By Elena Voropay

Weight training for women is not new. In fact, in more gyms now you can see as many women as men mastering their techniques with dumbbells, on the resistance machines and in weight-training group classes. However, some women are still skeptical about pumping iron fearing of becoming big and bulky. Others find weight training is too difficult and heavy and is something only men should do. Then there are others who just don't feel quite right lifting and get better comfort with cardiovascular activities.

 Rest assured as weight training is now known as a great way to boost your metabolism, increase strength, tone muscle and help you lose body fat. If you are afraid that you may become too muscular and gain weight if you start resistance training, here are your most burning questions answered.

Can I gain weight with resistance training?

It should come at no surprise if you put on a kilo or so and drop a few dress sizes when after a few months of regular weight training. The weight gain from resistance training program mainly comes from increase in your muscle mass which is much more dense than your fat mass. Remember that muscle takes up several times less space than fat does, so smaller dress sizes, improved posture and increased confidence come together as a bonus for your weight training dedication. So, it is not the flabby fat, but the lean, strong and functional tissue which burns calories even at rest.
How do muscles grow?

What happens in your body is called muscle hypertrophy, or increased muscle size. There is a lot of controversy about the theories that try to explain the exact mechanism of muscle growth. One theory suggests that hypertrophy takes place due to the increase in the number of muscle fibres (hyperplasia), another presumption holds that the number of fibres does not change, but the size of existing individual fibres grows (hypertrophy) in response to overloading the muscle with resistance such as weight training. Hypertrophy theory seems to hold more water and has been studied thoroughly by the researchers.

Besides muscle growth, are there any body structures that go through changes with weight training?
Indeed, as all body structures are connected and represent one whole body. As each individual muscle fibre increases in size, it incorporates more protein, enzymes, energy storage and water. These are the good structural components of your body which keep your system going. Connective tissue that holds your muscles together will also thicken adding to the toned appearance. Bone mineral content will go up making your bones stronger. All these factors contribute to increased body weight. However, more muscle wouldn't happen without your hard gym work, which also contributes to the amount of burned calories, faster metabolism even at rest, more burned fat stores and greater overall health.

Why do some women gain weight and get too muscular while others drop sizes and become more feminine after a few weeks of resistance exercise?

Just like there are no two exactly similar faces or palms, there are no two exactly same human beings. And just like everybody looks different in the same dress, everybody responds differently to different diets and training programs. Same thing happens with weight training as it applies to men and women. There are mainly four reasons behind it: training program, genetics, body type and hormones.

Should women train differently from men?

When it comes to the workout, same rules applies to both men and women - lifting heavy weights with as few as 4-10 repetitions stimulates muscles to grow stronger and bigger. On the other hand, challenging muscles with lighter weights for more than 15 repetitions is likely to simply tone up and shape your muscles without much increase in size. You also have to remember that, as everywhere else in life, results you get from weight training depend on the amount of effort you put into it. If you work out on a regular basis, push yourself beyond your comfort level, constantly increase the resistance or the weights you lift, you will progress. If you follow the same workout for months without changing anything, your body will still benefit, but at some point the changes will come to a stalemate. It may be a good when you get to your desired weight and shape, but even then, your mind will desire changes to avoid boredom.

How much do you I need to lift to 'bulk up'?

In order to bulk up, you will have to train 5 times per week to stimulate muscle growth, eat three times the amount of food you eat plus take supplements to provide sufficient energy for growth, sleep at least 8 hours every night and reduce the stress level in order to give your body the optimal environment for recuperation from exhaustive training. In other words, growing muscles is an extremely difficult task and requires a lot of attention and effort.

Why men get more muscular that women after training with weights?

This fact has been around for quite a while now - women don't have the hormones to build large amounts of muscle mass. Even when following the same weight training program, men can grow huge bulky muscles while women show only slight increase in volume but greater increases in density of muscles. The reason is in male hormone testosterone which is responsible for building muscles. While women have some testosterone circulating in their systems, mostly they don't have nearly as much as needed to bulk up with weights.

Evolutionary, men were blessed with this hormone to be strong hunters and provide for the family. Women were blessed with all the child-bearing hormones to give birth and nurture future generations. The traits remain to this day. What should be considered, some women naturally have higher testosterone levels and tend to respond to weight training by building muscles faster than others. Interestingly, some men may have higher levels of estrogen, a female hormone responsible for additional fat on your hips and around your belly.