Like many others, I was unlucky enough to have a bout with COVID-19. After two weeks of symptoms, another week of recovery, and finally getting my first vaccine this past Friday (April 16), I have returned to my workout routine today. As I expected, it was a bit harder than it was before Covid hit me, but it won't take me long to catch back up. All I need is to remain consistent, and my muscles will get right back into their groove. I have decided to hold off on adding progress pics until next week.
Since I can't really report much progress at this point, I thought I'd take a look at some concerns women have about weightlifting. One thing that many women tend to fear about weight training is the idea of "bulking up." This is not something that will affect most women. The hormone, testosterone, is responsible for helping muscles gain that bulky appearance. Since women have an average of 20-30% less testosterone than men, it is very unlikely that a woman will naturally gain bulky muscles.
Another concern that many women have is that others scrutinize their performance while weightlifting. I'm going to be brutally honest here; I find gyms to be toxic environments. If you feel that others are judging you...ignore them; they are not worth your time or effort. I am fortunate enough to have weights at home that I use, but others may need to enter the toxic environment of a gym to have access to the weights they need. If that is the case, do whatever is necessary to block out the environment: wear headphones, focus on your workout, ignore the people around you (even when they rudely stare at you), and keep your own goals in front of you.
A big misconception among women is that weightlifting is only for gaining weight. The internet is full of sites, blogs, and tips about how men can "gain weight" and "bulk up" through weightlifting. What seems to be left out is the other side of the coin. Weightlifting builds muscle. Muscle burns 20% more calories than fat does. Therefore, if your body has more muscle than fat, you're going to naturally burn fat. If you burn fat naturally, it will be easier to keep the fat off. Basically, the more muscle you have, the easier it is to burn fat.
There are a lot of reasons women shy away from weightlifting. The truth is, people are always judging. Their opinions don't matter in the end. By doing your own thing and training your muscles women can have the benefits of lean, sleek muscles that naturally burn fat for you.
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