As a fitness professional, I have heard some crazy things over the years. There is so much misinformation in the training world, and most people don’t have to research the facts.
Dwayne “The Rock”Johnson lifts heavy!
While teaching group fitness classes and working with individual
clients, I have had to debunk many of these misconceptions. One that paints a
vivid picture in my mind, is a few of my female clients being afraid of lifting
heavy weights for fear of getting “too big” or “too heavy”. There is a plethora
of science to debunk this myth, but for the sake of this post I will keep it
simple. These four areas will explain why a woman will not get “big“ from
lifting heavy.
1. Hormones:
these chemical messengers in our body send signals responding to various
stimuli. Two key hormones differentiating the male and female physiques are
testosterone and estrogen. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone, meaning it
aides in the process of muscle building.
The resting level of testosterone in females 10 to 20 times less than
that in males and therefore does not invoke the same degree of muscle growth
when performing resistance training (1).
2. Nutrition:
There are many amazing physiques out there on the cover of fitness magazines of
ripped, lean woman. The reality of it is, to achieve this look, one has to
follow a strict diet and exercise regimen, often consisting of weighing out food,
monitoring macronutrient consumption, and spending at least a couple hours in
the gym per day. Prior to competition or a photo shoot, some cut calories and dehydrate
in order to achieve a leaner, vascular appearance. However, if you were to see
these amazing woman a few days after, they would appear to look “normal”. The
point I am driving home is even those these woman look like they have “HUGE”
muscles, the reality of it is they aren’t that big. One of my all time
inspirations, Adela Garcia, has an amazing physique and from looking at her
photos its hard to believe she is a mere 5’1” 120 lbs! A true testament to
sound nutrition and training- and she is far from “HUGE.”
AdelaGarcia competing on stage and signing autographs! Hardly "huge"!
3. Physiology: Resistance
training is a process that taxes the body’s muscle fibers. By choosing a heavy resistance,
the muscle fibers tear apart and build back up. Through repetitive taxing of
the muscles, they will grow in size, but only to a certain extent. This is especially important to keep in
mind when training upper body. There is a huge physiological difference between
the upper body strength and size of a man compared to a woman. Not only do
woman have fewer muscle fibers then a man, but they are also smaller in
diameter (1). It is important for females to train heavy in order to develop
upper body strength. If a strong enough resistance is not selected, there won’t
be an opportunity for the muscle fibers to adapt.
4. Body Composition: Lifting
heavy weights will actually improve overall body composition by increasing lean
muscle mass and decreasing fat mass. In turn this adaptation will increase
one’s metabolic rate. Giving you a leaner, sexier physique J. Not too mention, it
will help boost your confidence!
Dwayne Johnson lifts heavy weights, you can too, and trust
me, you won’t look like him. So next time, skip over the 10 lb dumbbells and go
for the 30’s!
Myself training my
supervisor, a mother, wife, student, professional, and heavy lifter! Get those
30’s girl!
Sources:
1. Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M. & Kraemer, William J. Science and
Practice of Strength Training: Second Edition. Chapter 9: Strength Training for
Woman. Human Kinetics. 2006. Champaign
