Posted on November 08, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

The myths about female weight training and female bodybuilding do not ever seem to go away. So many people I talk to think that if women lift heavy weights they will get the physique of a muscular female bodybuilder . The purpose of this blog is to explain the numerous physical and mental benefits of females lifting weights, but dont just take our word look at the before and after below!

Before

11 Months later

• 16% drop in body fat
• Weight loss of 35ibs exactly (total)
• Gained 14.8ibs of lean muscle
• Squat 1RM- 100kg
• Dead-lift 1RM- 92.5kg
• Bench Press 1RM- 45kg

 

 

The myths behind females weight training…..

1)    Weight Training Makes You Bulky And Masculine.

I don’t want to lift weights because I’ll bulk up. As personal trainers we hear this all the time from women. But is this really true?  Let’s explore the myths behind women and bulking up.

Due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the image that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity. In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days. 

Research shows that women can add up to 30% lean muscle and end up looking thinner, feeling stronger and being firmer lifting weights.

2) Weight Training Makes You Stiff and Muscle Bound.
This is untrue if you perform all exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises such as flyes, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase. 

3)    If You Stop Weight Training Your Muscles Will Turn Into Fat.
Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity…the use it or lose it principle! This more often than not leads to them dropping their healthy diet as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity, and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the subject’s muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated. 

4)    Exercise Increases Your Chest Size.
Sorry Ladies Women’s breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is not possible to increase breast size through weight training. If your body fat goes below 12%, your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size.

So hopefully I’m warming you to the idea that if women lift weights that you’re not going to become the female hulk. Here are 8 reasons why women should lift weights.

 

8 Reasons Why Women Should Lift Weights

1)    Heavy weights are fantastic for weight loss

On average for every pound of muscle that you gain in your body, you burn 35-50 more calories each day.

Adding weight training to your cardio sessions increases after burn so once you are showered changed and sat at your desk or cuddled up on the sofa, your body will continue to burn calories

The Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise published findings that women who lifted more weight for fewer reps burned nearly twice as many calories during the two hours following their workout than when they did more reps with a lighter weight.

2)    Toned Arms 

Lots of women talk about their ‘bingo wings’ as one of their bad bits however they worry they will bulk up.  Women typically don’t gain size from strength training as they have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones including testosterone that cause muscle hypertrophy. Instead you’ll develop super toned arms

1)    Weight Equals Healthy Bones

Women are significantly more likely to suffer from osteoporosis as they get older than men.  Milk is great for your bones but so are weights. Regular weight training sessions help protect from osteoporosis by significantly increasing bone density. Lifting weights over time not only maintains bone mass but can even increase bone mineral density, even in post- menopausal women.

2)    Pain Prevention and Injury Reduction 

Stronger muscles mean stronger tissues increasing stability of joints and possible prevention of injury. Strengthening lower back muscles has been shown to significantly reduce lower back pain.

3)    Lifting Heavy Equals Healthy Heart

Most people believe that the only way to get the heart beat raised is by cardio and most of my clients are shocked by how lifting weight can get the heart racing. However weight lifting can reduce blood pressure, improve cardiovascular function and reduce diabetes risk.

4)    The Feel Good Factor

Exercise gives you that feel good factor and can be as good as if not better than anti-depressants. In a 10 week study at Harvard progressive resistance training significantly reduced all depression measures.

5)    You Will Be Stronger

Being strong allows you to lift things with ease, carry you’re shopping from the car without stopping a 100 times and feel stronger and more confident you can protect yourself.

6)    The Feeling Of Being Strong!

I can’t explain to you how good it feels to press a heavy weight above your head, or squat above your body weight. Lifting heavy weights will not make you massive but it will give you a self esteem boost, make you stronger, leaner and more powerful.  Lifting heavy weights will just create a stronger version of you.

My advice to you is to put the myths and stigma behind you and give it a try.