Why Ladies Should Lift Weights

"You won’t get big and bulky and you won’t turn into a she-hulk. But you will gain confidence, self-esteem and a bangin’ body.

How do I know? Six years ago I was a pudgy stay at home mom. I’d always been active, but for me that really meant running, yoga and the occasional “play with light dumbbells” session at the gym. I could never understand why I didn’t have the lean, athletic, feminine body I yearned for. I spent hours at the gym and I was always consistent.

The answer came to me in the form of iron, and since then, the iron and I have been the best of friends. I have a more desirable physique at 30 than I did at 20, and I feel better about myself in every conceivable way."

Read the full article from Fitocracy here.

Women and weight training

Many women avoid lifting heavy weights because they fear it will cause them to become too muscular or bulky. This image tends to come from seeing female body builders in fitness magazines.

The unfortunate consequence of this false impression is that women will stick to cardio machines and light dumbbell work in the hope to gain a fit and strong body.

The truth, however, is that 99% of women are not capable of building large muscles without the use of steroids as they just do not have the levels of Testosterone required to do so!

Women need to work with heavy weight just as much as men do. Only heavy weight will build strength (not muscle) that will support the joints and bones and help to prevent injury. "Heavy" is a relative term, but it certainly does not mean a weight that you could lift for 30 repetitions! It means a weight that you would not be able to lift for more than 5 to 8 repetitions, sometimes even less.

To read more on why women should lift, read this article.

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