Can Women Lift Heavy Weights Without Becoing Big and Bulky?
I want to make something clear – I love telling my women patients about the many benefits of lifting weights. If this is the first time you have learned this fact then I am happy to provide it – it is impossible for women to look like men when they lift weight – big and bulky. Even more, it is hard even for the men who lift weights to look big and bulky!
While body composition, of course, varies among both men and women, the vast majority of women simply don’t have the amount of testosterone necessary or the genetic makeup to pack on voluminous muscle without a lot of effort, supplementation, and changes to your diet. Without chemical (read: performance-enhancing) drugs or testosterone, women will look like women when they leave the gym after lifting weights.
Simply, it’s a common fitness adage: women should do many repetitions of lifts with lighter weights to “tone and sculpt,” and avoid heavy weights lest they develop vein-bulging muscle mass (most unfeminine, for sure – but that’s for another article). In truth, though, the vast majority don’t need to worry about turning into the Hulk when they lift heavy weights. On the contrary, serious weightlifting can help you slim down while also strengthening your bones.
Busting the Myth
If you’re a woman who wants to improve your physique, strength and fitness without looking like a body builder who’s pumped up on steroids, you can pick up those weights without fear.
I have a friend, CC, who lifts an amazing amount of weight with me at the gym and trains with a competitive bodybuilder. Without any effort or calorie-restriction, she is about 5’1″ and weighs no more than 105 pounds. She is also 42 years old with 2 boys below the age of 4!
How Women Gain Muscle
You’ll certainly gain some muscle mass due to strength training, and for some women that can involve building some of that feared “bulk.” Depending on your body type and weight, that muscle may be more defined and visible – after all, you’re strength training!
If you have a fairly muscular physique in general, you’ll likely gain more visible muscle when you lift heavy weights. If you’re curvier or very lean, you’ll still become stronger by lifting heavy weights, but those changes likely won’t be as obvious. Either way, however, it is highly unlikely that your muscles will suddenly balloon to Popeye proportions if you shift your workout to fewer repetitions of heavier weights.
Slim Down With Weight Lifting
Even if your muscle mass does increase substantially due to your individual genetics, the actual dimensions of your limbs may not change or may actually shrink if your strength training is part of a weight loss program.
Muscle tissue requires more calorie expenditure to function than fat, so building muscle will actually help you to slim and tone your body, since it increases the number of calories you burn while at rest. So in fact, lifting heavy weights and increasing your muscle mass can help you to reduce your overall size. This is why I constantly stress to my women patients how much they can benefit from lifting weights.
Other Benefits of Heavy Weight Lifting
There are countless other benefits to heavy weight lifting for women. In addition to helping women burn body fat, weight lifting can also deliver a huge boost in confidence, both in relation to appearance and in terms of the mental focus needed to master difficult lifts.
Plus, many women don’t believe that they can become strong and lift heavy weights – so there’s a fantastic sense of accomplishment when they do!
Finally, lifting heavy weights is a great way to strengthen your bones to prevent osteoporosis in older years, which is a significant issue for aging women. Heavier weights place more stress on the bones than light weights do, so they help to improve bone strength and mass even more.
Sources:
http://women.webmd.com/features/health-rules-you-can-bend-weights
http://www.acefitness.org/pressroom/319/ace-lists-most-common-fitness-myths/
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/76/how-women-build-muscle/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710
http://crudefitness.com/training/do-heavy-weights-make-women-big-and-bulky-guest-post/
via Blogger http://chiropractic-lane.blogspot.com/2013/08/can-women-lift-heavy-weights-without.html
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