By healthiergang writer , majoring in Medicine and Surgery.
Woman workout
Now more and more women are entering the world of body building, looking for toned and performing physicists.
Until recently the tool room was the prerogative of the male population only, the woman has always been considered the weaker sex… And yet you wouldn't think so! Finally, thanks to dumbbells e rocker, also women have discovered that "strength" is not a male prerogative and that "lifting weights" is possible, not only to keep fit, but also to improve one's aesthetics.
1. Men VS Women
As is known, in bodybuilding it is customary to alternate phases of "pulp" in stages of "definition", in order to gain muscle tissue and subsequently clean up excess fat.
Browsing the internet, training protocols, dietary advice and indications for correct male supplementation are galore ...and women? - same principles applied to men can they be used for the fair sex?
The answer is certainly unique ...NO! Compared to a man, women have:
- lower stature, muscle mass and bone
- higher percentage of fat mass
- more pronounced lumbar curve and wider pelvis
- greater joint mobility
- lower testosterone levels with less anaerobic potency capacity
- lower hemoglobin levels
- fewer mitochondria in muscle myofibrils
All differences that cannot be ignored.
So be wary of standard and pre-compiled workouts ... each athlete is a world apart and bodybuilding should be seen more as a process of "self-discovery" and progressive improvement.
There are so many variables and all of them should be taken into consideration when preparing a personalized program:
- anthropometric data (weight, height, body fat percentage ...)
- physical abilities
- working activity
- diet and supplementation
just to name a couple… the list would be much longer.
The Ideal Protocol
Although some athletes have achieved better results with one protocol than with another, we must be convinced that there is no ideal protocol, a perfect workout ... otherwise we would all follow that!
Rather, there are different protocols that offer different ways to achieve the same result… the secret lies in the try, questioning and not giving up before completing the training protocol completely: everything and immediately do not get along; only patience and perseverance will bring the desired results.
We break down then the myth of the "training plan for the mass and the one for the definition": A low rep range does not necessarily make you stronger, just as a high number is not aimed solely at muscle definition.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BULK PERIOD AND THAT OF DEFINITION IS THE DIET: slight caloric surplus in mass and a slight deficit in definition.
1. Training
- Don't use mass protocols
In light of what has been discussed so far I would advise against women to use the classics mass protocols, which are so popular among men.
- Work in multi-frequency
During the muscle building phase, instead of using splits and training each muscle area once a week, work in multi-frequency, training the same muscle district twice a week to exploit the hypertrophic stimulation as much as possible: protein synthesis increases by 50% a few hours after training, while it rises by 110% 24 hours later, to decrease in the following days and return to baseline values.
- Don't forget the "periodization"
Protein synthesis is the basis for pull on muscle mass, so if we spend too much time between one stimulation and another we risk wasting a potential anabolic window... a real waste, don't you think? Especially since of testosterone, of course, we women do not abound. The secret therefore lies in the periodization.
- Vary the exercises
The best way to stimulate the muscle fibers is to hit them from several points, varying exercises, overload, volume and intensity.
For example, at the beginning of the week, you can focus on training with higher loads and a low repetition range to dedicate yourself, during the last weekly workouts to single-joint exercises, with a greater number of sets, repetitions and shorter recoveries, in full classic bodybuilder style. .
Obviously the secret lies in increasing the load during the weeks, to maximize the adaptive hypertrophic response, according to the principle of progressive overload.
2. The Phat Protocol
These, in a nutshell, are the characteristics of a protocol PHAT (Power Hypertrofy Adaptative Training), conceived by Englishman Layne Norton, biochemist with a PhD in Nutrition Sciences and with particular emphasis on the metabolism of muscle proteins; currently Pro bodybuilder in the IFPA and NGA federations as well as being a former powerlifter with a brilliant career behind him.
Un practical example it could be:
DAY 1
Exercises to increase the power of the lower body muscles.
DAY 2
Exercises to develop upper body hypertrophy.
DAY 3
Exercises to develop lower body hypertrophy.
DAY 4
Exercises to increase the power of the upper body muscles.
In the days of "hypertrophy" a load equal to 65-70% than used on power days.
I highly recommend not arriving at the muscle failure but to leave a couple of repetitions of margin, at least in the first weeks ... we are interested in growing, not exhausting our neuromuscular system!
But what is the rationale for such a complex protocol?
A hybrid workout forzaipertrofia will allow you to lift higher loads during pure hypertrophy workouts with high repetitions, maximizing muscle growth potential and avoiding long plateau periods.
With the same muscle mass, women are able to develop much less power compared to a man, for their poor ability to develop energy from glycolytic processes ... you will not think of putting on mass by lifting colored weights, right?
And the abs?
The abs should be trained 1-2 times a week, since they will be used predominantly multi-joint exercises, in which the core muscles are always involved. And for the training of this group you can indulge yourself: crunch, reverse crunch, plank, and so on and so forth ...
Mass cardio yes or no?
In mass, the volume of weight training is undoubtedly high and multi-joint exercises require a considerable energy expenditure. The only cardio workout I can recommend are walks in the open air, which allow you to relieve stress and keep the cardiorespiratory system healthy .... for the diehards of running a valid alternative could be 1 or 2 weekly sessions of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) structured as follows: 5-10 minutes of warm-up, 5-10 sprints at 90% of your maximum speed for 10-15 seconds with 50-45 seconds of active recovery, to complete a 5-10 minute cool-down .
3. Training Card | Woman Workout
A week of training it could, therefore, be structured as follows
- MONDAY
Warm-up with joint mobility exercises (dynamic stretching)
Leg curl 3*8 recupero 60 sec
Full squat 4 * 5 recovery 120 sec
Press 3 * 8 recovery 60 sec
Deadlift with straight legs 4 * 8 recovery 90 sec
Forward lunges 3 * 8 recovery 90 sec
abdominal
- TUESDAY
Warm-up with joint mobility exercises (dynamic stretching)
Dumbbell presses 3 * 12 recovery 90 sec
Crosses on inclined 3 * 12 recovery 60 sec
Lat machine 3 * 12 recupero 90 sec
Pulley with triangle 3 * 12 recovery 90 sec
Slow with dumbbells 3 * 12 recovery 90 sec
Lateral raises 3 * 12 recovery 60 sec
Push down with 4 * 12 ropes recovery 60 sec
Dumbbell curl 4 * 12 recovery 60 sec
- WEDNESDAY
Rest or light cardiovascular activity
- THURSDAY
Warm-up with joint mobility exercises (dynamic stretching)
Bridge for the buttocks 4 * 12 recovery 60 sec
Pause squat 4*12 recover 120 sec
Smith machine reverse lunges 3 * 10 90 sec recovery
Sumo deadlifts 3 * 10 recovery 90 sec
Abductor e Adductor machine in superset 3*12+12 recupero 90 sec
abdominal
- FRIDAY
Warm-up with joint mobility exercises (dynamic stretching)
Flat bench 4 * 5 recovery 120 sec
Tractions 3 * 8 recovery 60 sec
Slow with 4 * 5 barbell recovery 90 sec
Deadlifts 4 * 5 recovery 90 sec
French press 4 * 6 recovery 90 sec
Barbell curl 4 * 6 recovery 90 sec
- Saturday
Rest or light cardiovascular activity
- Sunday
Rest
PS.Have you ever heard of IIFYM or a flexible diet? Discover it now.
