Guest post by Darrin Clement of http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/ ©Darrin Clement
For the past few years, all the “experts” keep saying how a woman should lift like a man. But is it true?
The answer is yes and no.
Women can and should do nearly the same exercises as men, but because women have different goals and different chemistry, the ideal program will usually be different than what a man would use.
Why Do Some Experts Say a Woman Should Lift Like A Man?
Take a very fine book, probably the leading modern example of lifting for women and appropriately titled, “New Rules Of Lifting For Women” The subtitle says “Lift Like A Man, Look Like A Goddess.” Outstanding marketing, that’s for sure!
But the truth is, the workouts they put together look almost nothing like the workouts they put together in their first book “New Rules Of Lifting” which was for men.
I could argue that for some women, the workouts in the “book for men” would be ideal. And conversely, there are some men who might be better off following the workouts in the “book for women”.
It All Begins With Goals
But the truth is, the workouts they put together look almost nothing like the workouts they put together in their first book “New Rules Of Lifting” which was for men.
I could argue that for some women, the workouts in the “book for men” would be ideal. And conversely, there are some men who might be better off following the workouts in the “book for women”.
It All Begins With Goals
With anyone – I mean anyone – designing a great exercise program starts with your goals. While no two people have the exact same mix of goals in their lives, there are common buckets we talk about when it comes to fitness:
1. Lose Fat
2. Improve Endurance
3. Gain Strength
4. Increase Muscle Size
5. Feel Better Overall
6. Be “Healthy”
7. Recover From Injury
8. “Look Better”
1. Lose Fat
2. Improve Endurance
3. Gain Strength
4. Increase Muscle Size
5. Feel Better Overall
6. Be “Healthy”
7. Recover From Injury
8. “Look Better”
Most guys will have different top goals than most women.
An obvious example: For most men, muscle size will rank much higher than it would for most women.
And then, how much muscle? How much fat? How do you define “feeling better”? The result is an infinite range of goals.
Most women will say they want to
1. Lose weight
2. Improve muscle tone
An obvious example: For most men, muscle size will rank much higher than it would for most women.
And then, how much muscle? How much fat? How do you define “feeling better”? The result is an infinite range of goals.
Most women will say they want to
1. Lose weight
2. Improve muscle tone
Notice that these are not in the list above! Why not?
Because you don’t want to lose weight. You want to shed fat. You could lose weight by losing muscle. Or by cutting off your left arm. What you really want is less fat.
And there is no such thing as “muscle tone”. There’s muscle size and there’s the amount of fat surrounding it. Those two dynamics are the only things you control to give birth to the visual impact of your body that some people call “definition”.
Don’t Do Super-High Reps
Because you don’t want to lose weight. You want to shed fat. You could lose weight by losing muscle. Or by cutting off your left arm. What you really want is less fat.
And there is no such thing as “muscle tone”. There’s muscle size and there’s the amount of fat surrounding it. Those two dynamics are the only things you control to give birth to the visual impact of your body that some people call “definition”.
Don’t Do Super-High Reps
The muscle tone myth leads to the misguided workouts for women with super high repetition workouts. You know, going for 100 reps or even 5 sets of 20.
Super-high repetition weight lifting is good for one thing: endurance.
No, not fat loss.
No, not muscle size.
And certainly not muscle tone.
Super-high repetition weight lifting is good for one thing: endurance.
No, not fat loss.
No, not muscle size.
And certainly not muscle tone.
So What’s An Ideal Lifting Routine For Women?
To repeat my main points: It’s not about the gender – it’s about the goals!
That said, there are in fact common goals that women have, that differ from the common guy. So while we are generalizing in this article, they are still grounded in practicality.
Most women should do these things, just like men:
1.Lift free weights, with as heavy a weight load as you can do safely (it’s probably a lot heavier than you think). This should be the basis of your workouts.
2.Use cardio training only as an extra: to burn extra calories and to improve heart health, NOT as the basis of your workouts.
3.What you eat is far more important than how you work out. Especially if your goal is to lose fat. No workout routine will make up for a crappy eating plan.
4. Use machines only sparingly.
5. If you do aerobics classes, do them for fun, not for fitness.
Most women should do these things, just like men:
1.Lift free weights, with as heavy a weight load as you can do safely (it’s probably a lot heavier than you think). This should be the basis of your workouts.
2.Use cardio training only as an extra: to burn extra calories and to improve heart health, NOT as the basis of your workouts.
3.What you eat is far more important than how you work out. Especially if your goal is to lose fat. No workout routine will make up for a crappy eating plan.
4. Use machines only sparingly.
5. If you do aerobics classes, do them for fun, not for fitness.
Most women should do these things differently than men:
1.More upper body work. (Women tend to naturally be stronger in the legs so they like working there more; conversely, men are usually stronger in the upper body so they spend too much time there.)
2.More bodyweight exercises, where you aren’t actually loading any barbells but just using your own weight. Since men are naturally stronger (even out-of-shape men), to get a decent workout we have to load the bar. For women who are just starting out, you might not yet be strong enough to do at least 6 reps with even the empty bar.
3. Arms work. True, I have repeatedly said time after time that 99% of men don’t need to do dedicated “arms” work because you get all you need from The Big 7 (a specific set of compound lifts). But most women do need extra arm work because their ability to do heavier weights on The Big 7 is limited by arm strength. And doing heavier weights does more for metabolism and overall body composition.
4. Less abs work. I could argue that almost nobody needs to be doing dedicated abs work, assuming you are doing The Big 7. But if you are already lean and strong, then abs work can help to get that nice 6-pack look. But that’s more of a guy thing. Women want “flat” tummies and creating bulging musculature in the abs isn’t as cosmetically appealing.
5. Don’t do biceps curls in the power rack. Oh wait, MEN SHOULDN’T DO THIS EITHER!
1.More upper body work. (Women tend to naturally be stronger in the legs so they like working there more; conversely, men are usually stronger in the upper body so they spend too much time there.)
2.More bodyweight exercises, where you aren’t actually loading any barbells but just using your own weight. Since men are naturally stronger (even out-of-shape men), to get a decent workout we have to load the bar. For women who are just starting out, you might not yet be strong enough to do at least 6 reps with even the empty bar.
3. Arms work. True, I have repeatedly said time after time that 99% of men don’t need to do dedicated “arms” work because you get all you need from The Big 7 (a specific set of compound lifts). But most women do need extra arm work because their ability to do heavier weights on The Big 7 is limited by arm strength. And doing heavier weights does more for metabolism and overall body composition.
4. Less abs work. I could argue that almost nobody needs to be doing dedicated abs work, assuming you are doing The Big 7. But if you are already lean and strong, then abs work can help to get that nice 6-pack look. But that’s more of a guy thing. Women want “flat” tummies and creating bulging musculature in the abs isn’t as cosmetically appealing.
5. Don’t do biceps curls in the power rack. Oh wait, MEN SHOULDN’T DO THIS EITHER!
It’s worth repeating that these are over-generalizations because the main criteria for the types of workouts you do are your goals, not your gender.
Finally, let’s tackle the biggest complaint women give for not lifting free-weights…
“I Don’t Want To Get Bulky!”
Way too many women are worried about “getting bulky”.
Let me say this to those of you women thinking this: unless you are a genetic oddity, meaning like 1 in 1000 or rarer, you are not going to get bulky from lifting free weights.
Many men – who have far more natural growth (anabolic) hormones like testosterone – do everything they can to TRY to get bulky, and they can’t even do it! Do you really think that with your higher levels of catabolic hormones and lower levels of anabolic hormones you are going to become muscle-bound?
For more fitness advice, and to get a free 70-page ebook to get you started, visit
http://worldfitnessnetwork.com
Darrin Clement runs http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/ and http://www.leanlifters.com/ , fitness sites emphasizing how men over 40 build lean muscle through weight lifting, smart eating, and strategic cardio.
Let me say this to those of you women thinking this: unless you are a genetic oddity, meaning like 1 in 1000 or rarer, you are not going to get bulky from lifting free weights.
Many men – who have far more natural growth (anabolic) hormones like testosterone – do everything they can to TRY to get bulky, and they can’t even do it! Do you really think that with your higher levels of catabolic hormones and lower levels of anabolic hormones you are going to become muscle-bound?
For more fitness advice, and to get a free 70-page ebook to get you started, visit
http://worldfitnessnetwork.com
Darrin Clement runs http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/ and http://www.leanlifters.com/ , fitness sites emphasizing how men over 40 build lean muscle through weight lifting, smart eating, and strategic cardio.
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1 comments:
Finally, something that makes sence. I appreciate the article Darrin, and great site too btw.
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