Research Proves It - Lifting Weights Can't Turn a Woman Into a Man

If you’re a woman and you want to start weight training, but you’re scared that it’ll make you look bulky, then the following study may be just what you need to help put your fears at rest.

The Study:

Researchers in Pennsylvania State University did an experiment with 31 healthy women (24-32), who performed just under an hour of weight training, followed by 30 minutes of cardio four times a week for six months. On a fifth day, the women ran for an hour. The researchers then made scans of the participants’ bodies to see how their physiology had changed in response to the training.

The Result:

Six months of training led to an increase in lean body mass of just over 2%, with a fat mass reduction of almost 10%.

The Conclusion:

If one compare the changes undergone by the women in this study to the body composition of non-strength trained young adult males and females, these women would need to lose an additional 40% of their fat mass and increase their lean body mass by 147% just to acquire the same body composition as the ‘average’ male.

With a lean body mass gain of only 2% after 6 months of hard training, this would be impossible to achieve in the most ideal of circumstances. As such, this should be the final nail in the coffin of the clearly bunk statement that ‘lifting weights makes women manly’.

Reference:

Nindl, B.C, Harman, E. A., Mark, J. O., Gotshalk, L. A., Frykman, P. N., Lammi, E., Palmer, C., & Kraemer, W. J. (2000). Regional body composition changes in women after 6 months of periodized physical training, Jounral of Applied Physiology, 88(6), 2251-2259.