It never ceases to amaze me that the common belief still exists in our culture that women should not lift heavy things.  For some reason, men and women are treated like two totally different species when it comes to exercise.  Of course we do have our differences (anyone who’s been in a relationship will assure you of that!), but our requirements for health as a species remain one and the same.  Men and women do have different physical capacities and abilities, but we are all homo sapiens with the same essential necessities.  I see magazines that tout the stick figure bodies of starving women or fitness magazines that tell you to spend hours on the treadmill with ankle weights on- but I never see anything out there that tells women that it’s HEALTHY and NORMAL to be strong.  In my opinion, that’s insulting to women and just plain wrong.

For millions of years the selective pressures of Mother Nature have shaped our requirements for survival.  One of those pressures was the necessity to endure tremendous physical challenges of endurance and strength.  Our ancestors, both male and female, needed to travel great distances for food and water, hunt and gather, fight other rival tribes, and rely on their physical abilities daily for survival.  Even though our lives today are drastically different, our genes have not changed much since those days, and neither have our physical requirements for optimal health.

Somehow the belief is that if you are a woman who includes strength training in your fitness program, you will get big and bulky and start to look like a bodybuilder.  Fortunately, for all you women who lack testicles, your ability to build huge, bulky muscles is very limited – unless, of course, you are looking to abuse anabolic steroids.  Men, on the other hand, tend to build bigger muscles than women due to higher natural testosterone levels, but are still mostly limited in their genetic capabilities to build an oak chest like Arnold.  If the average guy has a tough time getting bulky, just imagine how hard it is for a woman to get huge!

If you’re worried about looking like a beast, then check out the physiques of these incredibly strong women:

Notice how they are not big and bulky like female body-builders are and that they are lifting heavy weight.  This is natural when you train functional movements. Body builders train isolated muscle groups at the cost of the rest of the body’s natural movement patterns.  They lack functional strength and the overall ability to use their bodies in dynamic ways.  Calf raises, leg extensions, and bicep curls do not exist in nature.   Both men and women are best suited to lift heavy, hard, and with great intensity.  The overall result is a positive lean muscle to body fat ratio, improved strength, metabolic conditioning, and superior health (not to mention a pretty attractive bod).

Here is the difference in what a functional workout vs. a traditional bodybuilding workout might look like:

Here is a video from a team workout I did with two awesomely fit women, Kendra and Dawn.  The workout consisted of 25 deadlifts each teammate (men 225 lbs, women 135 lbs), then 150 pullups, and finish with another 25 deadlifts each at the same weight.  And all of this done as fast as possible.

This workout took less than 10 minutes, but it incorporated functional movements, high intensity, and fun was had by everyone.  Oh yeah - did I mention that Dawn is 40 years old?

Now check out this clip of a body-building workout:

Did you notice the isolation exercises and reliance on machines?  Everything is assisted and there is no athleticism or functional training involved.  This is an example of what traditional bodybuilding is about:  Long hours in the gym, no speed training, and people who build huge, bulky muscles are typically abusing some form of steroid hormone.

We are all designed to be healthy and successful, and to live happy, functional, long lives…as long as you give your body what it needs.   Everyone needs to lift heavy stuff every once in a while.  It helps build lean muscle and burn fat, and it will do wonders for your confidence and for your long-term health.  Be smart about it - hire a trainer if you are unsure where to start, but get to it!  Now go lift something heavy!

Your health coach,

Dr. Ryan Hewitt