Walk into almost any gym in the world and more often than not the guys will be training with a lot of intensity and really challenging themselves with the weight they are lifting, where as it is the opposite for the females. There is still the age old misconception that if you lift heavy weights you are going to end up huge… “If I lift heavy weights I am going to end up big and muscular” or ” I just want to tone up I don’t want to build muscle”, is what I have heard from females over the years. Is this you? Firstly in order to get that toned look you are after, you first need to build muscle. Muscle is what gives someone that toned look and secondly, females produce very little testosterone which makes building muscle even harder. Sure some females build muscle easier than others, if you are one of these think yourself lucky, because the end result is going to be a faster metabolism which will enable you to burn body fat easier. The way around becoming to heavily muscled is choosing a higher rep range to achieve the toned look you are after without becoming muscle bound.
What about the females that don’t build muscle easily? Well that is easy too, you drop your rep range down to between 6 – 12, that will enable you to lift a heavier weight raising your chances of building muscle, hence a faster metabolism enabling you to burn more body fat.
There is a second part to this equation, have you heard the saying you are what you eat? Without food training results will be limited, training and nutrition are of equal importance, one is important as the other. If you are training correctly, but eating poorly you are only cheating yourself. Time and time again when results are not being seen but the training intensity is good it is always related to diet. Sometimes its not even the food itself, it can be meal timings, eating the wrong thing at the wrong time, or going too long between meals. When someone is not getting the results they want, there is always a reason whether its the training or the diet and sometimes both. If the scales aren’t moving in the right direction there’s always a reason. Always.
I have come across some very slow metabolisms, but never one that I have not been able to speed up and lose body fat and weight if all the rules are followed. Males do tend to lose body fat easier, the reason being they have more muscle and are able to build it easier, hence a faster metabolism and the ability to burn calories at a faster rate. The key is the metabolism and if yours is not naturally fast, the best way to speed it up is to train with high intensity weights and follow that up with an appropriate eating plan.
High intensity weights means a rep range of 6-15 to failure and resting only 45 – 60 seconds between sets. If you can really do 25 reps with that weight it’s too light! Increase the weight and remember the whole point of resistance training is to build strength and muscle which will speed the metabolism and burn more body fat.
Stick to the basics as the best exercises are often the ones that have been around the longest and there is a reason.. they work the best! That’s another article in itself.
To summarise:
Females produce very little testosterone which makes building muscle for them harder than it is for males.
More muscle equals a faster metabolism enabling you to burn more body fat.
Keep your rep range between 6 – 15 reps and up to 20 reps for legs, this is going to give you the best chance to build muscle. Rep range will vary depending on the look you are after.
Intensity is the most important factor when training.
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