How Dose A Female Build Muscle? Help

sbilyeu75

these are great questions! More weight, less reps. Eat protein immediately after lifting. That's the extent of my knowledge. i'll be watching this post.

YES!
Lift heavy stuff!! As you do reps you want fail at 8-10 and do that three times with a fair break in between for a set. As you lift you want to focus on exploding into the lift (or out of it depending on your direction). Doing lots of reps really fast will not get you anywhere though. Definitely want to do some research and learn proper form to prevent injuries. DO NOT take example from the meat heads at the gym who do curls and are lifting weight so heavy they have to throw their entire body into the lift- that is POOR FORM.

Increase your weights regularly. As a weight becomes easier (lets say you could only do 8 or 9 reps before and now you can do 10 without failure) you MUST increase weight. Doing the same weight light weight 1000 times isn't going to build strength like this will.

As for time- your muscles need 48 hours to recoup. Most trainers will recommend having an upper body day and a lower body day and alternating. This will likely have you lifting 5 or 6 days a week but since you're alternating muscle groups it's ok.

BULK IS A LIE!!! As a female you don't have enough testosterone to "bulk up" so forget about that. It's a myth created by some dumb girl who didn't want to get sweaty. (Every offense intended for anyone that actually BELIEVES this) One thing you want to make sure of is to use PROPER FORM, get FULL EXTENSION and STRETCH.

There is a book out called something like The Guide to Lifting for Women or something and I hear that it's awesome. Basically, every well toned, muscular, FIT woman I've ever met lifts like a dude and finishes with loads of cardio.

Don't be skerrred just dive in. You'll like it!!

I agree with just about all of this. The book is called The New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's worth the $15 investment.

millerll

Lots of good advice here. The book mentioned above is highly recommended. Also, check out scoobysworkshop.com for great videos and tips on how to exercise, eat, etc. This guy is a serious athlete and knows his stuff. Good luck!

Caper88

I will have to pick up the book

msbanana

BULK IS A LIE!!! As a female you don't have enough testosterone to "bulk up" so forget about that. It's a myth created by some dumb girl who didn't want to get sweaty. (Every offense intended for anyone that actually BELIEVES this) One thing you want to make sure of is to use PROPER FORM, get FULL EXTENSION and STRETCH.

This simply isn't true. On average, a female will have less testosterone than the average man. The fact is that everyone has, and produces testosterone. Within a few hours of moderate compound lifting, everyone will begin producing T. I'm gonna call it T because I don't like typing testosterone. Between 12 and 72 hours production will go back to normal. The body will adapt. We are the most advanced things in the existence of time, we will adapt. Also, T isn't the only thing linked to muscle growth. And lastly, even the most delicate of female can acquire a physique of stregnth with proper diet, sensible exercise, and quality rest.

Don't let the detractors bum you. You can do it.

For the record- I didn't say BUILDING MUSCLE is a lie- I said BULK. I know DOZENS of girls and have seen dozens more on here that say they're afraid to lift weights because they're afraid they'll bulk up and look like a guy. If that's your goal as a female- cool but it's hours and hours and hours in the gym, a super strick high calorie, low carb diet and in most instances "supplements" read here something to boost testosterone production. The reason I even brought that up is that the reason have a propensity toward larger muscle mass, bone density and body hair has EVERYTHING to do with testosterone. Women, working out or not, DO NOT produce anywhere NEAR the levels that men produce and unless enhanced are not going produce muscle at the same rate nor are they going to produce muscle in the same way.

If you're eating a well balanced diet, lifting hard and doing plenty of cardio all your going to get is what most of us here are looking for a trim toned sexy physique.

**steps off soap box**

mrb_9110

Bump, same problem

koosdel

I

BULK IS A LIE!!! As a female you don't have enough testosterone to "bulk up" so forget about that. It's a myth created by some dumb girl who didn't want to get sweaty. (Every offense intended for anyone that actually BELIEVES this) One thing you want to make sure of is to use PROPER FORM, get FULL EXTENSION and STRETCH.

This simply isn't true. On average, a female will have less testosterone than the average man. The fact is that everyone has, and produces testosterone. Within a few hours of moderate compound lifting, everyone will begin producing T. I'm gonna call it T because I don't like typing testosterone. Between 12 and 72 hours production will go back to normal. The body will adapt. We are the most advanced things in the existence of time, we will adapt. Also, T isn't the only thing linked to muscle growth. And lastly, even the most delicate of female can acquire a physique of stregnth with proper diet, sensible exercise, and quality rest.

Don't let the detractors bum you. You can do it.

For the record- I didn't say BUILDING MUSCLE is a lie- I said BULK. I know DOZENS of girls and have seen dozens more on here that say they're afraid to lift weights because they're afraid they'll bulk up and look like a guy. If that's your goal as a female- cool but it's hours and hours and hours in the gym, a super strick high calorie, low carb diet and in most instances "supplements" read here something to boost testosterone production. The reason I even brought that up is that the reason have a propensity toward larger muscle mass, bone density and body hair has EVERYTHING to do with testosterone. Women, working out or not, DO NOT produce anywhere NEAR the levels that men produce and unless enhanced are not going produce muscle at the same rate nor are they going to produce muscle in the same way.

If you're eating a well balanced diet, lifting hard and doing plenty of cardio all your going to get is what most of us here are looking for a trim toned sexy physique.

**steps off soap box**

I may have misunderstood your post. In that case, I apologise.

Caper88

For the record- I didn't say BUILDING MUSCLE is a lie- I said BULK. I know DOZENS of girls and have seen dozens more on here that say they're afraid to lift weights because they're afraid they'll bulk up and look like a guy.

I am not afraid to lift weights. I just know there is a difference in they way you do it to build bulk and build endurance. I just want to know as a female what is the best way for me to maximize my time and define my muscles while losing body fat. It just never seems building muscle works for me.

tolygal

bump - I need to read all of this, cuz I'm trying to do the same thing and have no clue!

RunHardBeStrong

I highly suggest you pick up the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Great info about diet and an easy to follow lifting program. I'm about halfway through it and I'm very happy with the strength I've gained.

Completely agree..awesome book!!! Easy to follow routines for whole body workout using higher weight less reps getting you out of the gym faster!! Not to mention GREAT reasults!!!

kwardklinck

I also want tone but I still want a woman's shape. I only do light weights with many repetitions. I will gradually increase the weight as I get stronger. I don't think a woman can really build muscle like a man, especially if she's eating a limited number of calories.

Caper88

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I started trying to alternate from upper body and lower body. I am also going to try to do some squats, lunges and those type of things. Anyone have an idea on how long it will take me to build muscle?

koosdel

You chose two great exercises. If your diet and rest periods are right you will see gains within just a few days, and (for most people) continual and fast gains for several weeks.

One of my friends started working out with me two weeks ago, and her dead lift increased from 40 to 110 pounds in 6 days. A lot of that was in her learning how to use the stregnth she already had, but it is a phenomenal gain regardless. For most people the fastest growth is in the first three or four months.

FYI; she hasn't lost any measurable weight yet, but her stregnth has skyrocketed to the point where she can tolerate heavy cardio.

P.S. Don't be afraid of "man exercises", they won't make you look like a man. I've heard many girls say they don't want to look like those scary woman boby builders, but trust me, they spend years of hard work to get those bodies.

RunHardBeStrong

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I started trying to alternate from upper body and lower body. I am also going to try to do some squats, lunges and those type of things. Anyone have an idea on how long it will take me to build muscle?

It takes quite awhile to actually build muscle, you will see some muscle mass increase rather quickly but this is water retention and glucose stores. Just stay with it and you will see gains!! Squats and lunges will do wonders for your hind end pushups are also a great upper body move!!

TrainerRobin

You all have it pretty right on here.
Women can make pretty dramatic gains in their strength but when we stop and measure their body composition (we have an awesome high dollar setup in our gym), the actual addition of muscle mass is considerably slower to come. With time it will, though so don't give up.

I wish that more folks had the opportunity to see first hand HOW hard my gals work to add just a little muscle. Other people in the gym actually stop and watch ... but then they admire the results. Unfortunately, often with a comment that she's lucky that she can build muscle -- they just can't add muscle no matter what they do. That's always a big attraction to me -- I'll tell them, "Oh yeah? Let me guide your training for 30 days and let's see!"

They always get that look of fear in their eyes and back away -- and return to their three sets of 15 reps of a weight they can do without looking away from the television -- and then wonder why they were so unfortunate as to have been born with a body that just can't gain muscle!

LOL

Okay, stepping off my soapbox now. :drinker:

sbilyeu75

Nice post! I LOL'd at the disclaimer though.

Caper88

I would even just more strength. It is getting a little hard though seeing numbers. I gained 3lbs when I weighed in last monday. I wish I had of taken measurements. It seems weird to gain 3lbs of muscle/water retention so my mind goes to fat.

warmachinejt

Muscle Tissue burns fat. The more you have, the more fat you will burn. That is why a bodybuilder bulks (to gain muscle and obviously a side effect is fat) but then they cut (get rid of fat mostly) and doesn't take much effort because they already had all the muscle to help burn fat.

If you are not doing strenght training whether you're a female or not, you're not fully tackling fat loss.

msbanana

I would even just more strength. It is getting a little hard though seeing numbers. I gained 3lbs when I weighed in last monday. I wish I had of taken measurements. It seems weird to gain 3lbs of muscle/water retention so my mind goes to fat.

3 lbs is TOTALLY water retention. It takes a SURPLUS of about 500 calories a day for a week to gain 1 pound of fat.
I'm gonna guess that you didn't consume a surplus 1500 calories a day for an entire week to gain that 3 lbs. :noway: Personally, I can gain 3lbs over night if I eat something a little high in sodium. If TOM's around make it 6lbs. :grumble: It's a great idea to focus on changing your body composition- just do yourself a favor and remember nothing happens over night. Stick with the strength training and enjoy it! :drinker:

droppin_lbs

Bump - great info!

Andy_Carloz

Great info...

I want to build up my muscle while losing my fat too..