The answer to that question is probably not. As women, many of us have the idea in our heads that if we do a lot of weight training, especially with heavy weights, then we’ll end up looking like a female body builder (or worse, we’ll look like a man). Luckily, like most things, that’s all in our head. There are women out there where this can happen with significantly increased caloric intake, nutritional supplements, and hours of heavy weight training in the gym each day. However, this will take a LONG time and A LOT of dedication, but you won’t accidentally end up looking that way. The big difference that keeps women from building muscle like men is the amount of testosterone in the body.
Testosterone is the hormone that assists with the development of muscle. According to the National Institute of Health, a normal testosterone range for men is 300-1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL), but the normal range for female is only 15-70 ng/dL. Other hormones in the body also play a role, but looking at these numbers alone indicate that women don’t have the necessary hormones to put on a lot of muscle bulk. So, never fear, get out your weights or hit the gym, but you’re not going to end up looking like a female Arnold Schwarzenegger (whew!).
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