Top 5 Misconceptions about Weightlifting (That Hurt Progress)

I want to clear up the top five misconceptions I see when it comes to weightlifting.

1. Weightlifting Makes Women Look Bulky

The first misconception is something that I hear all the time is that weightlifting or resistance training makes women bulky.

This is literally not true.

If you are a woman looking to get a toned or fit or lean physique—that comes from building muscle. Weightlifting doesn't make women bulky, it's just something that we've heard. Bulk is actually going to come from the body fat that is covering the muscle.

If you are a female and you're looking to get a toned or lean physique, you need to focus on building muscle. And when you lose the body fat that covers that muscle, that is where that lean or toned physique is coming from. Weightlifting does not make women bulky. That is a huge misconception. And you should just throw it out the window.

2. More Is Better

The next misconception I see is thinking that more is better. The issue with this is that when you're you know lifting weights, if you're not resting and recovering optimally, you're not going to see the gains that you want. I always say that you're breaking down your muscles in the gym, and you're building your muscles when you're sleeping, when you're recovering.

Doing more when it comes to lifting weights is not necessarily going to be better. You need to make sure that you're paying attention to how much you're recovering. You know whether that comes from your fuel sources, making sure you're fueling appropriately, making sure you're sleeping enough, making sure you're taking de-load weeks, making sure you're resting enough during the week and taking rest days.

When it comes to weightlifting, doing more is not necessarily better.

3. Sweat and Soreness Mean a Good Workout

The third misconception I see is that soreness and sweat correlate with having a good workout.

That is not true.

Sweat does not correlate at all with having a good workout. It doesn't matter how much you sweat or you know, if you don't sweat at all, that doesn't necessarily mean you had a great workout, especially when it comes to lifting weights. If you're chasing the sweat, that is definitely something that you want to just throw out the window.

And when it comes to soreness, a little bit of soreness is good. And that can be a sign that you are doing enough—that you have good intensity and progressing. But if you're sore all the time, that's actually a red flag that says that you're not recovering properly. A little bit of soreness is good—but too much soreness is actually probably not a great thing.

And when it comes to feeling sore after workouts, if you're new to weightlifting, you're probably going to feel a little bit of soreness until your body adapts to that. And then afterward, once it adapts and you keep doing that, you might not feel sore at all. But that doesn't mean that you're not having a good workout session. So don't correlate soreness or sweat with your workouts—they're not what's causing muscle or strength gain.

4. Weightlifting Doesn't Burn Calories

The fourth misconception is that you actually don't burn that many calories lifting weights. So a lot of people were you know, wearable tracking devices like Apple Watches, or Fitbits. And they might turn it on before they start their lifting session. And then after that, they see like, oh, I burned 500 700 calories in that lifting session.

Those are not very accurate.

If you are after a fat loss goal, and you're looking at those calories that you burn during your lifting session, they're probably not that accurate. What's important to realize is that the more muscle you build over time, the more calories you will actually need to eat to sustain your bigger muscles. So, you know, it takes a lot to maintain that muscle mass. And over time, the more muscle you build, the more your body is efficient at using the calories that you're consuming.

So that's going to be you know, a benefit for burning calories over time. But when we're looking at a single session, what your Fitbit is telling you, the calories you burn are probably a lot less than you think.

5. It's Easy to Build Muscle Fast

The fifth misconception I see is that it's easy to build muscle fast. That is not the case at all. Building muscle is a very slow process and it takes a long time and a lot of consistency. And it's you know, one of the things that a lot of people don't think about like the process of building muscle takes a lot of time and a lot of patience and a lot of just making sure that you are being consistent with it.

The reality is that you just have to be patient with it, you have to be consistent. You have to work hard—you have to follow a structure program that allows you to progress week after week, month after month.

Those are the most common misconceptions that I hear when it comes to lifting weights and resistance training, but they're definitely not the only ones. So if you want to learn more, check out some more of my videos on resistance training, lifting weights, and all that jazz.