Weightlifting & Women 5 Myths BUSTED

Weightlifting & Women: 5 Myths BUSTED — Time to Burn the Rulebook

Let’s talk about lies. Subtle ones, loud ones, ones wrapped up in yoga pants and sold with soft lighting and green juice. The fitness world—especially when it involves women and weightlifting—is jam-packed with myths that have more staying power than bad perfume. They linger. They confuse. And they’re costing women real results, time, confidence, sanity. Why do they stick around? Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s old science. Maybe it’s just easier to sell fear than it is to sell effort.

Anyway, I’ve been there. The pink dumbbells. The 1,200 calorie meal plan that left me dizzy halfway through a spin class. The belief that lifting heavy was “manly.” Spoiler: none of it worked. What did? Steel. Focus. Lifting heavy and eating like I meant it.

Let’s dismantle this thing. Five myths—some absurd, some subtle. All busted.

Myth #1: “Lifting Will Make You Bulky” (Whatever That Means)

You’ve heard it. “Don’t lift heavy—you’ll get bulky!” As if you could just sneeze and grow traps like The Rock.

This myth is… wow. Persistent. Probably because it plays into that deep cultural fear of women taking up space. Strength equals size, and size equals, well, too much. So we shrink. We get smaller. We’re told smaller is better.

But—science time—you do not have enough testosterone to bulk up like a man. Period. You’d have to eat, sleep, and train like a machine for years. And even then, your version of “bulk” wouldn’t be what you think.

Let me paint you a picture: I once deadlifted 265 pounds while wearing mascara and still couldn’t fill out the sleeves of my jacket. My jeans fit better. My back stopped hurting. I didn’t get bulky. I got unbreakable.

And yes, there are women with dense, powerful physiques. They trained for that. It didn’t sneak up on them like some sort of muscular jump scare.

Myth #2: “If You Want to Lose Weight, Just Do Cardio”

Ah, the sacred elliptical. Ten minutes in, dripping sweat, heart pounding, and the calorie tracker tells you you’ve burned… 112 calories. Yay?

Look. Cardio’s not evil. It has its place. But this idea that it’s the only way to lose fat is outdated—and honestly, lazy thinking. Cardio burns calories while you do it. That’s it. Once you stop, game over.

Strength training, though? It changes your body’s entire energy economy. Lifting builds lean muscle, and lean muscle demands fuel—even at rest. Think of it like installing a bigger engine in your car. Even idling, it uses more gas.

In fact, studies (real ones, not influencer quotes) show that lifting improves insulin sensitivity, hormone balance, and resting metabolic rate more than cardio. And yes, it still burns calories. Just… differently. Smarter.

Also: cardio doesn’t “shape” your body. You don’t treadmill your way to curves. You build them.

Myth #3: “High Reps, Low Weights—That’s How You Get Toned”

The word “toned” should win an Oscar for Best Fictional Term in Fitness Marketing. What does it even mean?

Let’s break this: people use “toned” to mean lean, defined muscles. But here’s the kicker—you can’t tone muscle. Muscles either grow, shrink, or stay the same. What people really want is lower body fat and visible muscle definition. That’s it.

Now, the idea that 3-pound weights and 100 reps will get you there? Delusional. Your muscles adapt to challenge. If you’re not challenging them—really testing them—you’re not changing them.

Also: those “long, lean muscles” from barre class? That’s just… muscle. All muscle is “lean” by default. You don’t get ballerina arms by fluttering around with zero resistance.

Want a sculpted, tight look? You need resistance. Progressive overload. And yeah, probably heavier weights than you’re comfortable with right now.

Myth #4: “Weightlifting Is Dangerous for Women”

Let me tell you what’s dangerous: sitting all day. Bone density loss. Joint instability. Weak glutes.

Lifting weights, when done properly, is one of the safest and most empowering things a woman can do for her body. But we’ve been sold the myth that it’s too aggressive. Too intense. Unsafe.

I watched my 63-year-old aunt learn to squat to a bench with a kettlebell and literally cry because her knees didn’t hurt anymore. I’ve trained pregnant friends who thrived with deadlifts and lunges up to their third trimester (their doctors approved, of course). Lifting doesn’t break you—it builds you.

Honestly? The most dangerous thing is being physically unprepared for life—tripping on a curb, lifting groceries, aging without muscle. That’s the stuff that wrecks you. Not a barbell.

Myth #5: “The Weight Room Is a Man’s World”

Okay. This one makes my blood boil a little.

There’s this unspoken rule—this vibe—that the weight room belongs to men. It’s uninviting, intimidating, loud. And somehow, we’re made to feel like we’re trespassing. Like we should just go back to Zumba or Pilates and “leave the heavy stuff to the guys.”

You know what? No. Absolutely not.

Women belong in the weight room. More than that—we’re redefining what strength looks like in those spaces. We’re not there to shrink, to be delicate. We’re there to claim space, to grow, to move with purpose.

It took me weeks to walk into the free weights area at my gym. When I finally did, with trembling hands and a shaky deadlift, nobody died. Nobody laughed. Eventually, I became that woman—focused, wired in, lifting more than a few of the men. It didn’t happen overnight. But it happened.

You don’t need permission. You need persistence.

Let’s Be Real—This Isn’t Just About Fitness

This is about power. Ownership. Waking up and realizing that maybe, just maybe, we’ve been played. That maybe the whole “smaller is better” thing was never about health.

Weightlifting isn’t a trend—it’s a shift. A revolution. It’s women saying “I want more,” and actually building it—rep by rep, plate by plate.

So here’s my ask—scratch that, my challenge: stop outsourcing your power. Stop letting dusty myths write your training program. Step into the weight room, whatever that looks like for you—home dumbbells, garage rack, gym floor—and lift like you mean it.

Lift for strength. Lift for sanity. Lift because you’re done playing small.

Five myths? Gone.
Time to get loud.