Tatyana

Should Females Train Differently Than Males?

by Joe DeFranco, Owner, Performance Enhancement Specialist
DeFranco’s Training Systems

When people ask me what are the biggest differences between designing strength-training programs for females compared to males, my answer usually surprises them. That is because the basic principles should be the same for both genders: train bodyweight exercises before using external resistance, train the core (abs & low back), favor multiple-joint exercises instead of isolation movements, and focus a good deal of their training on the “posterior chain” (hamstrings, gluteals and low back).

Despite the many similarities of male and female strength training, there are subtle differences to consider. First of all, females mature earlier than males. Therefore, in general, females can begin strength training earlier than males. Also, since females have less muscle mass, on average, than males, they are also more susceptible to deconditioning. That is why a female strength-training program should have the athlete continue to train during the competitive season. This is because the drop-off in strength is more dramatic for females when strength training is stopped.

Overall, strength training offers female athletes the same
benefits that it offers male athletes! Regardless of their sport or gender, any athlete can benefit from increased sprinting speed, strength, balance, decreased body fat levels and a reduced incidence of injuries – all of which a properly designed strength-training program can provide. Also, studies have proven that strength training can have a positive effect on bone density, which will decrease your risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Even with all of the positive research out there with regards to strength training and female athletes, I still get asked the same question all of the time, “Will I end up looking like a man if I lift weights?”


The answer is, “Absolutely not!” Much of the difference in muscle mass between males and females is attributed to hormones, specifically, testosterone. On average, men produce ten times more testosterone than females. Unless you’re a female who is taking anabolic steroids or other male hormones, lifting weights will NOT make you look like a man! Also, there is a difference in muscle mass distribution between men and women, especially in the upper body. So it is important to remember that male hormones and muscle mass distribution are the two main reasons that men usually carry more muscle than woman. These are 2 of the main factors why men who strength-train look more “bulky” than females who strength-train.

The bottom line is this: Females can still train like Tarzan, yet look like Jane!

hackskii

Women get leaner when they lift weights.

__________________
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - George Carlin


Scott


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Pscarb

it has been proven in studies that women who lifted weights before cardio burnt more calories and fat than those who did just cardio or those who did cardio before weights...

__________________

Pscarb

no they don't....maybe with the women he has trained but i have yet to meet a women who can train as hard as a dedicated guy...

__________________

Captain Hero

Concur

__________________

hackskii

Is this the same girl that gets her heart rate up over 200 doing cardio?

__________________
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - George Carlin


Scott


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Pscarb

well now there's a challenge i am due up to see my folks in Holmfirth soon i will give you a holla and you can come and do my chest session i normally train in Huddersfield near the hospital but i can come over to your gym for a hardcore workout....

__________________

Tatyana

Does not compute Paul. Even with gear, women are not designed to pack on as much muscle as men, so we have to work even HARDER to put on muscle and take off the body fat!

x
x
x

T

Pscarb

correct but you don't pack on any where near as much muscle as men so you cannot compare this and even the top women athletes are around the 8-10% mark in body fat (which they have trained very hard for) but most dedicated men are sitting at around 10-14%...

now i have met some women who train very hard Liz Kinsella is one of them Avril from Ripped Glutes is another, but as a whole women do not train as hard and intense as men....if you want to put it to the test when i do get down to Skyline pop in and we will train together and i will expect you to train just as hard and intense as me from the first rep to the very last one....

__________________

Tinytom

Sharon MArshall who won the Novice womens class at the WABBA colchester was doing 1000 rep sets for th elast week to bring out her separations.

I can honestly say that I would have chucked at that many.

However it comes down to intensity, Males can lift more and therefore exert more calories than women on their training sessions in a shorter space of time. even a woman training at the same intensity as a man will not burn as many calories unless they are evenly matched and they lift the same weights. Women may be able to train for longer but the overall calorie expenditure will be roughly the same I would speculate.

Now if we are talking pure bbing intensity, I can't vouch for Liz K but I know from what Paul has told me that she trains hard but the principles of muscular growth are the same and I would bet that Liz doesn't train with wieghts for longer than an hour because after this time GH and Test levels will be bottoming out and the strength on the workout goes.

Now all this about women being more intensely training than men probably doesn't see the test subjects training at their maximum for the whole time period like what a bber would.

The principles of muscular growth apply if you are male or female. Some people have genetically more ability to train harder but don't tell me that women train harder than me as a general rule. Sure top level female athletes probably train at a higher level but then thats true for top male athletes.

There's a major difference between the level that the top amateurs and pros train at and the level that a recreational athlete trains at, this is simply to do with committment and the level of training required to reach that level of development. I've trained with Paul Scarb, James L, Wade Stafford to name a few. Not trained with any females, although Kimberly Ann Jones keeps threatening me with her leg workout :boohoo: . It's much different training with these people than say those who train just to keep fit and be big. There's hardly any talking between top amateur/pro training partners, its all business until the last coouple of sets when the workout is finishing up.

Thats because to an advanced athlete the training is like a business meeting, there's no room for mucking about, you are there to do a job and grow, simple.

__________________
We are what we do. Excellence is therefore a habit not a skill.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
- Code 'UKM 110' for an extra 5% discount


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



Also mod at

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


Sponsored by Extreme Nutrition - Almost an unfair advantage

RAIKEY

count me in too .....

she's a Castleford lass Paul , so i dont think you got owt to worry about ,....lol...

__________________
I used to have a large gay following.......but i hid behind some cars and lost him!!

Donna D

PScarb..........

Last time I trained legs with a guy he threw up and couldn't finish the session.

As a side issue I've seen plenty of guys in the gym who think they train hard !!!

Captain Hero

That is just one guy though

__________________

Donna D

As it was said earlier, women have to train much harder to put on size, and to cut down for a show. I can count on one finger the number of guy's I have seen doing cardio !!

I wonder how hard you could train?

Captain Hero

Intensity varies from person to person, what you might find a lot of effort someone else might find easy.

I feel I train hard definately, probably put more effort in on leg day than any other but do sometimes feel I could have trained harder or done more.

__________________