Don’t Fear Bulking Up: Why Women Should Train With Kettlebells
Fear of bulking-up keeps most women out of the weight room. However, fear no more. Train with kettlebells and you can achieve the lean, athletic body you want, without fear of building a manly physique.
As a female Kettlebell Sport competitor, I wanted to share some of my knowledge with you ladies regarding strength, bells, workout sets, volume, and fear of getting “big”.
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It’s important to share that I haven’t limited myself only to this fun shaped ball of iron. I also incorporate barbells, bulgarian bags, rowers, airdyne bike, and mace just to name a few.
Why Should Women Train with Kettlebells?
Reason #1: They Build Endurance and Burn An Insane Amount Of Calories
Bells are great for ballistic movements such as the Swing, American swings and Squat Swings, which are way more demanding.These variations of the Kettlebell swing will jack your heart rate up, so you can go heavier with 5-10 reps at time and work both strength, power and cardio vascular endurance all at once.
Reason #2: They Help Women Get The Body They Want Without Bulking Up
This burns an insane amount of calories and conditions your body in such a way that you will build muscle, stay lean, move better, but not “bulk up.” What this translates to is a beautifully lean body for you female athletes; strong, sexy, and feminine! Just the way most women want to achieve.
In addition to strengthening my legs to handle the heavier bell I had moved up too, I had a photo shoot I wanted him to prepare me for (me being a girl, its about legs and glutes!).
Zach gave me an amazing program, but reassured me that it would almost be impossible for me to bulk up too much due to the massive calorie burn of my Kettlebell training.
What size kettlebells should women train with?
This is really important as it allows technique to stay the same as you move through your work-sets with different weights. Common kettlebells you find in most gyms are either all black or have a rubberized coating on them. In most cases they vary in size, as well as their handles. Some are thick, thin or a slightly different in shape.
A short month later, I was using a 20kg for my sets and then began to prepare for competition with a 24kg kettlebell. Again, one of the primary reasons women should train with kettlebells is the overall effect it has on your body.
I get lots of complements on my shoulders and arms and how sculpted and toned they are. My backside is also higher, tighter and smaller!!! It also did not cause me to bulk up.
If you are not getting the results you want, are tried of endless cardio on the treadmill, you have to change what you are doing, period. Don’t be afraid of using tools like kettlebells or using heavy weight. You’ll get the body you want quicker and will have a lot more fun.
