I’ve been doing so much cardio lately in preparation for my marathon that it’s time that I got back in the weight room today. The topic of women in the weight room comes with many myths that I have been thinking about.
“Weight lifting will make me look manly and bulky. Women should only lift light weights with more reps. To loose weight I need to do more cardio versus weight training.”
These are all false statements! It is impossible for women to bulk up like men do. They simply do not have the testosterone levels to do so. So don’t think that the second you lift a heavy weight, you’re going to start looking like a body builder. In fact, if you want to attain a tight, toned physique in a short amount of time, heavy weights are the most important!
I have noticed that many women believe that doing hours of cardio and eating less will result in weight loss. Myself falling victim to this myth before actually learning about the facts. With cardio you are loosing water weight and lean muscle. But, the more muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism and the more calories you will burn by just living and doing absolutely nothing!
Lifting heavy weights will also result in the greater overall muscle definition. When lifting such a light weight as most women do (2 pounds? I mean, really people?) your muscles are barely challenged.
I know it is a bit scary to step foot in the weight room at the gym. It’s a mostly male dominated area which will often lead to a couple stares here and there. This is exactly how I felt before I was comfortable in my own skin. So suck up your pride, and get in there with the rest of them! Weight lifting is the most important component of weight loss and building that toned physique that you strive for.
“Do not fear heavy weights any longer. What you should fear is being old and weak. What you should fear is wasting more time training strategies that just won’t get you where you want to go. Push your body – you are stronger than you think.”- {bodybuilding.com}
