Can Women Get Too BIG?

This area is one that not only frustrates anyone in the fitness industry but also angers a lot of people, especially women in the body building circuit.

The amount of effort and dedication it takes to even make some changes is very time consuming and exhausting. When you say women get big it seems more of an insult.

If we start from the beginning we can begin to actually break down what getting BIG actually is. The body is a machine and is capable of overcoming some great feats. When the body goes under any form of stress changes will occur. There is more to just lifting than picking up a weight and putting it down. The amount of repetitions and sets you do and what your rest period is all play a role. Which we will talk about in more detail later on.

For now, let’s take a look at what one key differentiating factor is between men and women (that isn’t necessarily easy to see on the surface). Testosterone is a hormone that is at a higher level in men than women. Testosterone is responsible for muscle size, raspy voice, body hair and other masculine attributes in males. There is around 15–20 times less testosterone in the female body than in the male body.

Testosterone doesn’t mean that getting swole (aka muscular) is any easier for men. Building bulk muscles is the result of long-term and hard weight training partnered with proper nutrition and calorie surplus. It is not an easy road or a quick one. You see the guy in the gym who is a giant but that didn’t happen overnight and well that more than likely took him years of pure dedication to achieve.

Ladies, it is near impossible to achieve male-like bulk muscles naturally without resorting to sports pharmacology, which has been shown to be destructive to women’s health.

So don’t be afraid of weight training, but it’s best to do it under the guidance of a competent coach. There is a science to what we do, there is a reason why we build programs the way we do.

Working out can be about so much more than going to the gym. What if I told you that by coming to the gym and following a well planned organized program you can develop movement patterns to also reduce pain. Developing the proper way to move will begin to help the body understand that certain muscles should be functioning a certain way. Strengthening the glutes and the hamstring to help with lower back pain, working on strengthening the back to help reverse rounded shoulders. All these little things that can really make a huge difference.

We don’t have to stop there with your training. Building a healthy form of self confidence is an extremely beneficial aspect to working out. When you lift you will begin to build muscle, with the result of that changes begin to occur. Small wins like clothes starting to fit differently, walking stairs become easier, or even you notice something different in the mirror. All of these start to build momentum for the greater good. You are starting to create your own path to the future you want, not anyone else.

Keep an eye out for part 3!

By Sean Fitzgerald, UVAC Personal Trainer