Does Weight Training Give Women Bulky Muscles?
Many health-conscious women have a phobia about weight training in the false belief that lifting a dumbbell any heavier than a glass of Shiraz will make them develop large and unfeminine muscles.The association between lifting weights and building muscle is a misconception that never seems to die. Throughout my career, it has been an uphill struggle to dispel this myth, so here is the reason why women are unlikely to develop bulky muscles by weight training.
First, muscle is difficult to build. Even the most dedicated, steroid-free and genetically gifted male bodybuilders, who spend their lives weight training struggle to grow more than 6kg (14lb) of muscle a year. Second, the hormone testosterone, which plays a major role in the formation of masculine features and synthesis of muscle, is one hormone that women distinctly lack. So before a dumbbell has even been lifted, the odds are heavily stacked against women building bulky biceps.
Over the years a number of studies have been carried out into this misconception and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to suggest that a course of weight training can actually give the appearance of smaller muscles. It is a physiological fact that women’s muscles contain a higher level of fat than those of men. Therefore, as a result of performing regular, high-intensity exercise like weight training, the metabolism is increased and fat is freed from the muscles to fuel the energy demands of exercise. As a result of the combining effects of a lack of testosterone and an increased energy demand, weight training can make the feminine figure can look leaner and more toned, without taking on the appearance of a Russian shot-putter.
Of course there are always exceptions to every rule and in certain cases some women are more prone to bulk up than others as a result of weight training. Although these factors are on the whole rare, leading strengthtraining experts Steven Fleck and William Kramer suggest these possible reasons:
- A higher than normal level ofmuscle-building hormones while at rest and during exercise
- An imbalance between oestrogen and testosterone
- A genetic predisposition to develop muscle.
After 10 years of making my female clients lift weights, I have only ever had one who seemed to bulk up as a result of this. On the whole, provided the resistance is not excessively high and a weight training programme is followed in moderation, women should not worry about using weights as part of a fitness regime.