The Truth About Female Muscle Gain and Fat Loss

As a fitness enthusiast and former certified personal trainer, I cannot begin to tell you the countless times I've heard that a woman should not perform strenuous weight lifting exercises because she is apt to bulk up in muscle mass and start to take on manly physical attributes.

From a scientific standpoint - the truth of the matter is that the average woman will not get "bulky" on a good traditional resistance / weight lifting program which is specifically designed for mild to moderate muscle gains and optimal fat burning. This is because as women, we are estrogen, not testosterone dominant (testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle bulking - think steroids).

Yes... there are female bodybuilders... and some are natural (no use of hormone/steroids). However... these women train hard for a very long time using very specific mass bulking weight-lifting programs while following a body bulking diet.

In my experience as both a trainer and a trainee... the harder and heavier one works in her respective training program... the leaner and thus smaller one's body becomes. The only drawback to gaining muscle is if you are obsessed with the scale. That's because one cubic inch of muscle weighs six times more than one cubic inch of fat! In short - pay closer attention to how you feel, how your body looks and what size clothing you are wearing instead of the numbers on the scale.

You may ask how one can build muscle yet become smaller at the same time. Well first... muscle takes up less space than fat due to its density. Second... the more muscle you have... the more calories/fat you burn at rest, since it raises your RMR (resting metabolic rate). In fact... you burn an extra 35 calories per day for every one pound of muscle you gain. Thus if you gain ten pounds of muscle... you burn about 350 additional calories per day.

So how hard should you be working while lifting weights in order to develop a leaner body?

Those who are looking to burn fat should be performing two to three sets of each exercise, with repetitions of anywhere from 8-20 (depending on the exercise and muscle group being worked). Additionally, you should be hitting what's known as MMF (momentary muscle fatigue) before, or at least by the end of each and every set while maintaining proper form... even if you have to lower the weight on your subsequent sets to do so. This is the rep range that will improve your muscle size on the lower end, while improving strength, endurance and fat burning power on the higher end. If, however, you want to gain muscle mass and strength... you should be hitting MMF in the 4-6 repetition range.

Additionally, and this is key, the results occur during recovery... so remember to alternate muscle groups each time you visit the gym. For example... on Mondays focus on chest and back exercises... on Wednesdays focus on lower body exercises... and on Fridays focus on arms.

A word of caution to novice exercisters who are just starting out with weight training... you are conditioning your body and preparing it for a gradual transition into a more aggressive training program... so don't try to pull the cart before the horse or you could end up seriously injured. Patience is a virtue.

Now... if you are serious about fat burning and getting lean... be sure to include a good cardio routine 3-5 times per week, in addition to eating clean (90% of fat gain or loss comes from nutrition) and feeding your metabolism.

Eating clean simply means eating foods that are closest to their natural state (such as fruits, veggies, lean meats, lowfat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes), and limiting processed foods such as breads, chips, cookies, crackers, etc. Feeding your metabolism boils down to timing and combining... eat small meals and snacks that consist of a lean protein and fibrous carb every two to three hours to keep your metabolism and insulin levels running consistently and optimally throughout the day.

A small meal including the above-referenced macronutrients, could be a nice green, leafy salad (fibrous carb) with skinless chicken breast (lean protein). A snack could be an apple (fibrous carb), and a small handful of almonds (protein).

On a final note... if all this talk about sets, reps and recovery have you baffled... consider working with a certified personal trainer with a proven track record. Even if you cannot afford to hire a trainer, most gyms have fitness trainers available and sometimes even offer complimentary training sessions.

To your health,
Robin