If you’re a woman, you’ve probably noticed that it’s harder for you lose fat and keep it off than the men in your life. Part of the problem is that women are genetically predisposed to higher fat ratios simply because of their natural role as child bearers. A major contributing factor, however, lies in most women’s reluctance to take up weight training for fear of how it will make them look.

In order to lose the fat fast and enjoy a firm, shapely physique, it’s imperative that women include a significant amount of intense weight training in their workout routine.

As a metabolically active tissue, muscle burns fat. Having more muscle on your body raises your resting metabolic rate, ensuring that you will be burning more calories even when you aren’t working out. Basically, if you want to lose the fat fast, you need to build and maintain lean muscle.

You’ll increase the levels of mitochondria in your muscle fibers when you incorporate intense weight lifting and resistance training into your fitness routine. Since they convert nutrients into energy, mitochondria are considered the “powerhouses” of the muscle cells. Having more mitochondria means you’ll be better able to lose the fat fast.

Women avoid weight training because they don’t want to “bulk up” or look masculine. Once you know the facts, you’ll see that this fear is completely irrational. While muscle growth is a slow and gradual process for anyone, female hormones ensure that the process is even slower for women than for men.

Even unusually aggressive responses to weight training leave adequate time to modify the training routine to prevent further muscle gain.

When you want to lose the fat fast and obtain a lean, feminine form, weight training is the most effective approach. Women who want to lose the fat fast must overcome their fear of bulking up by spending time on weight and resistance training.

Not only does weight training help to increase your muscle mass, it also helps you to burn fat during the actual workout. Mainly, your body burns carbohydrates during a weightlifting session, but the intensity of the workout dramatically boosts your metabolism.

Taking up to 24 hours to recover from a weightlifting workout, your body burns more calories even after you leave the gym. Another good example of how weight training helps you to lose the fat fast.

Sometimes, men and women worry that weight training will make it harder to maintain their athletic agility, speed, and flexibility. This is just not true.

Even while helping you lose the fat fast, weight training is improving speed, agility, and flexibility, thereby improving athletic ability and protecting the body from injury. The lean, muscular physiques of sprinters and football running backs show this principle in action.

Weight training also prevents osteoporosis, a real concern for most women as they age.