Hi,

I'd like to post a paragraph out of an article in this months Pure Power Magazine on "Why a Women's Weight Training Program Should be Identical to a Man's"

I'm sure this will be nothing new to the women in this forum, but sometimes it's nice to see the numbers.

"In another study, women were placed on a 20-week strength training program, training two days a week. On one day they performed 3 sets of 6 to 8 rep max and on the other day 3 sets of 10 to 12 rep max with three different exercises, meaning that the weights were moderately heavy. By the end of, the training program, the women had gained an average of thirteen pounds of lean mass. However, they didn't bulk up. Despite this increase in muscle, the average circumference of various body parts increased by only 0.6 cetimeters! This increase is virtually unnoticeable. Why didn't the body circumference change much? Because the women also decreased their percentage of body fat by 4%. Because muscle is denser than fat, a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. So a woman can gain a large amount of muscle mass, coupled with a moderate decrease in body fat, and experience no change, or a decrease, in the girth of various body parts. Too bad science doesn't make it to the consumer, because this was known thirty years ago when a study found that a 10-week weight training program resulted in a decrease in hip, thigh, and abdominal circumferences of anywhere from 0.2 to 0.7 centimeters."

Good post Arnie! Debunking the myth that women will get bulky from weight training.

Quote:

On one day they performed 3 sets of 6 to 8 rep max and on the other day 3 sets of 10 to 12 rep max with three different exercises

I'm curious though why they setup the workouts the way they did? Did the article mention why?

Thanks,
Wanda

I don't know. While some parts of me are getting leaner, there are some that are starting to look a bit bulky like a guys would. I've always had broad shoulders as is. I think the exact amount of bulk varies from woman to woman, and some are more naturaly lean and build muscle that way, while some are stocky and bulk a little more.

No, not to Arnold levels, unless there are some chemicals involved probably

I'm not noticing any bulk, just definition -- like if I extend my arm and move it in a circle, I can see the muscles moving in my arm and shoulder. Which is a thrill, I have to say! My upper arms still have too much flab to be considered buff, but they're in way better shape than they've ever been before.



Jeez! According to my scale I've gained 1.5 lb of lean mass, in 8 weeks (including the time I took off when I hurt my leg), and I thought I was doing well!

Hi Wanda,

No, the article didn't say how they chose the routines. The article quoted a number of studies, so it didn't go into a lot of detail about each one.

This particular study is called: Strength and skeletal muscle adaptations in heavy-resistance-trained women after detraining and retraining. Journal of Applied Physiology 70:631-640, 1991.

Arnie

Great article Arnie, THANKS! I know I feel better and I love the toning that BFL exercises give. The other thing is I know that the BFL exercise plan has been proven with great results!

Piano