Even before, I don’t want to undergo strength training because I don’t want to build muscles just like most men. However, I’ve learned that this is a super wrong misconception.

For starters, while it’s generally believed cardio exercise is the ideal manner to burn calories and consequently, lose weight, that’s not to say strength training doesn’t do the same as well, the fitsugar says. On the contrary, with it, you don’t just lose pounds (which are actually fat), but you build muscle instead – and it’s a known fact that muscle burns more calories than fat tissue by simply existing.

Weight lifting and strength training also improve bones, making them stronger, as studies have already shown. A 6-month workout has been shown to increase bone mineral density by up to 13%, which makes strength training an ideal ally women have in their fight against osteoporosis. If that’s not enough of an incentive, then there’s also the issue of how this type of exercise improves mood, being shown to reduce depression and offer an almost instance mood boost.

The benefits of strength training include the after burn – burning extra 100 calories over the next 24 hours as your body recovers from your workout. Another benefit is that it builds muscle mass, which, in turn, is shown to fight diabetes. Muscle mass not only burns more calories a day than most other tissues; it also dispels the blood sugar quickly. Muscles effectively contribute to preventing type 2 diabetes. Finally, strength training makes you stronger.