Should Ladies Stay Away From Weights In The Gym?

By Howe Russ


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.

This isn't a new phenomenon, and the myths surrounding it were dis-proven many years ago. However, every ten years the fitness industry throws up a new trend which brings the same old methods back into the mainstream. After kettlebells and circuit training in recent years, this year appears to be the return of high intensity cardio alongside pumping iron on a regular basis. []

That's right, women around the world are suddenly finding the confidence the ask about using resistance training on a regular basis. While trainers around the world are undoubtedly rejoicing in this, the fact is most ladies are still buying into a few of the old myths which used to surround this subject, most notably:

* Women will get a bodybuilder-like bulky physique if they lift regularly.

* Girls should only lift light weights.

* Girls should be doing very high reps to tone up, because lower reps will make them bigger.

* Doing weights on your lower body will give you bulky legs which resemble a male rugby player.

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.

When you take some time to look at the differences between the male and female body, those common fitness myths disappear rather quickly. The major difference is that women release much less testosterone, making the muscle building process far harder for them. A female bodybuilder needs to add extra supplements into their routine to pack on more muscle, it's not something which happens easily.

Moving from one weight to another isn't going to cause your body to develop massive muscles, so don't buy into that myth.

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.

So, should women lift weights in the gym? Certainly! If you are trying to build a leaner physique this year then the combination of HIIT and regular resistance workouts will push your results to a whole new level.




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