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Gabrielle Haker

Professor Hunter

English 1201

20 February 2022

Why Women Should Be Weight Lifting

Weight lifting transformed Sarah Kuranda’s life. She started going by making a pact with

roommates, but it became so much more. She began by going out and found she liked

weightlifting over other forms of exercise. Over time, she commented on how much stronger she

felt. Sarah stated she was worried about growing bulky, but instead did the opposite and became

very lean. There are many women with a very similar story to Sarah’s, but more who could gain

to follow Sarah’s example. By lifting heavy weights, women could benefit greatly. Studies have

shown time and time again that weight training is the best way to lose fat, prevent different

diseases, increase mental health, and yet so many are scared due to the views that others place on

women. 

In the past, women have never been at the forefront of the fitness scene. Men were

introduced to health and fitness long before women were. At the start of the twentieth century,

exercising was introduced to young women. They started with stretching and dancing and

advanced to anything that would keep the number on the scale low, but still were getting

nowhere near the physical exertion than men were. Bodybuilding and weight lifting among men

were not popular until the 1960s, females began to participate in the 1980s, but it still was not as

popular even after the 20-year difference. The first move toward the spread of weight lifting as a
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common form of exercise was in the early twenty-first century with crossfit (Resinger). It was

only in the last 10 years that women began to appear in the gym specifically to lift weights. 

While there are many benefits to lifting weights, it is not recognized as a regular thing for

most women. The social stigma impacts many women into thinking that they will lose a piece of

their femininity if they begin to lift heavy weights or will be seen as masculine by society. It can

be isolating for women who seek healthier lives to be shut out from such a large part of the

fitness industry. Naman Kadian shared her story in a blog post on how she became a fitness

instructor. She fell in love with lifting through training for Defense Forces and continued to build

herself into the coach and leader that so many see today. Kadian commented, “Bodybuilding has

always been a male-dominated profession. I did not know any woman who was a fitness trainer

and was apprehensive about taking this as my career…people would body shame me and offer

advice not to lift weights because girls become ‘manly”(Rana). Kadian is explaining the double

standards that she faced as a woman in the fitness industry placed on her by both men and

women. Despite what others were saying about her, Kadian had to decide to continue to pursue a

healthy lifestyle and beat the odds against her. This is a shared experience among women and

can often be overwhelming when first entering a gym. 

Living in a world where many people look down on women getting into weight lifting

has a greater impact than it should on how women view themselves and for seeking fitness. In an

article published by Boston University, there was a major difference found in the number of men

versus women who meet the training recommendations put out by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. They stated that only 17.5% of American women and 20% of college-

age women can fill the requirements. In comparison, 23% of American men and 37% of college-
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age males complete the recommendations by the CDCP (Barlow). The expectations are placed

on women to look a certain way, train a certain way, and be healthy while simultaneously

shaming them when they make an attempt to join a weight lifting community. This is taking a

toll on the health of many women and can make them hesitate to enter an environment where

they have never been welcomed into. 

While it can be intimidating, there is a growing culture of women lifting and learning

from other women. The term ‘fitfluencers’, has become popular to define people who go online

and show the masses tips and tricks, different workouts, and how to feel confident in the gym.

These ‘fitfluencers’ have made it more socially acceptable for anyone to get into weight lifting

by giving information to those who may not have experience, but want to learn more about the

industry. This is spread throughout many social media platforms and is targeted to different

people. There are students, athletes, moms, teenagers, people of all ages in different occupations

coming together to spread messages on general health and expose the unfair stereotypes in the

fitness world. Workouts are posted and inspire others and make them feel more confident in a

gym setting.

People such as Katie Crewe go on social media, show what products they use, show their

progress, and prove that it is not impossible to lift and remain feminine. Crewe has nine-hundred

thirty-one thousand people following her and getting her insight as well as her advice. Pictured at

the top is Katie Crewe squatting (Crewe) and on the bottom, she is in an athletic jumping

position (Crewe).
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Weight training decreases injuries and women are naturally more prone to joint-related

injuries. More specifically in hips and knees because of genetic proportions. The National

Library of Medicine counted a total of 6.6 million knee injuries in the emergency department

between the years 1999 and 2008 (Gage). Women are more susceptible to these types of injuries

because men and women do not have the same anatomical structure. Dr. Garner explained that

the female pelvis is wider than the male pelvis. This simple fact changes the use and function of

the tibia and femur. This puts more stress on the soft tissues that support your joints

(Macmillian). This simple fact makes women 2 to 8 times more likely to suffer from an ACL tear
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and 1.5 to 2 times more likely to get a knee injury. This makes weight training especially

important for women to build the necessary muscle to strengthen the ligaments ensuring that

tears and sprains are less likely to happen. 

The pictured top is the difference between hip angles causing the large gap between how

likely it is to be injured in women versus men. (mass4d.com). Pictured bottom is a bar graph

used by Penn State showing the different rates at which High school athletes have ACL tears in

different sports. ACL tears have a long and painful recovery. Oftentimes, after a tear that severe

the victim never comes back to 100% in that leg. This can often mean the end of an athlete’s

career. This specific injury can affect someone’s career, general mobility, and everyday life.

Female athletes are more prone to ACL injuries than males. While both men and women play the

same sport, women are more vulnerable to ACL injuries due to the difference in their anatomy. 

This difference highlights the importance of women strengthening ACL and other ligaments to

avoid serious injury. (sites.psu.edu)

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Weight training also has a massive positive effect on mental health in many different

aspects. The brain cannot be trained with curls, flys, or squats itself, but is still a muscle that

must be worked. The mental side is arguably more important than the physical side of working

out, more specifically lifting. The positive effects are almost immediate and stay as long as the

activity continues. There are also long-term mental effects of weightlifting. 15% of the

population reports feelings of intense fear or stress in their adult lives. Everyone has hard days,

but the prolonged, overarching fear that exists in so many people can be put at ease with weight

lifting (Ramirez). There are many people who do not just partake in weight lifting for the
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physical benefits. Weight lifting helps lessen the anxiety associated with the mundane and

seemingly endless tasks in adult life. 

Weight lifting also can improve brain function and skill. There are a lot of habits people

do to ‘keep their mind sharp’ and lifting is a great way to fill that human need for intellectual

growth. It is reported that people who exercise the recommended amount have a better memory

and feel more prepared for any subject in their life. An energy boost also comes from the

increased metabolism associated with lifting that can give those who choose to make weight

lifting a habit. Someone who lifts weights experiences far less fatigue than someone who does

not. Lifting weights is also reported to improve both the quality of sleep and a person’s sleep

schedule. Getting better sleep improves confidence, self-image, energy levels, and physical

health, and all of these can be achieved by lifting weights. 

There are a lot of studies and personal stories explaining that weight lifting became

something they looked forward to because of the mended relationship between someone and

themself. They were able to walk through life with a more realistic and healthier sense of their

self-esteem. This is especially important as body dysmorphia can affect up to 60% of women

(Phillips). Feelings of being inadequate in comparison to others around them or a strong sense of

being unattractive cannot be cured, but lifting can help immensely with one's sense of self. Body

dysmorphia begins at a very young age for a lot of girls and continues into their early and later

adult years. The process of learning to lift and weight lifting is very important for women to get a

more positive and healthier image of their mirrors. 

At its purest, lifting is a form of self-care. The results both mentally and physically are

directly correlated to what is initially put in. Women tend to fall victim to feelings of insecurity
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based on the standards placed on them by their peers and by a society that only adds to the idea

that they are lesser than the other women they are around. 

Long-term health is also a huge factor in weightlifting. There are countless desirable

benefits that come along with lifting over a long period of time. Osteoporosis affects an

estimated 44 million Americans today and can be defined as a condition where bones begin to

become weaker over time. This causes easily broken bones, increased constant pain, and makes

someone much more likely to fall and become very weak internally. Most of those affected by

osteoporosis are over the age of 50. It is extremely common and can become very dangerous

when the vertebrae are affected. (Department of Health). Up to 80% of victims of osteoporosis or

brittle bones are women due to hormone imbalances and chemical changes throughout

menopause and the years after. (Office of Women’s Health). Doing various exercises like cables,

machines, free weights, and even bodyweight movements over a long period puts stress on the

bones that are being worked on, and in turn, increases bone density. With strong bones,

osteoporosis cannot take hold and cause harmful side effects to anyone. 

There has been a long-term debate on whether cardio or weight training is better for you.

Both can be extremely beneficial, but cardio by itself is not better than strength training by itself.

Cardio workouts can improve blood flow, increase mood, and give energy (Cleveland Clinic

Staff, The (Many) Benefits of a Cardio Workout, Clevelandclinic.org). As explored above,

lifting can do those same things to people who do it consistently. Lou Schuler, a fitness journalist

wrote in The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess, “So if you

add it all up, weight workouts give you two, and possibly three, important advantages over

endurance exercise: 1. The afterburn might be an extra 50 calories. 2. A higher percentage of fat
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calories used for energy after the workout. 3. A possible increase in resting metabolic rate, in the

neighborhood of 50 calories a day” (Schuler). Lou is not refuting the benefits of aerobic

exercises but explaining that a few advantages to weight training make it a more effective

workout than just cardio training. 

There is also a common misconception that the only way to be in good cardiovascular

standing is through aerobic exercises such as biking, walking, running, swimming, etc.

Weightlifting can also have incredible results as far as heart health goes. There was a study done

by Iowa State University in 2018 where they concluded that “Lifting weights for less than one

hour a week may reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke by up to 70% researchers concluded,

with the results showing that the huge benefits of strength training are independent of running or

any other kind of aerobic activity” (Larbi). The study is explaining that someone who simply hits

a bench press or a deadlift can be just as good as cardiovascular standing as a runner or someone

else who partakes in a lot of running.  

         Lifting can help decrease the possibility of being more vulnerable to many different

diseases. One example is that weightlifting can decrease the possibility of getting type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes affects an estimated 1/10 people in the United States. The disease is tied to

strokes, nerve damage, and blindness. Weight lifting has many positive impacts beyond simply

altering the way you look.

         There are so many preventable conditions that can be taken care of by weightlifting a few

times a week. It’s not something you necessarily need to do every day. But implementing it in an

everyday lifestyle can make a great impact.  There is a strong push from the public to popularize

and make training an available space for women and men alike. Influencers like Katie Crewe are
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working every day to spread the word about how important it is to take control of the life that is

given and to encourage her followers and viewers to live healthily. Weak bones, being in a

mentally bad place, diabetes, and so much else can be affected by this one thing. It is important

to live healthily and women should be lifting to help themselves and to help others. 
 Works Cited

Meisenheimer, Karen. “Sports Scientists Say Weight Lifting Is Key in Preventing Severe
Injuries.” News, 1996, https://news.ufl.edu/archive/1997/10/sports-scientists-say-weight-
lifting-is-key-in-preventing-severe-injuries.html. 

Estes, Christye. “The Top 4 Reasons Girls Don't Lift Weights.” Human Performance Blog · Volt
Athletics, Human Performance Blog · Volt Athletics, 29 Mar. 2018,
https://blog.voltathletics.com/home/2013/11/26/top-4-false-reasons-girls-dont-lift. 

Glover, Lacie. “All Women Should Lift Weights | Wellness | US News.” US News, 2015,
https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/03/23/all-women-
should-lift-weights. 

Ramirez, Amenda. “Resistance Training Improves Mental Health.” Resistance Training

Improves Mental Health, 2010,
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/RTandMentalHealth.html. 

Reisinger, Brian. “The History of Women in Fitness.” IRONPLATE STUDIOS, IRONPLATE

STUDIOS, 1 Apr. 2019, http://ironplatestudios.com/blog/2019/4/1/the-history-of-women-
in-fitness. 

Schuler, Lou, et al. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift like a Man, Look like a Goddess.
Michael Joseph, 2010.