Tireless in our search to monitor the perception and promotion of weight training for women, FMS comes across articles like these on a weekly, if not daily, basis. The vast majority of them focus on the weight loss/fat loss angle, informing women their metabolism will soar, that muscle will burn more calories than fat, and that pretty soon you'll lose those muffin tops and/or fit into your skinny jeans.
Other articles - generally the ones that have A LOT of reasons and are more 'serious' in tone - focus on the longer-term health benefits such as bone strength maintenance, improved posture, and, consequently, better all-round health in old age.
Many of these pieces are rehashed versions of ones that have appeared before, but occasionally there's a whole new round of them after new research discovers yet another benefit. Back in 2012, for example, researchers found that women can, and frequently do, have orgasms while weight training (as reported by FMS: No Wonder She's Smiling). A more important (perhaps, I guess it depends on your point of view) recent finding that gained widespread coverage at the beginning of this year was that women who pump iron in the gym cut their risk of developing diabetes.
More often than not, the articles are accompanied by images of a woman lifting weights. Without exception, the women are toned but by no means muscular.
And this is all good. Anything that gets more women into the free weights area and adds to the sum total of female muscle in the world should, I think, be applauded. And it's unrealistic to expect anything other than a quote unquote healthy-looking model to illustrate these articles, much as I'd like it to be otherwise.
The prelude to these articles generally includes something along the lines of "Most women are put off the idea of lifting free weights because of the misconception that picking up anything heavier than their water bottle will make them resemble an Olympic shot putter/Arnold Schwarzenegger/the female equivalent of the Incredible Hulk." This misconception, the articles often go on to say, "comes from seeing pictures of freaky bodybuilders who aren’t representative of weight lifting."
Again, I ain't complaining. These are mainstream articles in mainstream publications, designed to appeal your "average" woman. And your average woman, apparently, really is worried about becoming "too" muscular, about losing her femininity, and about turning into the female equivalent of the Incredible Hulk.
But, just for a change, once, just once, I'd like to read a different kind of article. An article illustrated not with healthy-looking models, but by huge muscular women in their prime. An article that begins not with reassurance to the readers that weight training won't turn them into "freaky bodybuilders", but a promise that it will!
Entitled something like 10 Reasons Why You Should Train Like An FBB or perhaps Why Settle For Less When You Can Be A Goddess? (quite like that second one, quite proud of that) the author should be a woman (much as I'd like to give it a crack myself), a woman who finds massive female bodybuilders utterly enthralling. And she'd really really want her audience (of women) to understand why.
Backed up by quotes from genuine female muscle beasts, the author would outline the advantages of a massively muscular physique. Reasons why her readers should aspire to be just like the women she has interviewed. Empowerment! The sense of control over her own body, the sense of achievement as she lifts greater and greater weight with ever-increasing assurance. The knowledge that all eyes are on her when she enters a room. The increasing intensity of her sexual experience as she grows. The hold she has over the men who find her so intoxicatingly attractive, strangers who will write hundreds, thousands of words in tribute to her(!) Men who will spend large portions of their income to shower her with gifts or to meet her. The strong, muscular body she has forged with iron completely reversing traditional gender roles as the man kneels, submissive, trembling with excitement before her...
An article that persuaded women to lift weights because they should aspire to be female bodybuilders would be a refreshing change from all the articles that promise women that lifting weights won't turn them into anything of the sort. Miranda Kerr's a fan, says one of the more recent articles that have cropped up. A "fan"? Really?! I wonder if Miranda's an FMS reader, just like a few other fans of women who lift. Beyonce does it, as does Kelly Brook, it continues. Yeah? Well, that's great and all, but check it out, they don't do it quite like Lisa and Tazzie do it, do they?
Enjoy!
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