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Revealed! The workout routines for women that work...

Once they reach 30, many women are dismayed to find that stubborn pockets of fat seem far more resistant to a program of exercise and diet than they were just a few years ago.

For women who want to get strong, lean, and fit while staying attractive and feminine, wading through the mass of confusing and conflicting information about all the different workout routines can be very, very frustrating.

Put 10 experts together in a room, and you'll probably end up with 20 different opinions. It's no wonder most women are confused about what they should be doing. Some workout routines are, of course, more effective than others.

You're about to learn more about the ones that work.

Workout routines

There's plenty of debate about which type of exercise is the "best" way to get in shape. Some argue in favor of aerobic exercise. Others contend that resistance exercise (such as lifting weights) is the right way to do it. If you want to accelerate your metabolic rate, burn more calories and lose fat faster, a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise works best.

Traditionally, weight training is not considered feminine. That's despite the wealth of research showing that it's a highly effective way to lose fat.

It's easy to get hooked on numbers, and focus solely on weight loss. If the scale shows you've lost weight, you're happy. But what does that weight consist of? And has it been lost from the areas you want to lose it (such as the belly, hips, or thighs)?

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that if you don’t lose weight, then the program isn't working. Because you'll gain some muscle, the scales won't give you an accurate picture of how much fat you're really losing.

In other words, your weight might not change very much. But the shape of your body will. Most women are pleasantly surprised by the results they get from a proper program of resistance exercise.

Resistance exercise gives you the power to sculpt your body the way you want it to look. It's almost impossible to change your shape with aerobic exercise alone. If you're pear shaped, with aerobic exercise, the best you can hope for is to look like a smaller pear.

Instead of getting bigger, the exchange of fat for muscle will make you look smaller and shapelier. You'll be leaner. You'll probably drop several dress sizes. Not only will your thighs shrink, they'll also take shape. You'll see signs of muscle definition in your arms.

These changes will not take place overnight. But give it a few months, and people will be able to see the difference. You'll be noticed. The compliments will flow in constantly!

Research

The research you're about to read is important for several reasons.

Firstly, the subjects taking part were women, not men. Many studies use men as subjects, and then try to apply the results to women.

Everyone knows that men and women are built differently, even though they have the same basic muscles. They also respond differently than men to the same workout routines. Women, for example, tend to use more fat for fuel during exercise, particularly during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle [2, 26].

Exercise in the luteal phase also raises both energy expenditure and fat utilization after exercise to a greater extent than in the follicular phase [27]. The luteal phase refers to the time between ovulation and the onset of the next menses. It usually lasts between 12 and 16 days.

Two of the studies used trained women rather than beginners. Put a group of beginners on a 12-week program and they'll usually improve no matter what type of program they follow.

More interesting still, the women taking part were tennis players. They weren't strength athletes or bodybuilders. The sleek and compact physique of a female tennis player is one that appeals to many women.

Finally, while most studies last less than 12 weeks, this research continued for a full nine months. This gives you a much clearer picture of what works and what doesn't.

Muscle gain

Weight training is more than a way to change your body. It’s also an excellent way to improve the way you feel.

I believe that weight training is one of the best ways to deal with the inevitable frustrations life throws at you. Putting in a good workout can give you a real sense of accomplishment. You'll become less tense. As your strength increases, so will your confidence and independence.

You will, of course, build some muscle. This does worry some women. However, the amount of muscle you'll gain (especially if you're following a restricted-calorie diet) is a lot less than you might think.

It takes years of hard work and an almost religious obsession with exercise and diet to develop the kind of muscular female physiques you see in the magazines.

Most men will tell you that gaining muscle is hard to do. It takes hours of training with heavy weights, eating a lot of food, and getting plenty of rest.

Of course, the speed at which you make progress depends on several factors, such as your genetics, age, training age, lifestyle, and eating habits. Muscle growth is very rarely a linear process, and will never come at a predictable steady pace from month to month.

Men have about 10 times as much testosterone in their body as women. If it's not easy for a man to put on muscle, then it's going to be extremely hard for a woman, who has much less of this muscle-building hormone. Only women with a genetic predisposition for muscle growth will see substantial increases in size.

A good example of this comes from a research team led by strength training expert Dr. Keijo Hakkinen. A group of women took part in a four-month strength-training program. Although the women got a lot stronger, there was only a slight increase in muscle tissue [9].

In fact, several studies show that weight training can make women smaller and leaner.

Research published back in 1978 shows that a program of regular weight training can actually reduce the size of the hips, thighs and waist [23].

More recent trials show similar results.

In one study, 32 women were assigned to one of three training programs — a free-weights program, a Nautilus machine program, or a Soloflex machine program [3]. The women trained three times each week for three months.

Although the women gained strength, there was no change in the size of the thighs or arms. Average waist size actually decreased. In other words, rather than "bulking up", the women actually got leaner. They gained muscle and lost fat at the same time.

In another study, women were placed on a 20-week strength-training program, exercising twice a week [19]. On one day, they performed three sets of 6-8 repetitions for each exercise. On the other day, the women used three sets of 10-12 repetitions.

At the end of the program, the women had gained an average of 13 pounds of muscle. Despite this, the average size of each body part increased by only 0.6 centimeters — which was virtually unnoticeable. The reason for such a small increase in size is that the women also lost a large amount of fat.

A study by the same group of researchers shows almost identical results [20]. Twenty-four women exercised their leg muscles twice each week for 20 weeks.

Although the women gained both muscle size and strength, there was no overall change in thigh size.

Fat is less dense than muscle, and weighs about 0.9 grams per cubic centimeter (compared to 1.07 grams for muscle). In other words, one pound of muscle will take up less space than one pound of fat.

What this all means is that a woman can gain muscle and lose fat without bulking up.

Diets

It's common to lose some muscle when you cut back on your calorie intake (which you'll need to do if you want to lose fat). The good news is that resistance exercise can minimize the loss of lean muscle and the drop in resting metabolic rate — even during a period of extreme dieting [4].

In other words, one of the main benefits of lifting weights when you're trying to shed fat is the preservation (rather than the addition) of lean muscle.

Many women are afraid that heavy loads will turn them into the female equivalent of the Incredible Hulk, with legs like tree trunks or shoulders like bowling balls.

Instead, they're usually encouraged to use light weights and high repetitions in an attempt to "sculpt" or "tone" the part of the body they're exercising.

But what exactly is a more toned body, if it's not one with less fat and more muscle? In terms of body composition, if you want a more "toned" physique, then your real goal is to get rid of the fat while keeping the muscle.

Remember that losing fat requires that you burn more calories than you eat each day. If your calorie intake is the same as your calorie expenditure, then your weight will remain the same — no matter how many repetitions you do.

If performing a higher number of repetitions were the best way to develop muscle tone, they would need to burn more calories than low repetitions. However, low repetitions are just as effective at burning calories as high repetitions.

Some evidence for this comes from a trial carried in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise [21]. A group of 14 female subjects performed two different workout routines. Each routine involved the same exercises, but different repetition ranges were used.

Session one consisted of two sets of 15 repetitions. The second workout involved two sets of eight repetitions, but the women used a weight that was roughly double that used in the first session.

During both workouts, the number of calories burned was very similar. However, differences in calorie expenditure were most apparent after the women had finished training. When they used lower repetitions and heavier weights, the women burned a total of 12 calories in the two hours after exercise. In contrast, they burned just six calories during the same period with lighter weights and higher repetitions.

In both cases, the number of calories burned after exercise was extremely small. However, the workout routines weren't really designed to stimulate post-exercise fat metabolism. What the results do show is that higher repetitions burn no more calories than lower repetitions.

Muscles aren't the only things that get stronger when you train with weights. Bones get stronger too [24]. Think of bones as a growing organ. They respond to stress just as muscle does. Unfortunately, many weight-training routines designed for women (light weights with high repetitions) simply don't impose enough stress on bone to stimulate remodeling.

Women, who have a greater risk of osteoporosis than men, need to meet the minimal essential strain required for bone remodeling to occur. Bone growth is proportional to the degree of stress imposed upon it. The greater the overload — within certain limits, of course — the greater the growth [7].

In short, to change the shape of your body and make your bones stronger, you'll need to use a weight that's heavy enough to create muscle fatigue.

Periodization

Some of the most effective resistance exercise programs are based on a concept known as periodization. In essence, periodized training is nothing more than a program including some kind of planned variation.

Evidence for greater fat loss and muscle gain following six months of periodized training comes from researchers based at Ball State University [14].

A group of 34 healthy, but untrained women was assigned to one of two groups. Group one followed a low-volume, single-set circuit program. The second group used a periodized high-volume multiple-set routine.

The single-set circuit group trained on three alternate days each week (such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). The workouts involved a single set of each exercise separated by 1-2 minutes of rest. Each set consisted of 8-12 repetitions performed to concentric muscle failure. The resistance was increased during the subsequent training session if the women were able to perform more than 12 repetitions without any help.

The periodized group trained four days per week, performing 2-4 sets per exercise. On Monday and Thursday, the weight used for each exercise varied between heavy (3-5 repetitions), moderate (8-10 repetitions) and light (12-15 repetitions). On Tuesday and Friday, moderate weights (8-10 repetitions) were used. The rest periods between sets were 1-2 minutes on moderate and light days and 3-4 minutes on heavy days.

The women using multiple sets gained more muscle and lost more fat. After six months, the multiple set group lost almost nine pounds of fat, compared to three pounds in the single-set group. The multiple set group also gained an average of seven pounds of muscle. The single-set group gained only two pounds.

A similar trial, this time using trained rather than untrained women, also shows better results with periodized training [11].

Twenty-four competitive, collegiate women tennis players were placed into one of two groups: a periodized multiple-set group, or a single-set circuit group.

Both groups trained 2-3 days per week. The single-set group used 8-10 repetitions for each set, while the multiple-set group used either heavy (4-6 repetitions), moderate (8-10 repetitions), or light (12-15 repetitions) loads for 2-4 sets per exercise.

Again, the multiple-set group gained more muscle and lost more fat than the single set group. Maximal strength for the bench press, free-weight shoulder press, and leg press increased significantly after four, six, and nine months of training in the periodized training group. Strength gains in the single-set circuit group dried up after four months.

The problem with both of these studies is that the total training volume (training volume refers to the number of sets multiplied by the number of repetitions) was higher in the multiple set group. In other words, they did more work than the single set group. This is the most likely explanation for the greater rate of fat loss in women using multiple sets. They simply burned more calories during each workout.

So, these trials don't tell us whether it was the increase in training volume, or the variation in sets, repetitions, and rest periods which was responsible for the superior results following periodized training.

Fortunately, research published in the January 2003 edition of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise provides some answers [10].

Thirty female collegiate tennis players were assigned to either a periodized or a nonperiodized training program. Again, the periodized program involved heavy (4-6 repetitions), moderate (8-10 repetitions), and light (12-15 repetitions) loads. The traditional program involved only moderate (8-10 repetitions) loads.

This time, however, the total weekly training volume (the number of sets multiplied by the number of repetitions) was similar in both groups.

Both groups gained muscle and lost fat. After nine months, the women following the periodized program gained seven pounds of muscle, compared to less than four pounds in the traditional group. They also lost approximately twice as much fat (4.6 pounds vs. 2.6 pounds).

During the first six months, periodized training led to greater strength gains in the leg press (9% vs. 4.5%), bench press (22% vs. 11%), and shoulder press (24% vs. 18%) than the traditional group.

After nine months, differences in strength between the groups were reduced, although gains in the bench press (23% vs. 17%), leg press (19% vs. 17%) and shoulder press (24% vs. 23%) were all greater in the periodized group.

References
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