Women athletes should not be intimidated by weight training. They think that training with weights will make them look less feminine. This is a very common misconception.
Let me explain why this is not true. It's very simple - women don't produce the quantities of anabolic hormones, necessary for excessive muscle growth. As a matter of fact even most men don't.
In order for a female athlete to develop noticeable muscle mass, she would have to resort to pharmaceuticals that will dramatically increase her anabolic hormone levels. Without them a female athlete, using weights, would mostly tone up her body by eventually gaining some muscle mass and losing body fat.
Here are the facts. Even men, who train naturally, will most likely never develop muscle mass in excess, although they produce the anabolic hormone testosterone in their bodies.
Women produce only one tenth of the testosterone men do. So, the chances a female athlete would have results, similar to what a natural male athlete could have, are really small. Enough said about women and the possibility for excessive muscle mass development.
But why training with weights is appropriate for women?
The biggest reason why women should train with weights is weight training increases lean muscle mass. And lean muscle mass elevates the metabolic rate. This is the tissue that uses fat for fuel. The more muscle mass you have, the more fat you burn not only during workout but also throughout the day.
Every pound of lean muscle mass gained means up to 30 more calories a day burned. This number might not look significant but over the course of a year it translates into more that 3 pounds of fat burned.
Now you see why it's important to maintain your muscle mass while dieting. Not only maintain but even try to build more, which will help burn the unwanted fat faster. Of course, as I said above, it's not physiologically possible for women to build excessive muscle mass. So don't be afraid to gain some that will come naturally.
This is only one of the benefits that comes with weight training. As we all know there are much more. Just keep in mind the following.
First, if you are a female, don't be intimidated by weight training as this is not going to make you very muscular. It's just not possible. Mother nature will not allow it.
Second: You should actually strive to build more lean muscle. By increasing your lean muscle mass you increase the amount of calories burned during physical activity as well as throughout the day.
