Experts Encourage More Women to Lift Weights for Health Benefits

Doctors and fitness experts say welcoming gym environments and education can help increase women's participation in resistance training.

Mar. 21, 2026 at 4:40am

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Doctors and experts are encouraging more women to incorporate weight lifting and resistance training into their fitness routines, as research shows significant health benefits for women, including prevention of heart disease, improved mobility, and reduced risk of osteoporosis. However, many women still feel intimidated or self-conscious about lifting weights, often avoiding the weight room due to a lack of confidence, knowledge, and perceived stigma. Experts say creating more welcoming gym environments, offering introductory training sessions, and promoting empowering messages about strength training can help get more women lifting weights and reaping the rewards.

Why it matters

Increasing women's participation in resistance training is important for improving overall health and wellness. While the benefits of weight lifting are well-documented, many women still avoid it due to various barriers. Addressing these barriers through gym culture changes and education could lead to significant improvements in women's long-term health and fitness.

The details

Research shows that resistance training, including activities like weightlifting, can provide a range of health benefits for women, such as preventing heart disease, improving mobility, and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. However, many women still feel intimidated or self-conscious about lifting weights, often avoiding the weight room due to a lack of confidence, knowledge about proper techniques, and lingering stigmas that strength training will make them look 'bulky.' Experts say creating more welcoming gym environments, offering introductory training sessions, and promoting empowering messages about strength training can help get more women lifting weights and reaping the rewards.

  • The National Institutes of Health recommends that everyone - men and women - do resistance training at least twice a week.

The players

Elisabeth Bradley

A college student who was initially intimidated by the weight room at her university, but later founded a female weightlifting club called Girl Gains that now has chapters across the country.

Daisy Arauza

A 30-year-old mother of two in Menifee, California, who does some Pilates and cardio-based exercise at home but lacks the confidence and knowledge to feel comfortable in a gym setting to work on strength training.

Brad Schoenfeld

A professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York City who says that women may even benefit more than men from weight training because it staves off osteoporosis and age-related muscle loss, which women are more susceptible to.

Michelle Segar

A behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan who studies exercise habits and says that making the gym environment more palatable and familiarizing women better with weights will lead more to use them, which in turn will get more women to continue.

Charlie Sturgeon

A member of the women-only Goddess Gym in Peterborough, England, who says she is happier there than in mixed-sex gyms where she had 'some quite weird experiences where people would just stare, pull faces, make comments.'

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What they’re saying

“I felt like I stuck out a lot, and I just thought, 'OK, I'm gonna look dumb,'”

— Elisabeth Bradley

“I have a lot of self-consciousness because of how my body looks right now. When you think of the gym, you think about people that are already more fit. And so it feels like I have to make myself fit into this mold before I can feel comfortable being in a gym setting working out in front of other people.”

— Daisy Arauza

“The bottom line is, resistance training is a cure for all sorts of issues.”

— Brad Schoenfeld, Professor of Exercise Science, Lehman College

“Most women have tried to achieve the perfect body for decades, and it only leads to a sense of failure. Instead of focusing on how the exercise makes them feel, they're thinking about how they're being perceived.”

— Michelle Segar, Behavioral Scientist, University of Michigan

“Here, with being women only, it just feels like there's a sense of community.”

— Charlie Sturgeon

What’s next

Experts suggest that gyms can take steps to make the weight room more welcoming for women, such as offering introductory training sessions and providing on-site childcare. Women can also seek out women-only gym spaces or join supportive communities like the Girl Gains club to build confidence and knowledge around strength training.

The takeaway

Increasing women's participation in resistance training is crucial for improving overall health and wellness. By addressing the barriers that keep many women from lifting weights, such as intimidation, lack of knowledge, and lingering stigmas, the fitness industry and women themselves can work together to reap the significant benefits of strength training.