I drove down to Brute Strength Gym in Norfolk, Virginia the other day, and as I was warming up, I spotted a group of women gathered around one of the power racks with 400 pounds loaded up on the bar. One of women (she couldn’t have been more than 140 pounds) stepped up to the rack, pulled herself under the bar, got tight, unracked the weight, and plowed through three reps like she was just squatting air.
I’m not sure what I felt when I watched that embodiment of human beauty squat almost three times her bodyweight, but I think my testosterone levels rose by about 15,000 percent. After my workout, I had about a 45 minute drive home and started thinking about a common misconception in the Strength and Conditioning world; that women should train differently than men. This assertion is generally associated with women engaging in heavy strength training, and I think it is complete BS. There are many factors that determine whether or not an individual should be engaging in heavy resistance training, but gender isn’t one of them.
Women Are Not Weak!
A common belief among women and one that discourages many of them from venturing in to the “big boy section” of the weight room is that women are much weaker than men. Although strength levels do vary among men and women, there isn’t as big of a gap as some might think. Strength differences among genders don’t appear until puberty (in untrained individuals) when women witness an increase in estrogen that promotes fat storage and widening of the hips, while men get a ten-fold boost to their testosterone levels that rapidly increases muscle mass.
Now it is this difference in muscle quantity that gives men their strength advantage, and women tend to have about 2/3 the strength of their male counterparts. However, this only holds true in regards to absolute strength, the total amount of weight lifted regardless of lean body mass. Strength differences disappear when we start talking about relative strength, strength in proportion to lean body mass, leading us to the conclusion that muscle quality is the same among men and women. What does this mean? Women derive the same benefits from a resistance training program as men, so being genetically weaker is not a valid reason for why women shouldn’t be lifting heavy weights.
Estrogen, the “Buff” Blocker
Most coaches have heard it before; “I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want to get bulky.” Now I’m sure I left a bad taste in the mouths of many women when I mentioned that estrogen increases fat storage and hip size, but estrogen does actually have a few benefits. The first and arguably most important benefit is that estrogen promotes breast development; a win for everyone!
The second benefit is that a higher level of estrogen, and consequently a lower level of testosterone, prevents women from throwing on slabs of muscle mass the way that men do.
Now just because women can’t build as much muscle mass does not mean they shouldn’t lift free weights. Strength gain is largely related to an increase in neural development which is achieved by lifting heavy loads. Training with heavier weights also increases muscular density, giving women the “toned” look that many of them are after. If you want hard and dense muscles ladies, lift heavy!
Benefits of Strength Training For Women
So I wanted to make a quick list of the major benefits of women engaging in a strength training program. This is certainly not an exhaustive list; these were just the first ones to pop in to my head.
1) Increased Strength and Muscle Mass
- Strength is the foundation that everything else is built upon. Being strong makes almost everything in life easier, and more specifically to women, they won’t need to rely on the guys for help that always want something in return.
2) Increased Metabolic Rate
- A faster metabolism increases the amount of nutrients you are taking in and provides fuel for physical activity. It also allows you to eat more food, and come on, who doesn’t like to eat?
3) Decreased Risk of Injury
- No one likes to get injured and improving technique on fundamental movement patterns in a controlled setting will increase the chance of moving correctly when everything goes wrong.
4) Increased Fat Loss
- Not only does an increased metabolic rate flip the energy equation in your favor, but lifting weights burns a TON of calories. If you want to lose fat, the squat rack is where it’s at.
Conclusion
Alright ladies I think I have provided enough information on why you should be lifting heavy weights. Your muscles respond the same way a man’s does, you won’t get bulky, and getting stronger will carry over in to virtually every other goal you are trying to achieve. Male or female, it doesn’t matter. Lift often, and lift heavy!
Contact Nick:
Email: nsmoot2@gmail.com
Twitter: Smootyn
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