Muscle Building Tips for Women

The majority of women who are trying to get into better shape focus on one thing, and one thing only losing weight. They believe that simply getting rid of excess body fat will give them the perfect body they strive for. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Adequate muscular development is a must for women who want to have a curvy, shapely physique, and losing fat is not enough to get there.

Luckily, females do not need to gain pounds and pounds of muscle to look their best like males do. A little bit here and a little bit there is all it takes to creative a beautiful, feminine shape. Below I have included some helpful tips for women who want to bulk up in the right places to round out their physiques.

Work the Right Muscles

Working all the muscles in the body equally will not create a striking female form. Some should be worked more, and some should not be worked at all. Muscles that should be worked most include:

ShouldersUpper ChestLower absHamstringsGluteus muscles

Those that females should avoid training directly include:

TrapeziusObliquesUpper backVMOCalves

Adhering to this strategy will allow a woman to emphasize the right curves and lines that make a beautiful female body and avoid building muscle in areas that will disrupt the aesthetics of the ideal female form.

Work in the Right Repetition Range

I see a lot of ladies in the gym doing sets of 20 or more repetitions with weights that would make a paperweight feel heavy. This does precisely nothing to enhance the physique, and is little more than a waste of time. Women will achieve the best results with sets between 8 and 16 repetitions. The resistance used must also be adequate to make the set feel challenging. If the weights are too light the body will not be forced to grow to adapt to the new stress.

Push Yourself

Just because you are a woman does not mean your weight workouts should be easy. You will have to push yourself in the gym, and force your body to do things that may be a bit uncomfortable at times. This will not create a masculine looking physique as many females fear. It is a necessary part of the equation, and one too often overlooked. When you leave the gym your muscles should feel pumped and tight. It is a workout after all not a spa treatment.

A Long Term Approach

Females have far less testosterone than males, which means they will not be able to build new muscle tissue as quickly. While a man may follow an 8-12 week program with good results, it may take a woman 16-24 weeks to achieve noticeable results. Commit yourself to the process and do not get discouraged if results seem to be coming slowly. Just keep at it and the results will eventually come.

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