5 things women need to know about strength training

1. If you want to lose weight, add strength training to your cardio

When choosing physical activity for weight loss, women tend to prefer aerobic training - walking and running on the track or group fitness programs. This is not to say that this is a completely wrong approach: cardio is really helpsL. H. Willis, C. A. Slentz, L. A. Batman. Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults / Journal of applied physiology lose more weight than strength.

But if you combine aerobic training and resistance work, the results will be much better. Strength in addition to cardio help women lose1. S. S. Ho, S. S. Dhaliwal A. P. hills. The effect of 12 weeks of aerobic, resistance or combination exercise training on cardiovascular risk factors in the overweight and obese in a randomized trial / BMC Public Health
2. E. Sanal, F. Ardic, S. Kirac. Effects of aerobic or combined aerobic resistance exercise on body composition in overweight and obese adults: gender differences. A randomized intervention study / European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine

twice as much fat, especially in the thighs.

And if you add more protein to your diet, you can slightly improve body composition even without aerobic exercise. In one experimentb. Campbell, D. Aguilar, L. Conlin. Effects of High vs. Low Protein Intake on Body Composition and Maximal Strength in Aspiring Female Physique Athletes Engaging in an 8‑Week Resistance Training Program / International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism young women, in addition to training, consumed 2.5 g of protein per 1 kg of weight and after 8 weeks not only gained 2 kg of muscle, but also lost 1 kg of fat.

The effectiveness of strength training for weight loss can be partly explained by the effect on the basic metabolism (Resting metabolic rate, RMR) - the amount of energy that the body spends to maintain life.

RMR is the main item of expenditure of our body - for it leavesE. T. Trexler, A. E. Smith-Ryan. Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: Implications for the athlete / Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 70% of all calories consumed from food. How much depends on gender, age, height and weight, as well as the percentage of fat and muscle mass.

Of course, muscles are not the most expensive tissue. At rest they consumeJ. C. Aristizabal, D. J. Freidenreich, B. M. Volk. Effect of resistance training on resting metabolic rate and its estimation by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry metabolic map / European Journal of Clinical Nutrition only about 13 kcal per 1 kg per day, while the brain and abdominal organs are about 200-440 kcal per 1 kg.

But you won’t be able to grow a second stomach for yourself, but pumping up muscles is completely. In one experiment, 9 months of strength training increasedJ. C. Aristizabal, D. J. Freidenreich, B. M. Volk. Effect of resistance training on resting metabolic rate and its estimation by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry metabolic map / European Journal of Clinical Nutrition the participants' basal metabolic rate averaged 73 kcal.

Even more energy was spent by people who received 20 g of whey protein. By the end of the experiment, their basal metabolism increased by an average of 108 kcal.

2. Do not stop strength training during and after the diet

The fastest and most effective way to lose weight is to go on a calorie-restricted diet. This will help you lose weight without any training, but keeping it off can be problematic.

The fact is, a calorie deficit is the best way to slow downE. T. Trexler, A. E. Smith-Ryan. Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: Implications for the athlete / Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition metabolism. Under such conditions, the body begins to save energy for basic needs and daily activities, and muscle mass is lost. Therefore, as soon as a person returns to a normal diet, the body begins to strenuously gain the lost kilograms.

Power loads can protect against this effect even with a really hard diet.

In one experimentR. W. Bryner, I. H. Ulrich, J. Sauers. Effects of Resistance vs. Aerobic Training Combined With an 800 Calorie Liquid Diet on Lean Body Mass and Resting Metabolic Rate / Journal of the American College of Nutrition people were on an 800 kcal/day liquid diet for 12 weeks and did either strength training or light cardio.

The former not only lost 2.5 kg more fat than the latter, but also lost only 800 g of muscle mass versus 4.1 kg for cardio losers. What's more, those in the aerobic training group had a 211 kcal decrease in basal metabolic rate, while those in the strength training group had an increase of 63 kcal.

Thus, due to power loads, women not only lost weight, but also got a good basis for further weight maintenance.

3. Leave light dumbbells - take medium weights

Women often choose small weights - they prefer light ones. dumbbells and kettlebells, bodybars, or empty barbells. The problem is that in order to grow muscles with such shells, you need to perform really many repetitions, and even increase their number over time. And that rarely happens in real life.

In order not to squat 40 times per approach, trying to bring the muscles to failure with a bodybar, it is better to take a barbell of at least 30 kg and tire your legs well for 10-15 times.

This will reduce the time for training and ensure constant progress.

Moreover, in one scientific work figured outM. D. Schuenk, J. R. Herman, R. M. Gliders. Early‑phase muscular adaptations in response to slow‑speed versus traditional resistance‑training regimens / European Journal of Applied Physiologythat muscles in women respond better to working with heavy weights. So, for six weeks of strength training, participants who did 6-10 repetitions in the approach with 80-85% of single repetition maximum (1RM), built significantly more muscle mass than those performing 20-30 times with 40-60% of 1RM.

If you still prefer light weights, try increasing your working weights. For example, if you squatted with 5 kg dumbbells 20 times, grab a 15–20 kg barbell bar and see how many times you can do until the burning sensation in your muscles makes you stop.

If you have squatted more than 10 times, add weight. Continue in this manner until you find your 6-10 rep max. Remember the working weight and increase it over time.

4. When choosing a weight, do not be guided by sensations - they deceive you

In one experimentb. C. Focht. Perceived exertion and training load during self‑selected and imposed‑intensity resistance exercise in untrained women / Journal of strength and conditioning research 19 female beginners completed two strength training sessions. On the first day they were given 75% of their 1RM, and the next day they were asked to choose their own weights.

As you might guess, in the second workout, the women preferred much lighter shells - less than necessary for the development of strength and muscle hypertrophy.

And this is typical not only for beginners, but also for girls who have been familiar with power loads for more than one year.

Yes, in one researchJ. A. Cotter, M. J. Garver, T. K. Dinyer. Ratings of Perceived Exertion During Acute Resistance Exercise Performed at Imposed and Self‑Selected Loads in Recreationally Trained Women / Journal of strength and conditioning research 20 young trained women were asked to choose their own weight for leg extension and leg curl on the machine, bench press and row to the chest on the block.

Despite experience, the girls preferred weights around 57% of their 1RM. Assessing how hard it was for them during the approach, the scientists came to the conclusion that such a load is not enough to increase strength and build muscle.

To overcome this tendency, find a good coach. Or arm yourself with a calculator, calculate your working weights as a percentage of 1RM and take at least 75% in most exercises.

5. Distribute the load according to the phases of the menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is usually divided into several phases. Follicular comes from the beginning of menstruation and lasts until ovulation, then follows 1-2 days of ovulation, after which it is the turn of the luteal - until the beginning of the next menses.

During the cycle, the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone change, and this affects not only weight, appetite and mood, but also the ability to recover.

In one study discoveredM. M. Markofski, W. A. Brown. Influence of menstrual cycle on indices of contraction‑induced muscle damage / Journal of strength and research conditioningthat women who exercised in the luteal phase had significantly more exercise-induced muscle damage four days after exercise than those who exercised in the follicular phase.

Since recovery is so important for strength training results, it makes sense to cut volumes in the second half of the cycle. Apparently, this will not only not slow down progress, but may even increase it.

In one experimentE. Reis, U. Frick, D. Schmidtbleicher. Frequency Variations of Strength Training Sessions Triggered by the Phases of the Menstrual Cycle / International Journal of Sports Medicine checked how the regimen, taking into account the menstrual cycle, will affect the strength indicators of women. Some participants did the exercises every third day, while others did the exercises every other day during the follicular phase, and only once a week during the luteal phase.

As a result, cycle-adjusted workouts produced a 32.6% increase in strength compared to a regular regimen of only 13.1%.

Similar data gotL. Wikstrom-Frisen, C. J. Boraxbeck, K. Henriksson-Larsen. Effects on power, strength and lean body mass of menstrual/oral contraceptive cycle based resistance training / Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics in another experiment. Here the women were divided into three groups. In the first, they practiced five days a week in the follicular phase of the cycle and one in the luteal phase. In the second group, the order was reversed, and in the control group they always trained three times a week.

After four months, women from the first group significantly increased the muscle mass of the legs, strength and jump height.

Regular training three times a week also provided results, although not as impressive, but the participants who worked hard in the luteal phase did not build muscle and did not add strength.

Try adjusting your workouts to your menstrual cycle. Especially if a week before your period you don’t feel like exercising and you have to expel yourself to training by willpower.