In modern times, women often prefer to have a slender physique, so they choose to engage in more lean muscle-building activities like yoga, dance, or cardio. But contrary to popular belief, weightlifting does not actually make bulky muscle, and lifting weights can build lean muscle as well. See below to discover why this myth is completely wrong and how you can start incorporating weightlifting into your life today!
Weights and Bulking Up
The simple answer to whether or not weights make women bulky is: NO! But what weight training can do for you is make you stronger, more capable, and more confident. A woman's hormonal makeup actually prevents her from bulking up from weightlifting in the same way that a man does. Therefore, no matter how much weightlifting you do, for many women, they will never bulk up in the same way.
Still, it is a widespread belief that even if women engage in weightlifting, they must only use lighter weights and do more reps. But research shows that the lack of bulking up remains regardless of how much weight you lift. Since women lack the hormone testosterone, which is vital in building muscle mass, it is much more difficult for them to build muscle tissue from the beginning.
Despite this difficulty in building muscle mass for women, weightlifting is still a fantastic way to improve their health. Strength training does exactly what you think it does; it builds strength! And having more strength is never a bad thing. Lifting weights also burns calories and can be an excellent component of a weight loss regimen.
Weights for Women
For every person's health routine, strength training is an essential component. By solely focusing on cardio, this can prevent you from improving all aspects of your health and prevent you from gaining some of the unique benefits of weightlifting.
If you are a beginner in weightlifting, it can be beneficial to start with a personal trainer or in a group class to learn proper physique. Many gyms even have special classes geared towards introducing weightlifting to women, making it a much more comfortable environment. But weightlifting for women is generally the same as weightlifting for men.
Regardless of gender, you always need to stay in tune with your body's endurance and lifting capacity. Pushing up to a higher weight when your body isn't ready for it can lead to pain and injury, hindering your weightlifting goals. So, it is best to try easing into weightlifting by starting with smaller weights and then gradually increasing to higher amounts over time as you build more strength.
Summary
For women, weightlifting is a wonderful way to improve their health and build both muscle and confidence. As shown above, there is no need for you to worry about becoming too bulky either. So, try incorporating weightlifting into your weekly fitness routine and start gaining the many benefits of this form of exercise in your life today!