Should Women Train Like Men - Modifying Lifting Routines For Women | Lifting 101 | Forum

Part 3 of 4

The past 2 articles (part 1 and part 2) in this series were lead ups to this part 3, which is probably what most of you have been waiting for!  Here is how (most) women should train.  This article is not a lifting routine in and of itself – routines like Full Body Attack and The 6x6x6 Routine are great for women, just like they are great for men.  But here are some modifications to keep in mind.

We’ve been asking the question “should women train like men”.  Well, the truth is, most MEN don’t train like men! "Training like a man" means:

• lifting heavy but with good form
• compound, free-weight exercises
• focused intensity throughout the entire workout
• smart eating

So if you are a guy, you need to man-up and decide if you are serious about your training or not.

If you are a woman training with the above guidelines, you already put most men to shame.

So What’s An Ideal Lifting Routine For Women?

Let’s summarize our previous two discussions on women’s workouts:

The only real difference between an ideal man’s workout and an ideal woman’s workout would be the goals.

If your goal is to get stronger, the workouts won’t differ much from men to women (though the results will be harder for women to achieve because of hormonal differences).

If your goal is to lose fat, the workouts won’t differ much regardless of your gender.

The “perfect” workout is one that is customized to you.  But absent a $200 per hour trainer building you a truly customized routine, you need to focus on your goals.

“But Darrin, aren’t there women with goals more commonly associated with men, and aren’t there men with goals more commonly associated with women?”

ABSOLUTELY!

That’s one of my main points.  It’s not about the gender – it’s about the goals!

That said, there are in fact common goals that women have, that differ from the common guy.  So while we are generalizing in these articles, they are still grounded in practicality.

Most women should do these things, just like men:

1. Eat properly. I might sound like a broken record here, but this is many times more important than your workout.   Properly means starting with the recommendations of Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle and then tweaking it based on your goals and situation, just as Tom suggests.  No workout routine will make up for a crappy eating plan.
2. Lift free weights and use compound movements. Do The Big 7 with as heavy a weight load as you can do safely (it’s probably a lot heavier than you think).  Use compound movements.  This should be the basis of your workouts.
3. Use cardio (running, walking, other cardio machines) only as an extra, to burn extra calories and to improve heart health, NOT as the basis of your workouts.
4. Use machines only sparingly.
5. If you do aerobics classes, do them for fun, not for fitness. There are far more effective ways to spend your time if you truly want to be fit.

Most women should do these things differently than men:

1. Adjust grip and stance angles. Women (generally) have wider hips and narrower shoulders than men.  As such, women might be more effective and safer with a wider squat stance.  I’ve also heard that women who wear high-heels also form some postural habits that affect the calf and lower back.  But all of these issues should be easy enough to identify by a good trainer observing your mobility and form during their assessment.  Of course, men with narrower shoulders and/or wider hips would need this same adjustment!
2. More upper body work. Women tend to naturally be stronger in the legs so they like working there more; conversely, men are usually stronger in the upper body so they spend too much time there.
3. More bodyweight exercises, where you aren’t actually loading any barbells but just using your own weight.  Since men are naturally stronger (even out-of-shape men) than women, to get a decent workout we have to load the bar.  For women who are just starting out, you might not yet be strong enough to do at least 6 reps with even the empty bar.  Technically, this isn’t a “different thing” – it’s just a different weight load.
4. Arms work. Yes, I said arms work.  You men who are long-time readers of mine are reading this thinking I’m contradicting myself but I’m not.  True, I have repeatedly said time after time that 99% of men don’t need to do dedicated “arms” work because you get all you need from The Big 7.  But I’m usually not writing to women.  Most women do need extra arm work because their ability to do heavier weights on The Big 7 is limited by arm strength.  And doing heavier weights does more for metabolism and overall body composition.
5. Less abs work. I could argue that almost nobody needs to be doing dedicated abs work, assuming you are doing The Big 7.  But if you are doing The Big 7, and are already lean, then abs work can help to get that nice 6-pack look.  But that’s more of a guy thing.  Women want “flat” tummies and creating bulging musculature in the abs isn’t as cosmetically appealing.
6. Don’t do biceps curls in the power rack.  Oh wait, MEN SHOULDN’T DO THIS EITHER!

It’s worth repeating that these are over-generalizations because the main criteria for the types of workouts you do are your goals, not your gender.

Next Time:  Let’s tackle some of the complaints women give for not lifting free-weights…

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