Every couple of years a new exercise trend hits the market. Usually it's something which has been around for years, but has suddenly been brought back into the mainstream after being repackaged or endorsed by a celebrity trainer. The last few years have seen the reemergence of kettlebell training, boxercise and boot camps. This year, the trend is set by high intensity interval training and resistance workouts.
While it's fantastic that girls are no longer scared to ask trainers about resistance training, there are still a few old, useless myths which attach a negative stigma to it. This puts a lot of ladies off, despite not having any solid evidence behind it. These myths include:
* Women will get a bodybuilder-like bulky physique if they lift regularly.
* Ladies should never lift anything heavy.
* Girls should be doing very high reps to tone up, because lower reps will make them bigger.
* Girls who have strong legs should avoid weights because they'll make them even bigger.
The four myths shown above have dogged the fitness industry for decades, despite being dis-proven many times! Despite the huge scientific advantages we have over the generations before us, if you walked into a health club today you'd probably still be able to find a lot of ladies who believe these myths to be true.
Are you ready for the facts? Resistance training is absolutely vital for any lady looking to tone up and achieve a lean physique. To put is quite simply, you should be doing it.
When you take some time to look at the differences between the male and female body, those common fitness myths disappear rather quickly. The major difference is that women release much less testosterone, making the muscle building process far harder for them. A female bodybuilder needs to add extra supplements into their routine to pack on more muscle, it's not something which happens easily.
After all, if building muscle really was as simple as just picking up a weight then most men at the gym would look like Sylvester Stallone. But they do not. Do not concern yourself with this myth.Training with barbells and dumbbells is a fantastic way to burn off more fat, as well as toning the muscles so they look leaner and stronger. You won't be getting bulky unless you're trying to bulk up, i.e. eating a bulking diet. Furthermore, if there is an area of your body which you consider to be too big at the moment, such as legs, then that is an area which would severely benefit from the use of resistance training.
Should women lift weights? Yes, without a doubt. You'll notice fantastic improvements in both lean muscle tone and fat loss. If you combine it with regular HIIT workouts, which is another area many ladies are a little unsure, then you have a solid formula for consistent results in the gym.
