The Myth Behind Lifting Weights: Why Strength Training Actually Makes You Leaner

Many women stay far away from weights and only focus on cardio. We call those ladies the Cardio Queens! They fear that if they lift weights or do strength training they will get too bulky, and instead spend all of their time doing cardio. Cardio is great to strengthen your cardiovascular system and burn extra calories, but when it comes to building a lean, toned physique one must turn to weight bearing exercises. So for all of you Cardio Queens out there, we are here to tell you that you do not need to fear the weights, and that the ideology that lifting weights will make women bulky is simply a myth. In fact, it is very difficult for females to build muscle mass. An average adult male produces around 10 times more testosterone than the average female. For this reason men can lift heavy weights and develop a large muscular physique. In fact ladies, weights can do wonders for us; they will help us stay in shape, increase strength and youthfulness. They will also sculpt our bodies to keep us looking fit even as we age!

I get it – you may still be apprehensive, after all you want to keep your feminine shape and petite frame. In reality though training at the gym is the only way to defy the laws of gravity to give you a firm butt and perky boobs. So forget about tucks and implants – hit the gym.

Myth #1 – getting bulky

As mentioned earlier it is neither easy nor natural for a woman to become huge and bulky. Please bear in mind that the massive female bodybuilders that you may be thinking of use drugs and vast amounts of supplements to achieve their look. Moderate or even intense weight training will give you a nice muscle tone and shape.

Myth #2 – getting bigger or slower

Weight training speeds up your metabolism and turns you into a fat burning machine in two ways. Firstly – as you increase your lean muscle mass, your body will burn more calories even when you rest (base metabolic rate)! Yes, you heard that right! Secondly, anaerobic exercise – bursts of high intensity activity such as sets of lifting heavier weights – burns fat many hours after you are done with your workout as opposed to regular cardiovascular exercise.

Myth #3 – looking or feeling manly

Nothing more wrong than assuming that lifting will turn you into Arnold or the Hulk! You want to look like a fitness model? Re-think your fitness routine- instead of hours upon hours on the treadmill, adhere to a reasonable weight training routine and enjoy a firm butt, lifted breasts and a toned tummy.

To conclude, forget about myths and stereotypes. Try and see for yourself that weights can tone, shape and empower you!