However, nowadays weight training is an important part of keeping healthy and a lot of women are practicing it and since it is a male-dominated field most myths are based on the male's anatomy and women think they will get the same results as their male counterparts.
Here are some examples of common myths about women's weight training:
Common Myth #1- Exercise Increases Your Chest Size.
I'm sorry ladies (and gentlemen) but breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue and fat can never turn into muscle. Thus, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training but instead, if your body fat goes lower than 12 percent your breasts will become smaller.
The Reality Is: Weight training increases the size of your back and this creates the misconception of confusing a bigger "back size" from an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is to get fatter. It is after all composed of around 90% fat tissue.
Common Myth #2 - Weight lifting will make you bulky and muscular
This is one of those myths that derive from a male's result of weight training. Males and Females have different hormones and women don't and can't produce the same amount of testosterones as males do. Testosterone is one of the main hormones that build up muscle size and without this women have a hard time gaining big muscles.
However, most of the images being shown in television and other sources of media always portray female bodybuilders that are as muscular as men.
The Reality is: Most of these women use anabolic steroids along with other drugs and supplements to grow to their size. Some of them also have good genes and exceptional work ethic that allow them to gain muscle quickly when they workout and lift heavyweights for hours.
They did not get as muscular naturally. It is just physically impossible. Women who do weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness shows these days.
Common Myth #3 - If You Stop Your Weight Training Your Muscles Turn Into Fat. This is like saying that oil and water can mix. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What usually happens is that when people decide to stop their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop their good balanced diet as well.
Thus, bad eating habits combined with lower metabolism due to inactivity, and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the person's muscle is slowly turning into fat.
The Reality IS: While the muscle is being lost due to inactivity, fat is accumulated at the same time.
Common Myth #4 - Weight training will make you stiff and musclebound.
This is one of the most common myths, even with guys. Some people they will turn into robotic and lose their natural grace.
But Reality is: Most of those who are stiff musclebound people are already that way before weight lifting and that If anyone performs all the exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase.
Exercises like flyes, stiff-legged dead lifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.
Weight training will not only burn off excess fat but will tone and sculpt making a women's body curvy and sexy. So women if you want to look slimmer, toned and feminine, look into adding weight training as part of your fitness workout.
Weight training has long been known to improve health, improve strength, step up vigor, and improve the physique. Men have been taking advantage of this fact for many years now, but many women have avoided weight training and continue to do so because they see it as a masculine thing meant to bulk up muscle.
Many women have abstained from training with weights because of some misconceptions associated with women and weight training. If you have never given any thought to working out with weights before, it is probably because one or more of the common myths about women's weight training is stopping you.
Let's take a look at some of these myths and let's find out just what the real truth is and why you should not let them stop you from taking advantage of all the benefits weight training has to offer.
One common myth is that some women think they are too old to work with weights. The truth is you are never too old to be able to strengthen and tone your muscles. By using lighter weights and a relatively low intensity program you can still benefit from weight training. It has been proven through studies that people as old as 80 and even 90 who started weight training saw up to a 200% increase in strength over a one month period.
Another common myth is that some women think they will lose their flexibility with weight training. The truth here is that weight training will actually help you to become more flexible. By doing weight training exercises through a full range of motion your muscles are put into a stretch with each repetition and by strengthening them, they are less prone to injury while doing stretching exercises.
This next myth is probably the most common one by far. Many women think that if they lift weights they will develop big muscles and look bulky and unfeminine. Nothing can be further from the truth! The fact is, women don't have near enough of the male hormone testosterone, and testosterone is the major growth hormone that will produce bulky muscles. Unless women use supplemental means like steroids and growth hormone, they cannot bulk up like men. Weight training will get you firm and toned but by no means will it make you look manly.
One myth that is fairly common is that some women think that weight training is just boring and tedious. The truth is that weight training can be done with a friend, and you can make each other laugh as well as help keep each other on track. You can listen to music as you exercise. You can mix different exercises into your routine and change up your routine from time to time. You will also find that as your strength and your body are improving, you will feel so much better about it all. When you reach a certain goal, give yourself a reward like eating out in a fancy restaurant or taking a weekend vacation somewhere nice.
Now that you know the truth to some of the myths that have been stopping you from enjoying the many benefits of weight training, there is no reason for you not to make it a part of you exercise regimen. Weight training is no longer strictly for men only. So get up, get to the weights, and get fit for life.
Both Patricia Zelkovsky & Jim O'Nreill are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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