Should Women Avoid Lifting Weights?

By Russ Hollywood


If you are a lady trying to achieve a leaner, toned physique in the gym there is probably one question you have been dying to ask a trainer - Should women lift weights? Today you will get your answer. We will also reveal what supplements to take to maximize your results in your local gym.

The world of exercise and fitness has moved forward incredibly quickly over the last twenty years. Every year there are new developments in sports supplements and training methods, as well as new scientific research on previously unproven theories. It's barely the same world we lived in just 20 yeas ago. Yet despite all of this, there are many people who still have the same mentality which was floating around health clubs and gyms two decades ago.

They'll tell you that women will get big and bulky if they touch weights. They will advise you that carbohydrates are to be treated as the enemy. They'll ignore recent scientific proof in favor of following routines laid out by their favorite television celebrity. Usually, they'll also struggle to see any significant long-term results. []

For some reason, huge amounts of exercise enthusiasts are unaware that many of the age old theories and myths surrounding weight loss and muscle building have been scientifically researched and now have either evidence to back them up or evidence to disprove them. Sadly, most people still stick to advice like the things you can read above, which date back decades and have no academic foundations.

Contrary to what you may have been told in the past, lifting weights is excellent for losing fat. Furthermore, if you aspire to achieve a lean, ripped body then they are a vital part of your training program.

But won't you get big and bulky like a bodybuilder?

No. If it were that easy to obtain a bodybuilding physique then most of the men you'd see walking down the street would look like The Rock or Sylvester Stallone! Lifting weights will improve your strength and tone your muscles in a way that cardiovascular exercise simply can not. If you aspire to achieve the lean look demonstrated on athletes such as Jessica Ennis at the recent London Olympics, then lifting is very important.

One of the main reasons why females do not need to worry about packing on serious muscle mass is the relatively small amounts of testosterone contained within their bodies. This also lays to waste the myth that ladies must adhere to 20 or more reps per set. If you want to become stronger and leaner then you ideally should be lifting weights which push you to your limits, rather than being afraid of them.

If you can work on developing a good technique with the major compound exercises, such as deadlifts, lat pulldowns and squats, you will notice excellent physical results.

Supplements can be kept to a bare minimum if you have a good diet and training program. Most people are familiar with whey protein so that is a good place to begin. If your goal is to get leaner and cut body fat then you should find a protein product which gives you a relatively low carbohydrate content and no more than 25 grams of protein in each serving. Other items you could use include creatine, which boosts your explosive strength to help you train harder in the gym, and glutamine, which aids muscular recovery after a tough workout.

Knowing what supplements to take can become tricky due to the amount of hype out there, so the best advice is to simply get a solid diet in place and then keep things simple. Not only do you now know the answer to the age old question 'Should women lift weights or not?', you are now in a position to help others get to the bottom of this popular fitness myth.




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