Women’s Greatest Fear in the Weight Room!

Ask a girl why they don’t want to weight train and they will probably tell you it is because they don’t want to “bulk up”. Most women are afraid that weight training will cause them to build great amounts of muscle and often they fail to realize that working out and using weights will burn calories, tone muscle, and will improve their overall physical appearance.

One of the most fascinating arguments in health and fitness is that women can’t gain muscle form weight training like men. As a result of this argument, many women avoid any weight training at all because they fear building too much muscle, which they view as very unattractive. But women can’t build muscle like men do because they don’t have the same amounts of testosterone in their bodies.

Some women start out motivated and hit the cardio and weights right away but later can’t figure out why their clothes don’t fit several weeks later. Will this happen to every woman? Will their muscles shrink? Is there any way to avoid building muscle while weight training? These are a few of the dominating questions that cross women’s minds and can keep them from the truth

So what do you need to know to stay away from unwanted muscle, weight, and strength while using weights in your workouts?

First of all, it is best to know something about your genes (DNA). It is very helpful to know if you produce testosterone in high amounts like men or not as much which is the case with most women. All of our bodies are different, keeping everything so fascinating since everyone reacts to weight training different. That keeps people on their toes.

Knowing Your Body Type

It is vital to know your body type and how your body responses to certain things like exercise. Our bodies fall under three classifications: mesomorph - build muscle easily, endomoroph - tend to have more body fat, and ectomorph -someone with a lean body type. Mostly everyone has a little of each of these although some people have more of one type.

If you have a more mesomorph body type, with more lean muscle and bone structure, then strength training might add a little lean muscle to your body. On the other hand, if you have an ectomorph body type, then building muscle will be a struggle for you anyways so you should not worry about gaining lean muscle mass. Lastly, if you have more of an endomorph body, your focus should be to lose body fat, and weight training will help you to burn fat quickly.

How to Avoid Gaining Too Much Muscle

Many women fear looking like professional bodybuilding women, but to be realistic the intensity, load amount, frequency, and supplementation is how bodybuilders built all that muscle. So what kind of things should one avoid in order not to bulk up?

To be safe, it is best to use weight training at a minimum intensity, meaning light loads. One should also avoid any unnecessary supplements.

When training, use lighter weights for more repetitions, and also have a shorter rest periods since you are using weights to burn calories,. If you are starting to use weights for the first time, you will most likely see an increase in strength and lean muscle right away. The thing you must remember is that it is only short term. When someone begins using weights for the first time, the person’s body is not use to this stress, this new form of stress shocks the body, causing it to retain more water, and to gain muscle and strength at an incredible rate.

Training by the rules

When it comes to strength training, the old rule still applies: to get stronger, work with heavier weights and perform fewer repetitions. To promote endurance, use lighter weights and complete more repetitions.

It’s encouraging to note that just like men, most women will experience a 20 to 40 percent increase in muscular strength after several months of resistance training.

Understanding your body type and how you might respond to exercise can help you set realistic goals and expectations. Avoid comparisons to others you see at the gym or elsewhere, and remember that no two people are exactly alike.

Final thought

Recognizing the benefits of weight training such as an increased metabolism, increased strength and decrease in the risk of osteoporosis can help women overcome the worries of bulking up. It is more likely that women will lose weight than bulk up as a result of weight training. If you lift weights for at least two months, most likely you will see that most muscle gains will dissipate.

Increasing lean muscle to your body will speed up your metabolism, increase your energy and for most people it gives them the extra confidence and satisfaction in there day to day lives. One of the last things I would like to mention is people who weight train correctly visit chiropractors and doctors 43% less about body pain.

Focus on how good exercise makes you feel rather than how you would like to look. Accepting our bodies for what they are is a great way to get rid of the guilt or pressure we often feel to look a certain way.

Have a great day and God bless!