Can Women Strength Train without looking Bulky?

By Rume Ameke

The answer is a resounding yes! Women can strength train as part of their fitness routine and not look bulky. Strength training is great for building lean muscle for both men and women but because women do not have the male hormone testosterone, we are not prone to putting on so much muscle as testosterone is one of the driving factors behind muscle bulk.

In order to build muscle bulk on a woman, like a female bodybuilders, one would have to either take steroids (which men also do) or lots of protein supplements. You would have to adhere to a very strict diet, which includes the times of day that you eat and track your macronutrients which is the amount of carbs, protein and fat you can have per meal per day.

You would also have to spend a lot of hours in the gym on a daily basis working out. If this not your goal, however, then rest assured that you can strength train and still retain your feminine physique. You will instead develop muscle tone and definition which is what gives you those sleek sexy looking arms, for example! 

Strength training is very important for a number of reasons, some of which are:

1. 1. It helps you lose body fat. As your lean muscle increases, your resting metabolic rate also increases which helps you burn calories for longer after your workout.
   2. It preserves muscle mass. As you get older, you lose muscle tone. Strength training counteracts that by building your lean muscle back up which in turn helps to burn off excess body fat.
   3. Reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Women naturally lose bone density as we get older putting us at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis. Strength training helps to reduce the chances of that by strengthening your bones and slowing bone deterioration. 
   4. Decrease risk of injury. Your joints are protected from injury when you build muscles. Your balance and coordination also improve. 
   5. Increases your physical strength. Strength training makes you physically stronger. This makes it easier for you to do activities like household chores, lifting children, grocery shopping etc. Now that is a massive bonus! For daily workouts, the Kettlebell supports a wide range of resistance-training exercises