddle of man sweat. The trepidation is based in the notion that weights bulk you up.

Let’s tackle this fear first. As a woman, you can’t give yourself shirtsleeve-ripping biceps even if you wanted to, no matter how heavy you lift or how often you train. “Women do not have the hormones to attain that level of muscularity. So unless you’re taking male hormones it can’t happen,” explains celebrity fitness trainer and author Yasmin Karachiwala. Men and women can have similar workout routines, but results will still be drastically different.

Deanne Panday, fitness expert and author, breaks down what your goals should be as a beginner. Stage one: Build endurance. Two: Increase muscle mass. And finally, get stronger. You need muscle, no matter what your fitness goal: losing weight, dropping inches, improving stamina or just ageing with all your joints intact.

So the next time you’re faced with that kettlebell, no more excuses — it’s time to pull your weight. Here are a few reasons why:

YOUR METABOLISM WILL CATCH FIRE