Strength training and NRL4W

I read a post by another blogger where she talked about weight lifting and NRL4W, which is a book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess",, by Lou Schuler (yes, a male author wrote a book for women). The blogger raved about the book so I bought it (I'm a sucker for a good book review).

The author, Lou Schuler, makes complete sense when he talks about something I've thought was probably true. A woman can't bulk up like a man by lifting heavy weights. We don't have the testerone and unless we're using steroids and working out for several hours a day, it's not physically possible to become a female, muscled-bound freak. I knew this was true, but I've read so many articles and books about weight lifting for women that always say to lift lighter weights, more reps, that I doubted my own common sense thoughts on this.

According to Lou, pick up the heaviest weight you think you can handle, then go to the next higher weight. That's the only way to get ripped muscles. He says to forget about the toning and shaping, that doesn't work, what you really want is muscle mass. It'll look great and will burn more calories (so you can eat more, which is my goal in life).

I found this statement on the internet and it's almost exactly what Lou says in NRL4W:

Fear of getting bulky. There's still a tired old myth running around that men should lift heavy and women should lift light to avoid getting big and bulky. Women hear this: Lifting heavy weights will NOT make you huge--you simply don't have the testosterone levels to build big muscles. Lifting heavy weights WILL help you lose fat.

I started using heavier weights yesterday, using 20 and 25-pound dumbells, and much heavier weights on the weight machines. It's definitely a lot harder than the 10 and 12-pound dumbells I had been using, but it's manageable. I'm surprised I'm not sore today even though I worked out really hard yesterday. Tomorrow I want to actually start the Stage 1 workout in NRL4W. The exercises look difficult, but strength training really is no pain, no gain. If it doesn't hurt at least a little, it probably means you're not lifting a heavy enough weight to build muscles.