Lift Like a Girl: What heavy lifting will really do to your body

IF YOU’RE a woman and you’re not lifting weights because you don’t want to get massive, you need to read this.

The misconception (l) and the reality (r). Picture: The Weighting Room

LET’S talk a little bit about the importance of lifting heavy weights. Many women (my old self included!) are afraid of the weight room due to concerns around getting “bulky” or “big.” Women tend to report that they would like to “tone” their muscles and spend hours doing cardio and lifting pink weights.

Let’s get the record straight: There is no such thing as “toning muscles.” There is such thing as “building lean muscle,” but that cannot happen unless heavy enough weights are involved and muscles are fuelled properly. Lifting and building lean muscle have dozens of benefits for women. These benefits include: more defined muscles, stronger bones, injury prevention AND increased calorie burn and fat loss.

Studies show that women that lift weights regularly burn more calories both during and after their workout. Plus, each pound of lean muscle burns 35 to 50 more calories per hour than pound of fat. Too much cardio and you’ll end up burning fat and some muscle — not exactly what we’re looking for!

Women just simply do not produce enough testosterone to get big and bulky like men. Case in point? 21-year-old weightlifter and beauty queen Sarah Davies, who has just qualified for the Commonwealth Games. She’s a teacher by day, beauty queen by night and weightlifter at every other time!

News_Image_File: Sarah Davies is passionate about changing the image of women in sport following success in both weightlifting and beauty pageants.

So, when you see women bodybuilders that are really big, remember that those women lift full time, eat a TON and potentially use testosterone supplements (read: steroids). So, give it a try! Lifting really revolutionised my fitness ability, not to mention makes me feel powerful, strong and awesome after every workout.

News_Image_File: The stunning 21 year old has qualified for the Commonwealth Games as a weightlifter.

Try it yourself

So with all that said, here’s the full-body workout that I did today. This workout is based on the NASM model of “Muscular Endurance/Stabilization.” Stability is the basis of all exercise modalities. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, it is the “body’s ability to maintain postural equilibrium and support joints during movement.”

This workout consists of supersets of stability exercises and strength exercises, challenging the same muscle group. Supersets are two exercises completed back to back, with no rest between. While completing this workout, engage your core to generate increased stability.

Beginners: Choose a weight that allows you to complete 12 to 15 reps for two to three sets

Intermediate: Choose a weight that allows you to complete 10 to 12 reps for three to four sets

Advanced: Choose a weight that allows you to complete eight to 10 reps for three to four sets

As always, warm up and cool down for five minutes on cardio machine of choice and rest one complete minute between sets.

Superset #1:

Single leg squat and row

In-in-out-out (30 seconds, I used cones instead of a ladder)

Superset #2:

Flat bench flies

Push-up on BOSU

Superset #3:

Lat pull-down

Assisted pull-up

Superset #4:

Arnold press

Single-leg scaption

Superset #5:

Bicep 21s

Tricep dip with elevated feet

Burpee

Superset #6:

Leg Press

Pop squat on step (30s, as fast as you can)