Women who often go to the gym often avoid lifting weights because of mistaken belief that by doing so they will get bulky muscles. But that is only one of the many mistakes that may be preventing them from getting the sculpted body that they have always

Regarding fitness, women are more often than not confused because of what they read in the internet, what people say, and society’s expectation of what a woman should look like. No wonder they’re torn between lifting weights, doing aerobics, zumba or cardio of any sort.

The fitness industry, in particular the segment of the industry that deals with weight loss, sometimes, employs unethical hard-nosed tactics that pray on the insecurities of women. They (the unethical ones) try to convince these women that they don’t look good enough and promise unrealistic results that can be achieved effortlessly through their latest pill or some ground-breaking new gadgets. Their goal is to use emotional triggers to get vulnerable women to buy their stuff. Don’t fall for their tricks!

The goal of this article is to point out the mistakes many women make at the gym and help them in their efforts to be fitter.

  1. Fear of becoming “Too Big”

Some women play the age-old “I don’t want to get big” card whenever lifting weights is concerned. The fact is women aren’t biologically programmed to develop muscles like men. Just because you’re lifting weights doesn’t mean muscles will start sprouting from your whole body. So, go ahead and lift some heavy weights.

  1. Too much cardio

When a woman decides to “get in shape,” she often gravitates towards heavy cardio routines and shies away from strength training exercises. Women mistakenly believe in the myth that the more cardio they do, the better they’ll look. And I’ll tell you why. Have you ever seen a marathon runner with a really good body? Probably not. They’re either skinny or have a body with very few curves. Ditch the long hours of cardio! Lift some heavy weights, eat a healthy diet, be consistent, and see how this will help you “Get in Shape”.

  1. Want to get toned

Based upon information from informed, fitness products and the media, some health conscious women talk about how they don’t want to get bulky and just want to get “toned.” Well, here’s the truth: toning doesn’t mean anything. Let me make that bit more clear.

  • You can’t “tone” muscle – You can build muscle. You can lose muscle. Or it can stay the same.
  • You can’t “tone” fat -You can gain fat. You can lose fat. But you can’t “tone” fat.

The “toned” look that people describe is a result of building muscle and losing fat. Perhaps the more appropriate word is “Lean.”

  1. Fear of sweating and rough appearance

We all take a little pride in our appearance, but there’s a time and place for that. If you’re applying makeup and straightening your hair to go to the gym then you simply aren’t taking it seriously. Too many women just don’t get down and dirty. When you’re lifting weights, you shouldn’t be able to maintain the same facial expression as when you’re getting a mani-pedi. We go to the gym to better ourselves and push ourselves as hard as we can. That means by the end you should be red faced, out of breath, soaking in sweat and a total mess.

  1. Obsession with abs

People are obsessed with abs. Some mistakenly believe that they can get rid of their bulging waistline and their muffin top (love handles) by desperately working on their abdominals. Let’s get the facts straight.

  1. You can’t spot reduce fat.
  2. We all have a six-pack under the layer of fat in the abdomen. This is why you can see abs on skinny people. It’s not because they’ve been doing crunches every day. It’s because they have don’t have body fat in that area.

So, doing hundred crunches every day will not get you chiselled washboard abs. It will however waste your time and energy. Instead of dedicating half of your workout on abs, spend that time building the overall muscle and burning calories.

Bottom line

The normal use of dumbbells by women will not result in their getting bulky muscles.  So all health-conscious women should hit the gym, and lift some weights.