Why You Need an Upper Body Workout for Women

If you scan the weight section at the local gym, you may see a few women working out, but largely it is the men who hit the weights. The bottom line, however, is that an upper body workout for women is something that every woman needs to be doing on a regular basis.

Burning Fat

Many women do focus their efforts on cardio workouts to burn fat and calories. The female body does generally have a higher level of body fat than our male counterparts, so it makes sense that women would want to burn that fat away and portray a healthy, slender body. Many, however, often think the best way to burn calories and fat is through a cardio workout, but the truth is that a strength-training session can burn just as many calories, and the results can be longer-lasting, too. It has been proven that muscle mass burns more calories when your body is at rest than body fat does, so you can continue to enjoy the benefits of a strength training upper body workout for women long after your workout is done.

Avoiding That Mannish Shape

Many women love to look at a muscular male physique, but they largely do not want that mannish shape on their own bodies. This is one of the reasons why women do avoid doing an upper body workout for women with weights at the gym and instead stick to a cardio workout. However, a cardio workout that isn’t combined with regular stretching and toning exercises can result in compact, dense muscles, so women may just end up with a more muscular shape than they had intended when they avoid the weights. When you do hit the weights and do several reps with lower levels of weights, you will tone and shape your muscles without adding muscle mass.

Health Benefits

There is one more reason to be sure to include an upper body workout for women in your regular fitness regimen, and that is for your overall health and well-being. You can run 20 miles each and every day and think you are in tip-top shape. However, unless you also work your upper body muscles with a regular workout, these muscles will grow weaker. These muscles include your abs, back, shoulders, neck, and arms. Over time, this can result in chronic pains in these areas, decreased mobility, posture and balance problems, and more.