Ladies Listen Up – Lifting Weights Will NOT Necessarily Turn You Into A Bodybuilder!

Until recently, there was a taboo issue on exercise with resistance – that is, weights – and the female gender. Women are sometimes troubled that if they lift weights, they’ll turn into bulky bodybuilders. There are several myths and inaccuracies around this subject. These myths stem from an aesthetic point of view as well as from whether the female body will lose its femininity with weight training. These are some of the most popular debunked myths.

Exercise with resistances makes a woman muscular and “bulky”.

This is totally inaccurate due to the fact that women do not produce nearly as much testosterone in comparison to men; the amount they produce is minimal. Testosterone is a hormone that increases muscle mass and that’s why men by default have more muscle mass than women. So, it is nearly impossible for a woman to become “buffed” as a male bodybuilder and to have huge and disproportionate muscle gains from weight training. What you will gain from this workout will be a toned and fit body.

Women should stick to aerobic and lift only minimal weights

With aerobic exercise you will increase your stamina and you will also burn fat. This type of exercise does not increase the development of muscle mass in the long run. The only way to achieve muscle hypertrophy is exercise with external resistance. So, those who choose an aerobic workout plan, will likely get tired getting their body into the desired shape. The “fable” of light weights exists because people tend to think that the fewer pounds they lift, the less their muscles will grow large. Resistance should be graded at levels to be a stimulating for your muscles. If the applied resistance is insuficient, the body has no reason to grow new muscle fiber.

Weight training will make you lose your flexibility

Another inaccuracy. If you perform all the exercises throughout your entire range of motion and maintain proper form, your flexibility will actually increase. Exercises like dumbbell fly’s, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and pull-ups actually stretch the muscles to their maximum range of motion. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase. Just remember, the key is to always maintain proper form and stretch after you have finished your workout.

Weight training turns fat into muscle mass

Okay, this is one of the most ridiculous things you can hear at the gym. This is equivalent to saying that we can turn any metal into gold. Well, wouldn’t it be great? The way you transform your body is by gaining muscle mass through weight training and fat loss through aerobic exercise and diet at the same time. Again, muscles and fat are very different types of tissue. They cannot be transformed into something else in any sort of way. Trying to burn fat and trying to gain muscle mass are two totally different and complex topics, in their own way.

If I stop weight training my muscles will turn into fat

Again, this is like saying gold can be magically turned into copper. Muscles and fat are two completely different types of tissue. What happens is that many times, when some people decide to quit their training program, they begin to lose muscle mass due to inactivity and usually also tend to mess-up their diet. Therefore, poor eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inertia and their muscle mass is decreased, give the impression that the individual’s muscles have turned into fat, whereas in reality what is happening is that where muscle is lost, fat gets accumulated.

This article could go on forever. In short these are only some of the most common misconceptions women might have. Summarizing, weights will not turn you into a female version of the Hulk, nor will you lose your flexibility by lifting weights. Lift properly and proportionately to your body mass and maintain a healthy nutrition plan. You can definitely benefit physically by lifting weights.