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Effective Training for Women
The obsession of all women is often the size of their thighs and buttocks, their tummies and the backs of their arms! Women spend hours doing cardio and working their legs and probably much less time training their upper body. Which often creates undesired results as the lower body always looks bigger compared to the untrained upper. So the solution to this fixation is training the entire body and training to improve overall shape. This can be achieved by doing some sort of load training.
All women regardless of age should be lifting some form of resistance. By creating or building muscle mass, women can enjoy a more efficient metabolism, stronger bones and improved body shape. Women have a fear of gaining lots of muscle and looking big, without realizing how much work it actually takes to create size in muscles. The reality is that most women have less testosterone and far more estrogen in the bloodstream at any time than men.
Estrogen is produced in large quantities by the ovaries of females during their fertile years, and, to a lesser degree, by the adrenal glands. Normal men also have a minute quantity of naturally occurring estrogen in their bodies, which is derived from chemical reactions that change a small percentage of male hormones into female hormone. Estrogen causes the deposition of increased quantities of fat in certain subcutaneous (under the skin) tissues. As a result, the female body contains more fat than the male body. This is the evolutionary result of preparing the female body for childbirth and breastfeeding, stages during which the body, for obvious reasons, will require more energy. In addition to the deposition of fat in the breasts and subcutaneous tissues, estrogen also causes especially marked deposition of fat in the buttocks and thighs, causing the broadening of the hips that is so characteristic of the female figure. (This may also take place in some men who have higher estrogen levels than average, or who are more sensitive to the effects of estrogen).
Testosterone on the other hand is the principle male hormone and an anabolic steroid. The role of an anabolic steroid is to build tissues like muscle. On average the adult male body produces about twenty times the amount of testosterone than an adult female's body does. Just like there are some men who may have higher levels of estrogen, women too may have higher levels of testosterone, and hence they have a more muscular physique, however even though they may have a higher percentage of fast twitch muscles (fibers that respond to growth and speed), it has been shown that the fast twitch fibers in women do not respond to size as well as they do in men.
What does all this information mean in regard to gaining a better shape and reducing body fat? With this information women should realise that it takes a lot of work to gain size and that really the focus should be on creating strong bodies that have high metabolisms and hence burn the fat they so desire to. Usually if women do load training and they feel they are getting bigger it is probably not because of what they are lifting but more what they are eating. Eating is another discussion it itself, so lets just focus on why lifting weight is so effective!
Most women that attend the gym usually prefer to devote their time to cardio work. While using cardio machines does help burn calories, the body can become extremely efficient at doing similar intensity every session, so cardio exercise should be challenged through different loads and pace, for example interval training on the treadmill, boxing or indoor cycling. Aerobic exercise has also been shown to be associated with increased levels of glucocorticoids, which are catabolic (breakdown muscle for energy) in nature and so do not favor increasing muscle mass; the very muscle needed to burn fat!
This doesn't mean we give up cardio workouts! It just means that women who only do cardio workouts for fat loss, probably don't realise they could achieve their results much more effectively by including some form of resistance training.
By resistance training, women can increase their levels of Growth Hormone. Growth hormone stimulates tissue growth and also results in a decrease in the rate of carbohydrate utilisation whilst increasing the mobilisation and use of fats as an energy source. Growth Hormone also increases the formation of cartilage, and promotes skeletal growth, which is very important for females of all ages. Growth Hormone declines with age, so maintaining levels through resistance training will ultimately keep you looking and feeling young. Many women fear aging and the changes that are forecasted for their bodies, with resistance training they can slow the aging process down and have great strong bodies for life.
So what type of resistance training is effective? If we want to make muscle, we should perform exercises at eight to 12 rep intensity (heavy weight for those reps), slow tempos and short rest periods (one minute or less). This type of lifting stimulates muscle growth and metabolism. Testosterone and Growth Hormone have been shown to be more prevalent in the blood stream after such load training. This is great news as this means there is more caloric consumption and often for some time after the resistance training session.
Australian researcher Robby Parker has shown in many studies that after performing resistance training, obese pre-menopausal women used 50% more fat, even though total metabolic rate did not change. He also noted that as women go through menopause, resistance training is extremely effective in reducing fat in the abdominal area, more so than aerobic exercise.
So as a woman, no matter what age you are, resistance training will have fantastic benefits. If a woman can trade in some of her fat for muscle, she will burn more fat at rest and have control of her body for life.
Women should not be afraid to lift heavy load. This can be done progressively at any age as muscles have no age; they just shrink if you don't use them!
Another valuable tool is for a woman to map out her monthly cycle. Mapping out the cycle and understanding how it correlates with performance can really help if one trains regularly. Hormones are potent molecules; hence any change in levels can trigger some form of effect. Women basically balance the two hormones estrogen and progesterone every month, which are produced in the ovaries and stimulated by Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinising hormone (LH).
Females should map out their cycle and observe changes in body temperature, fatigue, fluid retention, co-ordination and anything related to performance day to day.Watch for injuries around the time of ovulation as the hormone relaxin is high and ligaments and tendons may not be as strong.
Pre menstrual tension (PMS) is not something women make up and can affect training. If the female has PMS, she may have insufficient estrogen and/or progesterone, between ovulation and bleeding. Keeping a diary will assist, as will nutrition. Foods rich in vitamin B complexes and calcium as well as zinc, magnesium, iron and essential fatty acids (evening primrose) can greatly assist in the pre menstrual conditions.
Exercise is great because it increases endorphin's, which are a natural euphoric and can reduce muscle spasm and tension (period pain) and improves blood supply to hormonal glands.
See any of PURE's personal trainers for the training program for you!
Zosha Piotrowski BSpSc
>> Visit Zosha's bio
References
1. Len Kravitz. Training the Female Client. Multitrax Convention London UK, 2004.
2. Paul Chek. Training Jane Not Tarzan (Correspondence Course) C.H.E.K Institute, 1998
3. Paul Chek. Program Design: Choosing Reps, Sets, Loads, Tempo, and Rest Periods (Correspondence Course) C.H.E.K Institute, 1995
4. Robbie Parker. Resistance Training and Fat Loss in Pre-Menopausal Women FILEX Convention, Sydney Australia. July, 1998.
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