I used to be a cardio junky. Step, spinning, Jane-Fonda-like aerobics, ANYTHING that got my heart rate up. I hated lifting weights. It was a waste of my time. Isn’t losing weight all about burning calories? I thought cardio was the yellow brick road to Thin City…

But I was always 10 pounds heavy.  Bummer. Must need more cardio.  How about 2 classes a day?  Lets see if that works. No, still have those extra pounds.

That was until I made a significant change in my workout routine.  I went from 90% cardio to about a 50/50 mix. Three days a week I do nothing but weight-bearing exercises…no grape vines or Charleston kicks involve.  And when I say weights, I mean WEIGHTS.  Heavy enough that you can only do 10-12 reps.

Over time I noticed a huge difference. I was getting leaner, I had much better definition, and I lost those nagging extra pounds!

So, it wasn’t a surprise to me when NY Times published an article about the benefits of heavy weight training.  I know there is a myth circulating that lifting heavy weights will bulk us girls up, but unless we start taking testosterone supplements, we will never look like this…

Back to the article…In a 2002 study scientists analyzed two groups of women given various resistance exercises: one group worked at 85% of their maximum ability for 8 reps and the other group at 45% of their maximum for 15 reps.   The women lifting more weight fewer times burned more energy and had a greater metabolic boost after exercise.

Similar findings came out in a study last year.   For six years 122 women were followed.   Those women assigned to do resistance exercises three times a week — sets of 8 reps at 70 to 80 percent of their ability — lost the most weight and body fat.   Another two-year study of women who did strength training with challenging weighs twice weekly had similar findings, with a notable reduction of “intra-abdominal” fat.

So, girls, start lifting those weights!  Short time is just around the corner!