Lifting Weights Should Be Combined With Proper Eating Habits

Many people avoid lifting weights with fear of getting too bulky. This applies especially to women who frequent the gym and think that the best way to achieve their personal fitness goal is to stick to just cardio like the elliptical or the treadmill. This misconception is widely discussed on online forums and within social media communities and trainers have strong feelings about this common exercise association. This might be the most enduring exercise myth, and it is absolutely nonsense.

Professional bodybuilders have to do a ton of work to build muscle. They don't just show up to the gym, lift some weights everyday and end up with a ripped, bulging body. Lifting weights is just part of the everyday equation, combined with extreme eating habits and other exercises needed to obtain the physique and stature of a bodybuilder. Building mass doesn't just happen by accident, and it certainly doesn't happen from an occasional bench press. Even if they achieved those bodies by just bench pressing weights, it would be with weights that most of us could not lift even if we wanted to!

Hormones play a major role in building muscle. "Without that extra testosterone, we ladies simply can't (and yes, I mean can't, as in we are biologically unable to) build the big muscles like guys," wrote Beverly Paquin, RN, CSN. Without the addition of testosterone supplements, women do not have the DNA required to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Nevertheless, fitness blogger Molly Galbraith noted that many would-be weightlifters, particularly women, will shy away from the practice as they are too afraid to pack on too much muscle and become too bulky and less ladylike. Not many women strive to have bulging muscles in their arms, legs and necks. Most women just want to have tights bellies, perky breasts and a firm bottom without loosing their womanly figures. Let's face it, most women's goal is to just look good in a bathing suit!

The average person can work out with weights without building bulk. The key is consistency and knowing how much you should be lifting. Start with 3 repetitions at a weight you can easily handle and gradually move up from their. Adding a couple pounds each week, or even every couple of days will not turn you into a bodybuilder. It will help tone and reduce fat on the body, leaving you with a nicely trimmed figure.

But if building bulk is your goal, you'll certainly need more than a hefty weight set. All people put on weight differently. If your goal is mass but you don't know what phrases like "macro tracking" mean, talk to a personal trainer or a nutritionist. Diet comes into play in a major way when trying to build mass and without proper nutrition and supplements, you may just work really hard for nothing. Protein, carbs and fats make up the way your body takes in food and how it builds muscle, so without the required knowledge of your bodies digestive system, you will have a hard time reaching your goals.

We hope this helps bring fitness into the light, especially for women looking for a trim and healthy body. Don't be afraid to pick up those weights ladies!