Last issue I stated that this article would focus on strength training for self defensive purposes... and so it does. But before we move on to that, let's take a moment to discuss why you should strength train...and explode the biggest myth about women's fitness ever.

The myth is this: “Strength training will make women bulk up.”
    The scientific name for “bulking up” is Hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is a side effect of adaptation to resistance training, in which the muscle fibers respond by growing not only stronger, but also larger. But the amount of hypertrophy depends not only on how much the muscles grow, but also how they grow.
    The bulky hypertrophy of a bodybuilder is the natural response of a mesomorphic body type. The fibers grow fat and thick in order to grow more powerful. However, an ectomorphic body type has considerable difficulty with attaining hypertrophy. The muscle fibers grow longer in response to strength training, not thicker. This is considered a problem among bodybuilders, who attempt to overcome genetic limitations through supplementation.
    Here's the kicker, though. All women are in fact ectomorphic. In fact, even the “natural” weightlifters, the women who train without hormonal supplements, never quite exceed the lean musculature of a male ectomorph. Only female bodybuilders who ingest steroids and growth hormones can ever hope to achieve the obscenely grotesque appearance prized within the so called “sport.”
    That's good news for you, ladies, because as long as you don't indulge in illegal supplements to follow bodybuilders into physical deformity, you will NEVER “bulk up.” Female bodybuilders have masculine musculature because they ARE male, biochemically speaking. Hence their equine facial features, as their bone structure actually shifts from this unnatural and unhealthy regimen.

    Now for the really good news. The TRUTH about strength training, and how it applies to women: Men love strong women. Not just some men. ALL men, in all parts of the world. Even men in ostensibly mysogynistic cultures lust for strong, sexual women. In Bram Stoker's “Dracula,” Van Helsing warns the men to destroy Lucy and restore Mina, for he knows that mere mortals can never hope to withstand powerful and sexual wantons. Hippolyta is ensnared by both Theseus and Hercules in turn, but it was the mighty Queen of the Amazons that they desired.
    In Japan, the sexy Kitsune waits for the hunter mighty enough to ensnare her, scorning those too weak or unskilled to claim the fox spirit as their own. Catholic beliefs tells of the Succubus, a demon so powerful she can enter even monasteries to tempt entire orders of monks into abandoning their vows of celibacy. And among the ancient and long dead Sumerians, Ishtar was worshipped and loved by every man as the Goddess of Love and War.
    Today the entertainments dominated by male audiences continue to extol women who embrace both their strength and their sexuality. Science fiction heroines face off against alien monsters with courage and tenacity. Video games showcase scantily clad women performing feats of strength and agility, while slaughtering the bad guys with swords and guns. In comic books, super heroines wear skin tight spandex that showcases rippling physiques, while they charge into battle alongside their equally over-endowed male counterparts against insane fanatics and super powered criminals.
    Every man you know desires strong women. We don't want skinny little anorexics to cling to our arms, we want Goddesses to worship and adore. We admire your intelligence, we take pride in your achievements, and we hunger at your strength.

Be our Goddesses. Show us your strength.

Next article will focus on the specifics of strength training – different kinds of workouts, machines, weights, and calisthenics, what to do and how much of it. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I will enjoy writing it for you.

~Andrew Miller
SUITE Magazine