Fitness myths revealed

That’s one of the very first things I hear from nearly every female client. The preconceived notion amongst many women that somehow lifting weights will make you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger is completely unjustified, but it’s also a belief that runs rampant. This is definitely a myth I would like to clear up today. Not only is it completely false, but heavy-weight training is most likely the key to success for nearly all men and women.

I get it. You don’t want to look like her. Hell, even I’m not sure I want to look like her! While the internet has made it easier to see that not all women who compete in physique contests look like that, the image above is what many women get in their heads when thinking about lifting heavy weights. Well here’s a spot of good news for you, ladies. The only way you’re going to look like her is if you do anabolic steroids and synthetic male testosterone.

There are a lot of factors for why you’re not going to new casinos to get massive by doing heavy lifting, but first and foremost, it boils down to hormones. It is well known amongst scientists and fitness professionals that testosterone is one of the biggest muscle builders there is. It is directly responsible for how much protein a person can synthesize, which is just a fancy way of saying how much muscle they can build. Men can have as much as 15 times more naturally occurring testosterone than women. Simply put, and to drive the point home again, if you’re not shooting up steroids and synthetic hormones, you’re not going to get huge.

Those 4 ladies above all have very different body types. All are professional athletes competing in different classes of elite competition. They also look vastly different from that large female bodybuilder I posted a picture of. What that has to do with is their training methods, genetic makeup, and in most cases their lack of drug use.

These women are at the absolute peak of what they can make their bodies look like and have literally been training for years to achieve the look they possess. In my opinion, you couldn’t label any of them “bulky,” including Dana Linn Bailey. While she has a look that is considerably more masculine than the other 2 women, she still only weighs in the neighborhood of 130 pounds while still retaining very feminine features.

You are going to have to develop a training routine that is going to get you those results. All of them will involve lifting, in some cases, some pretty serious weight. Cardio and abs at the gym every day and poor eating habits will never help you achieve these results.

When I am putting together a routine for a client, I don’t treat women any differently than men. Women can do the same exact things men can do in the gym, and their bodies are going to react almost identically to each other, the exception being women won’t build large muscle mass quite like men.

Those 20+ reps, very light-weight workouts so many women like to do are garbage. When you do 20 reps of an exercise with lightweight, you may get a good pump in your muscles and feel like you’re doing something good for yourself. However, you’re really just building muscle endurance. Muscle endurance is obviously important depending on your goals, but let’s be honest, most women want that toned and tight look.

If toned and tight is what you want put down kingjohnnie casino those 5-pound dumbbells and pick up the 30s. Better yet, hire a trainer or go with an experienced friend to the gym and learn how to properly do squats, dead lifts, and other compound exercises. Stop doing 20 reps of dumbbell curls and start doing 5 intense reps of heavy squats. Do endurance-type workouts once or twice a week, but make heavy lifting day your main priority. You won’t get huge, but you will get strong, build dense muscle and burn fat at an accelerated rate. Isn’t that what you want, after all?

Ladies, if you have any other questions about this post or need help with a plan to achieve your goals, whatever they may be, feel free to contact me any time. I hope everyone had an amazing weekend and that you got in the gym at least once. If not, tomorrow is a new day. Get to the gym and pick up something heavy. You might just see the results you’ve been missing!