First of all, I wanted to say, I am a powerlifter. I don't do crossfit, or olypmic lifting. I do like to participate in Strongman events and I also have recently tried my hand at the Scottish games. One could say, I LOVE to lift and nothing makes me happier. That being said, I don't think I would like it as much, if I wouldn't get strong and progress from doing it. I don't really do it for the aestethics, that's a side benefit and the fat I am losing is more of a result from my eating habits and the conditioning I do. However, I rarely see many women in the weight room, and the ones I do rarely exert themselves and seem to be lifting the same loads week after week. I think this is a problem,(sure women are lifting weights now because the word is getting out that you won't look like a man,) but it's still prevalent in the gym, but its getting better. However, I wonder why soo many women chose to train in such a way, where they may "tone up," but don't ever get really strong. I admit, that it definitely is more difficult to date when many guys see your strength as a drawback, but that means "many guys" aren't worth your time. I'd like to put it out there that women should not only train just to loose fat and to build a little muscle, but they should train to get strong! Also, you don't always have to stick to higher rep schemes. Sometimes it is very beneficial for each set to have less than 5 reps, and each set can still challenge you. Max strength training is great and I love it! It's one way to test where you are and see what you can do! It's not a bad thing, and it's kind of awesome! I admit, I'm not the thinnest woman, and I haven't hit all my goals, as far as my health goes and my body fat. Training for strength keeps me motivated and it makes me feel good about myself, especially when I increase what I'm lifting. I also want to put it out there, for any women, I would love to help you out and if you have any questions about it, feel free! Right now, as of Thursday, I kicked my squat PR out of the park with a set of 3 at 265, my last bench press max at the end of March was 160, and deadlift max, also at the end of March, was 285. You could say, I'm pretty confident that any woman can get strong!