Women's voices become thicker during fitness

More than 90% of women feel that their voices have become thicker after exercising. This is either due to temporary edema of the vocal cords caused by incorrect use of the voice when exerting force, or the intake of banned supplements containing exogenous androgens. Under the premise of natural fitness and normal diet, strength training itself will never make your voice permanently thicker. There is absolutely no need to be anxious and afraid of masturbating.

There was a joke in the offline fitness group I was in last month. Xiao Ran, who had been practicing strength training for three months, came to us with her cell phone in hand and said that she had seen a post saying that girls would develop "manly voices" when practicing strength training. She herself had been feeling hoarse recently and couldn't pronounce high notes. When she looked up her voice from half a year ago, it was indeed sharper than now. She wanted to transfer her fitness card with one year left on it on the spot. We took her to see Dr. Li, an otolaryngologist with whom we were familiar. She was very happy when she took a laryngoscope and saw that her vocal cords on both sides were swollen as if she had a cherry in her mouth. We asked her if she screamed every time she squatted and deadlifted, making the entire equipment area turn around. Her face immediately turned red and she said that she had learned from the coach that she had to hold her breath and shout out to lift heavy weights.

Speaking of which, Xiao Ran cannot be entirely blamed for this. There is indeed a saying in the powerlifting circle that "vocalizing with heavy weights assists in exerting force." Many coaches will tell you that exhaling and vocalizing in short and powerful strokes when exerting force can quickly increase intra-abdominal pressure and stabilize the core. It is not a problem to be able to lift 5-10kg more when pushing heavy weights. However, most novices have not understood the core of exerting force, and have turned "abdominal vocalization" into "shouting at the top of their lungs", which is equivalent to speaking to the throat for an hour every day. It would be strange to practice for two weeks without becoming mute. Dr. Li said that this situation is too common. 8 out of 10 fitness enthusiasts who have been treated recently have this problem. There is no need to prescribe any medicine. Don't shout when you go back to exert your strength. If you really want to make a sound, just lower your throat and hum with your stomach. You can basically recover after a week of rest.

As for what everyone is most worried about, "strength training will increase testosterone and cause voice change", in fact, it is completely unnecessary. Women's basal testosterone level is only about 1/15 of men's. Even the short-term peak after heavy strength training is at most 30%-50% higher than the basic value, which is far from the threshold that can thicken the vocal cords and permanently change the voice. You must know that male pubertal voice change is achieved by testosterone levels continuing to soar more than ten times in a few years. The fluctuation caused by your training is not as big as the fluctuation caused by staying up late and having an aunt.

Of course, some people will say, "I know a bodybuilding girl who trains naturally, and her voice is thick." There are actually two things to say about this. On the one hand, there are indeed a few women who are born with higher basal testosterone levels than ordinary women. They have good strength and talent, and their progress in training is faster than that of ordinary people. Their voices are inherently low, and they are not acquired through training.； On the other hand, are you sure they are really "purely natural"? In the bodybuilding circle, there are many people who use anabolic steroids and exogenous androgens. These things can indeed cause women to have masculine characteristics such as thickened vocal cords, long beards, and Adam's apple. However, this has nothing to do with "natural fitness" and is a side effect of taking drugs. Several of my female friends who play natural games have been practicing for five or six years, and their voices are exactly the same as when we first met, and even the tone of voice has not changed.

There are also many people who say that "the voice becomes thicker" is actually an illusion after losing weight. A student who lost 28 pounds told me that he used to speak with a soft and cute voice, but now he always has a loud voice when he speaks. Has he become thicker? I asked her to send her current voice and her voice six months ago to mutual friends to guess. 9 out of 10 people felt that the current voice was clearer, and only she felt that it was thicker. To put it bluntly, there used to be a lot of fat on the face and neck, and when speaking, the resonance cavity was thick, and the voice had a layer of "dermabrasion filter". After the fat was reduced, the resonance became solid, and there was no dull feeling before. I was not used to it, and mistakenly thought it had become thicker.

If you really feel that your voice is hoarse after working out, don’t panic and deny training. First, recall whether you have yelled too hard at the weight recently? If so, don't press heavy weights in the past week. When you exert force, breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. If you really want to exert force, make a short "um" sound from your abdominal cavity. Don't strain your throat. Drink more warm light honey water and don't eat anything too spicy or too cold. You will be relieved in a few days. If you have never shouted, nor have you taken any Internet celebrity testicle-stimulating supplements or fitness pills, but your voice is getting louder and louder for a month, then don’t rely on fitness and go get a hormone checkup quickly. There is a high probability that there is an endocrine problem. Check it out early and adjust it early.

I have been practicing strength training for almost 7 years, and I can deadlift 110kg. I have a lot of female friends who go to the gym, and I have never seen any natural fitness person develop a thick voice. Don’t be fooled by those anxiety-mongering posts on the Internet. If you are really afraid, it is better to cover your throat the next time you squat, and don’t shout louder than the front desk. Haha.