Join us for a look at the eight biggest myths surrounding women and fitness!

Author: Barča Havlová

For women Beginners

17.06.2024

15 minut čtení

The male part of our readers will forgive us, because today we are going to focus on the ladies, specifically on the biggest myths surrounding the female body and fitness. While it's almost unbelievable, we still find many people who think that women shouldn't lift weights in the gym so they don't look like men. As a result, many women struggle to overcome their fear of going to the gym and reap the health, weight loss and athletic performance benefits of strength training.

You've probably heard at least one of the following fitness myths spread around the internet from the mouths of a number of self-proclaimed "experts" and it's time to say goodbye to them! Women certainly don't have to be afraid to go to the gym and can reap the benefits of strength training just as much as the male population. Together, let's debunk the 8 biggest myths surrounding the female body and weight training.

Article content:

Myth One
Myth two
Myth three
Myth four
Myth Five
Myth Six
Myth seven
And why should women definitely do strength training?
What to take away from the article?

Myth One

Women should not train the same way as men

To be honest, I don't quite have an idea of what it actually means to "train like a man". Like, a woman who benches or does deadlifts is basically training like a man? Then that must mean that a guy who squats is training like a woman, right? Oh yeah, that's bullshit. It's true that some women shouldn't "train like men", but it's certainly not because they can't handle it. Rather, it's because heavy exercises, or exercises for certain areas, are simply not part of their core fitness goals. However, if a woman desires to have bigger biceps, or more prominent pectoral muscles, why wouldn't she include bench or biceps lifts? It depends on your goals, not on some pigeonhole of exercises and their division into men's and women's. A woman can train however she wants, she should just make sure the workout fits her goals.

What's the truth? Women can exercise the way they want.

Myth two

Girls only go to the gym to lose weight

No. Or, not all women necessarily want to look like Miss Czech Republic. Just like men, some women are driven to the gym by the desire for more strength, firming and body shaping. Some want to lose weight, others want to build an athletic physique with a certain amount of muscle, and others are brought to the gym simply by the desire to do something for their health. That's the great thing about working out at the gym - you can very easily adapt it to whatever your goal is.

What is the truth? It's not just about weight, there are other reasons why women go to the gym.

Myth three

Women need special protein

Protein, is simply protein. Because you are a woman, you really don't need a product that has a pink package with balloons or unicorns and a special label "for women". There are no ingredients in regular protein powder that are exclusively for men, so there's no reason to worry about growing a rug on your chest or getting your voice all mushy all of a sudden. The truth is that a product "designed for ladies" is unlikely to be much different from a classic "unisex" protein, maybe in one way, and that's its price.

Each brand and type of protein has specific amounts of protein, calories, carbs and fat. Depending on your goals, you can incorporate the type of protein powder that suits your goals and requirements. For example, you can find a little bit about proteins in this article.

However, protein is not necessary, as long as you don't have it and can meet your daily protein intake from your diet, it's fine. If you are considering protein, choose based on the ingredients and the ingredients it contains, not the label FOR WOMEN.

What's the truth: protein is just protein.

Myth four

Weight training will make you a manly woman

There it is, the idea that a woman who comes to the gym will soon look like a man. Come on, nobody thinks that anymore, right? Countless studies have shown the positive effects of strength training for a woman's body to be stronger, healthier and leaner than women who don't practice strength training. What strength training does to your physique is entirely up to you and your DNA. What a woman's body will look like when applying strength training is influenced by many factors ranging from genetics, diet, type of workouts, their volume and intensity and so on.

If you are worried about having too much muscle and looking like a man, we can reassure you because this will never happen without significant help from anabolic steroids. After all, the female body doesn't work in the same way as the male body. Unlike men, women have a much lower production of testosterone, which plays a significant role in building muscle. In fact, men have 15 to 20 times more testosterone than women, and despite this, it takes them years of hard training and proper nutrition to gain muscle mass. Logically, women NATURALLY take much longer. If you started strength training recently, the results will probably be faster, but as time goes on, the progression of muscle growth will slow down. If strength training makes you feel bulkier after 3-6 months, then you need to think about appropriate calorie intake rather than looking for the cause in muscle growth.

But it also needs to be acknowledged that men have a bit of an advantage in this and women take longer to shape their physique, build muscle and often reduce it, simply. However, you definitely won't experience a massive increase in muscle mass and loss of femininity when you incorporate strength training. Quite the opposite, strength training can help you build a strong and functional body, plus beautiful feminine curves that everyone will envy. Take a look at the pictures accompanying this text and answer for yourself if the ladies in them look like men.

What is the truth? Without a significant boost of anabolics you will simply never be a man.

Myth Five

Women should not take creatine

I'll let you in on a secret. The human body producescreatine on its own , no matter what gender you are. For people who aren't familiar with the body's natural chemical processes, creatine might seem like a scary ingredient that only bodybuilders use and it makes them look like those walking mountains of muscle. But the reality is that creatine is an important component in the process by which the body produces and uses energy, specifically in the creation of ATP. It is the primary fuel source for short-term, high-intensity exercise. As you know, the body does produce creatine, but it is highly advisable to supplement it additionally to maximize its effects. You can read more about creatine here.

Studies have found that creatine supplementation, even in the female gender, can help build and maintain muscle mass and increase muscle performance. The only reason women may be wary of it is because there is sometimes a side effect of creatine supplementation in the form of more muscle volume, which pulls more fluid into itself and makes us look "bulkier". Creatine supplementation offers many benefits for both health and performance and is definitely not just for men.

Creatine is made by the body itself and women can benefit from its supplementation as well

Myth Six

The only thing women need in the gym is a treadmill

Studies have shown that strength training helps increase your aerobic capacity even when your primary goal is to increase your fitness, perhaps for a running race. Cardio training definitely has its place of honor in your training plan, but it's not the only way to improve your fitness. In fact, performing excessive cardio exercise at a consistent load is not the most appropriate way to build strength, nor may it lead to your target physique. Even modern studies show that it may not even be the best choice when it comes to burning fat.

You may be scared to venture to the dumbbell rack, but a treadmill or stepper really may not be the best helpers in your quest for your dream physique. Incorporate strength training into your workout plan to help you build beautiful curves, more strength, and still burn more calories because it has a much greater afterburn effect compared to cardio training in a consistent load. If you have a respect for technique and are afraid of ridicule, reach out to a more experienced friend or straight up trainer who can teach you technique and give you advice on how to train really effectively.

Women should definitely incorporate strength training!

Myth seven

It is possible to lose weight locally by exercising only that particular area

"I want to focus on losing fat on my inner thighs, butt and stomach"
"I'm holding on to the fat on my arms"
"I quite like my figure already, I just need to lose some butt"
"I can't get rid of my love handles"

Ladies, which of you recognize yourself in any of the sentences above? Probably most of us, because we all have a problem area - for some it's the tummy, for others it's the thighs or the butt. And just like an uninvited guest is the last to leave the dinner table, fat in these places sticks around until the last minute and is the hardest to get rid of. The apparent inability to lose fat in these areas can be frustrating, especially if you've managed to sculpt and lose weight relatively easily in other parts of your body. And then there's that "targeting". Do I need to lose belly weight? Ok, so I'm going to crush it with a thousand crunches a day. I need to reduce the fat on my butt? Okay, I'm just gonna do squats now.

But be warned, just as you can't choose where you're going to store the fat (it would be great if we could direct some of that excess to your chest, right?), you can't choose where you're going to reduce it from, and targeted exercise doesn't make a whole lot of sense; at most, it can help you build muscle in those areas and firm up the problem areas, which can ultimately lead to even more fat. What influences your reduction is your diet and calorie deficit, i.e. consume fewer calories than you expend and be patient, because unfortunately you cannot lose weight locally only. So, if you are happy with most parts but only one or two are weighing you down with excess fat, there is no way to remove fat from just those parts.

What is the truth? You can't reduce fat just locally, and targeted exercise on a given one doesn't make much sense.

Myth eight

If you want to lose weight, you must eat little

The vast majority of women are convinced that their diet is perfectly fine. But on closer inspection, you'll find that they either overestimate their intake for the sake of expenditure, but more often than not, they underestimate and their body simply starves. Still, a lot of people, especially women, think that if they eat enough, they'll put on weight, so they tend to reduce portions. But reducing fat doesn't mean eating too little! It means learning to eat as your body requires and at the same time your diet must respect the principle of calorie deficit.

If you want to reduce fat and you are active, you need to give your body enough energy. Starvation is not a good way to reduce fat - your body will start to build up reserves from even the little you take in to ensure it has enough energy to maintain basic life functions.Fat reduction starts with adjusting your diet and getting your caloric deficit right. Training is another piece of the puzzle that can make your path to your goal easier and may also help you to consume more calories than people in reduction who don't exercise. Beware of overestimating your output, though!

Here's the truth: fat reduction isn't about eating little, it's about eating right.

And why should women definitely strength train?

You'll build your self-esteem.
Your body will gain amazing curves that others will be able to envy.
You'll be stronger and fitter.
It will change your approach to food, you will automatically choose more nutritionally rich foods.
You'll feel better.
You'll burn more calories to support your weight loss.
Strength training is good for strengthening your bones.
Training is a time when you can take time for yourself.
It's a great way to work out, relax and take a break from everyday stress.
You're doing something for your health.
You can keep pushing yourself and giving yourself more and more challenges.

What to take away from the article?

Today, we're focusing on the gentle part of our readers. We've broken down the eight biggest myths that accompany women and fitness. From the type of workout, to whether they'll look like a man after strength training, to what protein they should be taking, to reducing only certain areas. Strength training offers many benefits that can benefit not only men, but also the fairer sex.