Women and Strength Training: Will It Actually Make You “Look Like A Man?”

The mindset that weightlifting will make a woman look masculine has kept women out of the gym for centuries, and we are here to debunk this myth!

It is challenging to increase muscle mass. It takes time, dedication, discipline, and most of all, work. Even men (who have much higher testosterone than us ladies) have to put in hours a day at the gym, scrutinize every ounce of their diet¹, prioritize sleep and recovery, avoid alcohol, spend time and money on supplementation, and sometimes even enhance their progress through means of hormones and steroids. Sometimes men even have a hard time looking “masculine”! So, by no means, can women simply walk into a gym, lift a few weights, and walk out looking like Ronnie Coleman. It just won’t happen – unfortunately.

So, will strength training make women look like a man? NO! However, strength training does have the potential to transform your life, in both mental and physical ways.

 What Happens When Women Strength Train

1. Increase muscle mass
2. Increase metabolic rate
3. Improve mobility, strength, and performance
4. Build stronger bones and reduce inflammation
5. Improve self-confidence 
   
   
   

Important note, I know we all love our accessories of many colors, but when it comes to weight lifting, those cute purple 5lb dumbbells are not going to cut it. To see the true benefits of weight lifting women need to lift to their max capacity, which will increase the longer you train. Don’t be afraid of trying to curl 15-20lb dumbbells or shoulder press 30-40lbs or more. The goal here is efficient muscle fatigue which cannot happen with those super light weights.

Increase Muscle Mass

Why is this important? First and foremost increased muscle mass is directly correlated to better overall health. As of November 2023, the United States Census Bureau stated that approximately 37 million Americans (adults and children) have diabetes¹, and currently 42.4% of Americans are obese². It is only a matter of time before over half of the population is obese. This is where muscle mass comes in to save the day…and also the world.

Your liver and skeletal muscle store glucose as glycogen. Without enough muscle mass (achieved through routine strength training) you lose your capacity to store glucose (i.e. carbs). The excess glucose causes blood sugar to rise, resulting in the pancreas secreting more insulin. Eventually, this leads to insulin sensitivity, diabetes, and excess fat storage. More muscle mass means more room to store carbs which allows your body to better tolerate glucose. The more muscle you have, the less likely you are to become obese and/or develop diabetes and all of the comorbidities associated with both.

Increase Metabolic Rate

Exercise in general burns calories- of course, everyone knows that. What is often overlooked, however, is that having greater muscle mass also burns calories. Muscle mass is metabolically active tissue, meaning it requires more calories to be maintained. The same is not true for fat tissue. Fat tissue does not require calories to stick around… sadly it just does that on its own.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will use to maintain those muscles, thus resulting in a higher metabolic rate (e.g. your daily calorie burn increases). This means that strength training, unlike cardio, has lasting positive effects on your body’s ability to effectively burn calories. Cardio burns calories, while you are performing that cardiovascular act. Once you jump off the treadmill the increased calorie burning stops. Unlike cardio, however, strength training, resulting in muscle building will result in much more calories burned throughout the day. It is estimated that strength training allows your body to burn extra calories for up to 72 hours after your workout³.

So ladies, pick up those heavy weights and speed up that metabolism!

Improve Mobility, Strength, and Performance

You may not realize this, but having more muscle mass makes life’s tasks easier. Your muscles play an integral role in your ability to perform the routine tasks of life. The higher your level of muscular fitness the less likely you are to become fatigued or risk injury performing your daily activities.

Strength training also reduces your chances of gaining weight and becoming stiff as you age. An object in motion stays in motion. Studies⁴ have shown that approximately 30% of people aged 70 and over have difficulty performing routine tasks such as getting out of bed, walking, and climbing stairs. Strength training can help ensure that you do not become one of those 30%.

Weight lifting is also a natural remedy for those tight, achy joints. The movement associated with weight lifting helps loosen joints resulting in less pain and inflammation and more mobility. Studies have shown that arthritic people who weight lift experience less joint pain than arthritic people who do not⁵.

Build Stronger Bones and Reduce Inflammation

Another common myth is that strength training is only for the young. This couldn’t be further from the truth! It is critical that women strength train regardless of their age. As we age our bone mass begins to decrease…but that doesn’t have to be the case. Strength training not only helps build muscle mass but with time, it also increases bone mass. Like muscles, bones break down slightly when you lift heavy weights. This is a good thing! The body does not allow those bones to remain broken down. Your body will repair those bones with, well, more bone. Thus allowing you to increase your bone density and strength over time.

Osteoporosis who? Broken hip? Not today! As if that wasn’t good enough, several studies⁷ have shown reduced amounts of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases (including cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes) in individuals who routinely lift weights or perform resistance training.

Improve Self-Confidence

It is well known that a hard day’s work brings about a sense of pride and accomplishment. A hard workout in which you have pushed yourself to the max and worked as hard as your body will allow also brings about those same feelings. When you exercise your body releases chemicals called endorphins. As Elle Woods so gracefully put it, “endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands…they just don’t”. While not shooting your husband is indeed a great benefit of exercise, another benefit is that you’re happy…with yourself. Strength training will result in a sense of better self-worth, self-respect, and self-confidence. Because today you’ve worked hard, and that’s something to be proud of.  

So ladies, let’s set our sights on a healthier, stronger version of ourselves. Strength training is incredibly empowering and has the ability to transform your life. Don’t be afraid to lift those heavy weights and set new PRs (personal records) for yourself. You will not begin to look masculine. However, you will build a better physique, improve your metabolic rate and overall health – both mentally and physically, and improve your mobility and overall ability to perform life’s daily tasks.

Supporting Research

1. Are You Eating Enough? The Proven Consequences Of A Low-Calorie Diet. Human Health Co. (2024b, May 10). https://humanhealthco.com/are-you-eating-enough-the-effects-of-a-low-calorie-diet/ ↩︎
2. Bureau, U. C. (2023, November 2). National Diabetes Month: November 2023. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/diabetes-month.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9COver%2010%20percent%20of%20Americans,of%20developing%20this%20chronic%20condition. ↩︎
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, September). Overweight & Obesity Statistics – Niddk. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity#:~:text=Adults,-Age%2Dadjusted%20percentage&text=the%20above%20table-,Nearly%201%20in%203%20adults%20(30.7%25)%20are%20overweight.,obesity%20(including%20severe%20obesity). ↩︎
4. McCall, P. (n.d.). 7 things to know about excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) | ACE Blog. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/expert-articles/5008/7-things-to-know-about-excess-post-exercise-oxygen-consumption-epoc ↩︎
5. Freedman VA, Martin LG. Understanding trends in functional limitations among older Americans. Am J Public Health. 1998 Oct;88(10):1457-62. doi: 10.2105/ajph.88.10.1457. PMID: 9772844; PMCID: PMC1508476. ↩︎
6. Gombera, M. (2024, January 19). How does lifting impact your joints?. Mufaddal Gombera, MD. https://www.gomberamd.com/blog/how-does-lifting-weight-impact-your-joints-21917.html#:~:text=Strength%20training%20is%20also%20a,ll%20experience%20joint%20pain%20later. ↩︎
7. Calle MC, Fernandez ML. Effects of resistance training on the inflammatory response. Nutr Res Pract. 2010 Aug;4(4):259-69. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2010.4.4.259. Epub 2010 Aug 31. PMID: 20827340; PMCID: PMC2933442. ↩︎