WOMEN SHOULD TRAIN DIFFERENTLY THAN MEN??? MOST WOMEN DESIRE THE SAME type of body. They want to be lean but not too skinny. They want to have some muscle definition, particularly in their arms, stomach, and legs. And they want to have a bubbly butt that fills their jeans. And, amen! I’m all for that” “To achieve this physique, the average woman needs to lose fat and add some muscle. Just losing the fat wouldn’t be enough as most women lack the muscle that gives an athletic look (leaving them with the common skinny-fat body type). What is the best way to achieve these goals? Conventional “wisdom” has women grinding away on the treadmill every day and working out with three-pound dumbbells. I’ve yet to see a woman achieve a fitness model physique by doing that. Achieving a lean, athletic look takes nothing more than having a good amount of muscle and low body fat percentage. Reducing body fat percentage is mainly a function of diet, but what’s the best way to build muscle? Lifting weights, of course. And you’re probably not surprised that I recommend heavy weights. I can already hear you disagreeing. Women shouldn’t lift heavy weights because they don’t want to get bulky, right? Wrong. It’s incredibly difficult for a woman to ever reach the point of looking bulky, regardless of how hard or often she trains. The hormone that most directly regulates muscle growth is testosterone, and an average woman’s testosterone levels are a mere 5–10% of an average man’s. In one study, post-exercise testosterone levels were 45 times higher in men than women15. This isn’t surprising when you consider that resistance training doesn’t even increase testosterone levels in” “women—only a growth hormone called estradiol (a type of estrogen) and cortisol16. If you’re a woman, I PROMISE you that you will never wake up one day disgusted with your bulky physique if you lift heavy weights (heavy for YOU, but light for weightlifting guys) and stay lean. Getting to the point of having large, protruding muscles is a very gradual, grueling process that you would have to consciously work at every day, and it would take years.”
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 05:03:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015