It is clear that women do not have the hormonal support (testosterone) to gain muscle mass like men. Therefore, the fear of becoming big and bulky and looking like those huge guys you stay clear of at your gym is unwarranted. The hormone testosterone is responsible for the large increases in muscle mass seen when men lift weights.
Women’s testosterone levels are a fraction of men’s testosterone levels. Normal testosterone levels in men are 200-1200 ng/dl while 15-70 ng/dl are normal in women. As you can see, men’s testosterone levels are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than women’s. Now you may be saying, “I have seen some female bodybuilders who are very muscular and look similar to men in their build.” The real reason they look like that is they are most-likely using exogenous testosterone injections and/or other anabolic steroids.
Studies have shown that men and women do not need to train differently.
If you are a woman and want to gain muscle and improve your shape and curves, then you are going to have to lift heavy weights. This means that instead doing endless reps with light weights, as the media often prescribes women to do, you need to lift some heavy weights and really challenge yourself! While performing high rep sets (15-20 reps) does have some benefit, it is not optimal to adding muscle mass.
Here is a very vague overview of rep ranges:
1-5 reps = Strength
6-12 = Hypertrophy
12+ = Endurance
That is very superficial overview of rep ranges as there is a lot of crossover of adaptations between rep ranges. For example, many people grow lifting solely in the 1-5 rep range and 12+ rep range. But it gives you an idea of the weight you need to lift to grow; a weight that you can complete for at least 6 reps but not more than 12 reps.
Diet & Nutrition
Men and women do not need to train differently to see results, but what about diet? Should women eat differently than men? Not really. Men’s and women’s metabolisms are very similar except that women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbs than men. This may be one of the reasons women do well on lower carb diets. The main thing that needs to be adjusted is one’s total caloric intake. Women need fewer calories than men because men have more muscle mass and less fat (relative to total bodyweight) than women. The amount of protein, carbs, and fat will be dictated by the amount of calories one eats.
We have shown that women do not need to train or diet much differently than men. Then why do we always see women in gym performing hours of cardio and lifting the lightest dumbbells in the gym for endless reps?
This is most-likely due to not being informed, or even misinformed (by the media), about how women should train. What about diet? One of the most common breakfast meals recommended to women is yogurt and a banana. Now there is nothing wrong with eating a yogurt and banana, but where is the protein and essential fatty acids? If you are a woman trying to gain lean muscle, you will need to eat adequate protein and good fats (essential fatty acids). It is time to stop listening to the media and misinformed individuals and time to become educated and get results. In this article, we will go over some basic diet and training information and then direct you to where YOU can get diet and training help and direction!
Dieting for Women — General Guidelines
Before we get into the recommended diets for women trying to lose fat and gain lean muscle, let’s go over some general diet guidelines.
Calorie Control
The biggest factor in a diet is calories in versus calories out; your total calories will determine if you lose or gain weight. Eating too many calories will lead to fat gain. But if you don’t eat enough calories you will not gain lean muscle. Setting a target calorie intake and counting the amount of calories you eat each day is vital to losing fat and gaining lean muscle.
Macronutrient Manipulation
While your total caloric intake is the most important diet factor, the ratio of protein to carbs to fat can dictate whether the weight you gain/lose is muscle or fat. A diet that contains 80% of calories from carbs, 10% from protein, and 10% from fat will produce different results than a diet containing 40% of calories from carbs, 40% from protein, and 20% from fat.
Stay Hydrated
You should drink plenty of water every day. Try to drink at least eight glasses (or 64 oz.) of water per day. The benefits drinking water provides are optimal hydration as well as a feeling of “fullness” without added calories. Sometimes people will mistake thirst for hunger. Because of this, staying hydrated can also prevent overeating.
Quality Control
Choose fresh, wholesome foods over pre-packaged, processed foods. Packaged foods are loaded with preservatives, especially sodium and saturated fats, and often have high amounts of sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup.
You will be amazed at how fast you can lose fat just by packing meals from home rather than purchasing fast food or packaged foods. You also will save a lot of money!
Insulin Control
Insulin is the “storage” hormone. When it is secreted fat burning is blunted. By controlling insulin secretion by choosing low GI carbs you can decrease fat gain/increase fat loss. Stable blood sugar levels also improve energy levels and ones mood. All of our diets as based around insulin control, leading to leaner muscle gains with little to no fat gain.
Adequate Protein
In order to gain lean muscle you need to eat enough protein to sustain the creation of new muscle proteins. You may not be used to eating the amount of protein our prescribed diet recommends, but once you get into the groove you should not have any problems and will enjoy how full and satisfied you feel.
Essential Fats
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are vital to the proper functioning on your body. Dietary fats got a bad rap due to the diet fads of the 80’s and 90’s, which promoted eating as little fat as possible, but in reality EFAs are needed by the body and are part of a healthy diet. Eating fats does not equate to getting fat. In fact, most EFAs help support the fat burning process and maintaining a lean body. Do not be scared to eat good fats. EFAs are not the enemy. Also, be sure to supplement with a QUALITY EFA product, such as Scivation Essential FA.
Women do not need to diet much differently than men. One metabolic difference between men and women is women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbs than men, which is the reason why women tend to do very well on a low carb diet. Due to this fact we recommend women follow a low-carb (not no carb) diet to lose fat and gain toned, lean muscle.
Curve Appeal—Exercises to Help Add Sexy Curves
What is the most common thing you see women do in the gym? Cardio. And if they do lift weights the pick up a 5 pound dumbbell and do endless reps. As we have discussed, women need to lift heavy, challenging weights just like men in order to gain muscle. While machines do provide sufficient stimulation to gain muscle, nothing can beat free-weight/compound exercises.
Now, we will go over a few free-weight and compound exercises that we will incorporate in the weight training presented.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a full body exercise, meaning it stimulates just about every muscle in the body. Deadlifts hit the legs, back, traps, abs, obliques, etc. Deadlifts are a must for building a fully developed body. If you don’t do them, you are selling your results short.
Squats
Squats are perhaps the most effective exercise you can do for overall leg development. Free-weight barbell squats are a compound exercise that hits the entire upper leg, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Like deadlifts, if you don’t squat you are selling yourself short. These are a must for sexy, toned legs.
Lunges
Lunges are great for targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Lunges will help tighten up your legs and butt and give you the curves you want.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups work the muscles of the back, biceps, and forearms. Most gyms have an assisted pull-up machine, so if you cannot do pull-ups with your bodyweight, this machine will allow you to do pull-ups with less than your bodyweight.
Dips
Dips work the muscles of the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Dips are a great exercise for overall upper body development, especially the shoulders and triceps.
Most gyms have an assisted dip machine, so if you cannot do dips with your bodyweight, this machine will allow you to do dips with less than your bodyweight.
Exercise Tips: Form Over Ego!
We cannot stress enough how important it is to maintain strict form on all movements. This means stabilizing your body and contracting your abs so you isolate the primary intended muscles. For example, when doing a standing barbell curl, tighten your abs and do not rock or swing the weight. By tightening your abs, you stabilize your body and prevent momentum. This will also help condition your abs and save your lower back from injury.
Warm-Up Properly
You should perform 1-3 warm-ups sets before working a given muscle group. For example, I you are going to bench press 85 lbs for your work sets then do a warm-up set with 45 lbs (just the bar) and then a set with 65 lbs before trying to bench press 85 lbs.
Rest, Don’t Nap, Between Sets
We recommend 60-120 seconds of rest periods between sets. This allows your body to recover some of its expended ATP but is not so long that you lose the flow of the workout. Remember, the goal is to get in and out of the weight room in 30-45 minutes.
What if I Miss a Workout?
If you miss a workout, simply work your schedule so you get back on track. Do not skip a workout! You have three off days per week. If you miss Tuesday’s workout then try to do it on Wednesday and then get back on your normal schedule.
You now have a complete 12-week workout program. Next we are going to discuss a topic that will interest all women, why do trouble areas of fat exist?
Tricep, Thigh & Booty Fat: Why “Trouble Areas” Exist
Most women have “trouble areas” or places on the body where the most fat is stored and it is difficult to get rid of. In most women these areas are primarily the thighs, glutes (butt), and in some women the triceps (back of the arms) and “love handles”. After dieting to lose weight and tone up these trouble areas the last thing you want to do is regain excess fat. If you don’t keep your diet clean and controlled you will gain fat, and it will most likely be in these trouble areas. We will go over why these trouble areas exist and then outline a plan to keep these trouble areas lean and sexy while adding lean mass.
Simply put, some areas in the body have more receptors that block fat breakdown than receptors that increase fat breakdown. In men, these areas are the lower abs and love handles. In women, they are the thighs and butt. We will discuss the physiological factors controlling fat loss and then go over a stubborn-fat cardio protocol and then beneficial supplements for losing stubborn fat.
Stored Triglycerides—Body Fat We Want to LOSE
While all cells contain some fat, it is mainly stored in muscle (intramuscular triglycerides) and in adipose tissue (body fat). Adipose tissue is the body’s main fat storage site and the fat we all want to lose. Adipose tissue is divided into individual cells called adipocytes. These adipocytes hold stored triglyceride (1 glycerol molecule bonded to 3 fatty acids) droplets, which serve as a source of energy for the body. These droplets make up 95% of adipocytes’ volume. In order for this storage of potential energy (60,000-100,000 kcal) to be used and to LOSE BODYFAT (everyone’s goal), it must be mobilized through lipolysis (the breakdown of triglycerides).
Lipolysis involves splitting the triglycerides into a glycerol molecule and 3 separate fatty acids (FFA). Once the fatty acids diffuse (exit) from the adipocytes, they bind to plasma albumin (a protein in the blood) in order to be transported to active tissues where they can be burned. In order to lose body fat, the fatty acids must be burned!
Transport of FFA to be Burned!
Blood flow is of prime importance to the transportation of FFA away from adipocytes and through the circulation to active tissues where they can be burned. This is especially important during exercise where energy requirements are heightened.
Low blood flow could cause the accumulation of FFA within adipose tissue resulting in less available FFA to be oxidized and a greater chance of FFA to be turned back into triglycerides. It has been found that the stubborn fat areas (thighs and butt) have poor blood flow. Therefore in order to get rid of stubborn fat we must increase blood flow. What is the best way to increase blood flow? Exercise! In addition to this certain supplements can also increase blood flow (more on this later). Increasing blood flow throughout the body will assist in losing weight by transporting FFA to where they can be burned.
FFA Oxidation—Burning Body Fat
When the FFAs reach muscle tissue, they are transported into a muscle cell. Once in the muscle cell, the FFAs can re-esterfy (rebind) with glycerol to form triglycerides to be stored in the muscle or bind with intramuscular proteins to be used for energy production in the mitochondria. In the mitochondria, the fatty acids undergo beta-oxidation, meaning they are burned for energy.
We want the FFAs to be burned in the mitochondria. Increasing energy demands through exercise is the best way to accomplish but there are supplements that can help give you an extra boost.
Summary Thus Far
Stubborn fat areas are caused by a high density of Alpah2 receptors and poor blood flow
Lipolysis must be increased in order for FFAs to be burned
Blood flow to adipose tissue and transportation of FFAs away from adipose tissue is vital to fat loss
FFAs must be BURNED to body fat loss to occur
Exercise is the best way to increase blood flow to adipose tissue, transportation of FFAs, and oxidation of FFAs
Knowing these facts allows us to choose supplements that will assist in burning through stubborn fat. The next chapter will go over a cardio protocol that can help burn stubborn fat and then go over some supplements to help burn fat in stubborn areas.
The Stubborn Fat Cardio Protocol
We learned that NE/E activate the receptors that stimulate lipolysis (fat breakdown). Research shows that NE/E secretion increases with exercise intensity. In addition, as cardio duration increases fat utilization increases while carbohydrate utilization decreases. So we need to perform high-intensity cardio for a long duration of time to maximize fat burning. The only problem is one cannot maintain high-intensity cardio for a long duration.
So how can we overcome this while maximizing fat loss?
By doing the following: 10-15 minutes HIIT followed by 15-30 minutes of Low-Intensity Cardio.
High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is training where you alternate between intervals of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise. An example would be sprinting all-out for 100 meters then walking for 100 meters then repeating. One cannot sprint at full intensity for a prolonged time because sprinting and any other form of high-intensity cardio utilizes the anaerobic energy systems, specifically the Phosphocreatine system, which power short-term activity. After going all out, one must rest and give the Phosphocreatine system time to “recharge”. Additionally after sprinting all-out a couple times you are going to start feeling fatigued. After 10 sprints you are pretty much worn out. While you might not be able to sprint at full speed anymore you can still walk and jog as the intensity is not as high as sprinting and other uses the aerobic energy systems.
Knowing this we can setup a cardio program to maximize fat burning:
15 seconds all out followed by 45 seconds of low-intensity cardio
Repeat 10-15 times.
15-30 minutes of low-intensity cardio
This cardio could be done on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, running track, etc. We usually recommend the elliptical machine as it is low impact and easy to change speeds. We also recommend doing the Stubborn Fat Cardio Protocol separate from weight training, either first thing in the morning (if training in the evening) or on off days from the gym. To start, we recommend doing the Stubborn Fat Cardio Protocol 2-4 times per week.
In addition, you can perform low-intensity cardio post-workout or on off days if Stubborn Fat Cardio is done on weight training days. This is optional, but will speed up fat loss. We recommend having at least one day a week completely off from all exercise.
Conclusion and Summary of Main Points
We have gone over a lot of information and hopefully helped you understand the way women need to diet and train in order to gain lean muscle and lose fat. To make things easy, we will now summarize the main points of this Women’s Bible.
Women will not get big and bulky from lifting weights, but instead lose fat and gain lean, toned muscles.
Women should lift weights just like men.
Women do not need to diet differently than men, but need to calculate their needed caloric intake based on their weight.
Women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbs than men and tend to do well on low-carb diets.
Calorie Control, Macronutrient Manipulation, Staying Hydrated, Eating Quality Foods, Insulin Control, Eating Adequate Protein and Essential Fats are all vital to a healthy diet and gaining lean muscle.
Stubborn fat areas are caused by a high density of Alpha2 receptors and poor blood flow.
Lipolysis must be increased in order for FFAs to be burned
Blood flow to adipose tissue and transportation of FFAs away from adipose tissue is vital to fat loss.
FFAs must be BURNED to body fat loss to occur.
Exercise is the best way to increase blood flow to adipose tissue, transportation of FFAs, and oxidation of FFAs.
The Stubborn Fat Cardio and Supplement Protocols are great ways to get rid of stubborn fat.
The Xtend + VasoCharge stack is the Ultimate Workout Nutrition Stack, making sugary sports drinks obsolete.
Consistency is the key to success. Create a workout schedule and diet and stick to it!
There you have it! It is time to put all this information to action and gain the sexy muscle and curves you’ve always wanted. Time to get your hottest body ever!