Weight training has been extremely overlooked and sometimes even feared by many women for years. It is common to walk into a gym and see all of the weights taken up by men, and all of the cardio machines being used by women. Lots of women tend to shy away from adding resistance training to their lifestyle. Not only is lifting essential for muscle growth, but it also leads to stronger bones, more flexibility, improved joint health, and a decreased risk of injury. More women should try to include some resistance training into their fitness plan, in order to diminish some of the fears and stereotypes women might have with the topic of Strength training. 

One of the biggest fears women have when it comes to strength training is the belief that it will make them look too “bulky” or “manly”. This however is a huge misconception that is backed by science. Women physically cannot grow new muscle tissue to the same degree as men, because females produce lower levels of testosterone and higher levels of estrogen and progesterone. Testosterone is one of the two major hormones in the human body that involves muscle growth. Since men happen to produce much more testosterone than women, this allows male bodies to become much more bulked up. This being said, women can still gain plenty of muscle mass, and tone up their bodies to a certain degree without looking manly.

There is an ongoing argument over whether cardiovascular exercise or weight training burns more calories. While cardio workouts do technically burn more calories, weight training has a bigger post-workout effect. It has been proven that strength training can boost the metabolism. According to Livestrong.com, “Metabolism increases after cardiovascular exercise only lasts 30 to 60 minutes, whereas post weight training metabolism increases up to 48 hours.” This means that the body will continue to burn calories long after a lifting session. Not only is lifting beneficial for maintaining and increasing a healthy metabolism, but it also can lead to more calories being burned overall.

Part of the reason women might fear including resistance training in their lifestyle could be because of stereotypes. In today’s society especially, “strength training” is most often looked at as just building muscle and getting bigger. Lifting however has a variety of different health benefits, not just on the physical spectrum. According to experts, in an article by Global news it states, “Weight lifting isn’t just about bulking up and building muscle mass, the experts say. Its benefits include improved posture, better sleep, gaining bone density, maintaining weight loss, boosting metabolism, lowering inflammation and staving off chronic disease, among a laundry list of positives.” Based on this information, weight training not only improves physical appearance, but it can improve health everywhere in the body, including mentally. Therefore, these fears women might have with lifting need to start being diminished. If more women start to incorporate resistance training into their lifestyle, it could help remove some of the fears or stereotypes that women might have, and it could encourage more women to step out of their comfort zones. 

Sources:

https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/expert-articles/5040/4-myths-about-strength-training-for-women/

https://www.issaonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2016/ladies-lifting-heavy-wont-make-you-bulk-up

https://www.livestrong.com/article/295718-does-lifting-weights-burn-more-calories-than-cardio/

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/resistance-training-health-benefits

https://globalnews.ca/news/3513498/8-reasons-why-weight-training-is-incredible-for-your-health/#:~:text=Weight%20lifting%20isn’t%20just,a%20laundry%20list%20of%20positives.