By healthiergang writer Deborah Cimino, Personal Trainer and Student in Nutrition Sciences.
Women's Bodybuilding: an Impossible Combination?
Are women and weights an impossible combination? Let's see together the benefits of weight training for a female build, debunking any false myths.
Concerns and Prejudices
Unfortunately, every day hundreds of women choose to change themselves in the most wrong ways; unfortunately all this is due to global disinformation and false beliefs that have taken root over the years.
Although today, the situation has improved, a woman, when she decides to undertake a path aimed at physical improvement starts with a totally wrong conception, and it starts like this long training sessions on cardio machines, endless hours of courses and, at the same time, to go hungry by drastically cutting calories from your daily needs without relying on any professional who can warn you in time of the seriousness of the consequences that all this will have on your health and fitness.
Why all this?
Simple, because women are terrified of weights, associate weightlifting with a male workout and therefore, with a male body.
A woman's "muscle or mass" ideology is completely alien to her expectations; in fact, most of the female sex claims results in terms of toning and slimming without affecting the lean mass in the least for fear of obtaining a less feminine and muscular physique.
The Benefits of Weight Training in the Female Body
So what are the benefits that you could get from a reasoned, organized and studied training according to your needs?
It is certainly very difficult and at the same time unlikely that you can think of building a personalized workout yourself, considering that, it is the instructor himself who understands which exercises can be more or less functional for you and for your body, as well as in the presence of any problems such as osteo-articular pathologies etc. not to be overlooked.
First of all, remember that to get to have a hypertrophic physique it takes years and years of heavy training aimed at increasing mass, which is why there is absolutely no point in worrying about making your physique rough and shapeless.
Rather, I would like to list all the benefits that you can derive from this type of training; I'm more than sure that after reading this you will begin to reevaluate your concept of weight training:
1. Increase and improvement of energy metabolism (and therefore better use of caloric intake) given by the already known fact that, as opposed to fat, lean mass is able to "burn" more calories when you are in conditions of rest, as muscle and muscle groups tend to "pull" during minimal movements thus activating the process of the energy cycle (hydrolyzing a greater number of ATP molecules delegated toenergy expenditure).
2. Reduction of blemishes such as cellulite derived from stagnation of water retention and accumulation of fat thanks to the improvement of peripheral blood and lymphatic circulation (this, especially with the practice of functional circuit training with the alternation of phases at different intensities "Interval Training" to be combined with training sessions weights).
3. Increase in muscle tone (I repeat not the abnormal muscle mass that you will be unconsciously thinking) and improvement of the symmetry of the various muscle groups, giving harmony to the body. I also tend to point out that, especially at the beginning of weight training it is possible to find a temporary increase in circumferences due to the fact that the muscle, below the adipose layer, is in the development phase, and which will subsequently replace the overlying fat mass.
4. Improvement of posture (especially in the typical protrusion of the head forward, sagging and relaxed shoulders and dorsal kyphotic attitude) it is in fact essential to carry out a 360 ° workout that affects all muscle groups, including the upper limbs, often overlooked by women; this would allow you to have a balanced figure with lower limbs, an upright posture, toned pectorals with broad shoulders and tight skin.
5. Improvement of the “linesBody in general combined with a notable body recomposition; remember well that it is not the treadmill that radically changes your body, but only and solely the weights will carry out the much hoped-for remodeling effect.
6. Improvement of the estimate, gratification, self-confidence and mood (given the visible aesthetic improvements and endurance).
7. General psycho-physical improvement (given anyway by any motor and sporting activity).
Targeted Training: The Fundamentals
Clearly it is not possible, here, to be able to do a targeted training for each of you, because as mentioned, this is the task of a personal trainer who will have to follow you personally according to your needs.
However, there are some fundamental exercises that cannot be missing from your training program.
As for the lower part (legs and buttocks), the program that I want to illustrate to you, includes real exercises, which have little to do with press, abductor, adductor, gluteus machine, and leaps from the ground that you may know, but which, are useful. really little for shape your legs and buttocks. They are the fundamental exercises, the ones you must learn to do to shape your body!
Ma these exercises require a professional to teach you the correct gestures. Strength machines are almost useless in physical training. There are four exercises that will shape your thighs and buttocks, and they are:
1) squat
2) advancing lunges
3) straight leg deadlifts
4) step-up.
There are also others, but these are multifunctional exercises that simultaneously involve several muscle groups and which are therefore needed to create a truly effective workout.
These training programs must also include the upper part, also in this case, especially with multi-joint exercises:
1) flat bench
2) push-ups
3) tractions
4) rematore.
In conclusion
So, start your weight room training in a peaceful way, consider it as the place that can finally allow you to build, shape your body in total completeness, in a functional way, because not only does it matter that your body is 'beautiful' but it is important that it is at the same time functional, reactive, capable of "moving" and "moving".
Always present your doubts and main objectives to the instructor or Personal Trainer, without fossilizing only on the buttocks and legs, remember that your body, and the female body in general, is also made up of other muscles and the care of these will give you a beautiful, harmonious, muscular look at the right point.
Be toned strong and snappy, take care of your legs and buttocks, but don't forget the back and shoulder muscles as well, of the arms, of the abdominals and not only of those parts that they want you to believe are the only fundamental ones for female aesthetics.
The results will be your best source of motivation that will push you day by day to give your best. Good workout!
