Women Should Lift Weights

Ah again and again I am relentlessly questioned by women who are concerned that they will get "bulky" or will develop "masculine features" if they grab hold of a barbell. It's an argument that is heavily featured on various fitness forums but in the grand scheme of things there is no better way to improve your body composition than by lifting weights. Here are my thoughts on weight training and gender differences. 

Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone within the human body. It's a steroid. A tool for improving performance and a key component in building masculine features. Although testosterone is present in every person it is predominantly high in men but abundantly low in women.

Men struggle to gain lean mass. It's a constant mathematical task that involves constantly reading food labels, utilising the scales and measuring jugs and staying within the fine lines of building muscle. Too few calories will not lead to desired results but too many will lead to an extra notch needed on the belt! To top it off it is essential within a mass building programme that set volume is high, resistance is high and that exercise induced muscle damage is achieved to initiate the growth and repair cycle. Training for true lean mass is tough. 

So with inadequate testosterone  and an inefficient calorie intake you can not gain a substantial amount of mass. You are however lightly to develop some wicked muscle tone! Learn why women should embrace the barbell.

Lifting gets you lean! 

Performing full range repetitions of gross body movements such as squats, dead lifts and lunges will get your heart working. The sensation is similar to the one you get when your heart is pounding through your chest after a mile of intense running. 

Working through these lifts will engage more muscle fibres. The more muscle fibres that are engaged, the more chemical reactions that need to occur. The more chemical reaction that occur, the higher the calorie requirements. 

Lifting shoots up your metabolism. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of burning calories for several hours after exercise. That is correct. You can pretty much be chilling out at home after a ground solid workout and still be reaping the rewards. The physical adaptations do not happen during a session. They happen during the time in between. 

You can improve your shape. From slimming down your waist line to a curvier back side. More muscle tone actually makes people look as though their body fat is lower than it really is. You can look so much better is much less time.

You can improve your posture. A better posture helps to portray a flatter stomach and projects a more confident self image. 

If you find yourself clueless on where to go with your training please remember that I am always free to message via my website.