For women uninitiated in the world of lifting, one fear remains paramount: lifting weights leads to bulk. But that fear is simply unfounded.
In fact, lifting weights can burn fat and help you go from looking thin but soft to fit, trim and toned.
Here's how lifting weights can help you burn fat:
- Having a greater muscle mass allows you to burn more calories. Muscle even helps you burn calories while you are at rest since it raises your resting metabolism!
- It will reshape your body. Weights help you do so much more than lose a few pounds here and there. Cardio can make you smaller, weights can help you sculpt.
Don't be afraid. Bulking up will not happen overnight anyway. It isn't like you will go to bed tiny and wake up HUGE. Bulking up takes a serious amount of repeated effort which includes eating the appropriate amount of calories. If you are eating fewer calories than you are using, you can't bulk up!
So, now that you know this, where do you start? What size weight do you choose? Choose the weight that feels comfortable to you. It should allow for easy movement throughout the exercise and you should be able to perform the exercise correctly, with good form. Try 10 reps. If at the end of 10 reps you aren't feeling tired or challenged, move up to a heavier weight.
What are you waiting for? Get lifting!
Did lifting weights completely transform your body? Share your story with us!
