The other day in class, I covered the topic of exercise during pregnancy and how does training women differ from training men. It is a question I have had to address often. In a nutshell, women do not train any differently than men! We exercise according to individual goals, not gender. True, there are sometimes some exercise constraints that differ between men and women, but, again, we address the individual.
“I don’t want to get big bulky muscles.” You won’t—unless you train (and eat) for them. Even most men are not willing to work hard enough to get “big bulky muscles”.
“I just want to tone.” What is “toning”? Essentially, it is code for “I want definition but not big bulky muscles.” In other words, “I want to diet and lift weights.”
“I want to firm my hips and thighs.” Okay. Squat.
“I don’t want to get sweaty.” Okay. Then you don’t have to worry about “big bulky muscles”.
These statements are often heard from women—but, certainly, not all women. Increasingly, women are joining men in the free-weight room—with great success. I think this is great. I also think it is at all threatening to the “feminine physique” (i.e., the “toned body”).
Exercise encompasses health components (cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, and body composition) and motor skill-related components (speed, power, agility, coordination, balance, and reaction time). How we approach these do not differ by gender. Specificity and overload are the same for men and women. Repetitions, sets, and volumes are determined by goals, recoverability, and time constraints for women, as well as men.
Male or female, exercise!
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!