There are tons of myths associated with weight training today. Parents feel lifting weights will stunt their child’s growth. Women think they’ll look like professional body builders overnight and in more recent times, people looking to lose weight feel they can do so just by doing an intense cardiovascular workout. 

And you know what – they’re all wrong! Lifting a moderate amount of weight, combined with a strict diet and adequate rest is the key to staying fit and keeping that unwanted fat of your body. Why? I’m glad you asked. You see lifting weights raises your metabolism keeping it elevated for hours even after you finish your workout. This in turn improves your body’s ability to burn calories and we all know that burning calories is the cornerstone to weight loss. 

Parents who feel their children will remain midgets if they lift heavy weights should be made to understand that lifting weights in fact improves bone density. While lifting a moderate amount of weight, there is a constant amount of pressure being exerted on your muscles, which in turn works your skeletal structure as well. This constant pressure causes the muscles to tear and grow eventually, while the bones supporting those muscles get stronger in the long run as well. This protects your body against back problems, posture issues and more serious ailments like osteoporosis. This is also something older women should take note of as postmenopausal women are prone to osteoporosis due to the absence of estrogen. 

And finally we come to the ladies who feel lifting weights will make them all sorts of bulky. This one actually amuses me to no extent, because most women have not idea of the sheer amount of hard work and perseverance it takes to become a Mr. Olympia. Anyway, sheer misguidance aside, women cannot achieve that sort of muscle growth (unless they’re on some serious steroids) because they lack the amount of testosterone as men do, which is key to building muscle. Also with a moderate amount of weight lifting women can tone up their body much better than they would with just aerobic exercise so ladies, don’t feel shy and hit those weights.