I never attempted to work out until I was in graduate school. I made it a personal project to work out every weekday and create a habit, but by default I did only cardio. It was a lot less intimidating. I would walk by the weight room, but I had no idea how to use the machines, what the movements were, or what the etiquette was. As a result, I never went in and never learned to lift weights.

Now, years later, I teach people to lift weights. One of the gifts of my job is being able to open up the world of weight lifting to them. To demystify it and make it fun. It’s not the guys doings curls in the gym. It’s not trying to get in and out of those contraptions of machinery. It’s something really rewarding.

When new female clients come into the gym, they frequently share a common concern. “Will it make me bulky?” Here’s the short and simple answer – no. No, you won’t get bulky.  The truth is, it’s really hard to get bulky. There are people who put a lot of time and effort into building muscle and it takes work. It won’t happen accidentally. I promise you.

You don’t have the hormones. Women just don’t naturally have enough testosterone to become muscular like a man. The women you see out there who do appear excessively muscular are most likely taking steroids, coupled with supplements and specific nutrition, and a lot of long hard hours in the gym.  Again, this will not happen to you by accident.

This isn’t to say some of you aren’t more genetically predisposed to developing muscle than other women. I acknowledge these women exist and I fall into that group myself. Just like some women are naturally tall and slender and some women are voluptuous – some women are naturally athletic in build. This is a healthy and good thing. There are people out there who wish they were you. Successful athletes are like you. Don’t wish it away.

Don’t feed it, if you don’t want it. One thing that can happen when you start a new workout regimen is that you stimulate your appetite. What can be perceived as mass gain may just be weight gain. It takes the building blocks we get from food to add either fat or muscle to our bodies. If we don’t provide the calories, we won’t put on either. Don’t starve yourself! Eat healthy, but remember that your hunger pangs may just be your body adjusting to a new workout regimen.

Lifting heavy is good for you. On the positive side, weight lifting is great for maintaining bone. This is something vital for all women as we age. Strong muscles means strong bones and the earlier you start resistance training the more benefit you will receive.

Muscle also creates shape! That word “toned” that trainers use all the time? What they are talking about is creating shape for your body, creating a pleasing silhouette. Think about what fat feels like and the consistency of it. Think about what the consistency of muscle feels like. Wouldn’t your body make and maintain a better shape if it were made out of muscle?

The best advice I can give you is to find a good trainer or a reputable gym to train at that teaches weight lifting classes. I personally learned about weight lifting through CrossFit LA and the CrossFit community at large, but there are other avenues out there. Find an expert and learn everything you can from them. You will look and feel better…and you might be surprised how much fun it is to be strong.

Last summer I bought myself a new television – a BIG television. The salesman asked me if I wanted help out of the store and I proudly said, “nope!”  I picked it up and carried it out myself, much to his surprise.  That’s a good feeling – and that’s from weight lifting.