The BBC article about the benefits of strength training….why only women?

[ImNotAsThinkAsYouDrunkIAm]

I know the article says that the study was done on men and women, but you’d be forgiven for missing that when all the examples, quotes, and photos are of women.

So why do we think the BBC felt the need to give the impression that only women needed to find the time to do ‘many hours’ of aerobic exercise as well as two hours of strength training a week, lest we die an early death?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r2lekenlpo

One wonders what the BBC are supposed to do in order to get people to read the article then...

I think women need more calcium and are more at risk, as they age. I do know for sure that most post menopausal women are beginning to lose strength in their bones.

Me too. I'm late 50s and joined a gym a couple of years ago, it's never too late. Sadly it hasn't led to any weight loss but I feel stronger, fitter and can do a 45 min step/weight class without wanting to pass out - which is how I felt 2 years ago!

I don't always enjoy it but I'm so glad I did it as this is the age I'm starting to see a big difference in friends who exercise and friends who don't.

I don't enjoy strength training
but I do enjoy the sense of achievement

That’s quite a leap I think, and feels a bit like ‘can’t win’. Women are underrepresented when it comes to weight lifting. I say well done to the writers of this article for highlighting that this is a sport for everyone.

At least 3 of the men I've been in relationships with in the past would have had absolute conniptions at my having notions of doing anything with weights; one fully believed that all I did at the gym was a bit on the ellipticals, bike on a light setting, a slow yoga class and an occasional swim. All were convinced that women who did weights or resistance machines were taking testosterone and 'trying to be men'. What I actually did most of the time was the erg for warmup (and to relax/decompress), followed by resistance machines, occasionally the treadmill and then a swim to stretch out afterwards when I wasn't attending a kickboxing club 2 nights a week - and that man had no idea I was actually hitting pads, bags and sparring there, he thought it was the pretend 'girls do shadowboxing and aerobics' version.

Men of that age are now around middleaged women - if they vaguely read something that drops in that it's really good for women to do strength training, they're slightly less likely to be such 'eww, muscles, so unfeminine' to whoever is unfortunate enough to be with them now.

Strength training / lifting weights is particularly important for women because of the risk of osteoperosis and is a good tool for managing hormones — two things the article doesn't mention — which is why women (particularly looking towards menopause and older age) should be doing more of it.