IF YOU BELIEVE THAT PUMPING IRON WILL TURN YOU INTO A FEMALE RAMBO, THEN THINK AGAIN — WELL-PLANNED WEIGHT TRAINING CAN HAVE MANY BENEFITS FOR WOMEN

One of the biggest myths in fitness is that you should perform all-aerobic training for fat loss.  Women tend to have the perception that you should avoid weight training because upon lifting a dumbbell, you will become big and bulky.

This belief has been reinforced over the years by gyms offering fitness programmes suggesting that women should stick to the treadmills or Jane Fonda-inspired aerobic workouts, leaving weight training to the men.  This is a shame as studies of untrained women typically show a decrease of 3-7pc in body fat in a nine to 10-week period when weight training is a major component of their fat-loss programme.

In my experience, the body shapes of women respond very well to weight training. In order to achieve optimal gains, women will need a frequency of at least three days a week per muscle group and the extent of the muscle building will depend on the programme design and the genetics of the individual.

In 1968, a study by Ikai and Fukunaga confirmed that muscle is muscle regardless of whether it is male or female, and that the training potential and methods of training should be similar to each other. Initially, women who perform weight training fear that they will become too muscley. This fear diminishes over time, because males have 10 times more testosterone than women and it is this hormone that helps build muscle.

Physiologically, there are a number of differences between the genders that can affect sports performance, such as work capacity, body size and composition. An example of this is that women perform better in long-distance swimming events than males as their higher body fat levels help them float better, but these same body fat levels will also make them slower at sprinting.

Fitness instructors should individualise the design of training programmes to ensure stability to the pelvis. The hip to knee angle, known as the Q angle, can increase the possibility of injuries if the muscles of the pelvis are not trained properly. When it is made stable, a female can become stronger in the legs than males of the same body weight.
Although women can become very strong, it is important to note that there is a tendency for women to lose strength faster than males in periods of rest from training, such as holidays or being off-season from sports.

So in order for women to get the most from their weight training, there are a number of considerations that should be taken into account:

• Training programmes for women should be organised around the same principles of training used by men.

• Programme design should be personalised, regardless of gender.

• The strength training should be arranged around the menstrual cycle, as female strength may be greatest two to three days post- menstruation

• Females should learn to approach heavy weights with the right level of mental intensity.

• Compound exercises that involve compression increase bone density. A compound exercise uses numerous joints and muscles, such as a squat where you use your hips and knees, as opposed to a leg curl where just the knees bend.

• You should also ensure that the weight is heavy so that the repetitions don’t exceed nine.

• In women, muscular strength of the arms, chest and upper back are more important in increasing self-confidence than the lower body.

• Women should train without mirrors as their body image and their workout is affected by them. If you train without them, you will have a better workout and develop more awareness of your body.