Should Weight Training Differ For Women & Men

It would be insane to disregard the reality that women exercise differently than males do.

Equally, ridiculous would be claims that women should only lift 1.5 kg of dumbbells or can’t perform chin-ups (some of you will know who made those claims).

Thousands of women have passed through our doors during the years that Ultimate Performance has been open, many of whom felt that their training needs differed from those of males. In many of those situations, it was thought that women shouldn’t or couldn’t do as much as males. But let us state this up front: that is categorically FALSE.

Women who train

In the same way that a sprinter trains differently than a triathlon, we are aware that women need to train differently. Both are capable of incredible performances and personal growth, but they most certainly wouldn’t be working on the same project. It is stupid to claim that women should train equally with males. However, to suggest that they should do less is to go back to the 1920s, when it was thought that a true lady should not perspire.

Ladies, if your trainer doesn’t encourage you to use greater weights in the weight room (or doesn’t have you there at all), uses pink dumbbells on you, or claims that the sole “fat burner” is cardio, then… You know, I guess. In comparison to their male counterparts, here are the main factors that women should take into account when training for fat loss.

Women are substantially MORE physically capable than men in the gym.

Higher rep ranges tend to work better for women. However, in general, the lower those rep ranges should be the longer you have been lifting.

Women MUST lift weights. In fact, resistance training should make up the majority of your workouts for the best fat loss (Well, so do men).

Longer warm-ups are frequently more beneficial for women while strength training. Set after set, your strength will increase, as opposed to degrading with each set (as happens more often with guys).

In comparison to men, women are significantly more resilient. Even if he started to tire at rep eight, a male who is laboring on rep eight probably won’t make it past rep 10, but a girl will frequently make it up to rep 15 or higher. We mentioned staying in strength.

Compared to men, women burn more fat while exercising and less while at rest.

Marbella training for women

What does this signify for altering training methods?

1. The time between each lift should be kept generally short. Women can withstand a lot more training, so it would be good to maintain recovery times a bit shorter and exertion levels higher.

2. The mainstays of training should be weights and intervals.

3. Women should try to gradually increase the weight they lift with each set. For instance, if the first set of five reps is a 40-kg squat, add 1-2 kg to the weight in each set to finish with a 45-kg squat (or higher). Your body will surprise you in its capacity to keep up with the slight weight increases, and you might find yourself lifting more weight than ever before.

Until “technological failure,” women should continue to work (the point where form just breaks down). You can bounce back from failure much more quickly than males can, and you’ll be able to complete a lot more “hard” reps for faster results.

Despite this, we have observed that women who exercise in public gyms frequently stick to very high repetitions with weight that is too light for them. On average, women should perform a few more repetitions than men, but within those ranges, they should still be able to lift a respectable amount of weight. Higher reps for ladies don’t necessarily mean doing 50 glute kickback repetitions.

An extremely challenging workout for women’s fat loss is provided below. We’ve tried this a few times with guys, and we can certainly tell that women benefit the most from this plan because men frequently lack the stamina required for this rep, set, and rest routine (usually).

When you’re at the gym, you can click the workout image to download it to your smartphone. Just for fun, do it with a male training partner to see who struggles the most.

Notes about the exercise

1. Tempo

You might be able to identify this four-digit code if you are familiar with tempo and the value of time under stress for the best possible muscle stimulation. If not, it could appear a little confusing, but it isn’t. The four numbers are there to direct you through each phase of the lift, so you can make sure your tempo is proper, and you’re getting the most out of each rep. If the first number says “3” and you’re deadlifting, be sure you’re taking three seconds to lower the bar to the floor. The first number always pertains to the lowering phase of the exercise. You may determine if there is a pause just after the lowering phase by looking at the second number. There may be no pause at times, in which case the reading will be “0,” while there may be a pause of one second while bench pressing, for example. The movement’s real lift is shown by the third number. So, the phase of the action where you stand back up from the lowest part of the move is called a squat. An “X” indicates that the movement should be explosive and that you should lift as forcefully as you can. The fourth number denotes a break once the lifting phase is over. Therefore, this figure will indicate how long you must stop after performing a hamstring curl, with your heel pushed tightly in towards your hamstring.

2. Force it

The objective for each set in this workout should be “technical failure” in order to get the most out of it. That means getting to the point where you can no longer maintain faultless form. The ability to maintain flawless form throughout the whole rep range may allow certain individuals with a high training age to approach “muscular failure”—their technique remains strong until they are unable to lift the weight anymore. Don’t aim for complete physical failure in this situation (particularly on a squat!). Stop one rep before failing as a goal. Otherwise, try to achieve that technical failure between 8 and 10 reps on either rep 8 or rep 9.

3. Super setting 

Make sure to pay close attention to the A1, A2, A3, or B1, B2, etc. down the left side of the workout for individuals who are unfamiliar with supersets, gigantic sets. The exercises for letter A are all gathered together and performed one after the other; the same is true for letters B and C.

4. Rest

The remainder is crucial. No more or less than 10 seconds may be taken between exercises one and two. The set of three exercises must then be performed exactly 60 or 90 seconds later. This means that as soon as the weight is set down, you should set your timer, and when the timer goes off, you should immediately begin lifting (instead of getting ready to lift).

5. Periodicity

And finally, how frequently should you do this exercise? In all honesty, it relies on your other training regimens, frequency of training, types of exercise, recuperation quality and duration, among many other factors. Work with your feelings.

The first time you follow this plan, it will be one of the most difficult exercises you’ve ever done, we’re telling you right now. Make sure to schedule some time for recovery afterward, and let us know if you give it a try! Visit our female Real Results transformation page to witness some of the incredible changes we’ve seen in our female clients.