Why all women should lift weights

I often hear female clients say that they are worried about lifting weights because they:

• don't want big muscles

• only want to "tone" or "lengthen" their muscles

• don't want to "look like a man"

These concerns are baseless and can lead to women neglecting one of the most effective tools for preventing osteoporosis, and maintaining optimum health. To begin with, unless a woman is off the charts in terms of ability to develop muscle, she will not be able to gain significant muscle mass, even should she want to, without truly Herculean (or Amazonian) effort. Women generally do not have enough Testosterone to support large muscles. There are, of course, exceptions such as Olympic Sprinter Marion Jones (above, far left), but even an athlete so gifted as she in ability to gain muscle mass felt the need to chemically enhance her testosterone levels. So we see that getting big muscles is not a concern, nor should it stop women from lifting weights.

The idea that muscles can be "toned" or "lengthened" by special or unique exercises is false. Despite the claims of some Yoga and Pilates practitioners, this is not possible. The shape of one's muscles, and, hence, limbs and torso, is the product of three things:

• Genetic shape of the muscles
• amount of muscle mass
• amount of "inert metabolic material" (fat)

You were born with muscles which have the same basic shape they do now, and they will continue to have that shape your whole life. This can easily be seen by looking at a few people's calves. Some have an insertion point high on the leg, and therefore look round and more muscular. Others have a lower insertion point, and look longer and leaner. There is no way to change this. However, you can add some muscle mass which will make your limbs look fuller and more shapely, which brings us to our last point. No matter how shapely or toned your muscles are, if they are covered in a thick layer of fat, they won't have much definition. Women generally should maintain 14-22% bodyfat for a combination of optimum health, athleticism and aesthetics. Just as too much fat is unhealthy and aesthetically undesirable too little will detract from health, athletic ability and a pleasing shape.

Thinking that lifting weights will make you "look like a man" is misguided. Perhaps, if you try really, really hard, you might after some years of effort develop a look like Linda Hamilton in "Terminator 2", Demi Moore in "GI Jane" or Angela Basset  in just about anything. Would that be so bad?

Lifting weights is a wonderful health-giving activity for all people, and that includes all women. It builds bone density, prevents osteoporosis, burns calories up to 24 hours after you have finished doing it and contributes to overall health and prevents decrepitude. You would like to be able to walk when you get older right?