Should Ladies Stay Away From Weights In The Gym?

By Howe Russ


Should women lift weights on a regular basis? This question, alongside HIIT, is easily one of the most asked questions in gyms around the world today. Get ready for an in depth look into the answer.

This isn't a new phenomenon, and the myths surrounding it were dis-proven many years ago. However, every ten years the fitness industry throws up a new trend which brings the same old methods back into the mainstream. After kettlebells and circuit training in recent years, this year appears to be the return of high intensity cardio alongside pumping iron on a regular basis. []

The fact that more and more ladies are suddenly plucking up the confidence to wander over to the free weights section of their local gym is a truly great thing. However, many are still scared by the myths which surround females and resistance training, including:

* Resistance training is meant for men, and will make women bulky.

* Ladies should never lift anything heavy.

* Women tone up from high reps and low resistance. If a lady doesn't follow this rule, she's going to put on size....

* Girls who have strong legs should avoid weights because they'll make them even bigger.

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.

To put it bluntly, yes, ladies should be incorporating resistance training into their routine. You cannot achieve a lean physique without making your body work against some sort of resistance.

It would be easy to look at a female fitness competitor and presume that's what will happen to you if you train with barbells and dumbbells. But that would be as foolish as a man looking at Arnold Schwarzenegger and making the same presumption. Female's release much less testosterone than males, causing the muscle building process to be far harder. Female fitness competitors don't just go to the gym, they diet and supplement specifically to add size...

After all, if building muscle really was as simple as just picking up a weight then most men at the gym would look like Sylvester Stallone. But they do not. Do not concern yourself with this 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.

Should women lift weights? Yes, without a doubt. You'll notice fantastic improvements in both lean muscle tone and fat loss. If you combine it with regular HIIT workouts, which is another area many ladies are a little unsure, then you have a solid formula for consistent results in the gym.




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