Lexington, KY - Looking around the room at the equipment in my strength and conditioning class, you would think it was a manly-man's dream come true. There are kettle bells, chin-up bars, weighted prowlers, bench press stations, rings and all kinds of other brutish strength tools designed for functional training and more traditional conditioning moves that don't require high repetition. There are no pink, two-pound dumbells.
But lacking are the loud grunts and body odor -- instead, women are the majority in most of the 45-minute classes. They're forgoing yoga class and BodyPump for a traditionally testosterone-filled sweat session.
So why the rise in interest among women in strength training? After all, we've been told countless times that light weights with high repetitions and hours of cardio are the keys to getting fit. I've tried both methods, and I think I need to go with the guys on this one.
I'm not alone. Girls Gone Strong -- a group of buff female fitness pros with several founding Lexington members -- aims to educate women on the benefits of lifting heavy weights and training like a guy.
Nia Shanks, a trainer for almost nine years, is part of Girls Gone Strong and says women need encouragement to lift heavier weights despite what popular culture -- especially magazines and television --
has said for so many years.
"It's so ingrained in women's heads that it's really hard to combat," she said.
A popular myth, she said, is that women will bulk up and look too muscular if they weight train. Not true, Shanks says. And neither is the myth that putting in an hour on the elliptical machine is the key to burning calories. Instead, strong muscles increase cardio endurance and speed up metabolism even when the gym clothes are put away.
"There's a ton of benefits to strength training for women," she said. "Like for building the body they really want --
strength training is the way to go, not just cardio. And women definitely need to do weight-bearing exercise to prevent osteoporosis."
Additionally, she said, "confidence skyrockets."
"It's a more positive, motivating activity as opposed to some popular exercise methods, since all they do is chase fatigue," she explained. "It doesn't take a lot of time to get results if you do it right."
Girls Gone Strong aims to help women do it right. The newly formed group educates through social media channels and is working on creating seminars and building a membership-based website with exclusive videos and other educational tools.
"Our saying is, 'Redefining what it means to train like a girl.' And by that we just mean that we're going to provide women with the proper info they need about building the body they want," Shanks said, adding that they prove that women can be feminine and very strong at the same time.
And in my own experience, working out with heavier weights has been extremely beneficial. My running has improved and my muscle mass has increased while my body fat has decreased. The key is to learn proper technique, whether it's through online tutorials or a knowledgeable trainer at the gym. "And you can do a lot of home workouts with body weight and kettle bells," Shanks said.
First, master body methods like pushups, squats, glute bridges and hill sprints.
For a long time I would not go near the chin-up bar, now it's one of the first places I go at the gym and I feel infinitely stronger. I could not have achieved that if I had stuck to light weights and "toning" exercises.
The Girls Gone Strong ladies put me to shame, though. Some of their members whip off pull-ups with kettlebells dangling from their feet. Talk about training like the boys. Yet they still look ladylike ... just with some killer muscles that will carry them through life with energy, strength and confidence in their body to boot.