When you walk into the weight room, more often than not, there are a lot more guys than there are girls. When asked about weight lifting, many women say that they don’t want to lift weights because they’re afraid that it’ll cause them to look bulky. The truth is, women can’t actually gain large amounts of muscle like men can (without INTENSE dedication, that is!) and there are actually a lot of benefits that come with lifting weights.
First, women don’t have nearly as much testosterone as men do and therefore can’t get “bulky” muscle like men do. Secondly, you would have to consume a very high amount of calories for muscle to be built that quickly, especially when your body doesn’t have a high amount of testosterone. Also, if you stick to lifting heavy and going all out for a few reps, you can focus on gaining more strength with less mass.
Lifting weights is also beneficial when you’re trying to burn fat. The more muscle you build, the higher your metabolism is and the more calories your body burns even when you’re not working out. In contrast, with cardio, your body only burns calories during the actual workout itself and doesn’t burn any calories after.
Other benefits that weight lifting can bring include increased bone density which decreases the chances of osteoporosis, improved circulation and coordination, and better overall health. Not to mention, who doesn’t like looking more toned and feeling stronger? So next time you’re at the Rec Cen, try picking up a few weights!
UCSB offers many weight training classes through GOLD or through Rob Gym. You can also find personal or group training sessions if you’re interested in learning more about lifting safely! You can find more info here.