Can weight training cause a loss of femininity in women?
by Danijela Crevar
(Author of the book “Where Your Mind Goes, The Body Will Follow)

Any of you are probably wondering - is it possible to stay feminine and gentle while exercising with weights? I have heard many times comments that weight training is not for women. Working as a personal trainer, I listened the scared voices of women, telling me that they do not want to look like a man; also, there are opinions that women can gain muscle over night if they exercise with weights. Sometimes weight training is misleading with weight lifting. Some people opinions go to the extremes; those extreme opinions are that weight training and body-building will transmute women into men.

What does the word “Femininity” means?

Femininity – physical and behavioral characteristic as tenderness in women.

Body shaping, weight training and fitness exercise does not change the gender. Being feminine is coming from inside. You do not have to necessarily exercise with weights and look less feminine. There are many women who never took any weight in their hand and they still do not look so gentle and feminine. Femininity is coming from the way you look, the way you move, the way you dress, hairstyle or make up you wear, the way you express yourself. It is full package. It is not because you are shaping your body.

How can you lose femininity, if your waist is getting leaner, butt tighter, legs fuller? With weight training you carve your body and beautiful curves. All of these physical characteristics represent modern, healthy, fit and nicely shaped women.

I’ve been exercising with weights for 20 years now. I came from culture and country where body building and weight training was mostly popular for man. I will never forget reaction of my family, when I told them that I love and enjoy being in this sport. In the gym, where I exercised were all man. I could not find any kind of support either from my family or my friends. My mom thought, I am going to destroy my body with weight training. I wanted to prove her and everyone else differently. I wanted to prove that weight training is equally fine for women as it is for man.

I knew from beginning what I wanted to accomplish with this sport. I knew what kind of body I want. I knew that with shaped body I will look fit, sexy, strong and yet feminine. In my mind there was not a single doubt, that lifting weights will make me hard and less gentle or feminine.

Being feminine is what we think and how we feel. Being sexy and attractive comes from inside. Beautifully and nicely shaped body can only help us express more how we look and feel. I knew that if I shape my body the way I imagined, I will be able to express more myself as women. Honestly, nothing stopped me once when I felt what this sport does for my mind, body and soul. This is why I decided to write about this and tell what fitness, weight training or body-building is about.

I want everyone, especially ladies to know that there is no better and healthier way to shape your body then through this sport. So, as I said I’ve been exercising 20 years now. 20 years, a lifetime. Do I look or feel like a man? Not at all; I lift heavy weights. All I do in my workouts is weight training. I hardly do any cardio. I totally love the feeling in my body while I do exercise with weights. I am shaping my body. With this sport I am making my body healthy and strong. Besides shaping and carving my body, I focus on staying feminine and gentle.

Being muscular in competitive world of body-building is different story. It is life of dedication, life of profession, life of an athlete. Fitness lifestyle, weight training and body shaping is for everyone, who wants to look beautiful, fit, attractive and in shape. Fitness lifestyle and weight training is for everyone who wants to improve their health. Fitness lifestyle and weight training is for everyone who wants to feel good in their body, mind and soul.

Some practical advices on how to stay feminine while exercising with weights:

- Remember, the difference between weight lifting and weight training or body building. Weight lifting is about how heavy you lift. Weight training or body building is about body shaping.

- Knowing what is weight training really about; shape your body the way you want.

- Do not be ever afraid that workouts with weight will make you less feminine. Is the femininity, what you want to keep or improve? Exercise with weights can not change it, just improve it.

- Outside of gym, practice and show your feminine side, through the way you style yourself, walk and talk.

- Being gentle, tender and feminine is about how you feel, what you think and how you present yourself.

- Do not compare yourself with professional athlete women in body building. As I mentioned earlier, those women are professional athletes and the way they look is for competitive stage only. Being more muscular as women, does not mean less feminine.

I hope, that this article will answer some, if not all of the questions about staying feminine and exercising in the gym. Stay healthy, fit and strong. And do not forget that no matter what you do you are first and foremost a “Women”.

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