By Four differences women have from men should be considered to lose body fat, build muscle and ignite your metabolism.
I LOVE delving into this one! As a woman, I’ve had a passion for training from a very young age. When I was in high school (just a shy 13-year-old), I would admire all the other girls doing aerobics and wondering when I would be able to wear those fabulous lycra suits and if I could ever look as good as those senior girls. It was back in the mid-nineties, and as you can guess, those 80’s type of aerobics wear was still fashionable. I didn’t even bother to look into weight training – but I fell in love with the gym from that moment. It wasn’t until many years later I began body pump (after I had my daughter) as I felt flabby and somewhat fat after giving birth. I wanted to tone up and lose the weight I put on from eating a tremendous amount of junk food (as you do!). Not only did I lose the weight, but I also transformed myself through body pump and spin class. You do get to a point where things start to stagnate, and that’s the moment I knew the weights area was going to be my body transformation dancefloor! Little did I know that the love affair would last this long, and I am confident it will go on for as many years as the man above gives me life on earth. I used to think that women should train a certain way (when it comes to weights), but I was utterly wrong. Although men and women respond to food and exercise differently, not to mention our different hormonal makeup – we don’t have to alter our routines too much.Women’s strength capabilities differ due to men’s dominating hormone testosterone. Still, we can pretty much get high up in the stakes of lifting some hectic loads if we want to. Some women don’t, but many of us love the challenges and what that does for our body shape. There are a few differences to consider when it comes to training, and it’s always good to know so that you can make the best use of your hormonal makeup to get the best results from your workout. Let’s touch on a few that will help you out next time you create your weight lifting program.
Four differences women have from men should be considered to lose body fat, build muscle and ignite your metabolism.
- Women burn more glucose than men, and unfortunately, less fat. This is the reason why women have a more significant proportion of fat storage as opposed to men. Plus, we have a lot more body fat percentage than a man. But this is all ok because what that means is that we can manipulate our metabolism to burn more fat for energy. We do it by limiting carbs in our diet (but NOT getting rid of them) at certain times to trigger our body to burn fat instead. I would recommend reading up on carb cycling (you can get these resources from my site if it’s of interest). To give you a rough example, you could eat lower carbs on days you aren’t training and then higher carbs on your workout days. You could even go a step further (this is what I do) and focus your higher carb days when training legs or some form of strength-based circuit. I have found in my experimentation that this is only appropriate when you want to tap into stored body fat. If you don’t, then skip the strictness of this.
- Women burn and store fat in a different way than men. We women rely on fat for fuel during our exercise adventures. The sad news is that at rest, we burn less fat than a man would. It makes complete sense then to exercise 3–4 times per week – and think of exercise as a lifestyle more than something you “just do for the sake of losing weight.” It’s tough for us women to lose fat from the lower body, and our upper body (usually our boobs) are the first to go when it comes to fat loss. The best exercise for eliminating lower body fat is to perform HIIT sprints. I have found this to be highly beneficial – although it can tax the body somewhat. It would be wise to factor in enough recovery from these intense sessions. When it comes to weight training, focus on those exercises which work the majority of your muscles. Deadlifts, lunges, step-ups and even sled pushes are fantastic.
- Stress and how it can decrease your chances of fat loss. Stress is horrible for a man and woman, and specific stressors are more harmful to women. Chronic stress can lead to fat storage and even more fluid retention. One way to combat stress is to pay closer attention to your natural body clock. Are you more of a morning or evening person? Being in tune with your natural rhythm will create a more calm disclosure if we can use the example of staying up late to do something that requires concentration when you are naturally a morning person. That example highlights going against your bodies natural rhythm and therefore creates unnecessary stress. It may not be an obvious example in your life, but can you imagine how much damage it can cause over long periods? You could also use yoga, pilates or meditation as a stress relief. Lengthening and stretching of the muscles encourage us to let go and surrender somewhat. What makes stress harmful is our inability to let go. The more we can allow for this, the less stress we will hold onto, and the more relaxed our bodies will become.
- Women can build muscle as men can. Women can train similarly to men and still have the potential to develop and maintain muscle mass. As we age, an increase in protein will help us retain muscle mass and build upon what we have. No matter what age, it’s never too late to start building muscle mass on your frame. Although it’s a bit complicated for me to explain this to beginners, a training style that periodizes hypertrophy will help you build muscle mass and lose body fat. Even building a small amount of muscle mass will help boost your resting metabolic rate, which we all want.
I could use so many variables to explain this in further detail, but the best evidence is when you discover what your body can do when you start the journey. It can begin with just one class and a change in your diet. Slowly as you build up your confidence and strength, you will start to love the transformation and want to move along in the journey. I believe that when we learn, we grow, and that’s something everyone appreciates. There is no better goal than transitioning into the best version of yourself through healthy lifestyle choices. I wish you well along this neverending journey ahead. I would love you to upvote it if you did. Please also join me on my various social platforms and do go ahead and download your 40 Fat Loss Tips & Portions guide. I’m also on Instagram.