Weight Lifting for Women

So you want to start weight lifting but for one reason or another, you’re hesitant.  You’ve heard negative things about women and weight lifting, you’re not sure how or where to start and to be honest, you’re a little intimidated to walk into a gym full of men.

For years women have heard “don’t lift weights, it will make you look bulky” and there is nothing further from the truth.  *Most* women don’t naturally produce enough testosterone to gain significant amounts of muscle mass without taking an intense amount of supplements.  A lot of women have two ideas when they start going to the gym; 1. I only want to tone my muscles and 2. If I want to burn fat I have to do cardio.  Well, both are wrong! The idea that you can “tone” muscle is false, when you step into the gym and pick up those weights, you’re building muscle.  The “toning” that you see is actually your muscles growing thus becoming more defined.

The second idea that the only way to burn fat is by doing cardio, is also very untrue.  As someone who despises cardio with a passion, I can tell you that weight lifting is a fantastic way to burn off those calories.   Cardio does burn fat and calories at a high rate while you are preforming it however a properly created strength training program can burn fat for hours after a workout.  Weight lifting puts your body in a state called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC is just a scientific way of explaining how the metabolism continues to work at an elevated rate post-work out.

Weight Lifting Tips for Beginners

1. Have a plan or program for what you want to do at the gym.
2. Research your exercises and how to do them BEFORE entering the gym.
3. Video tape yourself or have a friend watch your form – this is important to ensure you don’t hurt yourself.
4. Keep track of you’re progress; write down the weight and number of sets and repetitions you complete
5. SET GOALS

Confidence at the Gym

Walking into the gym can be nerve wracking on good day, let alone the first few times at a new gym.  Here are a few things that can help combat nerves and make you feel comfortable at the gym.

When you begin at a new gym, ask for a tour.  This will help alleviate the awkward feeling of walking around the gym looking for a specific machine.  Bring your own music.  Having the comfort of songs you know and like as well as the ability to put in your headphones in, helps to block out other gym goers.  Lastly, just be confident!  Everyone in the gym is at different stage in their fitness journey and has different goals.  What matters is that you are there, putting in the work to better yourself.  Everyone is different so be confident that you are becoming the best you, you can be and that’s all that matters.

If all else fails and you decide weight lifting isn’t for you, that’s ok! You can always try out another sport or source of physical activity.