Ladies, Please Stand up!!!

I normally write about items dealing with males, however, since I know that women do read this blog, and the majority of my exercise clientele are female as well, I have something for you.  I sent out an email about this quite some time back, but now I have a better platform to get my point across.

Women & Weight Training!!!!  Before that woman bodybuilder runs through your mind in that magazine with Pam sprayed on her body, and she looks like she's one hormone shot away from being a man, lets talk.

Here is a huge Myth you need to take into consideration before turning your workout into nothing but cardio.

Weight training makes you bulky and masculine!

Lets look at the science behind this idea first.  Unlike males, women do not produce enough testosterone in their bodies to gain huge amounts of muscle lifting weights.  NO MATTER HOW HEAVY THE WEIGHTS ARE IT WON'T HAPPEN! Testosterone is the number one hormone responsible for increasing muscle size.  On the other hand, what the professional female bodybuilder does is put synthetic testosterone (steroids) in their bodies, along with other supplements, to produce that look of superior masculinity.  However, I cannot say this enough, just because they take steroids does not mean they don’t train extremely hard!  By no means are the drugs just a “short cut” so to speak.  Their work ethic for that level of the sport is still completely over the top. Women who weight train without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days.  

According to William P. Ebben, MS, MSSW, CSCS & Randall L. Jensen, PhD, THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE  www.physsportsmed.com, here is a detailed breakdown.

The truth is, strength training helps reduce body fat and increase lean weight. These changes may result in a slight increase in overall weight, since lean body mass weighs more than fat. However, strength training results in significant increases in strength, no change or a decrease in lower-body girths, and a very small increase in upper-extremity girth. Only women with a genetic predisposition for hypertrophy who participate in high-volume, high-intensity training will see substantial increases in limb circumference.

Fox E, Bowers R, Foss M: The Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport, Madison, WI, Brown and Benchmark, 19932. 

7 GOOD REASONS WHY WOMEN SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS!

1. YOU WILL REDUCE BODY FAT

2. YOU WILL BE PHYSICALLY STRONGER

3. REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE

4. REDUCE YOUR RISK OF BACK PAIN AND ARTHRITIS

5. IMPROVE THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

6. ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO BENEFIT

7. GAIN STRENGTH WITHOUT BULKING UP

Ladies Stay Inspired,

Dominic

The above photos are Lenda Murray, 8-Time Ms Olympia Winner, the best to ever do it!