Kenosi Mashwabi
The world of female fitness is absolutely cluttered with myths and it’s time to bust them! Almost all of us have heard someone say women shouldn’t train as hard as men because they are either not as strong or that they will end up looking like men if they train too hard. Social Media is also abuzz with schemers promising you a flatter tummy if you just drink one of their special teas or carry around a bottle of lemon water. These however, are not true and we would like to debunk some myths, as we can’t get to all millions of them in one article.
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Women Need To Train Differently Than Men
In both men and women, the rep range for strength training falls in between 1-5 reps for 4-6 sets per exercise and hypertrophy training falls in between 6-15 reps for 3-5 sets per exercise. Both are going to build a great deal of muscle, especially if you’re an inexperienced lifter. The good news is that hormonal difference between men and women will affect how that muscle shapes your body. While testosterone filled men training in these rep ranges will experience muscle growth resulting in a bulkier physique, women who train in these rep ranges will still see muscle growth, but likely won’t see a bulkier physique because of their lack of testosterone and abundance of oestrogen.
2. There’s such a thing a “good” and “bad” food
Typecasting your food is one of the worst things you can do for your mental health. You really don’t want to go down the mental road of deciding what food is off limits because it breeds a mentality to where even if you have the calories to enjoy the food you like, you may binge eat it because it’s “forbidden” and this is your all or nothing once in a blue moon chance to enjoy it’s taste. Instead try to eat even the things you do like in moderation and try to eat enough food for the amount of energy you need. If you are just lounging at home, snack on a fruit instead of a full meal that’s packing all the energy you won’t be using.
3. Eating a low carb diet is best for fat loss
If you want to accomplish all of your fitness goals, you’ve got to have fuel for your workouts. If you’re cutting out carbs, you’re instantly eliminating your body’s favourite source of fuel. In fact, studies have even shown that weight loss is still possible while consuming up to 70% of your calories from carbohydrates.
4. Women need to perform a lot of cardio to be fit
Firstly, cardio is a good thing. It keeps your cardiovascular system in tip-top shape, which many will struggle to do through weight lifting alone. Truth be told, you can get results from cardio, especially when it comes to fat loss. However, they’re hard to continuously come by. The body enjoys this system called progressive overload where you continuously increase some variable of your workout.
5. Women don’t need to eat as much protein
Women don’t need to eat as much protein as men, sure. But that’s only because men and women have different caloric needs. Women looking to lose fat should keep protein consumption rather high relative to their overall calorie consumption. Having a high protein consumption while trying to lose fat will help you preserve lean muscle while also helping keep you feeling full.
With that said, don’t let myths hold you back from achieving your fitness and body goals.