So many strength workouts for women stray from actual strength and power development, emphasizing lighter weights.
This perpetuates the notion that the workouts men do somehow just arent for us.
But that isnt the case.
In general, building muscle and strength arent cakewalks for anyonewomen or men.
They take incredible amounts of proper nutrition, training, mental stamina and dedication.
For women though, some psychological and societal barriers make the process abit more complicated and difficult.
Is Weight Lifting Right For You?
Hell to the yes.
At least, thats what I like to tell every one of my girl friends.
The benefits extend beyond physical beauty, too.
Ultimately, however, it boils down to fitness goalsbe it aesthetic or performanceand more importantly, personal preferences.
This brings me to the next point.
Will Lifting Heavy Make You Look Bulky?
You want to look lean, not bulky, they say.
That goes for everyone thoughguys includedbecause no two trainees will respond the exact same way to the same training.
Nothing is permanent, and you have a lot to gain.
More specifically, the gender-based difference in muscle mass is moremeasurably apparent between upper body and lower body.
Its the reason we wont get that jacked.
On the other hand, higher estrogen levels give us a few advantages.
For one,a study in Human Physiologysuggests that estrogen provides significant protective effects against muscle soreness.
Yeah, we still get sore, but notthatsore.
So men arent necessarily stronger than women due to gender alone.
Basically, women typically need more of those various training stimuli than men do for similar results.
For many, the negative effects of menses seem to perceptibly change performance only by a nose hair.
Without a doubt, this will be different for everyone, but it is something interesting to consider.
Strong Like a Girl?
So, train like your guy friends would if you want and show them how its done.
Illustration by Tina Mailhot-Roberge.
Stephanie Lee is a nomadic writer with a Sriracha problem.
Visit her blog athttp://fitngeeky.tv/for her lighter takes on fitness and her shenanigans.
it’s possible for you to also follow her onTwitterandFacebook.
