Will Women Get Bulky If They Lift Weights?

There is not a girl in any fitness center who hasn't wondered at least once during a workout, 'Should women lift weights or will it make us big and bulky?' This is one of the most commonly asked questions in the fitness industry and today's article will help you to get to the bottom of it once and for all.

If you are trying to build a better body in your local gym it can be very distracting if you are always being told different things by different people. Lots of the fitness industry is based on pure opinion, which is why there are so many conflicting pieces of information. However, if you want to look at the rock hard scientific evidence on this particular subject you will find it a whole lot easier to understand.

In the early 1970's, during the heyday of bodybuilding characters such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, many mainstream gyms were to blame for starting a trend of encouraging ladies to stick to cardiovascular exercise while men hit the weights section. This was then set in stone with the emergence of home circuit style workouts which were released on VHS, encouraging ladies to use nothing more than a bottle of water or very light dumbbell as resistance.

Why? The belief was that if a woman touched a heavy weight she would grow big muscles and create a bodybuilder physique. Of course, if you have ever known somebody who has taken on a bodybuilding lifestyle you will know that this belief is pure nonsense. Bodybuilding is really a lifestyle and it's not surprising if a bodybuilder takes offence when they overhear somebody saying they don't want to touch a heavier dumbbell because they don't want to get huge. If only it were that easy.

Written below are a few of the major benefits to using resistance workouts as part of your fitness routine. Back in the early days a lot of opinions were based on very little evidence because it was all still relatively new, whereas nowadays we have the massive benefit of hindsight and years of scientific advancements.

* In order to build a toned, lean physique you simply need some kind of resistance training.

* By training with weights you'll build more lean muscle tissue, which will in turn help your body to burn off more unwanted fat.

* Your metabolism will rise dramatically, which is a good thing for those who are trying to burn off calories and drop pounds.

* Like HIIT, which is great for bringing your body fat percentage down, resistance training also has many fat loss benefits.

The four points above should be enough to get you on the resistance machines the next time you hit the gym, but now we answer the top concern ladies have on this subject. Is it going to make you grow big muscles and appear bulky? No, it is not. Female's simply don't have enough testosterone in their body's to do that, which is why those who become female bodybuilders need to get their diet in check, figure out what supplements to take and consume things like testosterone boosters on a regular basis.

A lot of thought has to go into that type of lifestyle. It's not something you need to worry about, as it certainly cannot happen without deliberately aiming for it.

Should women lift weights? Absolutely. In fact it is one of the best ways to get in shape even if your overall goal is weight loss. The myth that ladies should stick to cardio is as old as time itself, it can be one of most confusing aspects of fitness alongside learning what supplements to take or which how many times per week you need to work out for maximum results.