Beauty & the Beast: Why Women Should Lift Weights to Become Both

"I don't really train with weights because I don't want to get bulky..."

I can't tell you how many times I've heard some form of this, and it frustrates me to no end that I'm still hearing this in 2013 (Happy New Year by the way). Unfortunately, many women have been convinced that the female body plus heavy weights will yield results like:

Mom, is that you? Jk lol this woman can't have children.

Side note: As big as she is, look how relatively small she is compared to the Governator, who doesn't really look all that superhuman anymore;

Let me clear the air on this perception right now before we go any further. Every one of those women bodybuilders is on drugs to make them look that way. Every. Single. One. And you can pretty easily tell the ones who aren't pumping themselves with juice because they look, well, kinda like this;

 By the way, this is what she looks like in street clothes. HYOOGE, huh?

Women generally do not possess the testosterone necessary to get that big. Heck, most men don't even have that quantity of testosterone! Compare the first two pictures to a natural female bodybuilder, and keep in mind that Blondie's diet was most likely spot on for over 3 months a la none of us.

 I know what you're thinking, "He hasn't seen me though. I blow up whenever I lift too heavy." I respectfully disagree, and contend with a combination of two things: 

1. You're not bulky, you're just not used to not being scrawny anymore or
2. You eat like a horse and you don't want to admit it.

Usually the answer is a combination of the two. I've said before in this blog that diet controls mass more than training does, whether that mass is fat or muscle. Fortunately enough for women, even that has its limits when it comes to eating too much. If anything, you may look thick, but certainly not bulky.

WHY SHOULD I LIFT HEAVY?
There are numerous health benefits from weight training, and wayyy too much research to put in a blog post. I'll try to keep these simple
1. Stronger bones- osteoporosis and osteoarthritis prevention and management even after you get it
2. Lower body fat- more muscle=higher metabolism=more fat burning around the clock
3. Better posture- free weights promote core strength which results in...
4. Reduced injuries!
5. Disease prevention- reduces risk of heart disease. Who's Cardio again?
6. Better overall mental health- Endorphins released by training relieve stress and long-term weight training breeds self-confidence, even fighting depression better than sitting on a couch and emotionally imploding in front of a stranger. Whodathunkit?!

Ultimately,  women who weight train live longer, healthier lives. Think about it; less physical and emotional stress, a stronger heart, fewer injuries, higher self-esteem, and a smoking hot bod? Sounds like a pretty good life to me! So pick up some iron and get that body and lifestyle you wanted!

 P.S. I know the weight room can be intimidating and the stigma that all men are pigs can potentially psyche you out from going in, so find yourself a good gym to soak up knowledge and experience. A good gym is going to have people (guys included) who are more than willing to help you learn exercises and routines without staring at your lady bits during you Romanian Deadlift set. Peace.