With the huge rise in popularity of fitness systems like Crossfit, women seem to have finally shaken the stigma surrounding barbell training. This is great news because the benefits are tremendous and the results vastly more significant than what can be achieved through hours spent on an elliptical. Women are sometimes too intimidated to get started, or through a combination of no/poor coaching and doing too much too soon, they’ve wound up injured in the past. However, when properly performed, barbell exercises will actually make you more resilient to injury. Here are some tips on what barbells workouts can do for women and how to correctly perform some of the most valuable exercises.
Become a Stronger Person in Body and Mind
One of the most significant benefits of barbell workouts is the unique ability to add additional load for a long period of time. Barbell exercises train your entire body as a unit, the way it was designed to operate. Because you are using more muscles, you can get very strong in these movements. All else being equal, a strong individual is a faster individual, a more resilient individual and a more mobile individual.
Something less often talked about is the mental toughness that comes from doing something that is inherently difficult. Mental toughness is the ability to persevere when life gets hard. It’s the ability to push through a hard set of deadlifts when you’re thinking there is no way you can do it.
Mitigate Bone Density Loss and Resilience to Injury
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, about 80 percent of the 10 million Americans with osteoporosis are women. Weight-bearing exercise like barbell workouts stimulate your bones to grow denser and stronger, preventing the bone density loss that affects so many women. If you’re older or already suffering from low-bone density, it can halt or reverse that downward slide. Meanwhile, your mobility will improve, the gains you make will actually stick and that, combined with your stronger, more supple tendons, will greatly reduce the likelihood of injury.Shop Related Products
Barbell Workouts for Women: How to Start Using Barbells
It’s important to move slowly when first starting your barbell workout. Don’t ask your body to do anything it isn’t ready for. Start with an empty bar. If that’s too heavy, use a broomstick or PVC pipe to practice the movements. If you can’t perform the exercise through a full range of motion, use a box or chair as a target and work to go slightly farther each time. Make sure you are progressing in some way each workout. That could mean adding five pounds, doing an extra rep or achieving a greater range of motion. Focus on perfecting your form while the weight is light so that it comes naturally when things get heavy.