Three new titles explore the power of women building muscle.
For most of modern history, women were warned that lifting heavy weights was unladylike and possibly dangerous. Even as lifting became more culturally acceptable for women in the 1980s, weight rooms largely remained the domain of men.
But in recent years, women have begun to discover, en masse, that building muscle can be an essential part of their health and mental well-being. The percentage of women who regularly strength trained grew to nearly 27 percent in 2020, up from 17.5 percent in 2004. And in the last year, a handful of gym chains have replaced some cardio machines with weight lifting equipment to meet the growing demand.
This surge has been fueled, in part, by a growing body of research showing that women can benefit from lifting at nearly every age and life stage.
As more women discover how good lifting makes them feel, more of them have written about their experiences in the weight room. And while earlier generations of women’s fitness books mainly focused on weight loss, the new crop of books encourages women to pursue strength, in and out of the gym.
This spring and summer alone, three new books explore what happens when women strive to build muscle. If you’re looking for motivation, confidence or guidance on starting or sticking with strength training, here’s what you’ll find in each one.