I’d like to relate a short story to you: once upon time
lived a young girl named Jillian. Jillian took part in beauty pageants far and
wide and was destined to become ‘Miss Universe’ one day. In order to reach this
status however, Jillian was advised by several experts that she needed to lose
a bit of excess body fat and ‘tone up’ through the mechanism of lifting
weights. Eager to achieve her goal, Jillian obliged. Upon entering the gym and
lifting weights, something rather dramatic happened to our dearest Jillian. Her
shoulders started to bulge like that of a gorilla, the thickness of her neck
expanded with what seemed like no end and Jillian’s arms began to peak; mimicking
that of Mount Kilimanjaro. Bursts of hair sprung through her once perfect chin
and by the end of her lifting session, Jillian had turned into a... MAN! Her
hopes of becoming ‘toned up’ had diminished and so heartbroken, Jillian ran
into the depths of her local forest and was never to be seen again.
Without stating the obvious, fairy tales such as the one
above are often filled with false premise’s of mythology, Chinese whispers and
most importantly, misrepresentation of true knowledge and experience.
Does lifting weights
cause women to become big and bulky?
Quite simply, NO! This is because women simply do not
possess the hormonal profile needed to gain muscle like that of a man. In order
to become ‘big’ and stimulate a large muscle response, the hormone testosterone
needs to be prominent in an individual. This is the reason why most men develop
larger muscles when lifting weights. In the case of women, the hormone
oestrogen takes precedence in the body and so by lifting weights, the female
lifter will typically achieve what they see as being ‘toned’. So why is it you
often see large, muscular women in bodybuilding contests? These women train and
supplement in a way that is designed to help them achieve that desired outcome.
Through the use of hormonal therapy (injected steroids and testosterone) and a
strict bodybuilding lifting programme, this is the ONLY reason why their
physiques are observed by some individuals as ‘manly’ – unless of course a
woman has a freakish genetic makeup.
How should women
train?
Women should train in exactly the same manner as men for the
reasons stated above. When looking at the programmes of celebrity female role
models such as the likes of Cheryl Cole, Kim Kardashian and the singer (who is
known for having hips which do not lie) Shakira, then you can observe how they
all have effective strength and conditioning programmes. They mastered the
basics of lifting which include: weighted squats, deadlifts, pushups and
pull-ups. Resistance training paved the foundation to their physique coupled
with an highly effective diet.
Comment below if you would like more information on
strength/conditioning, diet programmes, fitness advice etc etc. Alternately
tweet us on twitter @GmindsGbodies or email in at greatmindsgreatbodies@gmail.com
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