Should Women Lift Weights Regularly?

By Howe Russ


One of the most frequently asked questions in gyms today is, "Should women lift weights?" Today you'll get the answer. Many ladies want to put weights into their routine alongside HIIT but are unsure if they're allowed, due to the many myths out there.

Every couple of years a new exercise trend hits the market. Usually it's something which has been around for years, but has suddenly been brought back into the mainstream after being repackaged or endorsed by a celebrity trainer. The last few years have seen the reemergence of kettlebell training, boxercise and boot camps. This year, the trend is set by high intensity interval training and resistance workouts. []

That's right, women around the world are suddenly finding the confidence the ask about using resistance training on a regular basis. While trainers around the world are undoubtedly rejoicing in this, the fact is most ladies are still buying into a few of the old myths which used to surround this subject, most notably:

* Women will get a bodybuilder-like bulky physique if they lift regularly.

* Girls should only lift light weights.

* Women need to do low resistance and high repetitions to tone up.

* Doing weights on your lower body will give you bulky legs which resemble a male rugby player.

Despite having no scientific evidence at all to back them up, you'll hear most of those myths in any fitness center around the country. Even today, when we're at a huge advantage with the scientific research carried out in the industry every day, these issues still seem to exist in the mainstream.

The simple answer is yes, women should be using resistance training in their workout if they are to achieve the toned, lean look most ladies desire to own.

When you take some time to look at the differences between the male and female body, those common fitness myths disappear rather quickly. The major difference is that women release much less testosterone, making the muscle building process far harder for them. A female bodybuilder needs to add extra supplements into their routine to pack on more muscle, it's not something which happens easily.

Moving from one weight to another isn't going to cause your body to develop massive muscles, so don't buy into that myth.

The ironic thing is that most ladies who are terrified of resistance training list fat loss as their main fitness goal. Fat loss is one of the biggest benefits to a regular resistance training program. Your body experiences a phenomenon known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, E.P.O.C. for short, in which you continue to power through calories at an increased level well after you finish training. It's also one of the best ways to tone up a body part you consider to be bulky at the moment, i.e. legs.

So, should women lift weights in the gym? Certainly! If you are trying to build a leaner physique this year then the combination of HIIT and regular resistance workouts will push your results to a whole new level.




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