Women & Strength Training

This week I had a client who was concerned about putting too much lean muscle on her body frame. She didn’t want to promote a less than feminine appearance. This seems to be an issue for some women who want to get into weight training, so I’m going to touch on this subject a little. Women gaining too much muscle from weight training should not be of concern. It’s not possible, unless you have the genetics. For example, if you genetically carry more muscle than the average female or partake in drug use such as steroids, you will not turn into Mr. Woman. Also, women carry less muscle mass than men. In fact, we carry more fat than lean muscle tissue and because of that, it contributes to a more feminine appearance. So weight training will not morph you into a man. One of the many benefits for not only women but men as well is, building lean muscle means more calories burned. For every pound of lean muscle your body has, you will burn 6 calories a day. On the other hand, for every pound of fat your body has, it burns only 2 calories (per pound of fat). What this comes down to is, strength training has more pros than cons such as helping your body be more efficient at using energy. Strength training not only builds lean muscle but it has many other benefits such as, a decreased risk of osteoporosis, reduces the risk of muscle loss due to aging, helps to transform your body composition, resulting in a better appearance. Also, an increase in strength, reduces stress, improves your immune system and helps to increase your sex drive.

The facts are in and women have a lot to gain from strength training, so pick up those weights and start lifting :).