There are many benefits to weightlifting; it's good for your heart health, can lower cholesterol, helps with posture, and strengthen bones, just to name a few!

According to verywellfit, the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat. As your lean muscle increases, so does your resting metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day. If you're worried about bulking up, don't be. Women generally do not bulk up the same way men do, as studies have shown women tend to naturally have less muscle than men due to lower levels of testosterone.

Strength training also improves overall athletic ability. When you weight lift, it increases muscle strength which makes normal everyday tasks just a little bit easier. For example, runners who also work on muscle strength can prevent knee injuries. The stronger muscles supporting the knee joint promote good form and prevent pain and injury.

Lifting also strengthens bones. When you do a strength training exercise like a squat, the muscle that is contracting and extending pulls on the bones in the leg. This, in turn, causes the bone to make new cells. With consistent lifting and strength training, bone loss can be prevented or even reversed. Women in particular can be susceptible to bone loss and osteoporosis, so weight training can help prevent breaks and fractures later in life.

If you're on a budget or don't feel quite comfortable hitting the gym just yet, you can absolutely formulate a strength training routine at home just using your body weight. Exercises such as pushups, squats, sit ups, and planks, can all be done in the comfort of your own home. Women's Health has excellent strength training workouts you can try here, and here.

5 Strength Training Tips for Beginners from Women's Health

1. The Right Frame of Mind: Be confident when you go to the gym! The gym weight room can be an intimidating space, and you can create confidence by devising a workout routine beforehand to feel more at ease. At home, set yourself up for success by setting aside some time for exercise in your schedule. Whether you're at home or in the gym, create a workout routine and pick out a fun music playlist for your workout.
2. Start Light: To reduce the risk of injury, always go lighter and adjust your weights accordingly after a few reps. The goal should always be perfect form, no matter what weight you use. It doesn't matter how fast you do it, or how many reps you get in. If you're not doing the exercise correctly you could run the risk of injury in the long term. If you're not sure what the correct form is, always do a little research before you start. YouTube is a great resource for beginners.
3. Keep a Gym Log: This can be pen and paper, or on a fitness app. Keep track of your development by logging how many reps, sets, and what weight you're using for each exercise; maybe even include a note on how it felt. The next time you go to the gym, you can check to see what you did last time, and whether you are ready to increase the number of reps, or maybe go down in weight.
4. Be Consistent: It takes consistency and structure to develop strength over time. Try to maintain consistently in how frequently you work out, and in the routine that you do.
5. Keep it Simple: You don't need to use every single exercise machine in the gym to get a good workout. Try creating a simple workout routine to follow that will exercise multiple muscle groups.

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