Alright ladies, as promised in the last blog, I am going to teach you about specific considerations for women in exercise. I don’t need to tell you that women are different than men, right? Our body size and composition is different, the hormones released are different, the amount of muscle mass is different, and on and on. Let’s discuss some important considerations that may not be common knowledge, regarding strength-training for women.
First, many women are afraid to participate in a strength training program because they don’t want to “bulk up”. I’m here to tell you simply, “you won’t.” Testosterone is an important key to developing muscle mass. Men produce far more testosterone than women, which is why they have an easier time gaining muscle. Women do not bulk up unless they are among a rare few that produce a great deal of testosterone, or they “juice” (take a testosterone supplement). Most women will not get large bulky muscles, but will benefit from added strength. Another thing to consider, if you are nervous about gaining muscle mass, is your metabolism. The amount of calories you use is based on the amount of muscle you have to fuel. The more muscle you have to fuel the more calories you need. If you’re trying to lose a few pounds this added muscle can help. According to NSCF, a pound of muscle will burn an additional 30-50 calories per day! To me that means I can have one more oreo in the evening without gaining weight!
Second, women may not feel that their strength gains will be as significant as their male counter parts. This may be true when comparing absolute strength. Women have 2/3 the absolute strength of men. When you compare a one-inch area of muscle on a man versus a woman, the strength is the same. Interesting. This means that our muscle is just as strong, we just have less of it. It is also good to know that men may have greater upper-body strength, but women tend to be similar in lower-body strength. In other words, don’t rule yourselves out ladies. You may not develop as much strength as men, but your muscle inch-per-inch is just as strong. Another fun fact is that women seem to increase their strength at the same rate as men or FASTER. Men may have more absolute gains, but women’s relative strength increases are about the same if not greater!
Considering the similar characteristics of muscle between men and women it would make sense for women to resistance train in similar ways. Let’s look at this from an athlete’s perspective. If a male basketball player wants to jump higher he would do power exercises using his legs, which would help him improve. What about a female basketball player? You guessed it, it would be the same workout. What if a woman’s sport wasn’t basketball, but was motherhood? What if she wanted to have more energy, sprint to catch a toddler headed for a busy street, jump higher to rescue a child from falling from a tree, or push a child on a swing for 30 minutes straight? It would make sense to strength train the muscles involved. A lot of women do cardio workouts exclusively, which is great for burning fat. Just remember the more muscle you have the more fat you’ll burn. Remember there are many benefits associated with strength training that you don’t get from cardio workouts. Some of these include a decreased risk for osteoporosis, improved muscle tone and appearance, improved joint function, reduced risk of injury, and even elevated HDL “good” cholesterol. Are you convinced? Let’s get to work!
Baechle, Thomas R., and Roger W. Earle. Essentials of strength training and conditioning. 3rd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2008. Print.
"Personal Trainer Certification and Health Fitness Continuing Education." Personal Trainer Certification and Health Fitness Continuing Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.
"Strength training - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.
