Should women lift weights or will they wind up looking big and bulky, a look which most females don't want? Alongside HIIT, this is one of the most popular questions in fitness clubs today.
Every couple of years a new exercise trend hits the market. Usually it's something which has been around for years, but has suddenly been brought back into the mainstream after being repackaged or endorsed by a celebrity trainer. The last few years have seen the reemergence of kettlebell training, boxercise and boot camps. This year, the trend is set by high intensity interval training and resistance workouts. []
The fact that more and more ladies are suddenly plucking up the confidence to wander over to the free weights section of their local gym is a truly great thing. However, many are still scared by the myths which surround females and resistance training, including:
* Resistance training is meant for men, and will make women bulky.
* Ladies should never lift anything heavy.
* Women need to do low resistance and high repetitions to tone up.
* Girls who have strong legs should avoid weights because they'll make them even bigger.
The four myths shown above have dogged the fitness industry for decades, despite being dis-proven many times! Despite the huge scientific advantages we have over the generations before us, if you walked into a health club today you'd probably still be able to find a lot of ladies who believe these myths to be true.
To put it bluntly, yes, ladies should be incorporating resistance training into their routine. You cannot achieve a lean physique without making your body work against some sort of resistance.
Three of the issues in the myths above can be solved with one short statement. The female body does not release anywhere near enough testosterone as the male body. Therefore, if a lady wanted to get big she'd have to work considerably hard at it, it's not something which can happen overnight or by accident. Female bodybuilders have to supplement their diet with testosterone boosters and other products to pack on considerable size.
So worrying about lifting a slightly heavier weight and seeing massive gains is nonsense.
The ironic thing is that most ladies who are terrified of resistance training list fat loss as their main fitness goal. Fat loss is one of the biggest benefits to a regular resistance training program. Your body experiences a phenomenon known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, E.P.O.C. for short, in which you continue to power through calories at an increased level well after you finish training. It's also one of the best ways to tone up a body part you consider to be bulky at the moment, i.e. legs.
Should women lift weights? Yes, without a doubt. You'll notice fantastic improvements in both lean muscle tone and fat loss. If you combine it with regular HIIT workouts, which is another area many ladies are a little unsure, then you have a solid formula for consistent results in the gym.
Every couple of years a new exercise trend hits the market. Usually it's something which has been around for years, but has suddenly been brought back into the mainstream after being repackaged or endorsed by a celebrity trainer. The last few years have seen the reemergence of kettlebell training, boxercise and boot camps. This year, the trend is set by high intensity interval training and resistance workouts. []
The fact that more and more ladies are suddenly plucking up the confidence to wander over to the free weights section of their local gym is a truly great thing. However, many are still scared by the myths which surround females and resistance training, including:
* Resistance training is meant for men, and will make women bulky.
* Ladies should never lift anything heavy.
* Women need to do low resistance and high repetitions to tone up.
* Girls who have strong legs should avoid weights because they'll make them even bigger.
The four myths shown above have dogged the fitness industry for decades, despite being dis-proven many times! Despite the huge scientific advantages we have over the generations before us, if you walked into a health club today you'd probably still be able to find a lot of ladies who believe these myths to be true.
To put it bluntly, yes, ladies should be incorporating resistance training into their routine. You cannot achieve a lean physique without making your body work against some sort of resistance.
Three of the issues in the myths above can be solved with one short statement. The female body does not release anywhere near enough testosterone as the male body. Therefore, if a lady wanted to get big she'd have to work considerably hard at it, it's not something which can happen overnight or by accident. Female bodybuilders have to supplement their diet with testosterone boosters and other products to pack on considerable size.
So worrying about lifting a slightly heavier weight and seeing massive gains is nonsense.
The ironic thing is that most ladies who are terrified of resistance training list fat loss as their main fitness goal. Fat loss is one of the biggest benefits to a regular resistance training program. Your body experiences a phenomenon known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, E.P.O.C. for short, in which you continue to power through calories at an increased level well after you finish training. It's also one of the best ways to tone up a body part you consider to be bulky at the moment, i.e. legs.
Should women lift weights? Yes, without a doubt. You'll notice fantastic improvements in both lean muscle tone and fat loss. If you combine it with regular HIIT workouts, which is another area many ladies are a little unsure, then you have a solid formula for consistent results in the gym.
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Next Step: Russ Howe PTI answers the question should women lift weights or not? You can also discover the advantages of using hiit sessions alongside your current routine to increase fat loss results massively.
