Debunking the Myths: Women and Bodybuilding

Author: Benedict Smythe

For the longest time, women who were not introduced properly to the bodybuilding lifestyle have had difficulty in making weight training a part of their daily routine. The "She Hulk" image has been one of the more durable myths that continue to frighten women from trying even lifting small weights.



The myths



The following are the most common of myths when it comes to women and bodybuilding.



1. You will turn into a "She Hulk" when you lift weights- this could not be farther from the truth. Natural weight lifting coupled with a healthy diet of nutritive foods with little of the bad stuff like saturated fats would give you a sexy body, not a monstrous one. Often this image is the result of watching too much television. Professional bodybuilders for one, are known for using synthetic testosterone to boost their muscle production. Though unfortunate, this is fairly common practice.



Women should remember that women with massive physiques often used artificial methods to gain muscle mass. These combinations are called "cutting stacks" and are composed of synthetic forms of estrogen and testosterone. Some even use illegal steroids, such as those that are used for horses that have been bred to race.



2. Weight training in general can cause the breasts to grow- though this might be a positive thing to look forward to, the answer is unfortunately no. Bust size depends largely on the amount of body fat you have- the more fat, the more tissue going into the woman's chest area. When exercise becomes more intense, there might even be a chance that your breast size will decrease, because the distribution of fat is automatically balanced by the human body.



3. Immediately, fat converts to lean muscle during weight training- this myth, though it might be something that could encourage other women to pursue their own goals through a bodybuilding lifestyle, is still a myth. Perhaps a clarification is in order here.



Fats are excess forms of energy stored in the body. The body can handle almost double its weight in fats, however, this does not mean that it does not do damage when excess levels of fat are present.



Exercise burns the fat, and reduces its different manifestations through the body: belly fat is one form of stored fat, chest fat is another, and so on. Exercise does not turn fat into muscle. Muscle, like body fats are already there. Exercise and weight training simply develops what is already there and reduces what is not needed by body.



4. Immediately stopping weight training causes all the hard-earned muscles to revert back to fat- still another myth. There is a chance that the muscles would again be covered in a layer of fat due to prolonged inactivity. But the muscle will not turn into fat.



This myth has been circulating for a long time due to the fact that people who have once engaged in weight training and stopped look like polar opposites of themselves after they've stopped training.



The important thing to realize here is that you have complete command of your lean muscle mass, as long as you engage in the right kinds of exercises.

About the Author:
For all your bodybuilding supplements and sports nutrition needs Benedict recommends Supreme Supplements. Supreme stocks products from the top manufacturers including ThermoLabs ProLab, and Mutant Mass.

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