Short answer – yes. Obviously. Absolutely. Hell yeah.
CrossFit makes you bulky
The reason we get asked this question is because there is a common myth that CrossFit will make you bulky. Images of female bodybuilders put women off lifting weights because they falsely believe they will end up looking ‘too muscular’.
‘Too muscular’ by the way is a subjective term. What one person thinks is ‘bulky’ or ‘big’ the next person thinks is ‘healthy’ and ‘lean’. There’s no perfect body shape, so the idea that CrossFit can make you look too ‘big,’ ‘bulky’ or ‘muscular’ as a woman, or a man, makes no sense because everyone’s ‘too’ is different.
The real point though, is that CrossFit will make you look however you want to look. How often you train, your diet, the movements you do the most; these are factors that will influence the effect CrossFit has on your body. So if you want epic glutes and a round arse, you can work on that but if all you’re interested in is staying in shape and having enough energy to get shit done then you can stick with that too.
Why weight training then?
You’ll probably know by now if you do any kind of fitness that you can’t spot reduce fat. Fat will come off where it wants to. However, with weight training for women and for men, you can strengthen specific body parts. How do you think we can tell when you’ve skipped leg day? Strength and conditioning training works every part of the body. It works best when you let muscles rest and repair so they can get stronger, which is why Crossfit workouts are always varied, to get maximum results from every muscle group.
You’d have to be lifting a lot of weights a lot of the time to get the kind of physique a bodybuilder has. If that’s your goal it’s entirely possible with hard work. But if it’s the reason you aren’t joining CrossFit, it’s not something you need to worry about.
So women should do CrossFit?
Women should absolutely do CrossFit and for the exact same reasons as men. It can, and will, make you leaner, stronger and healthier. It gives you confidence through a sense of achievement, improves self esteem, encourages friendship and community, and improves mental agility.
So should women do CrossFit? Not to repeat ourselves but Yes! Obviously! Absolutely! Hell yeah!