Weight training is a slippery slope for a lot of women. Many are afraid of bulking up and skip it altogether, while others — including actress Kristen Bell — use lighter weights to avoid looking too muscular. The accepted logic is that heavier weights equal big muscles and using lighter weights is the best way to slim down and maintain "womanly" tone. Not so, says a recent article in the New York Times: using heavier weights is more slimming than you think.
First things first. The article challenges the notion that lifting big weights means you're going to get big muscles. There is a reason that bodybuilders are so fond of those mega-calorie extreme protein shakes; if you want to go big, you have to eat big. Those bulked up folks you see now and again are probably eating an excess of 2,000 calories a day.
To find out what weights you should be lifting to lose body fat, read more
