A lot has been said about why women should or should not build muscles, what kind of exercises women should do and what effect these would have on their bodies. Well, it is necessary to expressly distil the truth from the myths so that women can enjoy all the benefits that weight training can give them without having to worry too much.
If you’re a woman looking to start muscle building, you should probably read on to find out more.
Myth 1: Resistance training will make women look manly
Resistance training (strength training) is meant to increase muscle size and density so it is understandable that a lot of women would avoid it for fear of looking too manly. However, regardless of how much muscle building exercises women do, much of the work of muscle growth is done by testosterone which women have in very short supply, so resistance and weight training for women, really leads to limited muscle growth and better muscle tone.
Myth 2: Weight Training Causes Increased Testosterone Levels in Women
If testosterone levels in women increased with exercise then perhaps there might be some truth to the myth that resistance training makes women look manly but the evidence is to the contrary.
Instead, it has been shown that women secret more Human Growth Hormone during exercise than men do. Human Growth Hormone does cause women to build more muscle but without the added effect of increased testosterone, this effect will be limited.
Myth 3. Women will Grow Facial Hair from Lifting Heavy Weights
We’ve actually heard people say that strenuous exercise could lead a woman to develop facial hairs; well, folks this is a myth. Women do sometimes develop facial hairs but when they do it is as a result of an imbalance in the hormone androgen and has nothing to do with exercise or muscle building.
Myth 4: Women will get injured with if They Lift Heavy Weights
This is a popular myth that does have some truth to it: women can get injured if they lift weights that are too heavy or do so using incorrect from and technique. But this is not limited to women; it is true for everyone including body building legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lifting weights that exceed the capacity of your muscles is what causes growth and development so doing anything less strenuous might not yield much fruit.
The key is figuring out what weight level is appropriate (usually a weight slightly over the capacity of your muscles).
Myth 5: Squats are bad for Women
The female body is clearly much more fragile than the male body so we can see where most of these myths are coming from, but the fact is, much of the conventional wisdom concerning women and bodybuilding is wrong. Squats for example are a much vilified exercise for women, and a lot of claims have been made that squats are bad for women’s knees. The truth though, is that squats are actually a very good exercise for women with healthy knees, provided of course, that they are performed correctly.
Myth 6: Push Ups will Increase Breast Size
Push-ups develop the pectoral muscles, so some chest expansion is a possibility however no amount of push-ups are ever going to increase breast size for women. The reason is, breasts are almost entirely composed of fat so there is no capability for muscle growth to influence breast size at all. Tough luck, ladies.
Myth 7: Weight Training will make you Stiff
We’ve heard it said over and over again that lifting weights and doing resistance training makes people less flexible. Well, that’s another myth right there. When executed correctly, resistance training, particularly compound exercises, will actually lead to increased flexibility and agility. To be fair though, doing exercise with bad form and technique can lead to injury which could limit the functionality of a joint.
Conclusion
A lot of the myths about women and body building are based off exaggerated facts or faulty logic. We hope this article has cleared up your doubts, however, so feel free to hit the gym and work your muscles away.
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