Strength training provides tremendous benefits to a woman. Even though there are many benefits, many women are still weary of it. They fear that they would build large and unsightly muscles. Even a woman who does strength training, may not embrace it fully.

Most women approach strength training with caution. Certain exercises like the push-up is considered to be only for men. Women end up confining themselves to little pink dumbbells that are nothing but a waste of time and energy.

“I don’t lift weight because I don’t want to build muscles”.

“I just want to lose weight so I will just stick to aerobics”.

How many times have you heard a woman say that. Women cant build large muscles. Let us debunk this myth once and for all.

Why Women Cant Build Large Muscles

A woman generally develops lesser muscles than a man after puberty. This is the reason a woman is very much weaker than a man of the same body size. The reason for this weakness is because a woman has lesser muscle cells than a man. Most muscle growth results from the increase in muscle cell size. Since a woman has lesser muscle cells to begin with, the potential for large muscles is just not there.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, a woman can expect a meagre increase of 10% in muscle size after training a muscle for 6 months.

Women Do Not Have Enough Testosterone to Build Large Muscles

Testosterone is not a hormone that is exclusive to men. Apart from estrogen, the ovaries of a woman also produce testosterone. According to the International Menopause Society, a woman typically has 10 to 15 times less testosterone levels than a man. Testosterone is a potent muscle-building hormone. Testosterone builds and preserves muscle. Women have just enough testosterone to allow them to sustain muscles for everyday life.

Building Large Muscles is the Most Difficult Thing You Could Do

Most women think that they would develop muscles just by being in the same room with a pair of dumbbells. A woman fails to understand that building muscles is extremely difficult. Building muscles requires your body to be primed for it. You need to do enough exercise and the right nutrition.

Ask any man who does natural strength training without the aid of steroids or drugs. He will tell you how difficult it is even for a man to develop large muscles. If a man would find it difficult to develop large muscles, what makes a woman think that she will have it easier. It is definitely easier to lose weight than to build large muscles.

Women cant Build Large Muscles Because of Low Testosterone Levels and Lesser Muscle Cells

The lower testosterone levels and the smaller amounts of muscle cells is why women cant build large muscles. Women who cling on to the belief that they will build large muscles are doing themselves a great disservice. Without adequate testosterone levels and enough muscle cells, it’s just not possible.

How Do Female Bodybuilders Build Large Muscles

Female bodybuilders often use anabolic steroids to help build their muscular physique. Anabolic steroids are drugs and hormones that help muscle growth. The most often used drug is testosterone. Female bodybuilders often inject themselves with the testosterone hormone. This increases their testosterone to levels exceeding that of a healthy man.

Testosterone in high levels allows a woman to develop large muscles but not without side-effects. The high levels of testosterone in female bodybuilders result in them having masculine characteristics. This include facial hair, squared jaw, deep voice and shrunken breasts.

Women Should Embrace Strength Training

Strength training helps a woman sculpt and tone her body. The result is a tight, firm and shapely body. Strength training is able to shape the body in ways that conventional cardio exercise can never do. Strength training should not be viewed as an exercise only for men. She should lift heavy weights and not confine herself to the pink dumbbells that most women are used to. A woman should hit strength training head on. Women should debunk the myth of developing large muscles once and for all. A woman cant build large muscles no matter how hard she tries.