Mike Valerio CSCS | Taylor Bracy SPT | Nick Petroski DPT
There is a great misconception about women and strength training. The thought is if women strength train they are at a heightened risk of injury and also getting too bulky. These perceptions ruin weight training for women and ultimately make them reluctant to strength train. Often, there are misconceptions spread by the general public, with little knowledge or facts to support these tales. We’re here to set the record straight.
The Physiology Of Muscle Growth
Before you can formulate an opinion on the topic let’s discuss some muscle physiology, to help us understand how these tissues grow. First, we need to grasp the concept that any type of weight training just simply stresses to the body. In order to get muscle growth, the body needs some sort of stimulus. The stress of weight training causes small micro tears to our muscle fibers which is the start of muscle growth. Muscle growth only takes place when we let muscles rest and the fibers build back together. The fibers building back together happens through a cellular process in which it fuses muscle fibers together and forms new muscle protein strands or myofibrils. With continuous tears to the fibers and allowing full recovery, the fibers will increase in thickness and number to create growth. The growth of the muscle is called hypertrophy and it takes time to see changes in the muscle. The weight training process takes time and patience is needed to get the desired result.
Mechanisms to Muscle Growth
For muscle growth, there are 3 mechanisms that are needed. The 3 mechanisms that help muscle grow are muscle tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress. Muscle tension is when we apply a load of stress greater than what the muscle is used to. The muscle can plateau if we do not consistently give it a different stimulus as your training progresses. Next, we need muscle damage which is “soreness post-workout”, local muscle damage causes the release of inflammatory molecules and immune system cells that activate satellite cells to jump into action. Lastly, we need metabolic stress which is the “burn of exercise” or the “pump”. This is when cells swell around the muscle contributing to muscle growth and making the muscle look like it’s growing without increasing the actual size of the muscle cell.2
Hormone Effects on Muscle Growth
Hormones play a huge role in muscle growth in which two take importance over others. The two vital hormones affecting muscle growth are Insulin Growth Factor (IGF) and testosterone. They both enhance protein synthesis, increase satellite cell activation, along with promoting muscle growth. Most people have heard about the role of testosterone but don’t understand most of it is not accessible. Strength training enhances the release of testosterone and makes the muscle cells more receptive to it. Insulin Growth Factors (IFG) do indeed enhance protein synthesis but also increases glucose uptake which helps with muscle growth.
Disadvantages and Benefits Between Men and Women
There are disadvantages and benefits for women compared to men when strength training. Some of the disadvantages include less muscle mass, higher levels of estrogen which limit the ability to build new muscle tissue, and larger cross-sectional areas of fat. These disadvantages also come with benefits like women not having a Central Nervous System as developed which helps women become less acutely fatigable compared to men. This means they can generally do more reps under fatigue. Women also tend to have a higher proportion of type I muscle fiber which are more fatigue resistant. Women tend to have less muscle mass, so they do not occlude blood vessels as quickly when lifting, meaning they deliver oxygen and clear metabolic waste products more efficiently5; and women have similar muscle mass in the lower extremity as men. Men and women can both make significant strength gains via strength training.
Where Should YOU Start With Your Training?
The first step to beginning any training program is finding the routine that works best for you. The good ole saying “something is better than nothing” definitely holds true with weight training. Thirty minutes a day, over time, can change your life drastically. When starting out with your training do not think you need to do some fancy training program you see on tv that says something like “this will get you ripped in 30 days” – it’s simply not true. A training program is what YOU make of it. A simple program that rotates between upper and lower body days is a perfect place to start. As we discussed before, it is required to allow muscles to recover. That is why a rotation of upper and lower body days is the perfect starting point.
In this beginner training program, the number one goal should be to build volume. Volume is the amount of total work we do in a training session in terms of reps and sets. Training this way from the start will help us build some capacity in the muscle allowing us to do more strenuous volumes down the road. Doing anywhere from 8-10 exercises and around 3 sets between the 8-12 rep range is definitely a beneficial way to start a training program. With this method being effected we could also perform the 1×20 method. Dr. Michael Yessis popularized this training method to help people in the beginning stages of training. This method uses 15-20 exercises only doing 1 set of 20 reps of each making sure we cover every major muscle and joints in the body. Doing this builds basic strength and muscular endurance and, as a bonus, you get stronger ligaments and tendons that create more durable joints (Yessis, 2006). There are also a variety of other set and rep schemes that can help you be successful. One set and rep scheme that has become increasingly popular is the theory of performing 3 – 5 exercises with 3-5 reps of 3-5 sets and performing 3-5 times per week. As stated before, the best place to start is the program that can be best adhered to.
Focusing these training programs around major muscle groups of the lower and upper body is a fantastic place to begin your training. Some focuses of the lower body are: Quadriceps (squat), Hamstrings (hip thrust), Glutes (lateral lunge), Adductors (copenhagen), Gastroc/soleus (heel raises), and Anterior tibialis (toes raises). Some focuses of upper body: Biceps (bicep curls), Triceps (tricep pull down), Deltoids (lateral raises), Pectoralis (chest press), Latissimus Dorsi (lat pulldown) Rhomboids (CC row), and Rotator Cuff Muscles (CC ER/IR at 0 & 90 degrees abduction). It can be beneficial to focus on movement patterns to train these muscles. These patterns can reflect the basic patterns that take place during the tasks of everyday living. Pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, lunging, ect. are great patterns to start with. Taking a simple approach like this can be a great start for your training process but, remember the program is only as good as YOU make it.
So is Strength Training Bad for Women?
After all the muscles physiology talk about muscle growth and talking about how to start a training program we are sure you have your own opinion on if strength training for women is bad. We wanted to leave you with a couple more facts and different approaches you can take to change your life for the better with strength training.
A holistic approach to training focuses on a full spectrum of human performance, not only strength training. This approach is one that is very beneficial when performing a training program because it will benefit you in other areas of life. Some benefits are improved body image8, increased quality of sleep9, increased energy9, and reduced stress.9 “Women are more likely to report physical symptoms of stress than men, such as headaches and upset stomach. Stress reduction can not only improve your mental state, but also your overall physical wellness”.9
Overall, Men and women are more alike than different when it comes to training responses. Women have this perception about strength training and how it is only for men. This is far from correct because women can train just like men can. It’s just about finding the right program for you and what exactly the goal is for yourself. Not only is strength training good for women, but all the misconceptions you’ve previously heard are far from the truth. Strength training should be included in any physical fitness program for women of all ages.