There’s a common misconception that bodybuilding will make women look ‘manly’. While using weights for fitness can undoubtedly make women look stronger and fitter, it will by no means make them look manly. In fact, bodybuilding can be so beneficial.
It can strengthen the bones and muscles, make living everyday life easier, improve the way you look and have so many more great benefits for your health and fitness overall. Lifting weights can be one of the most empowering things that a woman can do!
As you get older, weight-bearing exercises are crucial, just for strong bones and to help fight osteoporosis.
But many women when thinking about weight training have this question…
Will Bodybuilding Make You Look Like a Man?
Women Don’t Have The Testosterone That Men Have
Each and every person is different, so you can never truly predict how quickly a person is going to build muscle. However, women, in general, do not make muscle the same way that men do.
They just don’t have the testosterone! Building muscle is way more difficult for women, even when taking helpful supplements like Tongkat Ali.
Women who do look very muscular have usually trained very hard for a long time, eaten a lot of muscle building foods, and have probably taken some questionable substances to help them to get there.
Building muscle helps to give women that ‘toned’ look, too. It doesn’t make them automatically blow up like the hulk!
But I Just Want To Tone Up!
This phrase is thrown around all the time, especially in the media. Celebrities are called ‘toned’ and people say they just want to ‘tone up’. However, you won’t look ‘toned’ if you don’t have any muscle tone.
People with naturally skinny physiques that want to look more toned need to build muscle. People with extra fat need to lose fat (not weight, it’s a different thing) and build muscle too. You know you’re losing fat if your measurements are going down.
Ignore the scale, as you can lose inches but weight the same, or sometimes more than you did before! Don’t get too caught up in the numbers. Instead, be consistent and monitor your progress. Note how your clothes are fitting and how you feel. These are the most important things.
What To Do To Tone Up: A Quick Rundown
- Weight train consistently. 3-5 per week as the body needs rest to build muscle.
- Challenge yourself with your weights – you shouldn’t be able to do more than 15 reps, or it’s too light. Less than 8 and it’s too heavy.
- If you have fat to lose, you’ll need to do some kind of cardio activity. Don’t go OTT. Introduce it slowly and see how you begin making progress. You can do a HIIT session or a class.
- Monitor the foods you’re eating. Eat foods that nourish your body. Tracking your foods with an app like MyFitnesspal can help give you a better idea of what you’re consuming, even if you only use it for a short while.
- Eat lots of protein, as well as healthy fats and carbs.
- Eat more if you just need to build muscle – a reasonable surplus is required. Eat a little less to lose fat, but don’t go OTT with your deficit. Rushing things will not last.
- Avoid fads at all costs. No detox teas, no special pills. Just exercise, good food, lots of water, and consistency!
So, ladies, don’t worry about bulking up too much and looking like a man if you start a bodybuilding regimen, it is not likely to happen.
Sorry but some of these people look gross sometimes.