‘Don’t eat after 6pm!’ ‘Carbs make you fat!’ ‘Squats are bad for your knees!’
These are some of the most common fitness myths, but none of them are more damaging than the idea that lifting weights makes women bulky.
You may have heard that one before – but probably through word of mouth, as there’s little evidence backing it up.
Stevie Christian, personal trainer at Gymbox, says the idea that women will get bulky from resistance training is a myth.
“Thinking you’ll get bulky by lifting weights a few times a week is like thinking you’ll become a Michelin star chef because you whip up dinner for your flat mates from time to time.”
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The reason some old school female bodybuilders looked bulky had little to do with their training plan, Christian continues:
“In order to be ‘bulky’ and gain the extreme amounts of muscle that old school female body builders have, you would have to take a lot of illegal steroids to try and mimic the levels of testosterone that men have.”
Drug-free female weightlifters do not have this problem, Stevie says.
“Look at the reigning female British weightlifting champions and you will see that you can be incredibly strong and still ‘petite’ and ‘feminine’. One of the current champions weighs 58kg and snatches 90kg – which is incredible!”
What will lead to weight gain in men and women is more a matter of diet.
“Being in a large calorie surplus whilst not training properly will lead to weight gain,” Christian says.
Photo: iStockWhy lifting weights will not make women ‘bulky’ – but more likely lean
Lifting weights could hold the key for losing weight or getting lean, however.
“If you’re following a sensible diet and a good weight training programme it is likely that, although you might be adding some muscle and becoming more ‘toned’, you might actually appear smaller as muscle is far denser than fat and therefore takes up less space on the body.”
The Gymbox trainer says that consistency is key.
“Lifting weights can do wonders for your physique, and it is also important for a number of health reasons such as improving your posture, helping with bone density (women are more susceptible to suffer from osteoporosis and this is a great way to prevent it), it can increase your metabolic rate, improve your mental health and help you feel like a badass.”
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Women can generally lift in the same manner as men, but training intensity may need to be altered in some cases for hormonal reasons.
“Anything a man can do, we can do,” says Christian.
“However, due to the fluctuation of our hormones due to our menstrual cycle, we do have peaks and troughs with our strength. Some women report a loss of up to 50% of their strength during the last two weeks of their cycles.
“It can be useful to programme your weight training around your cycle. So you would probably rest your PBs (maximum gym lifts) during the folicular phase (the 2 weeks right after your period).”
