Tracking progress gives women an added boost

The benefits of a consistent strength training program are well known: increases in muscle size and tone, increased muscle, tendon, bone and ligament strength, increased physical performance, improved metabolic efficiency and decreased risk of injury. Psychological benefits such as increased self esteem, energy and improved mood are also documented. Now you can add improved body image to the list.

 

A recent study from McMaster University looked at the impact of a 12 week strength training program on 44 sedentary men and women. They began by taking a survey of their body image. They rated how anxious they felt about other people evaluating their bodies, and how satisfied they were with their bodies. Researchers also measured their body fat, strength, muscularity, and body image.

They were reassessed after 12 weeks of strength training with a trainer.

All of the participants improved on strength, body fat, and muscularity and all reported a better body image. However, the boost in body image was a bit different for men and women. Men seemed to get satisfaction out of feeling better, but women were more influenced by seeing objective proof of their progress.

Researchers found that women's increases in body image were primarily due to the fact that they could complete more repetitions and lift more weight then before.

Study author Kathleen Martin Ginis said that while women often focus on appearance, the results suggest that they can improve their self-esteem by documenting and focusing on their strength gains.

So while everyone can feel better about their bodies by weight training, if you are female, you may get an added benefit by charting your progress over time.

So if you haven't, you may want to start an exercise log of your workouts. If this works for weight training, I imagine it could also work for any type of exercise as well.

Reference: Kathleen A. Martin Ginis and colleagues. Body Image, December 2005: vol 2: pp 363-372.

Last review: January, 2006