The Health and Fitness world is a very confusing place, most of the information that is available regarding any training or nutritional advice is very subjective especially when it comes to female health and fitness. For some very weird reasons all of the information regarding female bodybuilding is very misleading, most of the information that women follow inside and outside of the gym will always tend to be ineffective and sometimes even a little dangerous. So, what about female bodybuilding myths we heard many times.
Bodybuilding has been heavily associated to steroids and muscularity and it shouldn’t, when we talk about bodybuilding we talk about the concept of bodybuilding originating in the 60’s and 70’s, bodybuilding is a lifestyle that allows someone to sculpt their body to what they desire it to be; just like a Greek statue.
Female Bodybuilding Myths
There have been an insane amount of female bodybuilding myths created related to women’s fitness and bodybuilding that make no sense at all, that’s why we created this informative article, if you’re reading this it’s probable that you have heard any or all of these, keep in mind that they are all myths, hopefully by the end of this article you will feel a little more comfortable in relation to your bodybuilding activities.
Women are weaker than men: False
This myth absolutely makes no sense at all but for some reason people think of it as true, genetically speaking women are equally strong as men pound for pound. Maybe you can’t lift the 100lb dumbbells that the guy is doing next to you but you can surely strive to do the 50lb ones which in comparison to the guys lift pound for pound is way more impressive.
Think about it! If he weighs 220lbs and is doing 100lbs dumbbells he is pressing less than half his body weight, if you are pressing the 50lb dumbbells and weight 120lbs you are equally as strong, the same thing goes for every exercise, if you want your body to change you need to put the work in and lift heavy!
I need to lift light weights to stay toned: False
The previous female bodybuilding myth brings us to this one, why do women think they need to lift light? If you want to get a toned or defined look you need to burn fat and gain muscle, this can only be achieved by training intensely with moderate to heavy weight, the muscle needs to be torn in order for to heal and grow, lifting light weights is not going to get you anywhere, the same thing goes for cardio, without weight training cardio is virtually useless.
You will get too big if you lift big: False
As you can see each myth leads us to the next one because they are all related, in this case, we are discussing the “I will get too big myth”, this is false and it has been scientifically proven wrong. Women naturally produce a hormone called estrogen while men produce testosterone and human growth hormone. These two hormones are what cause muscle and bone building in men, without them men would have the same genetic frame as women.
Now, this doesn’t mean that women don’t produce these because they do but in minimal to nonexistent amounts, what this means is that no matter how much you train or lift heavy weights you won’t get big, just think about it, men struggle to gain a few pounds of muscle a year and they have a lot of testosterone and HGH running in their bodies, naturally women can’t be as big as men, you won’t achieve excess muscularity unless you do steroids which isn’t a good idea at all.
I need to eat small: False
If you are working out till you can’t take another breath inside the gym your body’s metabolism will be fired up, if you don’t eat accordingly to your activity levels your body will burn muscle instead of fat, if you’re working out big you need to eat the part. Eat good high protein foods and stay away from fats and sugars.
A common misconception in men and women is that they need to exclude carbohydrates from their diet, this is just crazy stupid, carbohydrates fuel your body, cutting them from your nutrition will make you feel weak and tired, keep everything in balance, if you want you can have an occasional burger or pizza, there is no reason on why you shouldn’t if you’re killing yourself inside the gym.
Weight Training will make women look bulky: False
The biggest myth surrounding general female bodybuilding says that if women take up weight training as a form of exercise they will become bulky and muscular; this assumption is false for various reasons. Women don’t produce the same amounts of testosterone that men do which is a key factor for mass muscle growth.
Cardio is the only way to lose weight: False
Cardio is definitely a great method for improving cardiovascular health, but it’s not the only way to lose body fat. Cardio is popularly associated with the image of weight loss and it makes sense, men and women think that hopping on a treadmill for an hour a day is the answer to losing weight and achieving total health, this is false. Cardio is only half of the equation that is needed to lose weight; the other half has a lot to do with nutrition and knowing one’s body.
The tricky part about cardio that no one likes to talk about is the fact that its effectiveness will always have a direct effect with the person’s nutrition, think about it, if someone is eating 5000 calories of junk food in a day, what good is thirty minutes on a treadmill?
Calories are everything: False
This topic is directly related to the other two that we just discussed. As it was stated at the beginning of this article, the general perception that people tend to have towards health and fitness is completely misunderstood. The general part of society thinks that calculating calories is the key to living a healthy lifestyle, not only is this false, it’s completely confusing, understanding how this false statement became popular is mindboggling.
Caloric measurements should become obsolete, the general part of society needs to learn about macros and micros, this will greatly improve their health and better their perception of food. Calories are only a way to measure the energy that goes into the body, they don’t measure the quality of it.
Supplements aren’t made for women: False
The last female bodybuilding myth that is going to be discussed is supplementation for women. The idea of women utilizing supplements to gain muscle, lose weight and improve energy in the gym is not very popular.
Supplements have always been the synonym of manliness but this stereotype is quickly disappearing thanks to the creation of new companies that are willing to encourage women into improving their physiques and health by adding extra forms of supplementation into their daily diets.
Supplements can be used by both men and women in order to improve and enhance their performance, if you are a woman and are reading this be encouraged to try and learn more about supplements because there are many that that can benefit women in many aspects especially as they get older. Supplements will not make you gain weight or look manly; a great number of supplements, if used correctly can benefit you in many unimaginable ways.
Concluding Female Bodybuilding Myths
You’ve seen that how female bodybuilding myths are commonly spreading around us. These are just fake statements and worries about the bodybuilding by women. Never put attention on such female bodybuilding myths and start your bodybuilding goals from today only.
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