‘Women getting “bulky” or “too muscular”, where has this idea come from?

As a personal trainer myself, I get told so much by other women that they do not want to lift weights, or do too much weight lifting due to them worrying about getting too “big” or even unfeminine. This is a sad reality of what so many women think, but it is total bulls**t!

So, let’s talk about the technicalities of this.

Caloric output… so, how many calories are burnt whilst working out… and what difference does weight training make? Weight training will increase your muscle mass, which means that there are even more benefits when it comes to caloric output. A modest number of calories can be burned within a session of weight training, but, this extends outside of the workout too. A study found that a single resistance training session resulted in a 5% increase in resting energy expenditure that remained elevated for up to 72 hours after the workout. Resting energy expenditure is what energy your body uses, and calories burned while at rest (burning calories doing sweet nothing, LOVE THAT!).

Increased muscle mass from resistance or weight training actually boosts your metabolism, as muscle mass requires more energy for tissue maintenance.

What does that mean? It means that resistance or weight training can help you burn calories throughout the day, helping you with your weight loss goals, not hindering!

That is just one benefit of resistance training, one massive one for me, is becoming stronger. Everyone can get behind this and benefit from it. A loss of strength unfortunately can happen with age, but if you stay on top of your resistance training, this is setting you up to remain healthy. For me, strength is not about being able to lift my sofa to the other room (even though it is pretty cool… but my sofa doesn’t require moving) … it is about the mental strength and confidence that comes with this. Being physically strong makes me feel more confident in general, and this effects my day to day life! It also helps as you get older, as it keeps your bone density higher, which is a win, as I definitely do not want to be that person that breaks a bone every time I fall, lol!

As I hear this from women a lot, about “bulking”, let’s investigate that. Delving into my personal beliefs, I do not think I have ever looked at a woman and thought that she is too muscular. If I see a woman which may look more muscular than the average person, I am in complete awe of this! Do you know how hard this is to bloody achieve?!

It will not come from you training with weights, three times per week. This comes from sheer determination, dedication and a complete lifestyle change. This involves a caloric surplus (a large amount of calories over a normal recommended intake), of the correct foods. There will be a strict training plan in place, with steps and much more. Protein, carbohydrates and fats are all monitored very closely to ensure that the correct nutrients are in the correct measures. I have tried to do this myself, and believe me, eating a high calorie diet with all ‘clean’ foods, is FLIPPING HARD!

Sadly, it is not as simple as just picking up weights in the gym a few times a week.

Women will never lose their look of femininity, this is just a perception of what people think. A strong woman is still just as beautiful and feminine as anyone else. The reality of you getting ‘bulky’, is practically non-existent.

There are soooo many benefits of regular training, which I will not bore you with massive details of. Research has shown that it can decrease chances of many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. It is also linked to positive mental health outcomes, improving self-esteem, fatigue, anxiety and even your mood.

So, moral of the story is?

Get lifting those weights! Trust me, it is so much more fun than an hour on a treadmill four times per week.’Women getting bulky

Written by Natasha Hanks