Strength training for women
Dear women, it's time to leave the glamorous fitness centers and take up the barbell. Put away the chrome dumbbells (Yes, they " improve tone») and start working with real weight. You need a quick result.
Heavy exercise is notorious among women.
But let me reassure you:
no, they won't make you a Jock
no, you won't look like Schwarzenegger
no, the testosterone level will not increase and the hair on the chest will not appear.
Working with a reasonable weight-with the correct technique-speeds up the metabolism, strengthens the muscles and develops overall strength indicators.
Even if you do not set a goal to perform at a bikini competition or at a powerlifting competition, you need to create such conditions for the body that its resource is not exhausted for as long as possible. This is what heavy basic exercises are for. They develop strength and muscle. They help to strengthen neural connections at the "brain-muscle" level. They cement the power of the will.
Age and level of physical fitness do not matter. These exercises will help you improve your health and open up new opportunities for your body.
The normal level of testosterone in men is 200-1200 ng/DL (nanograms per ten liters), and for women the norm is 15-70 ng / DL. As you can see, men's testosterone levels are significantly higher than women's. Even the lowest level of testosterone in a man (200 ng/DL) is more than twice as high as the highest level of testosterone in a woman (70 ng/DL).
If we take the average level of testosterone in men and women, then for men it is 700, and for women it is 42.5. Thus, on average, men's testosterone levels are 16.47 times higher than women's!
It is obvious that women do not have the same hormonal support (testosterone) for gaining muscle mass as men. Therefore, the fear of pumping too much muscle and becoming like Arnold Schwarzenegger in a skirt is unjustified. You probably think: "I've seen very muscular female bodybuilders who are more like men in their physique." The reason they look like this is because they are most likely injecting exogenous testosterone and/or other anabolic steroids.
When women use exogenous testosterone / steroids, they may have extra facial and chest hair, increased muscle mass, the pattern of body fat distribution changes from female to male, the voice becomes lower, and other side effects may occur.
The bottom line is that if you don't use exogenous testosterone or other anabolic steroids, you won't build up too much muscle by doing weights. This does not mean that you will not be able to increase muscle mass, it will increase, but you will not look like a man, and you will get a toned figure and excellent physical shape.
Research has shown that men and women do not necessarily need to use different training programs. Women who want to get rid of their muscles and improve their physical shape should also do weights.
This means that instead of performing countless repetitions with light weights, as the media often advises women, you should use heavy weights and give your body a real load! Although performing approaches with a large number of repetitions (15-20 reps) has its advantages, it is not the best way to increase muscle mass. Here is a rough overview of the results depending on the number of repetitions:
1-5 reps - for strength
6-12 repetitions-for hypertrophy
12 or more repetitions-for endurance
This is very approximate data, because there are many intermediate options. For example, in many people, muscle mass increases only when performing 1-5 repetitions or 12 or more repetitions. However, these statistics give you an idea of the weight you need to lift to achieve muscle growth: this is the weight with which you can do at least 6 reps, but no more than 12.
To achieve good results, men and women don't necessarily have to exercise differently, but what about dieting? Should women's food be different from men's? Actually, no. Men and women have similar metabolism, except that women burn more fat relative to carbohydrates. This may be one of the reasons why low-carb diets are good for women.
Only the total number of calories consumed should differ. Women need fewer calories because they have less muscle mass and more adipose tissue (relative to their total body weight) than men. The amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat depends on the total number of calories consumed.
So, we found out that training for women should not be radically different from training for men. Then why do we constantly see women in the gym doing cardio exercises for hours and lifting the lightest dumbbells countless times? The reason is a lack of information or even incorrect information (in the media) about how women should train.
Seductive forms: Exercises for forming sexual curves
What do women usually do in the gym? Cardio. And if they use weights, it's usually a 2.5-pound dumbbell with which they perform countless repetitions. As we have already found out, women, as well as men, need to lift heavy weights to increase muscle mass. Although exercise machines provide sufficient load for muscle growth, nothing can compare to free weights and basic exercises. Next, we will look at a few basic exercises with free weights, which are part of the presented strength training.
EXERCISE #1: SUMO DEADLIFT
Deadlift is one of the best exercises for developing strength. What could be more effective than lifting weights off the ground?
The technique of performing the deadlift in the style of "sumo" resembles the technique of performing the classic deadlift. The differences are in the wider setting of the feet (with a turn of the socks)and a narrower grip of the neck. Sumo deadlift is ideal for women, as it involves more leg muscles than back muscles. The wide setting of the legs and low landing, as well as the center of gravity shifted down, turn the sumo deadlift into an excellent exercise for the thighs, buttocks and legs. But if to be objective, then in traction all work (!!!) muscles.
EXERCISE #2: SQUATS WITH A BARBELL
Squats with a barbell increase the overall physical level.
Squats are probably the most effective exercise for the harmonious development of the legs. Squats with a barbell are a complex exercise that involves the entire upper leg, quadriceps, biceps of the hip and glutes. As in the case with mounting rod, do not perform this exercise is not to obtain maximum results. Squats are simply necessary for the formation of sexy, toned legs.
EXERCISE #3: LUNGES
Lunges are a great exercise for the glutes, biceps, and quadriceps. Lunges form the muscles of the legs and buttocks, giving them the shape you want.
EXERCISE #4: PULL-UPS
As a rule, women have poorly developed upper body. Because of this, pull-UPS are difficult. Fortunately, there are various variations of this exercise that are as effective as classic pull-UPS (if performed without assistance). We are talking about a simulator with a counterweight (gravitron). This exercise helps to develop strength and strengthen the weak shoulder girdle.
EXERCISE #5: PUSH-UPS ON THE BARS
Push-UPS on bars develop the chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles. This is a great exercise for developing the upper body muscles, especially the shoulders and triceps.
Most gyms have a special simulator for doing this exercise (the gravitron), so if you can't lift your weight, it will allow you to lift less.
EXERCISE #6: BENCH PRESS
The bench press is a great indicator of upper body strength. With the right technique, it becomes a great exercise that develops strength, muscle volume and functional training, and illiterate performance of the bench press increases the risk of injury to the shoulder girdle and chest muscles. You can correct the situation by reducing the working weight or simply by using the correct technique for performing this exercise.
