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More and more women are starting to get involved with weight training, which is great, however many of them are still neglecting important factors that are causing them to not see as much progress as they could from their workouts.
Other women are still scared of the activity in general, so getting them convinced that it is a form of exercise they should include is vital. Here are some of the facts to consider.
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More And More Women Are Starting To
Get Involved With Weight Training.
Benefits Of Weight Training For Women:
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The benefits of weight training are numerous, with just a few of them being increased
metabolism, decreased body fat percentage, increased muscle definition and tone, enhanced energy, decreased risk of some serious conditions, and enhanced confidence.
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Author: Shannon Clark 
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Not many other forms of exercise are going to offer all of these pluses, making weight training a solid choice to start doing regularly. Many women get scared, thinking weight training is only for males, but this isn't the case at all. If anything, weight training is more important for women since it provides maximum body weight control, which is something most women struggle with.
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The 'Get Huge' Myth:
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Possibly the biggest reason why women don't weight train is because they are scared they will 'get huge'. It is vital that you understand this isn't the case.
First, women do not produce the level of testosterone (the muscle-building hormone) that is necessary to develop that degree of muscle mass, and second, most women are not eating nearly enough calories - calories which are required to assemble that much muscle mass.
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Possibly The Biggest Reason Why Women Don't Weight
Train Is Because They Are Scared They Will 'Get Huge'.
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You can't build muscle unless you're eating to support this, so the simple act of training in the gym is not going to make you grow bigger muscles. Those women who claim that they build muscle fast are either changing their diets significantly when they start weight lifting (eating more when they don't realize it) or are imaging this effect.
Women who are trying to compete in figure, fitness, and bodybuilding competitions have to work extremely hard for years to build that degree of muscle, so a woman who is just starting to weight train is most certainly not going to accomplish that just by chance.
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Author: Marc Lobliner 
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Choosing The Right Type Of Program:
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Moving on, women need to make a few adjustments to their weight training workout programs compared with males. First, due to the decreased testosterone content in the body, you likely aren't going to be able to handle quite as much total volume during your workouts. This means you should not complete as many different exercises, nor should you use as many sets.
Women who have been training for years may be able to tolerate a higher volume simply because their body has adapted to this, so assess your own experience to determine what's right for you.
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Also, since women generally are not looking to build as much sheer strength as many males are, working in the very low rep range (3-5 reps) is likely not going to need to be a priority for you.
Instead, aim to vary your workout, moving from the 6-8 rep range, to the 8-10, to the 10-12. This will still allow you to develop great definition, boost your metabolism, see some strength gains, and prevent your body from reaching a plateau.
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Women Need To Make A Few Adjustments To Their Weight
Training Workout Programs Compared With Males.
Achieving Balance With Your Cardio Training:
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A big mistake many women make with their training in general is overloading with the
cardio. They figure that if they want to lose fat, more and more cardio needs to be added.
While in some cases cardio does need to be upped to get continued fat loss, more often than not the simple act of weight training along with a very sound diet will be enough to get the process going.
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Fat in the hip/thigh region of women does tend to be a bit more stubborn, so if your
goal is to get rid of the excess in this area, that's a good instance where cardio may need to be increased.
Those women who are mostly just looking to add definition and don't have a problem with excess weight will not need to do nearly the amount of cardio they are likely doing.
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A Big Mistake Many Women Make With Their Training
In General Is Overloading With The Cardio.
Eating Properly:
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Finally, women in particular tend to be the ones to adopt extremely low-
calorie or 'crash' diets, which are only going to work against their goals.
You must realize that when you bring your calorie intake incredibly low, the body will slow all the processes that go on in effort to conserve fuel. So, while you might have been losing half a pound at 1400 calories per day, once that metabolism is slowed and you're eating 1200 calories per day, you may not be losing anything.
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Author: Anthony Lee 
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This can be an extremely frustrating situation because it would seem that if anything you should be losing more weight, but always remember that there is such a thing as 'not enough calories'.
If your metabolism is already running slower than normal (if you've been dieting on a very low calorie diet for more than 3 months), chances are you will need to take a complete diet break for at least 2 weeks, eating at a proper maintenance level to get that metabolism going again.
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Women In Particular Tend To Be The Ones To
Adopt Extremely Low-Calorie Or 'Crash' Diets.
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Then, once you go back to a moderately low calorie intake, fat loss will happen once again.
Conclusion
So, be sure you're keeping all of these factors in mind if you're a female and currently are weight training or are looking to get started. Doing things right will be vital to your success, but getting past any inaccurate beliefs will be the first step.
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