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Why Women Shouldn’t Lift Weights

By Dale Andrew

Today, more and more women are beginning to exercise with weights. There are many men and women who feel that this trend is an unnecessary and troubling one. In working mostly with women (and many of their husbands), I can safely say that these fears are rooted in individual values about body image and femininity. However, historical and social forces are always acting on and shaping these values.

Historically, exercise and sport were an exclusively male preserve. Women were expected to be supportive spectators for men. Female applause was the reward for male participation. In Victorian society, a woman’s social role was to produce and care for children. Anything that interfered with a woman’s ability to fulfill this role threatened to destroy society.

It was a widely held notion that exercise made men more virile, but the theory of vital energy supposed that physical activity or sweating was draining and dangerous for women. Much of the reason for this gender difference stemmed from the fact that only women experienced menstruation. Little attention was given to the restrictive corsets and heavy clothing that women commonly wore at the time. They did not permit free movement and often caused women to pass out from exertion. The male medical establishment lent credibility and support to the theory and moved it to the realm of scientific truth.

Most women accepted their social role, and adhered to what men had decided they should and should not do with their bodies. To do otherwise was to be labeled inappropriate and unladylike. But a few women challenged these traditional roles, despite tremendous social pressure to conform, through their participation in exercise and sport. In successfully doing so, the theory of vital energy lost much of its validity, and some physical activity was deemed appropriate and even desirable. The invention of the bicycle broke down misconceptions about females and physical activity.

When women became active participants in physical activities and sport, they not only challenged traditional concepts of femininity, but masculinity as well. Men could no longer keep women out of exercise and sport, so they sought to control female participation, instead. The male leaders of organized sport channeled women into gender-appropriate activities like croquet, tennis, figure skating, for example. These sports were reflective and consistent with male beliefs about femininity. Meanwhile, the more physically demanding sports were retained for the manliest of men.

Over the last hundred years, women have fought and gained many important social rights. In sport, women now participate in just about any sport that men do. Values like body image, femininity, and masculinity are socially constructed. They are constantly being built, challenged, torn down, and rebuilt. This historical backdrop is the white elephant in the room for our current debate on why women should not lift weights.

One of the more popular reasons for women to refrain from lifting weights is the belief that doing so will make a woman “bulky” and “look like a man.” But, is this really a bad thing? Most women that I have trained say, “Yes!” They don’t want big arms, shoulders, and traps, for example. Typically, women want to get rid of the flab under their arms, lift their butt, tone their thighs, and tighten up their stomach. These women are committed to changing their body. Sure, health is a concern, but most women I’ve worked with simply want to look better naked! I don’t think men are all that different.

But do women need to train differently for fat loss than men? In my experience, the answer is yes and no. Females may have some more “stubborn” areas than males, but the training would essentially be the same, as would the diet. Men and women both need to train hard, hit the weights, and try to preserve as much muscle mass as possible. They both need some type of interval work to rev up their fat loss. Both men and women need a reduction in calories and need to focus on eating nutrient dense foods. The only difference involves their specific dietary needs, meaning preferences, allergies, and calorie requirements.

I’ve trained many women who pound for pound are stronger than their male counterparts, and none attained a bulky physique that made them look like a man. In fact, lifting heavy weights in combination with energy system training actually got rid of the flab under their arms, lifted their butt, toned their thighs, and tightened up their stomach. And it did so much faster than aerobics alone. Although, I can’t say for sure that these women looked better naked, I know they felt better about their body. They were more confident, more energetic, and more alive. They had a more positive body image and self-esteem.

No matter your shape, you have the power to define what makes you happy. Your body image and self-esteem are up to you. If you’re happy with the way your body looks, that’s great. Keep doing what you’re doing. But if you aren’t seeing the changes that you want, you need to do something different. For many women, this involves participation a regular exercise program that includes lifting weights. Resistance training not only increases strength, but it burns fat, and builds bone density to prevent osteoporosis. The benefits of strength training for women can’t be denied any longer.

This belief that women have that lifting weights will make a woman “bulky” or “look like a man” doesn’t seem to come from personal experience, or even that of other women. Rather, it’s borrowed from the experiences of very few men and wrongly applied to all women. It makes me cringe when even today women are encouraged to exercise with cans of soup or cartons of milk. I understand where it comes from, but I mean what year is this?

Some women let fear stop them from taking action. Other women push through the b.s. and drag others along with them. You are free to think that women shouldn’t lift weights. You are free to choose education over ignorance. You are free to choose your own conception of what it means to be a beautiful woman. But if you don’t, history shows that men will decide it for you.

About the Author:

Dale Andrew, M.A. is a fitness professional, author, and speaker. He is the fat loss expert busy professionals worldwide turn to for advice on how to build a better body - FAST. To get your copy of his free e-book 64 Must-Have Fitness Tips, visit www.better-body-tips.com.