Should women work out with weights, and is it true that they risk looking like bodybuilders or muscular, manly women if they do strength training? How many of you, ladies, have asked yourselves these questions when deciding to start working out at the gym?
We hope this article explains the principles of strength training for women well enough that next time you visit a fitness club, you won’t spend all your time in the cardio area.
Read more: How to best prepare for a gym workout
Here’s the truth.
Myth #1: If you train with weights, you’ll look like a female bodybuilder or become “too” muscular and masculine.
Reality: This myth is far from the truth, yet it remains one of the most popular misconceptions that often stop women from taking fitness seriously. There’s no need to worry about doing “men’s” exercises during your workout, because you can’t build too much muscle just by training with weights. That’s because, unlike men, women don’t produce testosterone, a major anabolic hormone. We guarantee that training with weights won’t make you more masculine. On the contrary, it will shape your body beautifully, with curves and no cellulite.
Myth #2: Weight training makes you gain weight and your body get bigger
Reality: Absolutely not! Many women mistakenly believe that losing weight means spending hours on the treadmill or other cardio machines. The truth is, if you want lasting, quality results when burning excess fat, weight training is the way to go.
Read more: Why should we run every day, and what do we gain from it?
Yes, you might gain weight, but remember that a kilogram of muscle weighs more than a kilogram of fat. And with toned muscles, you’ll look significantly better.
Myth #3: Strength training increases women’s need for vitamins
Physically active women generally don’t need more vitamins than inactive women. Since vitamins are not part of the body’s structure or a direct source of energy, women who do strength training regularly don’t need to take extra vitamins.
Read more: Vitamins: What are the benefits, and how can we get them?
Eating more fruit and vegetables is enough to keep your levels within the normal range.
Myth #4: Muscles turn into fat when you stop training
Reality: Muscles cannot turn into fat. Muscles have no physiological capacity to transform from one form into another. So if you stop working out, your muscles will simply disappear—that is, they will atrophy. If you abandon a healthy diet and stop all activity, your muscles will lose tone and shrink, but they will never turn into fat.
Weight Training
To make things as easy as possible, we’re offering you a basic workout plan to help you get started with weight training, if you’re not familiar with it yet. Trust us, there’s nothing to worry about—unless, of course, you want to look absolutely amazing.
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Keep in mind that you should always consult a professional fitness instructor, who can show you the correct exercise technique and make sure you’re doing the movements properly. This is especially important when increasing the weight.
The best strength-training option for women is to split your workouts into two sessions: lower body and upper body. To start with, you can go to the gym three times a week, focusing on the lower body—glutes, legs and abs—twice, and the upper body—arms, back, chest and obliques—once. Remember to warm up at the beginning of every workout, and don’t skip cardio at the end—30–40 minutes is plenty.
On lower-body training days, focus on squats—you can do them on a Smith machine or with a barbell behind your neck. Beginners can start with a 5 kg dumbbell. Don’t skip the leg press or the leg curl and extension machines. Make lunges your thighs’ new best friends if you want them to look shapely. Do 3 sets of 15 reps for these exercises. We guarantee you’ll soon see the difference in the mirror—especially in your hip and thigh measurements.
On upper-body training days, choose dumbbells. Don’t think that 2 kg weights will help you sculpt and tone your body. Although men are the ones who usually reach for the dumbbells, that shouldn’t put you off. Choose a weight that suits you and gives you a good workout. Focus on bent-over dumbbell rows, bicep curls and shoulder presses, as well as lat pulldowns and seated cable rows.
Don’t forget push-ups. You can comfortably do 3 sets of 10–12 reps. Don’t worry that your back or arms will get big—instead, they’ll become toned and well-defined.
To sum up, when you’re wondering how to burn extra calories and lose weight more easily, we recommend turning to weights. There’s no need to worry that your workout will look like those of the men at the gym. There’s no chance you’ll end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Read more: How a Gym Helps You Lose Weight for Good and Effectively in 4 Easy Steps