Why we should be lifting weights

I love to lift. You may not know it by looking at me. I don’t have chunky thighs and broad shoulders. I’m not ‘stocky’ and my muscle definition doesn’t produce shadows when the light is on me. Heck, I don't even have a six pack. I’m a 43 year old woman, I'm tall and long but now, if you ask me what a clean & jerk looks like, I could show you. Ask me what I feel grateful for, among other things, I can finally say ‘being strong’.

The reason I love to lift is because of the ‘feeling’ of strength; it’s a knowing and a confidence that you can do stuff. You can lift heavy things, leap over walls and streams (albeit, for me, pretty small ones), help someone carry their buggy down an awkward flight of steps, keep your balance when scrambling over rocks, lift your bike onto the roof of the car (important for any cyclist).

Being strong means you can try a new sport and know that even though you may not have the technical skills, you will have the strength and ability to move in the right ways enough to give it a good go. But even better than the confidence that I can physically do anything that may appeal without hurting myself - or worse, embarrass myself - somewhere in the back of my mind I am confident that if I found myself in danger or strife, I’d be ok; my body can do stuff to keep me safe. It’s this feeling, I believe, that not only helps me love my body but also keeps my anxiety levels under control. My conscious and unconscious mind know that whatever life throws at me - from a burning building to a really scary meeting - I’ll be ok. I can say to myself 'you've got this'.

This self-efficacy is a hard sell, especially when ‘strength’ is still associated with a look or something your physio tells you to work on to overcome an injury. It's understandable that so many endurance athletes much prefer doing their sport than doing a bunch of clams and squats in a gym. It's even more understandable that as strength training and lifting weights has become THE activity that everyone seems to be encouraging right now (from health care professionals to Instagram influencers), if you've never done it before, the whole thing might feel hugely intimidating and like you've left it to late to learn.

The news is strength is so much more than something you ‘should’ do to stay injury free. It’s also much more than 'sculpting' a look. The journey to building strength will bring you a deeper connection to your body; how it moves, how it feels and what it can do. The journey often surprises many because it involves so much discovery - from muscles you've never felt before, to a movement you've never performed before. Done correctly, you'll learn the technical skills of lifting and how to use your strength in daily life and sport. With consistency, athletes will hit PBs and find more power in what they do.

Strength work is creative, sweaty, heart-pumpingly rewarding and best of all it’s building your resilience to the perils of ageing in a sedentary world. In an era where multi-sport events like Hyrox are becoming so much more popular, strength work is exciting, stimulating, fun and connects you to wonderful communities.

For women in their 40s, strength work helps us manage the impact of lowering estrogen levels during perimenopause. It also helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol and cortisol levels. For me, strength training has helped me transition through those emotional shifts we tend to experience in our 40s - you know that whole 'what the heck am I doing with my life' thing?

Finally, and perhaps most crucially, strength work is a part of your pension. But without inflation shocks. When you invest the time and space to get strong, adn stay strong, you're actually investing in your future. Currently, stats about healthy life span in the UK, are concerning. I think we all need to do our bit to make sure we can still open jam jars, stand up from a chair or the floor, keep enjoying simple activities like walking or swimming in the sea, well into our 80s! In a society where our health system is already on the brink of collapse, strength work could be seen as our moral duty to staying active, healthy and happy.

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Want to know how Strive coaches can help you get strong? Visit our Strive Strength page here.

For more reading about the benefits of strength work, check out ‘Move! The New Science of Body Over Mind’ by Caroline Williams