The Misconceptions of Women Lifting Weights

So many women are missing out on the incredible health benefits that come with lifting weights due to misconceptions that come from friends, family and possibly most importantly the media. We are constantly bombarded with images of overly muscular women and so naturally I don’t blame women for thinking that if they lift weights they will turn into something resembling a she-hulk. However what some women don’t realise is that those images we see of women with incredible bums, lean arms and perfect stomachs that we all aspire to look like actually achieve their physics through weight lifting. Through this post I hope to squash some of the rumours surrounding female weight lifting and hopefully encourage some of you to incorporate weight training into your workouts.

Misconception # 1: If I lift weights I will get ‘bulky’

This is the most common misconception and I hear it all the time. Even my own family ask me; aren’t I scared of getting too big? The short answer, no, no, NO! As females we don’t have the levels of testosterone in our bodies that is needed to support a ‘bulky’ physique. The women we see who are incredibly muscular have either achieved that through years and years of targeted and controlled training or most likely through hormone supplementation. However if you go into the gym and pick up a dumbbell you’re not automatically going to develop huge muscles. Muscle growth is slow and achieved by specific training designed to increase muscle size, so if your not aiming to get ‘bulky’ then you won’t.

Misconception # 2: If I stop lifting weights my muscle will turn into fat

The second misconception that I hear on a regular basis is if I stop lifting weights my muscle will turn into fat. This could not be more wrong. Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues and cannot turn from one into the other. Most people if they stop lifting weights will also stop exercise altogether and so naturally will start to lose muscle and gain fat. This therefore leads to the assumption that it is the muscle turning into fat when in fact it isn’t.

So why should you lift weights?

Bone Health

Weight lifting is the best weight bearing activity you can do. Lifting weights over a sustained period of time increases bone density. This may not seem very important if your between 20-30 however as you age, increased bone density helps prevents conditions such as osteoporosis.

Fat Loss

Many women think that running for hours on a treadmill will burn calories far more effectively then lifting weights. This may be true in the short term while you running. However the minute you stop running you stop burning calories. With weight lifting you’re burning calories while you do it but also because lifting weights involves tearing muscle fibres you will still burn calories when you stop as your body repairs the muscle. As you develop more muscle you will also burn more calories at rest as sustaining muscle requires more energy then fat therefore increasing your metabolism.

Confidence

This isn’t strictly a health benefit however there is something about being able to open that jar by yourself or carry something heavy without having to call on your husband/boyfriend. You’ll also notice that as your physique improves your confidence will improve too, as you feel happier about the way you look.

I hope having read this that I have convinced some of you to start incorporating weight training into your workouts. If I have, make sure you subscribe for handy tips and workout programmes to help you get started. Good luck!

Chloe