Written by: Esteban Alexander – Elite Shredded Academy Trainer

Almost all women’s fitness magazine presents a workout that guarantees to bring crazy results by exercising just a few minutes a day with light weights. Also, they advise regarding superfoods that will target the belly fat. But this is all a big pile of bullshit. This is why this article will destroy all myths regarding women’s strength training.

1. Women should not use heavy weights because they will become bulky

This cannot be further from the truth. Do you know the bodybuilders’ females? Do you think that they become like this only by lifting heavy weights? I am sure they wish it was that easy. They train for years, eat specific meals and take supplements so they can look like that.

So when you pick up heavy weights, your muscles will get stronger but not bigger. The only way, you will become bulky is if you add a lot of calories to your meals and pump yourself with testosterone.

But if you will light heavyweights and eat healthily, your muscles will only get stronger and you will burn the fat making you toner.

2. Only by doing cardio you will lose weight

If you don’t like to run on a treadmill. Don’t do it. You can still lose weight. But if you like to use cardio machines, then you should not stop.

Strength training is a more efficient weight method to lose weight. When you strength train, the muscles are broken down and are rebuilt in the next 24-48 hours. In this time the body needs more energy to make this possible, making the metabolism to work faster.

Moreso, if you just want to lose weight, you can do it only by eating healthy. A healthy diet offers an 80-90% guarantee in the fight with pounds. But if you also want to be toned and look good these are a few things you should do:

• Picking up heavy things
• Swinging kettlebells
• Yoga
• Bodyweight exercises
• Hike

Strength training means so much more than nice abs and toned butt. It helps in health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. In the last years, cardiologists started to recommend strength training even for people who suffered a heart attack.

3. You have the ability to spot reduce fat

If you will do side bends you will strengthen your side muscles, but will not reduce any fat from there. This can lead to increase your waist if you don’t change your diet as well.

Also, sit-ups will not remove belly fat. Moreso, they can wreak havoc on the lower back and are an incomplete exercise.

These being said, the body cannot spot reduce fat in specific locations. The body is predisposed to store fat in a distinct order. When the lost weight process starts, the body will lose the fat in a certain order. It will come off the arms, legs, belly, chest and in the end from the butt.

For a quicker result, you need to eat healthier. The diet is responsible for 80-90% of fat loss.

4. Don’t do the same training programs as men

In most gyms, trainers put their male clients on intense training routines that include deadlifts, squats, push-ups, and pull-ups. The same trainers consider that their female clients need only to lift light dumbbells and do tricep kickbacks.

This is just wrong. There is no reason why both sexes can’t do the same types of exercises. If a man will lift a weight to get bigger, a woman will lift the same weight to get herself toned. The difference between the two outcomes is given by the hormones, genetics and dietary differences.

The conclusion is simple. Women can train the same as men. There is no reason why they shouldn’t.

5. Every woman should do the same exercises

There are thousands of books that present a diet promised to work on every woman out there. But this is impossible. Each of us is constructed differently. The only way to know if it is suited for you is to try and see the results.

Paleo Diet, Keto Diet, Intermittent Fasting. They all sound amazing and proved real results. But you need to see if they fit your genetic predisposition.

6. You should strength training only until a certain age

After menopause, the risk of osteoporosis increases. Because of this, many women tend to think they can injure themselves if they do strength training. This is totally false.

Studies have presented that for women after menopause strength training offers a bonus in preserving bone density and improve muscle mass. Age is just a number so it should not be an excuse for training

7. Only by eating less you will lose weight

Yes, eating less has a thing to say in the weight loss process. But it is not the only factor. By eating 1200 or fewer calories a day is not a good way to live. Our bodies need food to work properly and it will react differently to the intake of protein or healthy fats than processed foods.

If you exercise regularly, you should not eat less than 1800 calories a day. As long as these calories come from healthy food, you will still lose weight. So eat enough food to provide your body the energy it needs to get through the day and workouts.