The terms “muscle building” and “woman” do not really seem to fit together in the classic cliché. Many women try to take care of their figure by trying different diets, doing abdominal-leg butt exercises or strenuous hunger or fasting cures. Many inexperienced female fitness fans do not dare to do intensive, targeted muscle building training.
In most cases the fear is behind it, to build up huge muscle masses by this form of training and to appear too masculine. However, since women have a completely different hormone level and thus a different predisposition to build muscles, such a phenomenon is not to be feared in normal weight training. Nevertheless, many training programs for muscle build-up appeal to men rather than women.
With a balanced muscle build-up training, women can achieve a healthy, athletic figure as well as more strength and energy for everyday life. In addition, “working out” during weight training helps many women to combat daily stress. When it comes to the desire for a better figure, muscle building is definitely the better choice compared to pure diets, as the ratio of muscle mass to fat mass is improved. So not only the number on the scale is “beautified”, but the body becomes effectively healthier and fitter. As the body fat percentage is reduced, most of the muscle groups become visible and can thus better define the body without losing their femininity.
Duration/training plan
The perfect training plan – if it exists – is a combination of cardio and endurance training, muscle building and healthy nutrition. It should be noted, however, that muscle building training does not involve targeted fat burning. Many women wish to lose girth, especially in certain supposed “problem zones”.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to get a flat stomach just by doing sit-ups, for example, because the overall body fat percentage must be reduced. The athlete cannot influence where exactly the fat is first reduced by the body. The logical conclusion is that the whole body should be trained.
The classic abdominal-leg butt programs can of course also be effective, but for an ideal muscle build-up women should also train other parts of the body. This also reduces the risk of muscular imbalance. Dysbalance occurs, for example, when only the abdomen is trained but not the opposing muscles on the back.
In this case, the incorrectly divided muscle structure ensures that the athlete’s healthy posture is put at risk. The basic principle of muscle building is that the muscles always adapt to the demands placed on them. So if a muscle is hardly demanded, it will not become stronger and bigger.
Therefore, the load in training must always be increased in order to continue to give the muscles a growth stimulus. In the beginning, the exercises for muscle growth should be done with low weights. First of all, the technique and the correct posture during the performed exercise must be correct.
Using lighter weights at the beginning reduces the risk of injury and the athlete also learns how to perform the movement most efficiently for muscle growth. In women’s fitness training, the myth that training should be done at low intensity but with a high number of repetitions is still alive and well. However, in order to build muscles and thus strengthen and tone the body, the exact opposite is effective: high intensity training with low repetition numbers (8-12 repetitions per set).
In doing so, the strain on the muscles should be varied again and again, so a flexible training plan is necessary. But before such a plan is created at all, you should define your goal and motivate yourself to achieve it. Logically, the goals should neither be set too low nor too high in order not to lose the motivation for muscle building.
Ideally, the training plan should be a fixed part of the athlete’s schedule, so that you are less tempted to use the typical excuse “I don’t have time today! In general, it makes sense to write down all the frequent excuses and to work on keeping the training plan consistently. On the other hand, of course, you should not be over-motivated and expose yourself to an increased risk of injury by using weights that are too heavy and training too frequently.
Just as important as regular training is a regeneration phase afterwards.This is the only way to build up muscles in women in a healthy and effective way. Whether the training takes place on machines or without machines, each athlete must decide for herself. As a matter of principle, women should not shy away from more complex exercises that address several muscle groups.
Sports equipment (for example leg press or butterfly) guides the movement in a very targeted manner and thus facilitates coordination. On the other hand, there are some women who have little motivation for the monotonous exercises and for whom these movements are too unnatural. Here, training with your own body weight is perhaps more effective.
The exercises can be varied and do not even require going to the gym. This factor should also be considered for certain groups of women such as young mothers. In addition to the contribution to the gym, they also save the money for a babysitter.
Dumbbell training is probably the least common type of training among women. It is still considered a male domain in fitness and many women do not want to train “like a guy”. Dumbbell training also has its clear advantages. With relatively few machines, many different, complex exercises for several muscle groups can be performed and coordination is also effectively improved.