A WEIGHTLIFTING WORLD CHAMP, KAROLINA LUNDAU IS USED TO HARD AND HEAVY TRAINING YET LACKS A MANS BULK.

Why a

woman s

weight

RON N O R G G II I BI
By James Krieger

training

program

should be

identical

FOR THE BOYS...AND GIRLS

to a man s

SUPERGIRL
men have about 10 times as much testosterone in their bodies as women do. 7 If its not easy for a man to put on muscle, then its going to be extremely hard for a woman, who has so much less of this anabolic hormone. So the fear that as a woman youll blow up and start looking like a man if you train with heavy weights is basically nonsense. Lets take a close look at research to prove this point. In one study, 32 women were put on one of three weight training programs: a free-weight program, a Nautilus machine program, or a Soloflex machine program. 1 The subjects trained three times a week for 12 weeks. By the end of the training program, all three groups had experienced significant increases in strength. But By the end of there was no the training significant change in the program the girth of various women had body parts. gained an Abdominal average of 13 circumference pounds of decreased between 0.2 lean mass. and 1.1 centiHowever, they meters, and didnt bulk up; arm, thigh, and the average hip skinfolds as circumference well as body fat of various percentage also decreased. This body parts means that the increased by women didnt only 0.6 bulk up. In centimeters. fact, they got leaner! They added muscle, but decreased their body fat at the same time, resulting in no change or a decrease in body part girth. In another study, women were placed on a 20week strength training program, training two days a week. 15 On one day they performed 3 sets of 6- to

SUPERGIRL

FITNESS GODDESS CAROL SEMPLE HAS TRAINED HARD FOR DECADES, YET DISPLAYS A SLEEK, TONED, AND FEMININE PHYSIQUE.

SEPTEMBER 2003

I
know youve seen them toowomen in the weight room training with feather weights, doing high reps, and avoiding a pump and sweat on their brow. But what might shock you is that many women athletes also lift weights like that. Why? Because theyre afraid that theyll bulk up and look too manly. Problem is, this concept has no basis in science. By lifting weights like this, women, and women athletes especially, are doing themselves a disservice.

8-rep max and on the other day 3 sets of 10- to 12-rep max with three different exercises, meaning that the weights were moderately heavy. By the end of the training program, the women had gained an average of 13 pounds of lean mass. However, they didnt bulk up. Despite this increase in muscle, the average circumference of various body parts increased by only 0.6 centimeters! This increase is virtually unnoticeable. 8 Why didnt body circumference change much? Because the women also decreased their percentage of body fat by 4%. Because muscle is denser than fat, 8 a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. So a woman can gain a large amount of muscle mass, coupled with a moderate decrease in body fat, and experience no change, or a decrease, in the girth of various body parts. Too bad science doesnt make it to the consumer, because this was known 30 years ago when a study found that a 10-week weight training program resulted in a decrease in hip, thigh, and abdominal circumferences of anywhere from 0.2 to 0.7 centimeters. 17

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BIG IRON

EQUAL TRAIN, EQUAL GAIN

BULK-UP BULL
Ask any man how to put on muscle and hell tell you its hard to do. It takes a lot of training with heavy weights, eating a lot of nutritious food, and getting plenty of rest. Recent studies reported that the fastest natural muscle gain in men is three to four pounds per month; 13 for women its about two and a half pounds per month. 14, 15 Keep in mind that these are the fastest gains that have been observed, meaning that typical gains are less. And

So the bulk-up myth dies! Here are reasons why a woman needs to train with heavy weights. The first reason is strength. Women athletes need to be stronger to improve their sports performance and protect themselves from injury. The average woman fitness enthusiast can also benefit from increased strength because itll make everyday tasks easier. Although women dont have the testosterone levels men do, they can increase their strength quite a bit. In fact, if you put men and women on the same strength training program, the women will increase in strength at an equal or faster rate than men. 8 Its true that men will experience greater absolute increases in strength, but relative increases will be the same or even greater in women. For example, lets say a man increases his bench press from 225 pounds to 300 pounds. The absolute increase in strength is 75 pounds. However, the relative increase, or percentage increase, is 33%. Now, lets say a woman increases her bench from 100 pounds to 150 pounds. The absolute increase in strength is 50 pounds, but the relative increase is 50%. Thus, the man has a greater absolute increase in strength, but the woman has a greater relative increase.

W W W. P U R E P O W E R M A G . C O M

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This has been shown in a number of studies. For example, in the 1970s study that I mentioned earlier, men and women were put on an identical 10-week strength training program. 17 The men and women experienced nearly identical relative increases in leg press strength (about 30%). The The women women actually didnt bulk experienced up in fact, greater relative they got increases in the leaner. bench press (about 30% in the women and 15% in the men) and grip strength (about 13% in the women and about 4% in the men). Similar results were observed in a 1970s study in which men and women were put on a 10-week circuit weight training program. 18 Researchers from the University of Georgia, Athens, put seven men and eight women on a 16week weight training program. The subjects trained three days a week. The women experienced nearly identical relative increases (33.9%) in knee extension strength as the men (28.8%). Relative increases were greater in the women in knee flexion strength (24.4% vs. 12.8%), elbow flexion strength (59.2% vs. 36.2%), and elbow extension strength (41.7% vs. 32.6%). The most recent study I could find that involved a gender comparison of strength gains came out of the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Subjects were divided into young men, young women, old men, and old women. All subjects did five sets of leg extensions three days a week for nine weeks. The young men increased their 1-rep max leg extension strength by 31%, while the young women increased it by 39%; the older men increased it by 27%, while the older women increased it by 29%. You can see that

SUPERGIRL

JAYME KNIGHT: STRONG ENOUGH FOR A ONE-ARM PUSH-UP

women can experience equal or greater relative women experienced a significant four-pound strength gains than men. increase in lean body mass while the older women experienced a significant two-pound increase. The BENCHING FOR FAT LOSS women showed a trend toward an increase in RMR Changing body composition is another reason of almost 50 calories per day. In another study, why women should be training with heavy weights. women who trained three days a week with heavy But theres a problem. The gymnast, as an example, weights (around 80% 1-rep max) increased their might shy away from lifting heavy weights because thatll result in more muscle. But she needs to realize that muscle represents functional tissue thatll aid in performance. So even for the female gymnast more muscle is a good thing, as it is for the average female fitness enthusiast; a higher muscle-to-fat ratio means a slimmer, more toned and firm appearance. The addition of muscle wont only improve the muscle-to-fat ratio, but will also assist in fat loss. By adding lean muscle, a woman can increase her resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the amount of energy her body would expend if she rested all day. The research group at the University of Maryland put young and old female subjects on a 24week resistance training program. 10 Training involved a whole-body workout LOTS OF HEAVY LIFTING HASNT TURNED WORLD-CLASS POWERLIFTER performed three times a week. The young JENN MAILE INTO A BEAST

PURE POWER

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SEPTEMBER 2003

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lean body mass by almost three pounds over six months (three pounds in six months?so much for the idea that heavy weights will cause women to bulk up). 12 During that time the women increased their RMR by 60 calories per day. Similar effects of weight training on RMR have been observed in other studies. 3, 4 If a woman keeps the same or increases her physical activity level, the higher RMR caused by the additional muscle will increase the amount of energy expended each day. This, in turn, will assist in fat loss. The muscle built by heavy resistance training isnt the only thing thatll help you lose body fat. In young women, a single resistance exercise session can result in a significant elevation of RMR of about 60 calories during the day after exercise. 11 This postexercise elevation in RMR may be related to the energy needed for muscle repair and protein synthesis after exercise. 6, 16 During the day after exercise, a single training session can result in an increase in the rate at which fat is broken down at rest. 11 Finally, weight training might be able to prevent losses in lean body mass and RMR during periods of extreme dieting. 2

SUPERGIRL

MULTIPLE WORLD HIGHLAND GAMES CHAMPION SHANNON HARTNETT IS USED TO HEAVY WEIGHTS; WHERES THAT 20 ARM?

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 18:115-121, 1999. 3. Byrne, H.K., and J.H. Wilmore. The effects of a 20-week exercise training program on resting metabolic rate in previously sedentary, moderately obese women. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 11:15-31, 2001. 4. Campbell, W.W., M.C. Crim, V.R. Young, and W.J. Evans. Increased energy requirements and changes in body composition with resistance training in older adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 60:167-175, 1994. 5. Cureton, K.J., M.A. Collins, D.W. Hill, and F.M. McElhannon Jr. Muscle hypertrophy in men and women. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 20:338-344, 1988. 6. Dolezal, B.A., J.A. Potteiger, D.J. Jacobsen, and S.H. Benedict. Muscle damage and resting metabolic rate after acute resistance exercise with an eccentric overload. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 32:1202-1207, 2000. 7. Judd, H.L., and S.S. Yen. Serum androstenedione and testosterone levels during the menstrual cycle. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 36:475-481, 1973. 8. Kraemer, W.J., and S.J. Fleck. Designing Resistance Training Programs. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1997. 9. Lemmer, J.T., D.E. Hurlbut, G.F. Martel, B.L. Tracy, F.M. Ivey, E.J. Metter, J.L. Fozard, J.L. Fleg, and B.F. Hurley. Age and gender responses to strength training and detraining. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 32:1505-1512, 2000. 10. Lemmer, J.T., F.M. Ivey, A.S. Ryan, G.F. Martel, D.E. Hurlbut, J.E. Metter, J.L. Fozard, J.L. Fleg, and B.F. Hurley. Effect of strength training on resting metabolic rate and physical activity: Age and gender comparisons. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 33:532-541, 2001. 11. Osterberg, K.L., and C.L. Melby. Effect of acute resistance exercise on postexercise oxygen consumption and resting metabolic rate in young women. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 10:71-81, 2000. 12. Poehlman, E.T., W.F. Denino, T. Beckett, K.A. Kinaman, I.J. Dionne, R. Dvorak, and P.A. Ades. Effects of endurance and resistance training on total daily energy expenditure in young women: A controlled randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 87:1004-1009, 2002. 13. Rozenek, R., P. Ward, S. Long, and J. Garhammer. Effects of highcalorie supplements on body composition and muscular strength following resistance training. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 42:340-347, 2002. 14. Staron, R.S., D.L. Karapondo, W.J. Kraemer, A.C. Fry, S.E. Gordon, J.E. Falkel, F.C. Hagerman, and R.S. Hikida. Skeletal muscle adaptations during early phase of heavy-resistance training in men and women. Journal of Applied Physiology 76:1247-1255, 1994. 15. Staron, R.S., M.J. Leonardi, D.L. Karapondo, E.S. Malicky, J.E. Falkel, F.C. Hagerman, and R.S. Hikida. Strength and skeletal muscle adaptations in heavy-resistance-trained women after detraining and retraining. Journal of Applied Physiology 70:631-640, 1991. 16. Welle, S., and K.S. Nair. Relationship of resting metabolic rate to body composition and protein turnover. American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism 21:E990-E998, 1990. 17. Wilmore, J.H. Alterations in strength, body composition and anthropometric measurements consequent to a 10-week training program. Medicine and Science in Sports 6:133-138, 1974. 18. Wilmore, J.H., R.B. Parr, R.N. Girandola, P. Ward, P.A. Vodak, T.J. Barstow, T.V. Pipes, G.T. Romero, and P. Leslie. Physiological alterations consequent to circuit weight training. Medicine and Science in Sports 10:79-84, 1978.

PURE POWER

GO HEAVY OR GO HOME

Science doesnt lie. Women should be pushing heavy weights in the gym, grunting, grimacing, and sweating just like the men. The benefits of heavy weights for the woman athlete, and for women in general, are numerous. If youre female, get to the gym and start pushing some iron. Youll get stronger, youll improve your athletic performance, and youll turn into a calorie-burning lean machine.
References

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SEPTEMBER 2003

1. Boyer, B.T. A comparison of the effects of three strength training programs on women. Journal of Applied Sport Science Research 4:88-94, 1990. 2. Bryner, R.W., I.H. Ullrich, J. Sauers, D. Donley, G. Hornsby, M. Kolar, and R. Yeater.