Women’s Weight Training Myth #1 -Weight training makes you bulky and masculine.
This is by far the #1 concern for women and understandably so but I’m going to just lay it out there and say that won’t and can’t happen without a little help from science and great genetics. It won’t happen for many reasons, 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. Here is where the media or other social sources become misleading. Most of you envision and unfortunately so, the image of a professional female bodybuilders. However, most of these women, knowingly use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity and vascularity. 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 participate in serious strength training on a consistent basis coupled with proper rest, supplementation, and anabolic drugs produce results not common or capable to you the house wife or high school athlete. This is where those magazine images of “toned up” “firmed up” and “no cellulite” women come into mind because those cover girls and the ones in them are training with the use of those drugs.
Women’s Weight Training Myth #2 – You Shouldn’t train your chest or it’ll get bigger!!
Sorry girls. You of all should know that the breast tissue are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat, your breast size will decrease. However, weight training does improve posture, increase the size of the back, and improve limb strength, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in strength and posture from the supporting structures with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants (which seem to be the norm these days).
Women’s Weight Training Myth #3 – Weight training makes you stiff and musclebound.
It’s important that when strength training you perform your exercises through a full ROM (range of motion). There are times when partials are needed but unless your an elite athlete or power lifter then you have no need for that method of training. By performing these exercises through a full ROM, flexibility will increase naturally improving not just your musclature but tendon strength and bone density. Exercises such as 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.
Women’s Weight Training Myth #4 – If you stop weight training your muscles turn into fat.
Men listen up carefully to this too. This is unlikely as turning gold to brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. Here is what happens when you become sedentary or reduce your strength training volume. You begin to lose muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop the healthy meal plan as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity and loss of muscle mass, give the impression that you have become fatter or softer all while your muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost (atrophy) and fat is being accumulated under the skin on top of the muscle. Here is a side note that you should really pay attention to: 1 lb of muscle burns 50 calories at rest while 1 lb of fat only burns 6….WOW!!! why don’t you strength train??????
Women’s Weight Training Myth #5 – Weight training turns fat into muscle.
Women’s Weight Training Myth #7 – Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.
First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. One needs to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and thus prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want. As far as the lifting of very light weights for “toning”, this is just more nonsense. Commercial gyms are full of cardio equipment decked out with ipod chargers and the view only to encourage this myth, keep taking your money, while caring nothing for you and your goals all while providing a really expensive social scene. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change.
Women Should Train Hard!!!!
i have trained some women that would give their high school son and there husband a beat down all while remaining sexy and feminine and all that other stuff that is in US Weekly that is so “sought after.” If you want to look feminine, toned, sexy, athletic, and best of all improve your quality of life you better start strength training and don’t be scared to chalk up your hands and get dirty, at least now you’ll be able to justify to your husband you really need that manicure!
“From the minute I first met Travis I could see the energy, excitment, passion, and knowledge he has for helping athltetes develop the skills necessary to succeed on the field and in life. His gym, FITT Warehouse is an extension of his personality and the training atmosphere is guaranteed to take you to the next level."