“Don’t get too bulky” 

“No one likes a woman with a big neck” 

“She looks like a man” 

“Women don’t need big muscles” 

Have you heard one of these phrases before? Girl, same. And it’s unfortunately more common than we would like to admit.

There have been stigmas around women who weightlift for decades. That they’ll get bulky, that they’ll look like men, that men will somehow feel inferior because of our muscles and capabilities. 

While society might have its own opinions about women weightlifting, let’s talk about what ACTUALLY happens when women start to lift weights. 

1. You will NOT get bulky. Like, please stop with this. 

Saying that you will start lifting weights and then immediately get bulky is like saying you don’t want to drive because you will accidentally become a Nascar driver. You won’t pick up a barbell for the first time and suddenly gain 10 pounds of muscle. You have to work HARD to gain size and muscle and eat a LOT. It isn’t something that happens to you without a ton of hard work and dedication, so referring to being bulky in a negative connotation has got to go. Some people work hard as hell to gain muscle and get that “bulk” that society so desperately wants women to avoid. 

2. You will probably get SMALLER, not bigger. 

When you start lifting weights, the odds of you getting smaller vs. bigger are a lot higher than the latter. You are going to start replacing body fat with muscle. Body fat is what makes you larger, where muscle makes you leaner. This might not mean you see differences on the scale, since muscle weighs more than fat you might even notice weight gain on the scale, but you will also notice changes in how your clothes fit, how you look and that your overall body composition is changing. 

3. Your mental health will improve. 

Insert Elle Woods in Legally Blonde quote: “exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. And happy people just don’t kill their husbands.” Lifting weights has been scientifically proven to improve your mental health. The feeling of accomplishment, paired with the physical benefits for your brain and overall mental wellbeing can improve your life. There have been studies with military veterans with PTSD whose lives have been saved by starting to lift weights and regularly exercise. So yes, lifting weights can literally save your life.  

4. You will be a healthier person and live a longer life. 

Osteoporosis is very common in women, especially when we get older. Lifting weights will help to make our bone density stronger, so that we are able to avoid muscle deterioration that happens naturally as we get older. As we age, what might have been a little fall in our younger years can become a serious issue. Being stronger can help to avoid falls, and if you do fall, avoid breaking bones and causing serious, life threatening damage. Lifting weights will also significantly decrease your risk of chronic diseases including heart disease, arthritis, obesity and more. 

5. You will become more confident and a more capable human being. 

Lifting weights doesn’t just mean you are working out and gaining muscle. It means picking your kid up and putting them in their car seat will get easier. It means you won’t have to ask someone to help you lift something heavy off of the floor. It means you will be able to carry a heavy bag of groceries inside by yourself. It means you will become more capable of doing the things you want to do. You will feel more confident, and so proud of yourself for doing things you never imagined possible.