Healthy Living • YMCA Health and Fitness
Why women need not fear the weight room
29 October 2018 - by Nicole Meredith
It’s no surprise to see a spin class full of ladies, but unfortunately, too many of us know what it’s like to be intimidated out of the weight room. Andrea, a personal trainer at the Markham YMCA, shares two strength-training myths she hears all too often — and explains why they’re totally unfounded.
More often than not, the women I train tell me they’re willing to make all sorts of changes to their lifestyle to get the results they’re looking for — except they don’t want to lift weights.
They come armed with all sorts of reasons, too. Number one on the list: they don’t want to get big, bulky muscles. Not far behind: they worry people will judge them, especially if they’ve never set foot on the weight room floor, and if they’re used to gyms where men make up the majority of lifters.
If you’ve thought either of these things before: well, I have news for you. They’re both figments of your imagination, fed by media that makes us think we’re supposed to look a certain way, shady con artists posing as fitness experts, or that little voice of self-doubt that nags at all of us.
Let me explain why these two fears are totally unfounded.
Myth: “Lifting weights will make me look like the hulk.”
Reality: With such low testosterone levels, women have an extremely hard time bulking up. You’d need to eat a ridiculous amount of calories — and an even more ridiculous amount of protein — and lift weights non-stop to get big muscles. Women who do get jacked usually do it for a living — they’re bodybuilders, for example. They have the time, dedication, and usually the genetic predisposition to make it possible.
But for the rest of us, strength training usually makes us smaller. It boosts your metabolism big time — much more than cardio does. After a solid lifting session, your body will need to work hard to repair the muscles you used, which takes a lot of energy. Translation: strength training will help you burn calories just sitting on the couch.
Myth: “I’ll look stupid and people will judge me.”
Reality: Everyone else at the gym is thinking the exact same thing. They’re too busy worrying about themselves to judge you.
At some point, every single person in your gym was a total newbie and had no clue what they were doing. That means we’ve all thought, “What exercises should I do? And am I even doing them right?”
What sets you apart is your willingness to do something about these questions.
Get some guidance from an expert. Hire a personal trainer so they can tell you what exercises you should be doing to reach your goals, and how to do them right. Or try one of the strength-building group fitness classes that are included in your membership. You’ll have a certified, carefully-trained instructor leading you through a full-body workout from start to finish, and keeping an eye on your form. Once you feel confident, you can head to the weight room and do the new exercises you’ve learned on your own time. You’ll also make a bunch of buddies in your group fitness classes who’ll come in handy when you need a spotter, someone to give constructive feedback on your execution, or just keep you motivated to show up.
Have I convinced you to work some weights into your next workout? Then check out my next post, where I explain how I help my clients who want to start strength training feel comfortable in the weight room.
Andrea is a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Kinesiology program. She’s a certified personal trainer who’s been with the YMCA of Greater Toronto for the past four years. Currently, Andrea works as the Individual Conditioning Supervisor at the Markham YMCA and serves as a Sweat For Good Ambassador: one of our community members who stands behind all the good our charity makes possible. Follow her on Instagram @andreasweatsforgood for more training tips and an insider's view on the happenings of the Markham YMCA.
Do you have a question for our personal trainers? Message us on Twitter or Facebook.
More often than not, the women I train tell me they’re willing to make all sorts of changes to their lifestyle to get the results they’re looking for — except they don’t want to lift weights.
They come armed with all sorts of reasons, too. Number one on the list: they don’t want to get big, bulky muscles. Not far behind: they worry people will judge them, especially if they’ve never set foot on the weight room floor, and if they’re used to gyms where men make up the majority of lifters.
If you’ve thought either of these things before: well, I have news for you. They’re both figments of your imagination, fed by media that makes us think we’re supposed to look a certain way, shady con artists posing as fitness experts, or that little voice of self-doubt that nags at all of us.
Let me explain why these two fears are totally unfounded.
Myth: “Lifting weights will make me look like the hulk.”
Reality: With such low testosterone levels, women have an extremely hard time bulking up. You’d need to eat a ridiculous amount of calories — and an even more ridiculous amount of protein — and lift weights non-stop to get big muscles. Women who do get jacked usually do it for a living — they’re bodybuilders, for example. They have the time, dedication, and usually the genetic predisposition to make it possible.
But for the rest of us, strength training usually makes us smaller. It boosts your metabolism big time — much more than cardio does. After a solid lifting session, your body will need to work hard to repair the muscles you used, which takes a lot of energy. Translation: strength training will help you burn calories just sitting on the couch.
Myth: “I’ll look stupid and people will judge me.”
Reality: Everyone else at the gym is thinking the exact same thing. They’re too busy worrying about themselves to judge you.
At some point, every single person in your gym was a total newbie and had no clue what they were doing. That means we’ve all thought, “What exercises should I do? And am I even doing them right?”
What sets you apart is your willingness to do something about these questions.
Get some guidance from an expert. Hire a personal trainer so they can tell you what exercises you should be doing to reach your goals, and how to do them right. Or try one of the strength-building group fitness classes that are included in your membership. You’ll have a certified, carefully-trained instructor leading you through a full-body workout from start to finish, and keeping an eye on your form. Once you feel confident, you can head to the weight room and do the new exercises you’ve learned on your own time. You’ll also make a bunch of buddies in your group fitness classes who’ll come in handy when you need a spotter, someone to give constructive feedback on your execution, or just keep you motivated to show up.
Have I convinced you to work some weights into your next workout? Then check out my next post, where I explain how I help my clients who want to start strength training feel comfortable in the weight room.
Andrea is a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Kinesiology program. She’s a certified personal trainer who’s been with the YMCA of Greater Toronto for the past four years. Currently, Andrea works as the Individual Conditioning Supervisor at the Markham YMCA and serves as a Sweat For Good Ambassador: one of our community members who stands behind all the good our charity makes possible. Follow her on Instagram @andreasweatsforgood for more training tips and an insider's view on the happenings of the Markham YMCA.Do you have a question for our personal trainers? Message us on Twitter or Facebook.
