The concept of womens weight training might bring to mind images of bulked-up, masculine bodies. However...it simply ain't gonna happenbecause women, by nature, don't produce enough of the male hormone testerone.

The most important thing to keep in mind, and the reason we are discussing womens weight training here,is this:

...Fat takes up five times as much space as muscle....

This means if you replaced the fat on your legs with the same weight in muscle, your thighs get smaller, without losing a pound.

For this reason, the number of women using free weights in America has more than doubled in the past 10 years, from less than 8 million in 1988 to more than 17 million in 1999.

It's your 'body composition' that determines how you look...

By replacing fat with muscle through weight training, you can make an amazing transformation without losing a lot of bodyweight. You should actually be concerned about not having enough muscle, rather than having too much.

The bottom line is, any woman who is interested in losing fat, gaining strength, increasing muscle tone, and transforming her physique should be weight training.

Womens weight training for strength produces several important physiological changes:

1.Metabolism increases. Muscle maintenance requires more fuel than fat does; therefore the metabolic furnace is fired up. This means that even at rest, your muscles are burning more fuel (fat).

2.The density of the skeletal bones increases. Weight bearing exercise builds sturdier bones. This is of particular importance to women who may be prone to osteoporosis due to decreasing estrogen levels during menopause or a genetic predisposition.

3.Womens weight training develops stronger ligaments and tendons. These joint supports tend to weaken as we age. Strength training allows for continued enjoyment of the activities you love throughout all the stages of life.

4.Prevents atrophy.Unless you use them, your muscles gradually decrease in size and strength (atrophy). Without training, humans lose more than ½ pound of muscle every year after age 25!

Resistance training helps to develop bone mass and generates the round shape of the muscles within the body, giving your clothes something to hang from.

Womens weight training results in stamina and physical power to do the things that we need to do in our daily lives. Simple things like carrying the groceries up a flight of stairs without gasping for air or picking up your child without putting your back out.

All of these are great reasons for buying some dumbbells and getting off the couch!

For many years, womens weight training equipment catered to the needs of men. The equipment looked masculine and was built to support the larger frame males. But as women became aware of the benefits of hoisting a little weight, manufacturers of strength training equipment have realized that they had better get busy addressing the needs of females.