3 Biggest Weight Lifting Fears for Women

by Kristen Clark, Hilton Head Health Fitness Intern

There are plenty of rumors roaming around about why girls shouldn't lift; today, we're setting the top 3 rumors straight! If you've ever been scared to lift, Hilton Head Health is here to let you know there's no reason to be. Weight lifting is a great way to burn calories and reach your weight loss and wellness goals.

 

I’m going to “bulk-up”.

• Many women have a fear in their mind that lifting weights will instantly turn them into a body builder or "The Hulk" to be more precise. The truth is that women don’t have the same amount of muscle growth hormones as males, so we physiologically can’t get the same muscle increases as men.

Lifting weights won’t help with weight loss.

• Lifting weights in a circuit style will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to calorie burn. You will increase your heart rate as you would with cardio, but you’re also building muscle mass. Even at rest, muscle can burn up to 3x more calories than fat. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

It’s intimidating.

Don’t be intimidated by the boys in the gym!

• A great way to get comfortable with a weight lifting routine is to schedule a session with a personal trainer or attend a group fitness class such as Body Pump. Look for keywords in class titles such as body sculpt or total body tone.

It's time to start pumping some iron! Log your strength training sessions so you can keep up with your progress. And remember to lift safely.