Many athletes shy away from strength training, such as lifting weights, due to a fear it will make them bulk up. However, this is far from the truth and this myth prevents many individuals from becoming faster, fitter and stronger.
Women do not have the necessary amount of testosterone in their hormone makeup to bulk up, unless they compensate with the use of steroids. As for men, those who want to seriously bulk up without the use of steroids will find it is a very difficult and demanding task. They must spend hours in the gym, lifting very heavy weights while eating a very careful high kilojoule, high protein diet. This process often takes many years.
Top three reasons to incorporate weights into your training program:
- Strength training burns more kilojoules than cardio
- The more muscle you have, the more kilojoules you burn
- You’ll decrease your chance of injury by strengthening the muscles surrounding the joints