Training styles for women. Different or not? Discuss :)

[Rusha]

I decided to start a new thread as Im interested in hearing from those with more experience and knowledge.

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From Gymbunny

Bianca - thanks for the tips and links - they look great, and it's clearly working for you, judging by your picture which looks fantastic!

Re. male vs female training: my 2 cents worth is that the main gender difference i have noticed is in training goals... i think the media image of women leads many of us to aim more for a very small, lean look with much less obvious muscle than guys. Hence the female fear of lifting heavy equating to bulky macho appearance... etc..

I've only just recently realised that training more like the boys makes me look more like a woman - hard training accentuates the muscle 'shape' specific to your gender so gives great curves for us girls.
Also, as Rusha has very correctly mentioned before, us girls just simply don't bulk as much as guys, so proper body building training just gives sexy definition.

The one thing i can think of that might cause a real difference - and i'd love feedback from you guys/ girls on this - is the biomechanical differences, i.e. womens' wider hips and looser ligaments making technique slightly different (i.e. due to knee/ hip angles and such)...?

And my reply:

This would be best answered by Bodydoc and a few others who know stuff but ill give you what i think and what ive read. Hopefully those in the know will chime in and set us all straight.

Firstly, some (alot) women are after muscle and 'not just sexy definition'. And they get it too but im not talking about the competitive female bodybuilders.

The ligament issue is apparently more to do with knees as women are more likely to sustain acl injuries however as far i know, that is in relation to sports like basketball so you should be safe lifting weight.

Our muscle and bone structure is the same with exception to our pelvis so i can't see why anything would need to be different with exception to altering stance slightly to accommodate for the different pelvis.

[Bricktop]

While this is in the female form, im taking a peek in though the door!

Your right what you say- nothing is different and we should really all train the same.

Try telling that to the fitness publication and supplement industry that prey on womens (and mens) ignorance of the subject by selling "womens" (usually soy) based proteins, or womens training magazines. Even different rooms for men and women at gyms (though i do understand this too an extent, but those rooms are usually just filled with crap anyway).

The goals may be different (though in many ways the same) but the tools are the same....the difference in result comes down to hormones.

[Rusha]

Thanks BT. I posted it here as it relates to women but the discussion is for everyone.

Alot of the information for women in relation to weight lifting seems to be dumbed down. Thus perpetuating the myth of 'women bulking up after lifting a few weights'. I find it somewhat insulting too.

[DAVA]

personally i encourage my girlfriend to do "mens" weights and exercises. We all have the same muscles dont we?

i dont see why women are treated with kid gloves in the gym. building muscle and tone involves lifting uncomfortable things until it hurts. Try to avoid it, and you wont hit your goals

She takes the same supplements as me too (mostly)

[MissFit]

I very much do "mens weights". There's only one way to grow muscle - regardless of gender.

The only difference is that I use those little rubbery grips - coz I don't want "man hands"!!!

Those womens fitness mags are aimed at high sales - I like to flick through them occassionally for amusement (they have some good recipies now and then), but they never actually say that the fitness models posing lift bloody heavy weights - and the general public believe they got to look like that doing 10 reps of 3 sets of 2kg dumbell presses....

[C_T]

Ladies don't have the test levels.

They will not ever look bulky without test. Its what makes us men MEN!

Lift to your limits, you'll be a lean girly thats a force to be wreckoned with

[Rusha]

Yeah i wear gloves cause I personally get no enjoyment out of callouses ;).

Dava, same muscles and bones cept girls have a wider pelvis.

We also produce a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy which helps loosen ligaments in order to prepare for childbirth but thats it.

[gymbunny87]

Hey Rusha
Kinda irrelevant but didnt want to discredit anyone....

I think jane_doe actually wrote that initial comment that you responded to.

Cheers,
Gb

[jane_doe]

yep it was me...

but i'm flattered to be confused with you GB!
:-)

[Rusha]

Im sorry guys. You are both just as great so I got confused.

[Brenny]

Bodybuilding.com Videos - The Fit Show Season Three, Episode #40: Charles Glass Trains Jenny Lynn

I'm a huge fan of Charles Glass. I think you'll like this video of legs training.

~B

[RazZ]

Women should use same weights and ethics as men, but routines must be tailored slightly to sculpt a physique that inturn compliments a womans less aggressive bodyshape.

Excessive traps, thickened waist, over-developed lats etc all take from the average female form - unless they are desired for competitive reasons.

Nomatter what the sex of the athlete in question, a divine physique is created through educated actions like sculpting.
When a body is custom built in balance you will find almost everyone, even the uneducated, will hold appreciation for it.

[tonyharrison]

"sculpting" another word, right up there with "tone", that should be eliminated from the world. at least as it refers to training

[jane_doe]

Women should use same weights and ethics as men, but routines must be tailored slightly to sculpt a physique that inturn compliments a womans less aggressive bodyshape.

Excessive traps, thickened waist, over-developed lats etc all take from the average female form - unless they are desired for competitive reasons.

Excellent point Razz - I totally agree with you!
Further to that, women just don't have the testosterone levels to build huge muscle mass (naturally) so it's unlikely that a typical male training program would deliver unfeminine results for most of us.

From an aesthetic vie, there are a few exercises where the emphasis may preferentially be on different parts of the muscle e.g. incline bench press rather than flat bench press (more 'perky' outcome), and - as you say - less work on elements that broaden and flatten the frame.

[RazZ]

"sculpting" another word, right up there with "tone", that should be eliminated from the world. at least as it refers to training

Body Sculpt - to change via surgery or training, specific contours of a body shape inorder to create a more pleasing overall figure based on the desired outcome.
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Fair enough TonyH.. ..feel free to train your female friends purely for mass.. definately dont sculpt her shape by deliberately training for a female figure aesthetic. I'm sure MASS FREAK looks awesome in a bikini.

Ps.. you might wanna have a chat to Dexter J sometime, not everyon chases pure unchecked mass.