Resistance Training for Women

For women who want to get strong, lean, and fit while staying attractive and feminine, wading through the mass of confusing and conflicting information about all the different workout routines can be very, very frustrating.

Summary of Article

Resistance exercise gives you the power to sculpt your body the way you want it to look. It's almost impossible to change your shape with aerobic exercise alone. If you're pear shaped, with aerobic exercise, the best you can hope for is to look like a smaller pear.

Instead of getting bigger, the exchange of fat for muscle induced by a good reststance training program will make you look smaller and shapelier. You'll be leaner. You'll probably drop several dress sizes. Not only will your thighs shrink, they'll also take shape. You'll see signs of muscle definition in your arms.

These changes will not take place overnight. But give it a few months, but people will be able to see the difference - and more importantly you will notice and feel that much better for it.

Fact or Fiction

If you put 10 'experts' together in a room, you'll probably end up with 20 different opinions on whats the best way to get into shape. It's no wonder most women are confused about what they should be doing, or indeed worried about doing something at all. Anyway we hope that with this article we can dispell some of the common myths and get some facts laid down.

1) Muscle Burns Calories - FACT. There's plenty of debate about which type of exercise is the "best" way to get in shape. Some argue in favor of aerobic exercise. Others contend that resistance exercise (such as lifting weights) is the right way to do it. Research and experience shows if you want to accelerate your metabolic rate, burn more calories and lose fat faster, a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise works best. The main reason is that muscle burns calories even at rest, whereas fat doesn't. This means that people with more muscle tend to have a higher metabolic rate. This means they burn more calories and hence more fat — even when they are not exercising!!

2) Muscle Makes You Better Toned - FACT. Resistance training whilst on a calorie deficit diet preserves muscle mass ensuring most of the weight lost is from fat. This has the added benefit that body tone improves - leaving a firmer, tighter and better sculpted body. (Unfortunately it is more common for women to neglect resistance training and hence loose both muscle and fat, making them still look flabby, feel they have poor shape and still not be happy with their efforts. Also the loss of muscle results in a slower metabolism making long term fat loss that much more difficult.

2) Resistance Training will Make me Look too Masculine - FICTION. This is a complete myth. Natural genetics (testosterone) is the most important factor that limits how much muscle your body can add, and as women have little testosterone, this instantly makes life very difficult for any of you female wannabe bodybuilders. You have to work out (and eat) with religious obsession for many years to begin to see the kind of muscle growth your average untrained male has. Instead it is more the case that a suitable nutrition plan (calorie deficit and good intake of macronutrients) combined with a resistance program would enable you to sculpt and tone your body, and contrary to popular belief, infact giving you a more feminine shape.

Research on Women and Resistance Training

This may be a little too technical. The essentials are above, for those of you interested in learning more, some of the studies summarised below should start you off.

Everyone knows that men and women are built differently, even though they have the same basic muscles. Women respond very differently than men to the same workout routines and therefore have to master far more variables to design the perfect training program.

For example few people know that women actually tend to use more fat for fuel than men during exercise sessions. This is particularly pronounced during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle [2, 26]. Exercise in the luteal phase also raises both energy expenditure and fat utilization after exercise to a greater extent than in the follicular phase [27]. The luteal phase refers to the time between ovulation and the onset of the next menses. It usually lasts between 12 and 16 days. This means that for optimal fat loss exercise intensity and duration should be optimal during this luteal phase.

Two of the studies used trained women rather than beginners. Put a group of beginners on a 12-week program and they'll usually improve no matter what type of program they follow. he women taking part were tennis players. They weren't strength athletes or bodybuilders. The sleek and compact physique of a female tennis player is one that appeals to many women. Finally, while most studies last less than 12 weeks, this research continued for a full nine months. This gives you a much clearer picture of what works and what doesn't.

Women and Muscle Growth
Of course, the speed at which you make progress depends on several factors, such as your genetics, age, training age, lifestyle, and eating habits. Muscle growth is very rarely a linear process, and will never come at a predictable steady pace from month to month. Men have about 10-15 times as much testosterone in their body as women. If it's not easy for a man to put on muscle, then it's going to be extremely hard for a woman, who has much less of this muscle-building hormone. Only women with a freaky genetic predisposition for muscle growth will see substantial increases in size.

A good example of this comes from a research team led by strength training expert Dr. Keijo Hakkinen. A group of women took part in a four-month strength-training program. Although the women got a lot stronger, there was only a slight increase in muscle tissue [9]. In fact, several studies show that weight training can make women smaller and leaner.

Other research published back in 1978 shows that a program of regular weight training can actually reduce the size of the hips, thighs and waist [23]. More recent trials show similar results. In one study, 32 women were assigned to one of three training programs — a free-weights program, a Nautilus machine program, or a Soloflex machine program [3]. The women trained three times each week for three months. Although the women gained strength, there was no change in the size of the thighs or arms. Average waist size actually decreased. In other words, rather than "bulking up", the women actually got leaner. They gained muscle and lost fat at the same time.

In another study, women were placed on a 20-week strength-training program, exercising twice a week [19]. On one day, they performed three sets of 6-8 repetitions for each exercise. On the other day, the women used three sets of 10-12 repetitions. At the end of the program, the women had gained an average of 13 pounds of muscle. Despite this, the average size of each body part increased by only 0.6 centimeters — which was virtually unnoticeable. The reason for such a small increase in size is that the women also lost a large amount of fat.

A study by the same group of researchers shows almost identical results [20]. Twenty-four women exercised their leg muscles twice each week for 20 weeks. Although the women gained both muscle size and strength, there was no overall change in thigh size.

Fat is less dense than muscle, and weighs about 0.9 grams per cubic centimeter (compared to 1.07 grams for muscle). In other words, one pound of muscle will take up less space than one pound of fat. What this all means is that a woman can gain muscle and lose fat without bulking up.

Dieting and Resistance Training
It's common to lose some muscle when you cut back on your calorie intake (which you'll need to do if you want to lose fat). The good news is that resistance exercise can minimize the loss of lean muscle and the drop in resting metabolic rate — even during a period of extreme dieting [4]. In other words, one of the main benefits of lifting weights when you're trying to shed fat is the preservation (rather than the addition) of lean muscle. Many women are afraid that heavy loads will turn them into the female equivalent of the Incredible Hulk, with legs like tree trunks or shoulders like bowling balls. Instead, they're usually encouraged to use light weights and high repetitions in an attempt to "sculpt" or "tone" the part of the body they're exercising.

But what exactly is a more toned body, if it's not one with less fat and more muscle? In terms of body composition, if you want a more "toned" physique, then your real goal is to get rid of the fat while keeping the muscle. Remember that losing fat requires that you burn more calories than you eat each day. If your calorie intake is the same as your calorie expenditure, then your weight will remain the same — no matter how many repetitions you do. If performing a higher number of repetitions were the best way to develop muscle tone, they would need to burn more calories than low repetitions. However, low repetitions are just as effective at burning calories as high repetitions.

Some evidence for this comes from a trial carried in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise [21]. A group of 14 female subjects performed two different workout routines. Each routine involved the same exercises, but different repetition ranges were used. Session one consisted of two sets of 15 repetitions. The second workout involved two sets of eight repetitions, but the women used a weight that was roughly double that used in the first session. During both workouts, the number of calories burned was very similar. However, differences in calorie expenditure were most apparent after the women had finished training. When they used lower repetitions and heavier weights, the women burned a total of 12 calories in the two hours after exercise. In contrast, they burned just six calories during the same period with lighter weights and higher repetitions. In both cases, the number of calories burned after exercise was extremely small. However, the workout routines weren't really designed to stimulate post-exercise fat metabolism. What the results do show is that higher repetitions burn no more calories than lower repetitions.

Muscles aren't the only things that get stronger when you train with weights. Bones get stronger too [24]. Think of bones as a growing organ. They respond to stress just as muscle does. Unfortunately, many weight-training routines designed for women (light weights with high repetitions) simply don't impose enough stress on bone to stimulate remodeling. Women, who have a greater risk of osteoporosis than men, need to meet the minimal essential strain required for bone remodeling to occur. Bone growth is proportional to the degree of stress imposed upon it. The greater the overload — within certain limits, of course — the greater the growth [7].

In short, to change the shape of your body and make your bones stronger, you'll need to use a weight that's heavy enough to create muscle fatigue.

Metabolic Rate
One reason so many women love aerobic rather than resistance exercise is the fact you can monitor how many calories you burn. Most cardiovascular exercise machines let you monitor calorie expenditure during a workout. You won't ever find that displayed on a dumbbell. Unfortunately, these calorie counters are not always accurate.

The most reliable way to assess energy expenditure during exercise is to measure oxygen consumption. Each liter of oxygen you consume generates approximately five calories of energy. For example, if you exercise for 30 minutes and consume 30 liters of oxygen, you'll burn 150 calories. Without directly measuring oxygen consumption, it's difficult to get an accurate estimate of energy expenditure during a workout.

Another factor that affects the reliability of calorie counters is the difference between net and gross calorie expenditure. Gross energy expenditure refers to the number of calories you burn during exercise plus your metabolic rate. Net energy expenditure refers to just the number of calories you burn during exercise. Because the calorie counters on most exercise machines display gross energy expenditure, the figures they give can be misleading.

A good example comes from a trial carried in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition [25]. A group of overweight women took part in an aerobic exercise program. The program involved 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, performed in the so-called aerobic training zone (70-80% of maximum heart rate). The average number of calories burned during each workout was estimated to be 255 calories. However, this figure doesn't take into account the difference between net and gross caloric expenditure.

The gross number of calories burned was 255. In contrast, the net figure (remember, the net figure represents the "real" number of extra calories you've burned) was just 187 calories. In other words, if you rely on the numbers given by the calorie counters, it might appear that you've burned more calories than you really have.

What's more, the number of calories burned during exercise is a long way from the end of the story. You see, weight training causes an increase in your resting metabolic rate for a longer period than aerobic exercise. That means the number of calories your body burns is much higher throughout the day. The figure you see on the treadmill or bike has little real meaning.

When you gain muscle, your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns at rest) goes up [5]. This means that you'll burn more calories while you're sitting at your desk, watching the TV, or even sleeping! The result is that fat loss becomes faster and easier. Some evidence for this comes from a research group at the University of Maryland [13]. A group of young (20-30 years of age) and old (65-75 years of age) female subjects took part in a six-month resistance-training program. Training involved a whole-body workout performed three times a week. The young women gained four pounds of muscle, while the older women gained two pounds. The average increase in resting metabolic rate was almost 50 calories per day. In another study, women who trained three days a week with heavy weights gained around three pounds in six months. During that time, resting metabolic rate increased by 60 calories per day [16].

The muscle built by heavy resistance training isn't the only thing that'll help you lose body fat. Researchers at Colorado State University report that a single bout of resistance exercise has a powerful effect on your metabolism in the hours after exercise [15]. Measurements taken 24 hours after exercise show that women taking part in the study were burning over 60% more fat calories. Resting metabolic rate also went up by 4%. In other words, the women were burning more calories and more fat. This post-exercise rise in resting metabolic rate may be due to the extra energy needed for muscle repair and protein synthesis after exercise [8].

Workout Programs
Tthe program used in the studies (with a few tweaks to make it even more effective) is shown below. You'll also find links to animated demonstrations of each exercise. The exercises in brackets are alternatives if you only have access to dumbbells. If you haven't done them before, then do ask someone to teach you the correct technique.

If you've never followed a program like this before, then do only one set of each exercise for the first week. In the second week, do two sets. Continue to increase your training volume gradually. If you do too much too soon, you'll wake up the next morning in a lot of pain!

The first 1-3 sets of each exercise serve to warm up your muscles and joints. Perform these sets more slowly than normal. You can also do 5-10 minutes of aerobic exercise (such as cycling or walking) before you begin. Then 8-10 reps should be done of proper exercise sets, these are sets where you are repping out with the max weight that you can handle for 8-10 reps. Reduce or increase this weight appropriately so that with max effort you end up in the 8-10 rep range.

Workout A

*Rest 30-60 seconds between warmup sets and rest 2-4 minutes between exercise sets.

Workout B

*Rest 30-60 seconds between warmup sets and rest 2-4 minutes between exercise sets.

Workout C

*Rest 30-60 seconds between warmup sets and rest 2-4 minutes between exercise sets.

The tennis players taking part in the study combined the program with regular tennis practice. To get the best results from this program, you too need to include some form of aerobic exercise. Although any form of aerobic exercise is better than no aerobic exercise, you'll see great results using interval exercise (i.e. every 15 second short bursts of high intensity followed by 45 second burst of low intensity rest periods). Not only is interval exercise a great way to burn a lot of calories, it also boosts your metabolic rate for several hours after you've finished it and although it may not sound like it - it actually is really hard work!! As you get fitter reduce the rest period and/or increase the duration. Studies have shown that only 5 mins of committed interval training is necessary to promote an post exercise fat burn effect, which in some cases lasts up to 8 hours. So if you want maximum results in minimum time, interval exercise is the way to do it. Complete instructions on how to incorporate interval exercise into your program is available here.

Of course, you're not limited to interval exercise alone. You can incorporate different forms of aerobic exercise into the program. Here's one way of doing it.

Week 1

Week 2

The first thing to remember is keep an exercise log for each workout (there are three in total). As well as explaining precisely what to do, you can also use them to record your progress.

Also you progress through the program, make sure to apply the principle of gradual progressive overload. Thus refers to the idea that you need to increase the demands you impose upon your body in order to make it leaner and stronger. So when you're able to perform the required number of repetitions for every set of a given exercise make a note to add 2-7% more resistance the next time you perform that exercise. For example, if you were able to perform twelve repetitions of the bench press with 50 pounds, you would make a note to increase the resistance you use during the next workout by 2-7 pounds.