Q&A: Why Are Strength Training Exercises So Important?

Here at obé, we know that strength training exercises are non-negotiable for anyone. Not only do they make you feel strong, capable, and—dare we say—like superwoman, but they’re also extremely beneficial for the overall health of your body. Any woman who isn’t incorporating them in her movement routine is losing out on meaningful boosts to metabolism, hormone health, bone health, body composition, and more!

But wait—isn’t strength training intense? And won’t it make you “bulky”? We can’t stress enough that both these ideas are relics of the past. These misconceptions stem from a time when strict gender roles, medical misconceptions, fashion constraints, and social stigma discouraged women from moving their bodies entirely. Now, we know (so much) better. 

The fact of the matter is that most women avoid strength training exercises simply because they never received the right information or resources about their (extensively researched and science-backed) benefits. For example: those who do strength training exercises are less likely to die prematurely and less susceptible to cancer or strokes—while having significantly better brain health and longer, healthier lives. That’s enough to sign us up!  

To answer all your questions about strength training, we turned to fitness and strength expert Melody D. Prefer to listen instead? Check out her 7-minute Strength Training 101 obé Audio Talk.

What happens if you don’t do any strength training exercises at all?

Our lean muscle mass naturally declines as we age. It’s sad—but true. Women reach peak muscle mass in their mid-30s. After that, we lose about 3-8% of our muscle mass per decade until we hit age 60. From there, the decline picks up even more. 

We also lose overall muscular strength and power production, which impacts our quality of movement as we age. An extremely common occurrence for women as they age is developing sarcopenia. Basically, this is an involuntary loss of both muscle mass and strength which can begin as early as our 40s. Sarcopenia has been known to reduce mobility, diminish overall quality of life, and can even lead to fall-related injuries or, in extreme cases, mortality. 

This is the trajectory you can expect if you don’t work to maintain these critical elements. The good news? We have tools to fight back.

What are some of the benefits of strength training exercises?

I cannot stress this enough—strength training comes with so many benefits that will help you feel great now and set you up for future success and healthy aging. It can help you reduce body fat, increase lean muscle mass, and even burn more calories efficiently. 

Strength training is also vital to support bone health and can help reduce your risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that’s caused by a decrease in bone mass and density. It’s very common in women (much more so than in men), especially through and after menopause.

Plus, let’s be real, it’s great for feeling comfortable in your body and like a bad B doing everyday things with newfound confidence. With regular strength training, you’ll start to notice it’s no big deal to do a bit of heavy lifting or a functional movement. Everyday tasks will become easier as you grow stronger.

Why do I want more muscle mass?

The thing with muscle mass is that it’s a use-it-or-lose-it situation. If you want to maintain or even expand on what you do have, it’s going to be all about strength training. Overall strength, better balance, and an increased metabolism all rely on your total muscle mass. Strength training is one of the most effective ways to ensure that you age with as much mobility and functionality as possible. Start now and you will see big wins pay off later.

But what if I love doing cardio for weight loss? Do strength training exercises help at all?

Contrary to popular belief, strength training is one of your best tools for weight management, as lean muscle helps increase the amount of calories your body burns in a resting state. Also known as increasing your resting metabolic rate, it’s a great way to keep your weight in check if that’s a goal for you. And FYI, cardio doesn’t really help you with weight loss specifically.

Something we love to focus on at obé is training something known as muscle hypertrophy. This is when you rep it out (looking at you, Sculpt classes) to push your muscles near fatigue. This type of training has been proven to build muscle, which is critical for body composition changes as well as also maintaining as much lean muscle tissue as possible throughout our health span.

Isn’t strength training intense, making it easy to get injured?

Get this—it’s the opposite! Of course, you need to practice proper form while lifting weights (that’s where our pros come in), but doing strength training exercises regularly can help manage pain and chronic conditions like arthritis, back pain, and even depression. It can also help to protect your joints from injury.

Ok, you convinced me, I’m ready to try strength training exercises! Where do I start?

Let’s start with the basics—a good old-fashioned bodyweight training sesh (we have so many fun options on obé). Think: planks, push-ups, squats, lunges, those cute little situps we used to do in gym class. The best part of bodyweight training is that you can do it anywhere because you don’t need any equipment!

If you’re a beginner or just getting back into training, bodyweight options are optimal for perfecting form, learning gross movement patterns that apply to everyday life, and most importantly, building confidence.

What if I want to level up?

If you’re ready to take it to the next level, you can add load or resistance. This could be any external weight added to your body weight. Traditional options include dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, resistance bands, or machines at the gym, but feel free to get creative with whatever you have around! (PSA: picking up your kids counts as a load!). 

The best way to continually improve your strength, hypertrophy, and power, is to practice progressive overload (we have a great article on that here!). This is when you build muscle by performing the same or similar exercises weekly, with slight adjustments as you continue to progress. That could include increasing your set reps, increasing the weight you’re using, decreasing your recovery time, advancing to a more complex exercise variation, and more. 

But don’t forget to give your muscles a break, as they’ll need time to rest, recover, and build back even stronger.

Will a one-off strength training session do me any good?

You’ve most likely heard the saying “random training leads to random results.” Our goal is that you see results that set you up for success both in the short and the long term. You get there by training with intention and specificity and committing to a routine. 
Incorporating 2-3 weekly strength-based sessions (obé classes like Strength, Power, Sculpt, Pilates, Barre, Yoga, and Yoga Sculpt all count) or starting with an obé strength training program will make the biggest difference. We recommend Simply Strong or Training Essentials for beginners!

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