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I Don't Want Big Muscles!

By Joe Thiel

I regularly find myself dealing with the persistent myth that lifting weights will produce bulging muscles in women making them less feminine looking. I wish I had a dollar for every fitness consultation that began with this question: "Now, I won't get big muscles, will I?"

"One year of doing high-intensity strength training can lower a woman's risk of osteoporotic bone fractures in more ways than any single thing she can do for herself."

This is a quote from Miriam Nelson, associate chief of the Physiology Lab at Tufts University in Boston. It stresses just one of the many important reasons women should be engaged in a regular strength training routine. Yet, in spite of many well-publicized studies, the message is apparently not getting through to many women.

The facts are:

Testosterone, along with heavy weight training, increases muscle mass. Both men and women secrete this hormone, but men have a much higher level circulating within their bodies. Thus women seldom experience dramatic muscular development from weight training -- unless they have an unusually high level of testosterone (rare) or, as stated above, they use anabolic steriods. This is why most women can increase strength, add muscle tone and improve endurance from weight training without becoming "masculine" looking.

There are many benefits that can be gained through a consistent program of weight training. Let me mention just one here that most of you will find significant. Muscle is a very active tissue (most of our daily caloric expenditure is due to muscle activity, even while we are at rest). Studies indicate that a pound of muscle may use up to 45 calories per day just to maintain itself. In practical terms, that means that if we take 2 women (or men) of identical weight, but one has 5 pounds more muscle than the other, the one with the greater muscle weight (thus, lower body fat content) uses 225 more calories per day at rest!

If you're ready to commit to a serious strength training program, I encourage you to contact a fitness professional who has the knowledge and experience to get you started on a safe and effective exercise routine.

About the Author:

Joe Thiel is a certified personal trainer. He has personally trained hundereds of satisfied clients throughout the Midwest. He currently owns and operates personal training studios in Springfield, IL and Chesterfield, MO. He can be

His websites: http://www.ftspringfield.com and http://www.ftchesterfield.com