‘One of the boys’? I don’t think so!

In response to my series of posts last week about why women should do pushups, I received the following comment from a reader:

“Being like one of the boys is alright if you are one of the boys. However, I have noticed that when women work out on heavy exercises (the type that men normally do), their body starts to change and take on the muscle size and look of men! If a woman wants to compete with the men at all cost, I guess the heavy exercise is the thing for those
women to do. However, running or similar exercises can be done where women are healthy, but still look like a woman!”

And so, as a woman does strength training and advocates for other women to do so, I just couldn’t let this one pass without addressing it. I have to do my part to correct the misconception that women can’t or shouldn’t lift weights.

First, let’s look at some evidence from Women Fitness, a Web site run by a group of experts, all of which have impressive credentials and backgrounds.

They give a list of top 10 misconceptions on bodybuilding, which I encourage you to check out. They’re all good arguments, but number seven on their list is pertinent to my post here:

Female bodybuilders are trying to turn themselves into men
“This couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, women that transform their physiques are attempting to become better women, not men. I attribute this thinking to a society that continues to be disturbed by their level of physical development due to commonly held misconceptions of gender and being unable (or unwilling) to separate an athletic pursuit from a woman’s sexuality. Some will always see female athletes in sexual terms and use them explain what they don’t understand. If a woman with muscle is more of a man, is a man without muscle more of a woman?”

Sounds logical to me. And expert enough for me to accept. I especially like the final question. It drives the point home.

Kathleen Ekdahl, a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer with more than 12 years experience in fitness and a background in clinical research and cardiovascular medicine, offers this on The New England Wellness Web:

"Women, in particular, see tremendous benefits from strength training. Traditionally, women relied on cardiovascular activity and a low calorie diet to change their physical appearance. Unfortunately, low calorie diets merely punish the soul and plummet the metabolism, and, without including consistent strength training in our program, effecting change can be an impossible goal. Also, aerobically overtraining can lead to injury. We now know that strength training is absolutely essential if we wish to create visual changes in our bodies, and we've discovered that the benefits of strength training extend far beyond the visual."

This effectively rebuts my anonymous reader’s opinion that women should do running exercises, but not “heavy exercises.”

My next piece of evidence also rebuts this opinion. It’s from Health World, Strength Training for Women, by Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D. He says:

"There is essentially no difference between men and women with respect to exercise technique, training procedures or strength development. ...
You may have heard that women should not do strength exercise for one of the following reasons.

1. Strength training makes women too muscular and bulky.


2. Strength training is a waste of time for women because they are not capable of developing strong muscles.


3. Strength training is dangerous for women because their bodies are not designed to exercise with resistance.

Of course, none of these reasons is valid and such misinformation is incorrect. Actually, very few women have the genetic potential or enough natural testosterone to develop large muscles. Firm, fit, functional muscles, yes -- large muscles, no.

Women who do not strength train lose about five pounds of muscle every decade of adult life. That leads to a lower metabolism and a gradual increase in fat weight (about 15 pounds per decade), as well as a less fit, firm and attractive appearance.”

I don’t want to lost muscle, nor gain fat weight as I age if I can help it, so I intend to keep lifting those weights.

I have been going to a gym now for several years, and I haven’t turned into a man yet. All of my woman parts and female functions are still quite intact.

That’s me in the photo. Proof that I am not a man, even though I lift weights.

If my anonymous reader simply doesn’t like the toned look of women who lift weights, that’s okay. We all have our opinions and preferences. If it’s an issue of attractiveness, I’m not worried about that, either. I am happily married, and my husband has no complaints whatsoever about my fit body.

However, if people with opinions like my anonymous reader spread them around and use them to discourage women from being as strong and healthy as they can be, then that’s what hurts us.

Ladies, we can’t let them hold us back.

Have you ever been discouraged, or heard of a woman being discouraged from strength training? What was the person’s argument? How did you handle it? I’m curious. Let me know.