It is a common misconception that lifting heavy weights will make you bulky. However, it is a common concern among women and often keeps them from investing in a program that will get them real results.

The truth is, lifting heavy weights, in an intentional way, will help your body burn fat more efficiently. In fact, strength training is a core component of my most effective program to date: FASTer Way to Fat Loss. In this program, I am very intentional about pairing heavy weight training workouts with carb cycling and intermittent fasting. But because I often am met with hesitancy about incorporating strength training into a fat loss plan, I wanted to share with you some of the reasons why this type of training is the most effective way to burn fat, and look lean, toned and fit.

While the benefits of weight training are expansive, here are just a few compelling reasons to give it a try!

Heavy Lifting Increases Your Metabolism

Lifting heavy is the only way to build lean, fat burning muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. In a recent study it was found that for every pound of muscle you add, your resting metabolic rate will increase, burning between 35-50 more calories daily. This means that gaining 4 pounds of muscle your body will burn up to 120 more calories per day, which adds up to about 10 pounds per year!

Heavy Lifting Increases Your Body’s Ability to Burn Fat

Because women don’t have the testosterone levels men do, they aren’t able to build muscle in the same way men are. So, bulking up is truly difficult for women. However, the extra calories that are burned due to lean muscle gains, come from your fat stores. Studies have shown that for every pound of muscle built, women lose approximately 3 lbs of fat. This means that not only will you see a decrease in your overall weight, but you’re going to see a significant improvement in your overall body composition.

Heavy Lifting Improves Bone Density and Mental Health

In addition to being a fantastic way to burn fat and the only way to build lean muscle, strength training has been shown to increase your bone density overtime and decrease the symptoms of depression. So, lifting heavy isn’t just good for your muscles and body composition, it’s also good for your bones, your mind, and your general disposition!

In order to see a lasting change to your body composition and experience long-term fat loss, you have to begin lifting heavy weights in an intentional way. As you progressively overload your body with more weight, you are requiring your muscles to work harder to lift that weight. This results in tiny little muscle tears that take hours for your body to repair. That repair process means you will be burning calories long after your workout is complete.

And, while it may not feel that a heavy weight lifting program is burning many calories during your workout, you will undoubtedly find yourself breathing heavy after a well planned strength training program, I promise!

Ladies, we have to move past our fear of the weight room. It’s time to get in there and learn how to use those dumbbells and barbells effectively. Doing so is critical to teaching our bodies to burn fat, and see lasting improvements to our overall body composition!