The weight gain formula for hardgainers

If you are a regular reader of the site, you have more than likely noticed my opinion on what formula to use when determining the amount of calories you should consume in order to pack on size. The formula is based on weight lifters who perform high intensity workouts 3-5 days a week.

Your body weight multiplied by 24

For example: 155 x 24 = 3720 calories per day

Now, this does not mean; consume 3720 calories a day and workout 3-5 days to become a bodybuilding masterpiece. There is actually a specific breakdown of what types of calories should be taken daily.

Calorie type breakdown
50 percent carbohydrates
30 percent protein
20 percent fat

For example: Based on a 3720 calorie diet

1860 calories from carbohydrates
1116 calories from protein and
744 calories from fat
Total: 3720

So now you know the breakdown of how many calories and what kinds of calories you should be consuming daily in order to put on mass. If only it where that easy right? That is just the basics; you must also know what kinds of foods provide the right types of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. As a hardgainer, we have the ability to cheat a little by eating a fair amount of simple carbs and unnatural fats. For the most part though, when taking in carbs for the day, focus mainly on the complex ones. These carbs are much healthier and give your more time to use them up as energy before they are stored as fat. It is also very important that we eat the correct types of fats. Believe it or not, fats are very necessary when building muscle mass. The problem is, most people consume the wrong types of fats. Focus your attention on the natural fats when consuming your 20 percent for the day.

Complex carbohydrates
Wheat bread
Wheat pasta
Oatmeal
Whole wheat
Brown rice
Vegetables

Natural fats
Peanut butter
Olive oil
Avocados
Nuts

You now understand the “weight gain formula”, the types of calories, and where to get the calories from. So now we can simplify this whole thing once we learn the calories per gram formula. I have noticed that more then anything, people who look at the nutritional facts of their foods, mainly look at grams. With the”weight gain formula”, we can determine how many grams of protein and how many grams of fat we will need for the day.

Example: Based on a 3720 calorie diet, we will consume 1116 calories of protein.

OK? So how many grams of protein should I consume daily?

1 gram of protein equals 4 calories

1116 calories of protein equal 279 grams of protein

Example: Based on a 3720 calorie diet, we will consume 744 calories from fat

OK? So how many grams of fat should I consume daily?

1 gram of fat equals 9 calories

744 calories of fat equal 82.6 grams of fat

Calories per gram formula
1 gram of protein equals 4 calories
1 gram of fat equals 9 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates equal 4 calories

There you have it, as complicated as it may seem, calculating your food intake for the day is quite easy. As you gain weight from following this, I recommend recalculating your daily intake every 3-5 pounds. Remember, as a hardgainer, the main struggle is weight gain. The main focus point when gaining weight is proper food consumption. With that being said, it is very important that you are aware of how to calculate the proper amounts of foods to take in daily.

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Five year old Romanian weightlifter / Strongest child in the world

I know i may be a little late, but i just came across this video of a 5 year old Romanian weightlifter. The boys name is Giuliano Stroe and he has been added to the Guinness Book Of World Records as the strongest child in the world. Personally, I was very impressed with this kids ability to perform the tricks and stunts seen in the video. I was even more impressed with his ripped physique.

The reason i posted this video is not only to show off this kids incredible strength, but to ask your opinion. Do you think this is healthy for the child? Is this morally right? I do think it is very impressive, and i definitely put my hands together for this 5 year old weightlifter from Romania. But.....I am not 100 percent sure about how to feel about the whole thing. I would love to hear your opinion about this, please feel free to speak your mind via the comment section. Thanks!

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Most effective home chest workout routine (Dumbbells)

A couple of months back while I was still living in Nevada, I sometimes only had time to workout in the gym provided by the neighborhood where I lived. One night after work I decided to go for my late night session, unfortunately so did everyone else. The gym was crowded and all the machines I had my mind set on were being used. As I walked back home thinking about how badly I wanted to get in a good chest workout, I thought about what I had available to work with at home. Dumbbells and……..well that is basically it. On my short walk home I was putting together what might have been one of the best chest workouts I have ever done. It was three simple dumbbell chest workouts with a little twist that made the routine so amazing. What made it even better is, I could perform all the workouts on the floor with no bench.

The routine
Each workout is performed in 4 sets with 8-10 repetitions. 8-10 reps may or may not be enough with the amount of weight on your dumbbells, but with a small twist, I am sure it will be plenty.

1) Dumbbell Chest press
2) Dumbbell flys
3) Dumbbell front press (Laying on your back holding dumbbells vertically with elbows to your side, push the dumbbells up and inward toward the middle without changing the direction in which they are pointing.)

The twist
Here is what takes this routine to the next level. You will be super setting each and every set with a set of push ups. For example, for the chest press you perform the first set of 8-10 reps, immediately after your first set you will continue with a set of push ups till failure. Obviously the further into the routine you go, the less push ups you will be able to perform, that is completely fine. Whether you do 10 or are only able to complete 3, you will still be putting the needed strain on the muscle.

Turning it up a notch
The way I performed the routine was pretty basic and I got a great pump. I was so amazed with the result of the workout that I figured I would turn it up a notch. Considering there are so many other forms of push ups, why not switch it up a bit right? So, if you are going to be performing the routine regularly, eventually you will increase your ability to perform regular push ups and the routine could be less effective or just take longer to complete.

Here is a list of different types of push ups you can integrate into the routine to make it a little more challenging and effective.

-Atlas push ups
-Diamonds
-Finger tip push ups
-Clap push ups and
-Hand stand push ups

Enjoy!
Try it out and please leave some comments on how you feel about this killer home chest workout after you have tried it. I know I loved it, hopefully you will feel the same. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment with any questions.

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Top 5 reasons why you aren't losing weight

Just a week or so ago I put together a brief but informative post on the top 5 reasons you aren’t getting any bigger. This post was geared toward skinny hardgainers who have hit a plateau and are unable to gain any more mass. I could not believe the positive feedback I received from my readers for the post. As a result, I decided to create the same type of post, this time geared toward people interested in losing more weight. I have come up with what I believe to be the top 5 reasons why you are not losing weight. Whether you have lost some weight and are unable to lose more or just interested in doing so, this list can be your guide to achieving your goal successfully.

Mistaking low fat foods for healthy foods
The first thing people do when trying to lose weight is decide that they will go on a diet. The average person would tell you that changing to low fat products is part of a weight loss diet. This could not be more wrong; in fact, most low fat products are actually more fattening. How can low fat be more fattening? It’s actually very simple; the main problem with weight gain is not how much fat we consume, but how many simple carbohydrates and sugars we consume. These simple carbohydrates are taken in by the body and stored as fat quit fast. So what do I have against the low fat foods? Well, I appreciate the fact that it’s less grams of fat, but I don’t appreciate the fact that they have to compensate with more simple carbohydrates and sugars. So now you are eating less grams of fat in your diet, but you could easily be doubling your non complex carbohydrate intake.

Cheating on your diet
This is the most basic but probably the most common mistake people make when trying to lose weight. Have you ever heard someone say “ill just have to run a little extra today” after deciding to cheat on there diet? More then likely you have heard it more then a few times. Let me give you a simple but good example of how bad this is. Let us say your session is usually walking uphill on the treadmill for 45 minutes and you burn about 300 calories (just an example). You consume this “cheat food” and add 250 calories to your day and add 30 minutes to your session. You walk a total of 75 minutes and burn 550 calories total. 250 out of the 550 calories burned are automatically going towards the “cheat food” you decided to take in earlier in the day. Not only have you spent more time in the gym, but you have burned only what you normally burn being there 30 minutes less. You end up spending more time in the gym and getting the same or less results. Would you not rather skip the “cheat food” and run the extra 30 minutes to knockout 550 calories toward your goal? Not only that, but lets be honest, most people don’t run that extra 30 minutes on the day they cheated. If they do run extra, it is probably a 10-15 minute difference from there normal day.

Relying too much on fat burn supplements
This is the one I have the biggest problem with. People take these fat burn pills and automatically assume that they are going to shrink there waist line with little to no effort. Here is the deal; the fat burn pills on the market require a specific diet and workout routine. Do fat burn pills work? Yes, I would say there are a few products that show great results. Problem is people assume that because they are on the supplement that they can eat worse and workout less. This is completely bogus; these pills only provide the ability to burn fat at a faster rate when your body is in the “fat burn zone”. Taking these fat burn supplements can become a huge problem for people that are oblivious to these facts. These are the people who will actually gain weight or see little to no results while taking these pills.

Are these pills necessary to lose weight? Absolutely not, anyone can lose the weight they want to lose without ever taking any type of fat burn supplement.

Eating too little
What? This is impossible, how can you gain weight from eating less? I know, it almost does not make any sense. Well, it wouldn’t make sense if you didn’t understand how the body functions. It is a lot less complicated then you may think. Gaining weight from eating less is a very common issue. Here is how it happens, if you eat less, your metabolism is working less. As a result, your metabolism ends up slowing down dramatically, to the point where the foods you are consuming are stored as fat before your body can fully metabolize them.

You have hit a weight loss plateau
This is very important to those who have been losing weight and have suddenly stopped or reduced results instantly. This is more then likely the cause of the inevitable plateau usually due to little or no change in your routine/diet. This period is going to happen at one point of another; the cause is simply your body completely adjusting to your workout and diet routine to the point where it does not feel like any changes are necessary. With the being said, the resolution is quite self explanatory. Change your program, the most common program for weight loss is heavy cardio. Do not get me wrong, heavy cardio at the required rate for fat burn is very effective. Unfortunately, your weight loss progress will eventually slow down or stop dead in its tracks. What do I do now? Add resistance training, circuit training, or body weight cardio. All these types of routines can shock the body into making changes once again. Not only will you start burning fat again, but as you build more and more muscle from these routines, your body will start to burn fat naturally.

Start burning that unwanted fat now
There you have it people, whether you are just starting new goals to lose weight or have suddenly stopped seeing results, this can be the ultimate guide to getting on track again. Watch what you’re eating, don’t rely on supplements, stop under eating, stop cheating, and break your plateau. This is as easy as I can put it, remember, losing weight is only as difficult as you make it.

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Gain weight fast - top mass building foods

Having a large muscular body is a lot of hardgainers dream, what most hardgainers fail to understand is that building mass is not all about just lifting weights. In fact, the trick to gaining weight fast is proper diet and nutrition. Without eating the right foods, your goal to getting huge becomes nothing more then just a dream. The fact is hardgainer or not, you are not going to pack on pounds of lean muscle without eating the right foods. If you are interested in trying to gain weight fast, I suggest you revolve your diet around this list of mass building foods.

Gain weight fast item one – Chicken breast
This part of the chicken is great for bulking up. It is very high in fiber and contains almost half of your daily requirement of protein in less than a 4 ounce serving. A great alternative to chicken breast is turkey meat. Turkey meat is also high in fiber, protein, and it is very low in fat.

Gain weight fast item two – Whey
Whey could arguably take the number one spot on this list. It is not only a fantastic source of high quality protein, but it also carries high levels of amino acids that aid in strength increase and muscle development.

Gain weight fast item three – Red meat
Like the items listed above, red meat is also another great source of protein like. What you may not know about red meat is that it contains creatine. Creatine is an excellent source of energy to help you through your workouts. Not only does red meat contain great protein and a powerful source of energy, but it is also rich in vitamin B.

Gain weight fast item four – Egg whites
Egg whites should always be a part of your daily diet. Like any top muscle mass building foods, they contain high quality protein. What makes this item so important is surprisingly not the fact that it is a great source of protein. More importantly, egg whites are rich in vitamins and minerals that will your entire body can benefit from. Another thing about eggs that make them so valuable to mass building is this; egg whites contain high levels of quality amino acids.

Gain weight fast item five – Peanut butter
The biggest misconception when weight training is that high amounts of fats are bad. Here is the deal, there are bad fats, and there are natural fats. Believe it or not, 20 percent of our daily caloric intake should be natural fats. Peanut butter is a great source of natural fats that will help you gain muscle mass. Not only is it a great source to boosting your caloric intake, but it is also a very good source of protein.

Build your body
You see, there are a set of mass building workouts that will boost your muscle development, but these top mass building workouts are nothing without a proper diet. Follow the list of compound workouts I put together along with this list of mass building foods and get the muscular body you have always dreamed of. The only thing stopping you now is yourself.

Related articles

Top 5 reasons your not getting bigger

The truth the building mass for hardgainers

Get big and stay lean (the right way)

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Top 5 reasons why you aren't getting bigger

Are you unable to put on any more muscle mass? As much as that sounds like a cheesy infomercial, the fact is, you answered yes. There could be one reason you aren’t putting on any more mass or there could be a hundred reasons you are not getting any bigger. What I can’t do is take everyone one by one and explain to them what there issue is. What I will do is explain the most common reasons why you can’t seem to gain lbs of muscle. You see, if you have been stuck at the same size for the last couple of months, more then likely you are making one or more of the mistakes am listing here. If so, consider yourself lucky, it could be a quick fix and you will be back on the muscle gain road once again.

1. Not consuming enough:

I know, you gained the weight you have by eating the amount you are eating now. That is the problem, you were 130 pounds eating 2700 calories and now you are 135 pounds and eating the same amount. If this is your situation, the fix is simple, consume more calories. You are eating just enough to maintain that 135 pound physique. Like I said in my article “The truth to gaining mass for hardgainers “, a simple formula to calculate how many calories you should consume is, take your body weight and multiply it by 22. So, if you are 140 pounds, 3080-3360 calories a day is enough to put on muscle mass, as you gain a pound here and there you will simply recalculate using your current body weight.

2. You have plateaud:

Just like eating, most people are afraid to change a routine that has shown results in the past. If you have been working out a certain way and have gained 5-10 lbs, why would you change the routine, right? You take the “if its not broken, don’t fix it” approach. So here is what happens; your body gets used to the workout and eventually prepares itself as best as it can to continue to do it. When you started the workout, your body had to adjust in strength and size to perform that routine. Now that your body is at a strength and size level where it doesn’t have to get any larger or stronger to perform the workout, it plateaus. The key is to change up the routine, whether you perform different exercises, increase weight more often, or go from individual muscle groups to full body to work some muscle groups more consistently. A plateau is inevitable when weight training, but the only thing holding you back from surpassing it is the fear of change.

3. Failing to Focus on Compound workouts:
What are the top mass gaining exercises? The top size building workouts are all compound. Am I against isolation? No. Isolation workouts are great for definition and I think they play a very crucial roll in bodybuilding. Compound exercises on the other hand are great for size and strength. The reason they are great for building size is because they not only target large muscles, but they target various muscles simotaneously. If you are not focusing mainly on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pull ups, and dips, you are doing yourself a big injustice.

4. Relying too much on supplements:
Another big error that you could be making is relying on supplements. Do supplements work? yes, some supplements do aid in putting on muscle mass. Here is where we go wrong; we think that since we are on a certain supplement that we won’t have to work as hard since we have some sort of assistance. That is completely wrong; the supplement is not going to build muscle on its own, it is only going to give you the ability to build it. Without the effort, those supplements are garbage. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t the point be to work the same amount while taking the supplement? You see, these supplements don’t make muscle, your hard work and diet do. These pills and powders can only go as far as to give you the ability to build more muscle, but they won’t make a difference unless you are playing your part.

5. Not enough rest:

I know first hand how frustrating it can get when you aren’t seeing yourself grow. Some people’s first instinct would probably be to workout more. Although that seems like it may be the answer, it isn’t. In fact, working out too much is one of the biggest issues when trying to gain muscle mass. Resting while trying to pack on pounds of muscle mass is very important. To put it very simple, you don’t rest, you don’t gain mass. Am I saying to work muscle groups once a week? Not at all. What I am saying is don’t over do it. Make sure to rest at least 24-48 hours between muscle groups. Also, good sleep at night is extremely crucial. While we are asleep is the main time that our muscles recover and get larger. That being said, don’t hesitate to take days off from the gym and make sure to get a good nights sleep every single night.

Go Gain Lbs
Whether you are a skinny or just your average weight lifter, these steps will help you on your journey to putting on muscle. I hope that if you are going through a sudden decrease of muscle gains, this article has answered your questions as to why you have no been getting larger. If it is just one item on the list or all of them, the answers are here and the only thing stopping you from unbelievable muscle growth is to take charge and make those changes.

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The truth to building mass for hardgainers

If you have been scrawny your entire life and have just decided that you are going to gain size, I am going to give you the four main points to focus on to get the best results. See, I am a hardgainer , I had to do the research and the trial and error. In the end, I come to realize that it is much less complicated then I was making it out to be. I have had incredible gains from following these four very simple focus points and now I will share them with you. You can stop researching and wasting your time with crazy routines and supplements that don’t work.

-ABC (Always be consuming)
-Focus on the top compound exercises
-Heavy lifting
-Rest

Let me break down each step and explain how each one plays a huge roll in your success. This should be the last article you have to read in your journey to finding the truth to building mass for hardgainers.

ABC (Always Be Consuming)
The main focus point when gaining mass is easily your food intake. If you are not consuming the proper amount of calories and the right types of calories, you will never get to where you want to be. How do I know how many calories I should be taking in? The formula that worked best for me was this; Body weight multiplied by 22. For example, if you weigh 135, you would consume 2970 calories daily (135 x 22 = 2970). Can I consume more then 22 times my bodyweight? Absolutely, anywhere from 22 to 25 times your bodyweight will be good to gain weight fast. The reason I went with 22 was because if you are a beginner, it will be hard to consume this many calories right away. You have to get your stomach used to eating more so that you don’t feel like you are force feeding yourself.

Once you have figured out how many calories you will be consuming, break those calories up into 6 meals. Spread those 6 meals out a few hours apart.

Daily caloric type percentage
Carbohydrates – 50 percent
Protein – 30 percent
Fats – 20 percent

List of great sources
Carbohydrates: Wheat bread, wheat pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, and fruits.
Protein: Chicken breast, egg whites, fish, and turkey meat.
Fats: Peanut butter, avocado, olive oil, flax seed oil, and almonds.

Preworkout and post workout tips: I recommend having a protein shake 30 minutes to an hour before your workout session. After your workout, I suggest having a protein shake blended with fruits. The reason you want to add fruits is to increase insulin levels and replenish the body of protein and carbohydrates.

Top compound exercises
-Squats
-Deadlifts
-Overhead military press
-Bent over rows
-Bench press
-Dips and
-Pull ups

Focusing on these workouts is very beneficial when building mass because they all target several muscle groups. These workouts will also build your strength at a faster rate and help you avoid fatigue. Ultimately helping you lift heavier and for longer periods of time. In return, you will build muscle mass quicker then normal.

Heavy lifting
Make sure you are increasing your weight regularly. If you are performing 8-10 reps on a certain exercise, increase the weight until you can only perform it 5-6 times with the last rep being difficult to complete. Eventually you will be lifting that amount 8-10 times, that is when you increase the weight again and so on. Lifting heavy will cause strain to the muscle which in return will cause it to grow, it is that basic.

Note: I don’t recommend going so heavy that you are only performing 2-4 repetitions, lifting too heavy could make you more susceptible to injury.

Rest
If you are a hardgainer, resting enough is crucial to gaining mass. If you eat, lift right, and lift heavy, but don’t rest enough, you will see little to no gains at all. I’ll put it simply; our muscles grow while we rest. The time for the most muscle growth is in your sleep during the REM stage.

Focus on these 4 steps
If you are a hardgainer, follow these four simple steps to gain the size you have always wanted. If you are truly sick and tired of being small and scrawny, getting the body you have always wanted is really just four steps and a little bit of hard work away. Eat, lift right, lift heavy, and don’t forget to rest.

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Killer circuit training routine w/ easy curl bar

-Deadlifts
-Bent over rows
-Hang clean
-Front squats
-Squat and press
-Lunges

How to perform:
For the circuit training routine, you will do 10 reps for each exercise. You will go down the list taking only 15-30 second breaks in between exercises. Once you have completed the list, take a 2-3 minute break and start over again.

Check out a great way to gain size and stay lean.

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Build big calves fast with 3 small steps

The calves are often given little attention if any at all. Although genetics play a big roll in having underdeveloped calves, it is not excuse to leave them that way. If fact, it should be more motivation for you to give them more attention during your workouts. Whether small calves are part of your genes or you are just too unmotivated to build them up, i can help you solve this problem and build big calves fast with three simple steps.

-Prioritize
-Hit every angle
-Fight through your last reps

Prioritize
Lets face it, the number one reason that you dont have big calves is because you are not working them often enough. Either they are not being worked often enough, hard enough, or like in most cases, both. Let’s be realistic, calves have always been a highly ignored muscle, somewhat similar to forearms. I do understand that calf exercises can be a bit boring, and especially exhausting when performed toward the end of our workouts. Yes that’s right, for the most part, everyone will wait till the end of there workout to throw in their calf routine. What you have to realize is that your calves are small and you are unhappy with them, so why not start off your workout with your calf routine. The earlier in your workout that you work to build big calves, the more energy you will have to put more effort into them. It is just that simple, just like any underdeveloped muscle; it should be moved to the front and given more attention. How many times a week are you giving your calves a good workout? Is it safe to assume that you answered “once”? I am not telling you to ignore your body to build big calves. I am saying that maybe twice a week, you should start off your workout with a calf routine while your energy level is at its highest.

Hit every angle
The calf is made up of three different muscles that give it a great shape. The medial, inner, and outer muscle heads. These muscles must be worked equally for your calves to look good. The great thing about it is this; you can hit the inner, outer, and medial muscle heads with the same exercises by simply turning the direction of your foot. Pointing your toes away will target the inner muscle head and pointing your toes in will target the outer muscle head. The medial head is targeted by simply keeping your toes pointed forward.

Fight through your last reps
Just like any other workout, the last few reps are the most crucial. The last reps cause the most muscle growth in any muscle group you target. Stopping before breaking through that threshold of fatigue can cause your muscle to plateau. The last few reps on calf workouts can cause an incredible burn which often causes the person to quit too soon. Pushing just an extra 2 or 3 reps can make a world of a difference when building big calves.

Build big calves fast
That is really all it takes to build those big calves we all want but fail to get. Simply push them to the front of your workout a couple times a week, make sure you are working every angle, and fight through those last reps. The problem may not be that you don’t want to work hard enough to get big calves, but that you may be going about it the wrong way. Make those 3 small changes and see incredible difference in your calf muscles fast.

Related Articles:

Building Arms

Building Shoulders

Build Legs

Build Forearms

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Should a woman lift like a man ?

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

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”

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

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

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.

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 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!

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.

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