Why Women Should Lift Weights

When I first started my weight loss journey, I was similar to many women in the fact that I assumed lifting weights, especially heavy ones, would result in me getting bulky, broad, and a thick look that I didn't want. I wanted to get a lean, elongated, and a sexy sculpted body. What I didn't realize at the time, was that the exact thing that I thought would bring me away from the results I wanted, was the one thing that actually was going to get me there. 

Ladies: lifting HEAVY weights are the KEY to getting lean, sexy, sculpted bodies!!!

When I did my first round of P90X3, I shedded 8 inches of fat overall on my body, but gained a few pounds in lean muscle. I never lifted anything less than a 10 lb dumbbell, and that's what I used for the exercises that required a light weight. So many times when women begin to exercise, we gain a few pounds in the process and totally lose sight of the big picture: that weight is just a number! It is NOT the main source we should be looking at for our progress. Look in the mirror! Try on your old clothes! Take the measuring tape out! Weight gain can simply mean that we are putting on muscle- but that is GOOD, because although muscle weighs more than fat, muscle also SCORCHES fat! The more muscle you have, the more fat you are going to lose, because muscle burns significantly more calories than fat even at a resting state. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more weight you are going to lose by doing virtually nothing. Will you gain a few more pounds? Maybe. But will you look a heck of a lot better? YES!

Here are some of the reasons why women will NEVER get bulky, or start to look "manly" from weightlifting:

1. Women naturally do not even possess the testosterone levels to gain muscle mass like men. Normal testosterone levels for men fall between 200-1200 ng/dl, while testosterone levels for women are typically between 15-70 ng/dl. Therefore, even if a man is at the lowest end of the testosterone level, and a woman is at the highest, the man would still have TWICE the amount of testosterone! Women do not contain the hormonal support to ever gain muscle like a man. If you ever see female bodybuilders that seem to possess similar muscle mass to men, it is because they are using outside testosterone injections or steroids- they are doing something to alter the natural state of their bodies and testosterone levels. 

2. Studies have SHOWN that men and women can train the exact same way- meaning, women MUST lift those HEAVY weights in order to achieve the sexy "toned" look that we want. Lifting heavy weights will give us the "V" shaped back (but not broad like a man's, because again, that is not possible for our bodies), the shapely legs and lifted booty, the tight, lean, sculpted arms, and of course that flat tummy we ALWAYS dream of! In reality, lifting light weights for a long period of time will just increase your muscle endurance, while lifting heavy weights will build your muscle strength- burning fat, increasing metabolism, and sculpting your muscles even more.

3. The word "toning" is actually a misconception. I still use the term, because I think of it in a different aspect than some, but here's the kicker: our muscles do not change. When some people say "tone your muscles," we are really just shedding the fat around them and making them protrude more. Now, we can build muscle and make them bigger, we can LOSE muscle, but we cannot "tone" it. The bigger we make our muscles, the leaner we will look. :)

4. Sometimes when women (or men) begin to train in weight lifting, they do get bigger and bulkier and blame it on lifting weights. This is simply because those people are gaining actual weight in fat by consuming too many calories. Along with weight lifting, we still need to be at a calorie deficit to lose weight. Do not think since you are lifting heavy weights, you also need to be consuming thousands of calories to make up for it and "feed your muscles." That's not the case. In fact, people can overeat on very healthy foods as well- healthy foods can still add up to a lot of calories! The main thing you want to make sure you are doing is feeding your body and muscles the proper nutrients it needs DIRECTLY after lifting weights, and that is protein! A simple protein shake (or for me, Shakeology) will do the trick. But other than that, I have lost the most weight and gained the most muscle from eating around a 1,500 calorie diet for my body and build. If I wanted to lose more weight, I would either have to create more of a calorie deficit in working out longer to burn more calories, or eating even less. 

Therefore, if you are getting bulky and thicker "from weightlifting," it's really that you are gaining weight in general.

Alright ladies, I hope this cleared the air on some of your weightlifting fears! So FEAR NOT those big weights! Get all up in the heavy weight zone at the gym and boot the guys out of the way! Doing a Beachbody program like me? Bring those heavy weights HOME! Don't spend money on the 3 lb'ers! Show those guys who's BOSS! ;)

With love,