Does Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky? What You Need To Know.

Does Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky?

It’s been a long time since we’ve been in a globo-gym like 24 Hour Fitness or Lifetime Fitness, but I remember how it went.  One side of the room had rows and rows of cardio equipment facing a bank of big-screen TVs, and the other side of the gym had floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a maze of machines, free weights, and heavy dumbbells. 

The other thing I remember is that it looked like an 8th-grade dance. Cue the BOYS II MEN… For the most part, the men were on the side of the gym with the machines and mirrors, and the women resided on the side with the treadmills, bikes, and stair steppers.  Of course there were exceptions, but by and large, that was the deal.  

For the record, back in those days I was one of the men on the elliptical machine watching the nightly news. 

So what’s the deal? I mean there aren’t signs telling the gym members which side of the room they belong on.  Why does it go down like this so many times? 

There is still a lot of confusion and misconceptions surrounding the idea of women lifting heavy weights to improve their health and reach their fitness and physique goals.  

Fortunately, the popularity of CrossFit has helped make huge strides in breaking down some of the hesitations and easing the fears behind women using barbells in their training. However, the benefits of women training with weights still go largely unnoticed in the general population. 

That’s a shame because there’s a long list of reasons why ALL people, including women, should be spending time on BOTH sides of the gym.

In this article we’ll dig into the common misconceptions about women lifting heavy weights as well as some of the benefits that can be taken advantage of by getting under the barbell and picking up those heavy dumbbells.  

What Are The Myths Of Women Lifting Weights?

Even as far as equality has come, there are still many cultural stereotypes, “norms” and pressures regarding femininity.  There’s an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) image and expectations of what a woman should be and look like.  Sometimes this comes across as being “petite”, “thin” or “toned”.  Notice that I didn’t say “strong”, “independent” or “confident”. 

Through time, the pressure to reflect those social images has gotten mixed up with the type of diet and exercise that leads to those results.  It trickles down to the covers of magazines, 5-minute spots on morning TV shows, and the exercise products and programs marketed toward women. 

The overwhelming result of all of this “propaganda” is a prescription to eat as little as possible, and do as much cardio as possible.  I mean, you gotta burn the calories AMIRITE?

We’re here to tell you that women deserve to dispel the image of whatever society says they should be and look like, and work to be as strong as they want, and reap all of the physical and mental benefits of lifting weights. 

The benefits are many, and that’s what we’re going to dive into today.

Let’s talk about some of the myths and fears surrounding women lifting weights, and then we’ll talk about all of the reasons you should forget those fears and grab a pair of dumbbells or a barbell.

In 1977 the documentary film “Pumping Iron” was released.  The movie followed the journey of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his quest to win his 6th Mr. Olympia bodybuilding title.  Up until that point, bodybuilding was relatively low-key, flying under the radar of most Americans.  Well, the movie was a massive hit and was the birth of Arnold’s film career.  Another side effect of the movie’s popularity was a boom in physical culture.  Thousands flocked to gyms with the goal of chasing that famous Arnold physique and improving their health and fitness.

If you haven’t noticed, since that time, gyms are still full of people Pumping Iron, but rarely do you see people (men or women) with the impressive physiques that you see on the stages of bodybuilding shows.  

This brings us to the first, and most pervasive myth: Does Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky?

I guess we should define what the word “bulky" means. I think when it comes to this myth, bulky means that if women lift weights they will end up with large muscles like a well-developed man that make them look strange in women’s clothing.  In other words, not feminine.  I hope that’s an accurate definition. 

I already laid this out as a myth, so let me justify why it’s not reality. Remember how I mentioned earlier that gyms everywhere are full of dedicated (and some non-dedicated) people throwing those weights around day after day that are NOT getting bulky? Yeah, that’s the reality of it, and here’s why.

The recipe for putting on muscle requires a few special ingredients, and the fact is that not everyone has those ingredients. 

When it comes to women putting on large amounts of muscle, the main missing ingredient is a hormonal one.  Testosterone.  Women DO have testosterone, but they have significantly less than men.  About 20% less.  As far as hormone balance, women have higher levels of estrogen and progesterone.  While these do play a role in muscle growth and repair, they aren’t as potent as testosterone.   All that to say women will find it VERY difficult (if not impossible) to put on serious “bulk” naturally because of a lack of testosterone.  

Did you notice that I said “naturally”?  Yeah, the people (men and women) with those big honkin’ muscles that look carved from stone are more than likely on performance-enhancing drugs (hormones) to give their natural ability to build muscle a big kick in the butt.  Yes, even those Hollywood Superheros and Instagram “influencers” who want to sell you their 21-day shred workout and detox tea since it got them big and lean (allegedly).  They’re on drugs.  Lots of drugs. 

Don’t want to get “bulky”? Don’t do drugs.  

Another thing you can “not do” to not get bulky is to not eat like a bodybuilder.  If you remember back to the concept of energy balance, you’ll remember that in order to build new muscle, your body needs excess calories to do so.  To build serious amounts of muscle, whether you’re taking drugs or not, you need to eat a metric ton of food, and you need to eat it for a long time.

People who work to increase their muscle mass naturally often realize that it’s really freaking hard to eat enough food to get big.  It ain’t going to happen on accident and it certainly ain't going to happen overnight. So far as your nutrition goes, if you are at all worried about getting too big, don’t eat like a maniac.  

If you’re eating like a normal person or even eating in a slight caloric surplus you have nothing to worry about. 

Another pervasive myth of what exercise is “right” for women is: Women should do a lot of calorie-burning cardio.  

Running, jogging, Zumba, biking… these are all great ways to improve your cardiovascular fitness, but the reality is that they are only part of a larger equation. If these are the only types of exercise you’re getting, you’re doing yourself a disservice.  

In the case of women, we often find that they want to feel stronger and to be able to see their muscle tone.  While everyone should be incorporating cardio into their overall fitness program, it doesn’t lead to improved strength and muscle tone.  Research shows us that prolonged bouts of cardio in the absence of resistance training and proper nutrition result in a LOSS of muscle mass.  

If your goal is to be strong, lean, and have some visible muscle tone, lifting weights should be the main focus of your training.

When it comes to exercise and lifting weights, there are very few differences between what women and men should be doing.  Maybe a few exercise substitutions between upper and lower body for aesthetic goals, but that’s about it.  What works, works for both men and women.  

Let us be clear about what we mean by lifting weights too.  We aren’t talking about doing 2500 reps with 2lb dumbbells in a 90-minute class.  We’re talking about doing compound lifts like the squat, press, and deadlift alongside of accessory lifts targeting specific muscle groups.  We’re also talking about using loads that push our bodies to a pretty decent level of difficulty.  If it didn’t challenge you, you didn’t get the most benefit from it.   

Speaking of benefits… Now that we’ve zapped the most common myths when it comes to the idea of women lifting weights, let’s talk about the laundry list of benefits of getting under the barbell.

What Are The Benefits Of Women Lifting Weights?

You’ll boost your metabolism!  Yeah, that’s right!  As you train with weights, you’re building muscle.  Guess what, building and maintaining muscle takes calories.  That means you get to eat more food as you get stronger without gaining much fat.  Speaking of fat, as you build muscle by lifting weights, you’re building a fat-burning furnace.  

Countless research studies have shown that training with weights not only burns more calories than cardio, but that calorie burn continues on longer as your body repairs the muscles used in your workouts. Pretty sweet huh?

Want to be more injury resistant as you age? Train with weights! Increased bone density and strength, more durable soft tissue like tendons and ligaments… These are also things to expect from a training program focused on resistance training with dumbbells and barbells.  A 2018 study done in Seoul showed significant improvement in women’s bone strength and density when comparing resistance training to the alternatives.  This shouldn’t be taken lightly as a broken hip from a fall can be the difference between life and death in the elderly.  Let’s get ahead of the game shall we? 

How’s your sleep? Research also shows improvement in sleep quality in women who participate in regular resistance training.  This might not seem like a big deal, but when we sleep our bodies release hormones that have a MAJOR impact on how you recover and feel in your life in general.  If you’re not sleeping enough or well, you should make that a priority.  

Bigger muscles = bigger brain? Let’s not go that far, but an Australian study showed improved cognitive abilities in groups who resistance trained just 2 times per week.  Again, when we lift weights our bodies produce hormones that have a great effect across the spectrum of our mental and physical health. 

Are you stressed? We all are, but there are things that we can do about it.  Exercise in general has huge positive effects on stress and mental health, but a 2014 study done in North Carolina specifically compared resistance training to other forms of exercise.   The resistance training group showed more positive effects on stress and anxiety than its counterpart.  Having a rough day? Hit the gym. 

Have you ever noticed that “fit” people tend to look a little younger than they actually are?  That’s not a coincidence.  Training with weights is the secret to building lean body mass and a body with a little bit of muscle and not a lot of fat is the recipe for a youthful look.  The science backs this up too.  Maintaining lean body mass and healthy body fat levels supports the bodies natural anti-aging defenses. 

One of the more obvious but less scientific benefits for the ladies to hit the weights is for the improvements in self-confidence.  There’s something about knowing that you can do things yourself that is empowering.  There’s a good chance that you’re capable of more than you give yourself credit for, and a great way to realize that potential is by adding weight to the barbell each time you go to the gym.  

Training with weights can have a profound effect on your physique over time.  Don’t start thinking we’re talking about getting huge!  We’re talking about visible calf muscles, triceps that you can see on the back of your arm, and less jiggle all over.  

These changes can have an impact on how you carry yourself.  When you find yourself taking a second glance at yourself in the mirror because you’re of the work you’ve put in, that’s empowering too. 

Alright ladies, if you’re not convinced yet that spending time on the free weight side of the gym won’t make you look like The Rock and that the mental, physical and other benefits aren’t worth it then we can live with that.  BUT, we hope that you trust what we’ve told you.  We’ve helped hundreds of people reap these benefits and we want it for you! 

What Is The Best Way For Women To Start Lifting Weights? 

For starters, get a coach if you can.  The main reason we say that is because we don’t want you wasting time and we don’t want you getting hurt.   There are a million coaches out there, but we’d be honored to be yours.  

You can apply for coaching HERE.

Ok, sales pitch over.  Back to what you need to be doing.  

You need to have a core focus in your training around 4 major lifts.  The reason we picked these 4 is that they give you the most bang for your buck, aka your time.  They are the squat, the deadlift, the bench press, and the standing overhead press.  These lifts are called compound lifts because they involve multiple joints at once.  They can be loaded relatively heavy and they build strength quickly.  Do each of these every week and add weight each week if possible. 

That right there will give you so much progress! But there’s more that you can do.  Think about your body and where you want to see changes.  Is it your shoulders? Is it your arms? Legs and thighs? Stomach?  Include exercises for each of them in your program.  Try to get 10-15 sets per muscle group in per week.  Keep in mind that some exercises work more than one muscle group at a time.  For example, seated rows work both the back muscles and the biceps.  Taking that into account will help you from overdoing it in one particular area.  

Find exercises that you actually feel working and focus on your technique.  There’s no reason to waste time doing a set of an exercise week after week if it’s not “doing it for you”.  Focusing on technique and making a mental connection with the muscles that you're using can help keep you safe and get the most out of each workout.  

Lucky you, we just released a 100% FREE workout program to get you better results than ever. Add this 5 week program to your existing cardio, or group classes, and get ready to see better-looking arms, abs, and glutes.

Just as important as what you do in the gym is what you do outside the gym.  You need to be recovering from these workouts if you want to make progress and not get hurt.  The most important factors are sleep and food.  Don’t think you can get by on 5 hours of sleep.  It’s just not enough.  Aim for 8 and settle for 7.  You also need to be eating ENOUGH food.  Remember, muscle takes calories in order to build so we better not find out that you’re eating 1000 calories and only 30 grams of protein per day!  

We’ve written much much more about these the individual topics in this article.  Check out the SEARCH feature on our website. Search “protein” and “muscle” for starters and settle in with a hot beverage and a laptop. 

Thank you so much for reading this article and now let’s hit the weights!

If you need a coach, let’s talk!