Muscle Building For Women
Muscle building was once considered an activity that only men could get involved in. But in recent years, many women have joined the ranks of those who have chosen to build and display their muscular bodies in competitions around the world. However, there is a great difference between the ways that men and women build their muscles. This is due to the fact that women, as a general rule, have a much smaller skeletal structure than men, and do not actually require as much of a workout to achieve the same results.
If you are a woman who wants to begin muscle building, but does not have the desire to build large muscles for competitions, this difference can have a huge impact on the way you should workout. Sped too much time on muscle building, and you could soon look just like one of the many amazing women who enter the muscle building competitions each year.
Tone Not Bulk
If you are not trying to build large muscles for muscle building competitions, it is important that you pay special attention to just how you work out. Using too much weight will result in the building up of large, bulky muscles. While this is highly desired in women who compete as muscle builders, the majority of the rest of us do not want to have biceps that are larger than most men's.
Remember that you are aiming for tone, and not bulk. Use lighter weights, and do more repetitions of each muscle building exercise. For example, if you are ding arm curls, use only a five or ten pound weight, and repeat your repetitions anywhere from twenty to thirty times per cycle. Women (and men) who desire bulk, will use a much heavier weight, and only repeat ten or fifteen repetitions per cycle.
For Competition
One of the nicest advantages that women have over men when it comes to muscle building for competitions, is that we are generally leaner and more compact, and therefore do not have to work as hard to build the type of muscle necessary for competition. As a general rule, while men will need to work out at least five days a week to gain the amount of muscle needed for muscle building competitions, women on the other hand will only need to spend three days a week in the gym.
Also, if you are planning to use any sort of muscle building supplements, you should talk to your doctor to make certain that you are in good enough health to do so. Muscle building, and the use of muscle building supplements, has a much different effect on women's bodies than it does on men.
