Multiple noted bodybuilding personas, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, have debunked the myth that women should refrain from training like men. The 6x Mr. Olympia, Dorian Yates, recently echoed the same narrative, explaining the reason behind their contradiction.

The myth that men and women should train differently stems from the belief that women would become unusually bulky if they delved into strength training like men. Hence, during his appearance on a recent edition of the Huberman Protocols podcast, Yates was questioned whether women should train differently from men to achieve a transformed, muscular physique.

"I don't think so," the 64-year-old blew away the idea. "They have the same muscles in the same place. The same rules apply [for both]. The muscles are not gonna grow unless you overload them."

Additionally, Yates also disclosed that women are, in fact, a lot more immune to building exceptionally bulky muscles despite strength training, which is completely contrary to what the myth suggests.

"It's [the growth of muscles] is just gonna be limited by the fact that you're a female and you don't produce a lot of testosterone, which makes it much more difficult to build muscle," continued Yates.

Coming back to the podcast host, Dr. Andrew Huberman's question, Yates mentioned that he views "strength/resistance training" as the only way for women to achieve a noticeable physical transformation with more muscle mass.

"The only way to really change your physical appearance is resistance training," Yates said. "You need to build muscle and lose body fat, and you'll look leaner. And don't worry bout building too much muscle, unless you are a genetic outlier."

Several years ago, another noted multiple-time Mr. Olympia winner said the same thing about women who want to work out.

Arnold Schwarzenegger advised women to lift weights without worrying about bulking too much

Arnold Schwarzenegger's years of experience and prowess in bodybuilding make him one of the most prominent commentators about the sport, whom many look up to. And the 7x Mr. Olympia had also debunked the myth that women would bulk up unusually if they delve into lifting weights (strength/resistance training).

During his appearance on the November 13, 1979, episode of the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Schwarzenegger mentioned that he receives plenty of questions related to this myth from women.

"It's one of the most common questions I get, that women are afraid of getting [unusually] muscular [if they lift weights], which they don't," Schwarzenegger said.

He disclosed that this was primarily because women had 25% more fat cells than men and 25% less muscle cells than men. He stressed that working out will remove the layer of fat over the muscles to make them more prominent.

If you are a woman reading this, will you lift more than you were lifting after listening to Schwarzenegger's and Yates' opinions?

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Written by

Souvik Roy

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi