by Ashlee Barber

You know that tight body all us women crave? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. It’s achieved by regular weight training, training even as hard as the men train. You might be thinking, “What do you mean weight train? Aren’t you going to ‘bulk up’ and become ‘manly’?” No! No! No! Ladies! It is almost impossible for you to ‘bulk up’ without some sort of supplement help. Suprisingly, high intensity weight training makes women smaller, not bigger.

That’s right ladies, smaller! The only way to achieve that desirable female physique is to move some serious iron in the weight room. It is physiologically impossible for most women to put on large amounts of muscle mass; your body’s hormonal makeup will not allow you to do so. Women, in particular, see tremendous benefits from weight training. Most women who exercise are spending most of their time in the gym doing cardiovascular exercise. That will only get you so far. Whatever your reasons for avoiding the weights, here are reasons why you should take weight training seriously:

• You’d be amazed how much your body will change with regular weight training. You can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass just enough to enhance your curves, and tighten everything up to create that svelte look and burn calories more efficiently.
• You will be physically stronger; increasing your strength will make you far less dependent upon others for help in daily activities. No more damsels in distress!
• You will lose body fat and isn’t that what we all want? For every two pounds of muscle gained, 3.5 pounds of fat will be lost.
• Exercising itself reduces health risks; weight training has been associated with increasing the levels of chemicals in your body that generate feelings of wellbeing, happiness. and energy!

Regardless of how you train, how often you train, or how much protein you eat and all that jazz. you’re not going to even come close to that big, bulky physique of a female bodybuilder. The side effects of weight training are increased energy, strength, happiness, a youthful glow, and that desirable firmer body every woman wants. Take it from someone who weight trains frequently. The goal was never vanity but to be healthy and strong. Nevertheless, for me, the greatest side effect has been confidence. I feel strong, confident, and ready to take on the world. And you can feel that way too!