I was scrolling the interwebs, and came across this article. Now the article itself is underwhelming but a certain point in the article struck me profoundly.
‘Women are weaker than they have ever been‘.
I don’t know how valid that point is exactly but I do know that there might just be some truth to it. So it got me thinking, are women becoming weaker?
I’m not going to look at the data since caveman days (because if that’s the case then yes, we’re probably as weak as twigs) but we’ll just take a gander out here and see what we find. Since this is from a self-image and muscle standpoint, let’s start there.
The misconception that lifting weights makes women bulky has been debunked (or has it?). Especially during such an accessible time of instagram fame and fortune, all you have to do is put ‘fitness’ in your bio, film a video or two in the gym and you’ve got influencer status (easier said than done, I know, I know). However, this is still not the majority of women, which means that the misconception (still, sorta, kinda) stands strong.
So the question becomes, what actually stops most women from strength training? Coult it be:
a) the intimidation of a gym section filled with muscly, angry men,
b) the lack of knowledge,
c) fear of looking less feminine or
d) all of the above
As you can see, the safest bet for a woman who wants to be fit would be either a) pilates, b) yoga or c) jogging.
What’s wrong with those options? It’s still exercise!
You’re absolutely right, it is exercise. Pilates and yoga often get women the ‘toned‘ bodies they desire, couple that with a plant-based diet and chronic undereating, you’ll be skinny in no time. Please don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with low-intensity exercise. I know I kid a lot but here’s the truth. The problem doesn’t arise in the exercise itself. It arises in the perception of the exercises. Let’s break it down into ultra simplified terms:
Pilates / Yoga / Jogging = low intensity, slimming, accentuates femininity and frailness, natural, convenient
Strength and conditioning: high intensity, mass building, masculine perceptions, inconvenient, Iron and steel environment
You see, it might be a bit too simplified, but here’s the thing:
We’ve still got the notion ingrained in our heads that muscles on a woman takes away the ‘feminine touch’. Unfortunately, I’m all too familiar with that (and I’m sure a lot of other women are). Let me take you down a short trip through memory lane, it’ll be super quick, pinkie-swear). (If you don’t want to read it skip past the stars)
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During one of my mass gaining phases, I wasn’t huge by any means but I did have a bit more muscle than a 15 year old boy who just started lifting. It was enough to get attention from random strangers (and not so much in a positive way) and it was also enough to give me some sort of legitimacy in the gym. But at that time, that’s what I wanted and that’s what I trained for. However, the reactions I’d get from men wouldn’t always be positive (because of their own insecurity or because of their perceptions of femininity) either way, I decided that I wanted to be dainty and small and feminine again (and quite frankly my arms looked like a mans arms in a little black dress) so I made the switch. All I did was alter my workout to include less upper body work and over the course of a few weeks I lost size in my upper body. It was really that simple. However, the time it took to get there was over the course of years. Trust me, nothing happens overnight and, even after that, it was not permanent. IF ANYTHING, if I decide I want to it all back, I can gain it back in less time because of a little miracle called ‘muscle memory’ (we’ll cover that later on).
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Furthermore, strength training is absolutely necessary for women who want to have healthy bodies. It increases bone density, it reduces muscle loss, it allows you to eat more (all of which become uphill battles as you age). You cannot assume that strength training will get you super big overnight and, most of the time, it’s incredibly difficult to do so. Neither are the results permanent ( you know what they say, ‘If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it’) so you have to be consistent and have a long-term vision. More often than not, women become more hooked on strength training BECAUSE of how strong it makes them feel and how they’re actually starting to get their body to look similar to J-Lo’s or Megan Fox’s. It’s unreal and it can be so simple but, you must go in with an open mind and the ability to adapt when necessary. Many people don’t want to do that. But, even if one fearless person can, it’ll motivate others to do the same.
Regardless, if you’re weak or strong, there’s nothing to lose but there’s everything to gain and who wouldn’t wanna win a bet that’s in their favour?
Marie
Marie Writes (A Fitness Blog) 