Lifting weights has been stereotyped into something only guys do, but this is far from the truth. Females, you should feel encouraged to improve your workouts with weight lifting, if you find satisfaction in it.
1. Feel Empowered
Weight rooms tend to have more men than women, but that should feel empowering. Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed of benching or doing any exercise with guys around; it is normal to do less weight than them. NO ONE is judging you. The gym is a place where everyone is improving themselves.
2. Body Goals
You will not get the physique of a guy even if you train every single day. It won’t happen. Testosterone is a hormone that plays a key role in gaining muscle mass (size) and males have way more of it than females do. There are extensive measures that are taken for a female to accomplish extreme muscle building and bulking and even then, it will not be the same. It’s important to make goals based on your body type rather than the body types around you. Tip: Low weight, high reps = toning your muscles. High weight, low reps = building muscle.
3. Supplements
Supplements are NOT always needed. This is an individual thing; I would recommend lifting without supplements first to see how you feel. I have personally found protein to help my recovery and BCAAs to help with the progression of my workouts. As you advance, you may want to invest in some products. I did say invest; they happen to be a bit pricey, and some people like certain brands more than others. Biggest suggestion: RESEARCH!
4. Form
Having correct form when doing ALL exercises is crucial. If the form is off, then it can be dangerous; you can get hurt, you can develop joint issues, you can drop the weight, etc. Even if you think you know how an exercise should be performed, just double check. There are simple rules that make a huge difference. These include keeping your knees behind your toes when squatting and making sure your knees go outward and not inward, etc. There are more and a HIGHLY recommend looking them up as a precaution.
HCXO,
Abi