In recent years it’s become far more socially acceptable for women to do weight training, but there are still some myths that refuse to go away.
Weight training is the best way to sculpt your body into a lean yet shapely figure and despite what many of the myths imply, it’s a great thing for women to do!
So what myths should you be aware of, and learn to ignore?
1. Women shouldn’t lift heavy or they will get bulky
This is ridiculous! Lifting weights will increase the strength of your muscles, but unless you’re a woman who has an abnormally large amount of testosterone (or steroids) in your body, it won’t increase the size of them by a large amount…and you certainly won’t end up looking bulky.
If you lift heavy weights and follow a clean, healthy diet then your muscles will become stronger and more dense, and you’ll burn fat; resulting in the toned appearance many women crave. Lifting weights will help you to sculpt your body, it will not make you look bulky (or manly)!
2. Cardio is all women need
If running is your thing that’s cool, but contrary to popular belief, simply doing cardio isn’t enough for women in the same way that it isn’t enough for men. Although cardio burns plenty of calories, weight training increases muscle mass which speeds up the metabolism, meaning more calories are burned during rest. I do a combination of weight training and cardio to get the benefits of both workouts.
3. Lifting weights makes you gain weight
Lifting weights will not make you gain fat. Yes, if you lift heavy and eat the wrong things you could see your body increasing in size, but if you eat correctly then you’ll actually see your body sculpting into a trim shapely figure.
Technically, you could see the number on the scales going up because you’re building muscle, but that doesn’t mean you have anything to worry about. As I’ve said many times before, the weight on the scales means nothing – just focus on how your clothes fit instead. As you build muscles and lose fat your body shape will improve and your figure will become more toned and lean.
4. You don’t need to lift weights or do cardio, you just need to eat less
Although following a clean, healthy diet is essential for weight loss, you won’t see the results you want just by cutting your caloric intake. If you cut the amount of food you eat by a significant amount your body actually stores fat instead of burning it for fuel, meaning that you won’t be losing weight as efficiently as if you were eating a decent amount of food and exercising regularly.
Lifting weights will actually boost your metabolism, so you’ll burn fat more efficiently!
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Great article on weightlifting for women! Take a look at our latest article for Fit Friday on GymPact a motivational app… http://digitfit.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/the-best-motivator-or-is-it/
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. I hadn’t heard of GymPact until now, but reading your article, it sounds strange that you would have to part with money if you miss a gym session. Great review!