There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to women and there involvement in strength training. Hollywood superstars and misleading media have all but convinced us that lifting weights (especially heavy weights) will leave us looking manly and that the key to our dream bod lies in doing hours of cardio. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Believe it or not involvement in strength based training programs will do wonders for your physical, mental and emotional health and help you to be that fit, healthy looking lady you’ve always wanted to be. Let’s have a go at debunking some of the most common strength training myths.
#1 Women get “Bulky” from Lifting Weights
Unfortunately this statement has stopped a countless number of women getting involved in strength training. Physiologically men and women are different. The reality is that women can become extremely strong but simply do not produce enough testosterone to support the growth of large amounts of muscle. Of course resistance training can help to increase your lean muscle mass but the thought that it will add kilos of bulky muscle to your physique is simply flawed.
#2 Cardio is the Only Way to Burn Fat
When it comes to this topic there are multiple things to consider. One; our body is constantly burning calories, even at rest. When we exercise our body must burn more calories in order to fuel our movements. This happens regardless of whether we are lifting weights or running on the treadmill so all forms of activity can play a role in fat loss. Two; when we do strength training we create micro tears in our muscles, our body must then work to repair these tears so our muscles can grow and become stronger. This then means that our metabolism can remain elevated for hours after we workout, this is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This process does not happen after steady state cardio. Lastly; muscle burns more calories than any other bodily tissue, as a result people who carry more lean muscle mass will have an elevated metabolism in order to fulfil the energy requirements of our muscles. Fortunately this means that strength training can play a role in helping you achieve your fat loss goals.
#3 Spot Reduction Works
Despite what you may have heard, doing thousands of crunches is not the answer to a flat stomach. Our bodies are genetically predisposed to hold fat on certain areas of our body, this is different for everyone. If your goal is to lose fat off your tummy then reducing your overall body fat percentage is the only way. This doesn’t mean you can’t target specific muscle groups in your training in an effort to increase strength and promote growth, it just simply means that you can site reduce body fat from around those areas. There is no magic solution to decreasing body fat, creating a calorie deficit through diet and exercise or a combination of both is only way to lose body fat.
#4 Working Out Turns Your Fat into Muscle
Well wouldn’t that just make things easy? The best way to explain this is that it’s like comparing apples and oranges, muscle and fat are two completely different substances. Muscle is an active soft tissue that expands and contracts in order to create movement. Fat on the other hand acts as an energy reserve for the body and is responsible for protecting our joints and organs. One simply can not turn into the other. Creating a fit lean physique happens as a result of building muscle and reducing body fat.
I hope this has cleared up some of the nonsense you’ve heard regarding women and strength training. With appropriate programming and nutrition women can achieve a strong, lean looking body all while receiving a boost to many other aspects of the health and well-being.
xx Tara
Do you get involved in strength training? What do you enjoy most about it? Let me know in the comments section below.
Comments