Don’t Be Afraid Of Weights

By Gerard Bochese

Many women steer clear of weights or are afraid to challenge themselves in the weight room.  They are worried about “getting big” and therefore either lift weights that are too light and do not challenge or stimulate the muscle or stick to machine training.

Women should not fear weights but embrace them as one of the best ways to lose weight, increase bone density, and create a healthier and fitter female look.  Competitive female body builders train approximately 3 hours a day, performing 5-12 sets per exercise.  Any competitive female body builder will tell you, getting big is no easy task for a female.  It requires a significant time commitment and serious commitment to nutritional modifications and supplementation. A regular fitness program including free weights will allow a woman to improve her function and enhance her beauty without any fear of becoming “too big”.

Why don’t you need to worry? First of all, women have about ten times less testosterone and far greater levels of estrogen in their blood stream than males. Studies on hypertrophy (bigger muscles) using muscle building protocols also show that women do not achieve the same hypertrophic responses in fast twitch muscle fibers (the fibers utilized in weight lifting as opposed to slow twitch muscle fibers which are used for long sustained cardio) that males do. Basically, men are built to pile on muscle, and women aren’t.

Women interested in losing weight who rely on machine training because they are afraid of “getting big” are making a mistake.  As soon as your body is stabilized by sitting on a seat and using a back rest, you stop activating your postural and stabilizer muscles (the muscles you use when you’re on an unstable surface, like a Swiss ball or Bosu). Having fewer muscles at work is bad news if you’re looking to burn fat.

So, grab a set of free weights or start challenging yourself and soon you’ll start to see great results!