Because you are a woman and not a man.
The kind of body women want and how they should train to get that look is a controversial topic.
All the posts that ask women to train like men are mostly found in bodybuilding sites. And they have pictures of perfectly “over toned” women.
The thing is that most women do not want to look that way.
They want curves and want to look lean and well toned but not too sculpted and chiseled.
That’s what most ladies want. They want to look feminine and toned
Most personal trainers will tell you to lift heavy, that it burns fat.
Strength training is good and burns fat but we are talking about women.
Men want wider shoulders, muscular chest and narrow hips. Their need and preference affects the way they train and eat.
Most women I have talked with and trained have never told me that they wanted to look like Brooke Holladay
and she is beautiful with an awesome figure
Women want a lean and curvy look. They preferred to look like Nicole sherzinger
or
Rachel Bilson
This is not to say that Brooke Holladay does not look good. It takes time and effort to get such a beautiful and toned body
But for most women that is not the ideal.
I would not ask a woman to squat with a 30kg weight on her shoulders. She may eventually have beautiful glutes but what of her thighs? They are bound to get thicker.
And what of goals?
A lot of men tell me they want to build muscle. They want their chest to pop out more and they want 6 pack abs.
Women tell me they want to burn fat, have a firmer and less flabby body and look good in their clothes.
They want flat abs, but they do not really want 6 packs. Just a flat and well shaped tummy will do.
For a female Ectomorph, lifting moderately heavier weights will work best for you.
Dead lifts, squats and lunges with barbell will give you needed curves, definition and bulk.
For a female Mesomorph or endomorph, lifting heavy weights without burning fat first is not suitable as it may make you bulkier especially in your lower body.
I know some personal trainers will tell me that lifting heavier weights burn more fat and help women lose weight faster.
Yes, I agree using weight helps you burn fat, but when does it do that and how heavy do you have to go?
At the beginning of your weight loss journey, or when you have lost weight?
From my experience with women I have trained, lifting heavy weights ultimately gives them the look they don’t care for and I have to start all over again to undo the months of hard work on their part.
When I say no to women training like men it’s because 100% of women I have trained did not care much for it.
So, for the voices telling women to train like a man, should we also eat like men?
Men eat tons of food because they want to build muscle. We do not store fat like men. We have more fat percentage than men and do not need that much of carbs to fuel our workouts.
Women need to reduce between 300-500 calories through exercise and nutrition to lose weight. Obviously, you should not eat like a man.
The exercise men prefer to do in and outside the gym are also different. You may not be interested in bench pressing 50 or doing 30 chin ups.
Training and eating like a man will leave you with a body you definitely may not want
And yes, those small and pretty looking pink dumbbells are as effective as the big blue dumbbells. The resistance bands too. It’s all about preference.
Training like a woman does not translate to smaller, weaker and dependent.
It does not mean weak, helpless, restricted or thin.
What matters at the end of the day is you and how you want your body to look, not what your personal trainer believes is the right look for your body.
You can be strong, fit and healthy without looking excessively muscular.
For women who want to look slim and toned, go for higher reps with lighter and moderate weights when doing your strength training.
Squats and lunges should be part of your plan but go easy on them. Do moderate intensity cardio,this will not only burn fat, it will keep your joints healthy and pain free.
Train and eat like a woman, because that’s who you are; a woman