Why Women Should Lift Heavy Weights

In recent years, heavy weightlifting has become more popular with women and there’s good reason for it. Heavy weightlifting involves lifting weights that you can only lift for about 1-12 reps before failing. Women that lift heavy weights see great results from doing so. However, even with everything we know about the benefits of strength training, it’s a common idea that women who lift weights become manly. It’s simply not true. Female bodybuilders only wish it were that easy to pack on muscle. What it will do though  is help women lose weight, look better, be healthier, and eat more. That’s why, if you’re a woman who’s a die-hard bodybuilder or just looking to be strong and healthy, you should be lifting heavy weights too.

Differences Between Men and Women

Women and men are different in their general physiology, including muscle mass and fat percentage. Although the difference between men and women is not as extreme as many people think, it’s still there. We’ve all heard the myths about women and weightlifting, but the truth is that weightlifting is a great idea for women.

Muscles need to be stressed in order to grow and lifting heavy weights is the best way to do this. Women tend to be afraid of becoming “too bulky” when they start lifting heavy and are worried that they will look like the male weightlifters at the gym. The fact is, it’s nearly impossible for a woman to become “bulky” like a male bodybuilder unless she is taking large amounts of steroids, eating a very high calorie diet, and training very hard. 99% of women don’t train like that. Women also have lower levels of testosterone which reduces their potential for packing on mass even if doing the same routine as a man.

Women will gain muscle, but it generally looks leaner than in men and their lower body tends to grow more easily than their upper body. Women have different, more subtle changes in muscle mass from lifting weights, but the benefits are still the same. Weightlifting is a great way to get a lean and toned look for any woman, while increasing strength and endurance.

Why Women Should Lift Heavy Weights

One reason why women should lift heavy weights is because it will help them to stay fit and lose weight. In order for weight loss to occur, a caloric deficit must be created. This means that a person needs to burn more calories than they are consuming. Heavy weightlifting can help to create a caloric deficit by increasing muscle mass, which increases the amount of calories that the body needs to function. So women who lift heavy weights will see an increase in their metabolism after the workout and in general.

It is also important to lift weights because lifting loads not only increases muscle mass but bone density as well. It stimulates more bone tissue to be created which will reduce the risk for bone related diseases such as osteoporosis later in life. This is more important for women because as they reach menopause they experience rapid bone loss due to the lack of estrogen. So women who have stashed away more bone tissue in their lives won’t be as affected by the rapid bone loss that occurs after menopause, thus improving their quality of life later on.

Lifting heavy weight will create more strength which also can help with self-defense and inspire confidence in women. It will help them create firmer more formed bodies by generating muscles to accentuate their natural curves. And on top of everything it helps to reduce anxiety and depression which is also more prominent in women than men.

So in short, all women should lift heavy weights as part of their workout regimen when health permits.

Advice for Women Getting Started

It can be intimidating to begin lifting heavy weights as a woman. Many times you are in a section of the gym where there are mostly men who are lifting much more weight than you will be. First piece of advice is to be there for you and focus on you. No one in the gym cares about you as much as you think they do. So don’t worry if you can’t lift that much yet or still need to learn form. Get help and learn how.

Start with lighter weights until you learn the form. You can either have a trainer, ask a friend, or search on YouTube. You don’t want to lift heavy weights with bad form and cause an injury. Try to follow a strength training program as well which will give you the exercises, sets, and reps. This will make it easier to see results and push yourself.

And as was mentioned earlier, don’t be afraid to get big or manly. Just focus on getting stronger and the aesthetics will follow. There are so many women who are strong and muscular who look feminine and sexy so don’t stress. You will look great!

The benefits of heavy weightlifting are many. Not only can lifting weights help you build muscle, but it can also help you retain bone mass, maintain a steady metabolism and more. If you haven’t implemented heavy weightlifting into your regimen, now is the time. Push your body and you will love to see where it can go!

Read also: How to Create Your Own Gym Routine, How to Start Your Fitness Journey