Women – Weight Training and Bulking

If you are a woman looking to lose weight, should you weight train? Are you afraid of getting fat? Have you ever been confused by different experts or friends about the best way to lose weight?

Have you ever followed the advice of an “expert” only to hear from another expert that what the first one said was wrong? I see him every day! The confusion is enough for many people to simply give up.

I recently watched a TV show about a severely overweight person who was working with a trainer, dietitian, doctor, and other professionals to lose weight. He had already lost over 100 pounds, but it felt like he had reached a sticking point! His doctor recommended that he meet with a fitness “guru” in New York. This expert came in and contradicted everything he was doing to himself and strongly advised him to give up weight training to avoid “bulking up”!

She discussed the old and debunked myths that you’ll look like a bodybuilder if you lift weights and that she should only do cardio to lose weight. Because he was touted as the guru and pushed the ‘bulking’ concept so much, he created a difficult situation. Should she continue weight training as recommended by her current trainer, who had used it to effectively help her shed 100 pounds of fat from her body without bulking up, or take the new guru’s advice and stick strictly to cardio?

This is a very difficult decision, divided between experts. What should the ‘layman’ do?

You may be facing this situation right now or you may know someone who is. Even if you only have a couple of pounds to lose, you may still be afraid to get on the weights for fear of the ‘bulge’. I am here to tell you that after 20+ years of personal training, I can assure you that “in bulk” will not be a problem. Weight training builds muscle, yes, but genetics determine the ability to build muscle, not the exercises. A very small percentage of people have the genetic potential to build muscle for body building so don’t be afraid of weight training use it and lose fat and build muscle for body shaping.

Focus on a regular, quality exercise program and stick to it! I believe in you, you can do it!