Women and Strength Training

As a personal trainer, the main concern that I’ve come across from women is “I don’t want to get big”. Meaning bulky. I actually had the girl at the coffee shop ask me if lunges were going to make her legs bulky.

Trust me: It’s nearly impossible for 90% of woman to get “really big” naturally. To do that requires A) hormonal manipulation B) spending a lot of time in the weight room and c) eating large quantities of the right foods.

Actually, that’s pretty much the same requirement for men too. Although men have as much ten times the amount of testosterone women have. But without the high levels of this and other hormones, it won’t happen.

So no, the barista's legs are not going to get huge from doing lunges with 7.5 pound dumbbells in each hand.

Women should do strength training. It speeds up the metabolism and it fights osteoporosis. The extra lean body mass that you’ll gain will give you a healthier, stronger appearance. It also tends to help other activities like hiking and it helps prevent injury.

Resistance training for women involves the same fundamentals as it does for both sexes. Women should follow a good full body program too.