My original title was going to be “Why Women Should Weight Train”.
And then very whimsically, write “because it’s awesome.”
But…I have refrained from writing about this topic for some time because, as I sit here in 2025, you don’t hear about it very often.. To be even more honest, you can google this very topic and probably find 6,000 pages worth of blogs writing about the exact same thing.
So…I will perilously hurl myself back into the 1980s zeitgeist with Jane Fonda and when action movies were at their peak.
History
Full disclosure, I live in a giant strength and conditioning bubble.
Every day in my gym, men and women both perform chin-ups, deadlifts, squats, and variety of other exercises. Monday is not Universal Bench Day here, and a lot of our clients get really excited when deadlifts are included in their programs.
Since this is so commonplace in our facility, we don’t think too much about it. However, if we were to step into a commercial facility back in the 80s and 90s, things would be drastically different.
Back in those times, the free weight area was predominantly full of men, and women generally stuck to the cardio machines. Now I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but the stigma of women lifting weights stung a little bit worse back then than it does now.
Common tropes include:
- “I don’t want to weight train because it will make me bulky.”
- “I do not want to look like a man.”
In 2025, we do not get very many of these comments, but we still do get them from time to time. There are a couple of ways that you can handle these situations or rationalize weightlifting for yourself.
Science for the win?
For those of you who know me, I’m a pretty black and white person. And more times than not, the practical solution or explanation wins me over 99 percent of the time.
Practical solutions for practically minded individuals does work. This is the answer because of this sciency explanation.
Cool, I believe you. Let’s move on.
However, that does not work for everyone.
When presented with a female client who’s main worry is that they are going to become too bulky, there are a couple ways you can handle this.
And as much as you want to roll your eyes and back your head so hard that they fall out of your skull, I would not recommend doing that…
The scientific explanation can work, but in my experience, it does not hit home as well as I would like it to. You can explain about the:
- Bone mineral density increase
- Tendon and ligament strength increase
- Lean tissue that they are going to accumulate that is going to help them be healthier overall
- Improved resting heart rate and blood pressure.
- Improved confidence inside and outside of the gym.
But that might not be the root cause.
Peel the onion
At this point in my career, a vast majority of our new clients who walk through our doors know what they are getting into.
Besides, it is a gym, and the vast majority of people know what they’re gonna be doing inside the gym…
However, I still have fun with it. And if I’m presented with this bulky question, I will say something smart like, “You’re going to get big and bulky from strength training is like me worried about driving my car to and from work and becoming a NASCAR driver.”
Hopefully they laugh afterwards…
In all seriousness, you have to peel the onion back and find out the root cause of people’s thinking.
Instead of rambling on about women’s limited testosterone levels or how toning is not a real thing, let’s dig a little bit deeper and ask more questions. Such as:
- Why do you think strength training will make you big and bulky?
- What does bulky look like to you?
- Are there exercises in particular that cause this feeling?
We have to remember that they may have worked with a trainer previously and never took the time to show them proper technique. Or maybe they haven’t been exposed to certain myths or have a hard time letting go of said myths.
Either way, I think it is more helpful to ask questions to ascertain someone’s root cause for thinking rather than just make fun of them for the sole purpose of being the only one that’s correct in the room.
In the end, after a month or so, I find that these concerns quickly subside, and all of our ladies at the gym thoroughly enjoy weightlifting. Once this happens, we begin to build and increase autonomy and competency, which will allow our clients to come into the gym without any preconceived notions or restrictions, which is what is going to keep people being healthier for longer.
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