Should women lift weights in the gym?
A quick & pretty straight forward answer is – Yes! A 100% yes!
There is a general misconception among women, and surprisingly even among many fitness trainers that women should not lift weights. Lifting weights – in fact, lifting heavy has umpteen health benefits.
Deepika Padukone looks so great & sexy in a gown because she goes to a gym and lifts weights.
Lifting weights (or weight training) in the gym is a type of resistance training. A resistance training is any training form that puts muscle fibers across resistance thereby creating micro-tears inside these muscle fibers. When such micro-tears are formed in muscles, the body rebuilds them, but with better quality and quantity and hence gaining strength.
However, most women are hesitant about lifting, as they fear to gain muscles and look muscular like a man!
Well, lifting weights makes a woman more feminine & curvy and not masculine. This is because building muscles require testosterone which is a male sex hormone, and women are very low on testosterone. (If you are wondering why female bodybuilders looks like that, it is because of injecting testosterone into the body)
Apart from toning the body, resistance training is also a great stress relief. It is highly effective for those having PCOD, thyroid, diabetes, etc
In fact resistance exercise is not new to women. Women at all ages used to do them, just that they did not know it is a resistance exercise or weight training. Eg – Taking water from a well using a pulley is resistance training for the lateral muscles, grinding on various instruments (ammi kallu, aatu kallu etc) are resistance exercise for biceps and shoulder muscles.
Apart from gaining strength, resistance training is also highly effective in losing body fat,
- Another myth is, weight training is not for older women. Irrespective of the age, women can lift weights in the gym; just need to ensure not to lift beyond one’s capability to prevent injuries.
- Yet another misconception is that women should lift lightweights! Lifting heavy increases stamina and strength.
An ideal fitness routine for women is to mix both cardio & weights. So next time, you visit the gym, go and lift some serious iron instead of spending time only on treadmill or cycle!