This question is open to the entire forum, but I figure I'd post it here. Sometimes I get female friends asking me for pointers on training and nutrition and sometimes I'm hesitant to give them my opinion mainly because what works for me may not apply to them. Then I thought about it and realized I've never taken the time to learn the differences (if any) in training and nutrition between males and females. Are there any major differences? Thanks!

A lot of people here would say

"Women can train exactly the same way as men"

Which, in theory, is true. They CAN train the same way. However, it's not often that women have the same goals as men do, so I don't think necessarily they should be training the same.

Most women do not want to gain size. (Which is a pity, because most women would look a lot better if they broadened their hips and chest while keeping their waist the same size.) A lot of women are looking to "tone" their muscles. In other words, increase muscle definition, which means they need to gain some LBM while losing fat.

I think the main difference in training between the sexes would be in diet, but there are a few other things they might want to do a little differently. I'll come back with more thoughts later.

dluc... the differences would all depend on the goals of the person, not so much the gender... if the person wants to cut, bulk, maintain, train for a sport, etc.

lifting is the same mechanically no matter what gender, the same principles will apply for cutting, bulking, strength, speed, etc no matter what

I agree with Guava that there are some small differences in dietary needs, however even those are not much different than what would apply for men, the main difference in my opinion would be the need for certain nutrients in a womans diet, such as calcium, although that could be obtained via vitamines as well... although whole food sources are better

but training... how you lift... is exactly the same... how you perform a bench press and how I do should be exactly the same mechanically and this is true of ALL excercises :nod: :tucool:

Big Iron - for boys and girls (http://www.jopp.us/freeinfo//bigiron.pdf)

A Woman's Growth (http://www.jopp.us/freeinfo//chicks.pdf)

Mars and Venus in the Gym (http://www.jopp.us/freeinfo//marsvenus.pdf)

Women should train exactly the same. If anything, I think women require more of a concerted effort to lift heavy and hard because of so much misinformation and fear about "looking bulky". Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses - pile the weight on the bar.

That being said, motivation and motivational techniques tend to be different with female athletes. Girls (ahem, women) will not respond well to macho techniques such as screaming in their face during a particularly tough rep or trying to get them "jacked up". Calmer, almost fatherly, support generally works best.

Big Iron - for boys and girls (http://www.jopp.us/freeinfo//bigiron.pdf)

A Woman's Growth (http://www.jopp.us/freeinfo//chicks.pdf)

Mars and Venus in the Gym (http://www.jopp.us/freeinfo//marsvenus.pdf)

Women should train exactly the same. If anything, I think women require more of a concerted effort to lift heavy and hard because of so much misinformation and fear about "looking bulky". Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses - pile the weight on the bar.

That being said, motivation and motivational techniques tend to be different with female athletes. Girls (ahem, women) will not respond well to macho techniques such as screaming in their face during a particularly tough rep or trying to get them "jacked up". Calmer, almost fatherly, support generally works best.


NOT true... I actually respond really well with the screaming in my face technique... of course that all depends on who's doing the screaming but please do NOT stereotype... frankly fatherly support would probably make me puke and then fire my trainer for not motivating me in the gym... EVERYONE is different and will respond to different techniques ;) not mad... just sayin' :cool:

So, here's my "more"....

To offer "women specific" training tips, I'd have to make some gross generalizations, so instead, I'll talk about what I like to do. You can consider me as representative of all women, or just decide I'm a freak. :p

I like to concentrate more on back and shoulders and glutes, because these are the areas that I want to bulk up. As for my biceps, triceps, quads, and calves, I don't want them bigger, I just want them defined, so I don't overload them as much or as frequently.

As cajunman said, I don't enjoy the "in your face" training or agressive music. I work better from praise and to inspirational music (think Creed). As well, I get frustrated with really heavy weights; I prefer to choose a weight that I can handle more easily and lift for 8-12 repetitions instead of 6 to 8. I won't progress as quickly this way, but I don't have lofty strength or hypertrophy goals. I take shorter breaks with lighter weights, which compensates slightly for the "easier" workout. I also tend to find that I get bored easily. I prefer to mix up the exercises that I'm doing, or to train in a circuit-training fashion or supersets, rather than doing the same timed exercises for the same number of targetted sets and reps.

Besides as Chameleon mentioned women need more calcium (and iron), most women tend to have different taste preferences as well. Protein foods are not my favorite taste-wise, and find that I can get satisfactory results while keeping my protein intake at a little less than 1 gram per pound of body weight, or at about 25% of my calories. If I try to limit my carbohydrates to less than 50% of my calories, I get insane cravings and start to binge, so it's not worthwhile.

Immediately prior to the menstrual period, the body's estrogen level drops, as does the serotonin level in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or brain chemical, that plays a role in maintaining a relaxed feeling. When the level decreases, irritability and mood swings increase as does the craving for carbohydrate- and fat-rich foods (http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/Cravings.html).

I allow myself to indulge in these cravings, which means I don't have as lofty protein goals as many. From the same link:

According to Waterhouse, the foods most frequently craved or preferred by men include hot dogs, eggs, and meat, which are all protein foods, while women reach for chocolate, ice cream, and bread. She attributes these differences to sex hormones and body composition.

Hope that helps!

and to further complicate the matter (and prove that everyone is different) I, unlike Guava, am motivated by hard rock, almost angry music, and I love to lift as heavy as I can... not only do I like the challenge the heavier weights give me, I like the way my body responds and I really like the looks of "no way she's lifting that much" :eek: :lol: ... I get a lot of comments like "wow you lift heavy"... and I've never worked out as hard as I did when I was working with the local gyms trainer earlier this year... the guy would yell at me so loud that the whole gym would stop and look :lol: but you know what... I always pushed through that "impossible" set when he did that, just to prove that I could :nod:... I know guys who could NEVER have gotten through the workouts that trainer threw at me :p

my point... and yes, I do have a point... is that everyone is different and will respond to different training techniques

NOT true... I actually respond really well with the screaming in my face technique... of course that all depends on who's doing the screaming but please do NOT stereotype... frankly fatherly support would probably make me puke and then fire my trainer for not motivating me in the gym... EVERYONE is different and will respond to different techniques ;) not mad... just sayin' :cool:

I am not trying to stereotype, I believe I said "generally". My experience is with adolescent, teenage, young adults - probably why I initially typed "girls". You are right, everyone is different, but it is safer to start soft and get harder if you have a female athlete that prefers that kind of motivation. The reverse, starting hard and softening, risks destroying the bond of trust that is required between athlete and coach (or trainer), especially if the athlete does not like being screamed at.

I am baffled as to why "fatherly support" would make you puke - I think your connotations of what that means are not what I meant. Fatherly simply means strong, stern yet supportive. Encouraging. Versus yelling.

Though I'll admit to being much more like Chameleon in the in your face type trainers, 4 years of watching Boys Highschool football coaches trying to train women with the same approach, I believe you are much closer to the mark in the best approach for the majority of women.

I am not trying to stereotype, I believe I said "generally". My experience is with adolescent, teenage, young adults - probably why I initially typed "girls". You are right, everyone is different, but it is safer to start soft and get harder if you have a female athlete that prefers that kind of motivation. The reverse, starting hard and softening, risks destroying the bond of trust that is required between athlete and coach (or trainer), especially if the athlete does not like being screamed at.

I am baffled as to why "fatherly support" would make you puke - I think your connotations of what that means are not what I meant. Fatherly simply means strong, stern yet supportive. Encouraging. Versus yelling.

And like Guava said, most women do not have the goal of big eye popping muscle and crazy strength (Though I found if a women sticks with it in the weight room, they tend to get addicted to watching the weights go up and up!) If it's a women's first time in the gym, I generally opt more for a lower weight/ higher rep, circut style training. While it does build the strength though slowly, it also helps get the heart rate elevate a bit higher to help get the fat burning going a bit faster, which can help in the long run. If they can stick that out for a solid month or two, usually by then it's easier to convince them to up the weights, lower the reps and get to more of a traditional style strength program.

Thank you all for taking the time to give your input :bow:. Gauva, I never would have taken "the period" into account. These were all very good points and I really appreciate it. I'll be better able to assist females when I'm faced with questions now - hopefully this will in turn slightly increase my sex appeal...probably not. :nope:

Girls (ahem, women) will not respond well to macho techniques such as screaming in their face during a particularly tough rep or trying to get them "jacked up". Calmer, almost fatherly, support generally works best.
Yes, it's true. But unfortunately you are one of few who has noticed. These coaches/motivators are rare.

I am not trying to stereotype, I believe I said "generally". My experience is with adolescent, teenage, young adults - probably why I initially typed "girls". You are right, everyone is different, but it is safer to start soft and get harder if you have a female athlete that prefers that kind of motivation. The reverse, starting hard and softening, risks destroying the bond of trust that is required between athlete and coach (or trainer), especially if the athlete does not like being screamed at.

I am baffled as to why "fatherly support" would make you puke - I think your connotations of what that means are not what I meant. Fatherly simply means strong, stern yet supportive. Encouraging. Versus yelling.

no... I didn't misunderstand, I knew what you meant.. and I stand by what I said... that type of 'mothering' kind of support (just a different way of saying 'fatherly') would make me puke.. it doesn't personally motivate me to do anything.. I would not be motivated by it... I bolded the "I" by the way so please take note... this is just my opinion and it is true, if you are too soft with me, I will not be motivated.. while there are a lot of women this would work with, I am not one of those women... people are all different... what would motivate one, might just piss another one off, so as a trainer you would need to sit down and talk to each person you train and determine what would work best for them... trying to find a 'blanket' technique for all women would be a bad idea, just like it would be bad to try to find a blanket tecnique for all men... everyone is different... what motivates one person, might not do anything for the next person... we are all different no matter what gender... my point wasn't to discount your 'fatherly' method, but to demonstrate that we are not all alike :tu: