Training A Woman

[Super_nova]

Hey , I’m having some trouble training my wife.
We do a 2 on 1 off 2 on 2 off split.
We cycle our workouts
4 weeks of heavy weight low reps
6 weeks of moderate weight and moderate reps
4 weeks of light weight high reps

Any way, my body responds to just about anything.
My wife’s on the other hand just doesn’t seem to like working out.
She makes gains very slowly. It took almost 4 weeks for her to add 5 lbs to her bench.
I just don’t get it. She performs the movements correctly. Some times she complains that she don’t feel the muscle working, and she doesn’t get sore till 2 to 3 days after the work out.
It just doesn’t make sense.
Can anyone help???

btw she has lost 35 lbs and about 15% bf
she currently is 5'6" and 16%bf, been lifting seriously for over a year.

thanks

[MsFit]

You summed it up yourself, she doesn't like to workout and if that's the case, she's not going to make great progress. As you're well aware, bodybuilding/transformation begins in the mind. It's just not her thing. She my like working out to a certain degree, but not as hard as you may want her to.
MsFit

[Hibiscus09]

Well, she has a great bodyfat percentage going on. I do have to interject here that some women just aren't able to bench that heavy. I have lifted around 7 years and the most I've ever benched is 105 lbs. It just isn't something I can do very heavy and I LOVE to lift. On the other hand, I've leg pressed as much as 815 lbs. I guess my legs are just a lot stronger body part for me than my chest.

Anyway, that to the side, you have to love it to do the best you can do -- on that I agree.

[Super_nova]

Originally posted by MsFit
You summed it up yourself, she doesn't like to workout and if that's the case, she's not going to make great progress. As you're well aware, bodybuilding/transformation begins in the mind. It's just not her thing. She my like working out to a certain degree, but not as hard as you may want her to.
MsFit

Don't get me wrong, she loves to be in the gym. if she misses a day she gets really cranky. We both notice she doesn't gain in a moderate amount of time.
I just used benching as an example.
We have the diet undercontrol, I just don't understand how to train her.
She has benn lifting for about 2 1/2 years. She started in an all womans gym. She used the machines. For the last lear she has been using free weights. She even does deadlifts!!!

She wants to look cut, you know nice arms and all that.
We do at least 20 mins of cardio on the days we work out.

[MsFit]

I understand her point, maybe she's not seeing results as quickly as she would like to. You are making progress faster and she feels like she's going no where.

What will work for her is constant progressive overload. She MUST progress each workout, meaing she must lift more poundage or more reps each time.

Keep an accurate log of every training session. For muscle growth the reps need to be in the 6-8 range. If she's getting more than 8 reps, the weight is too light and vise versa.

If she does 3 sets of incline presses at 100 pounds for 8 reps, that was a piece of cake, she must increse the poundage the next training session. Her next weeks incline press should favor 3 sets at 105 for 7 reps. Do you see the small increase. That's improvement. Once she gets to 8 reps of that easily, it's time to increase the weight.

Another method for building increase size and strenght that worked well for me was partials, again, using the progressive overload technique.
MsFit

[freaker]

I'm actually going to have to disagree with Ms. Fit on this particular method of progressive overload. Staying in the same rep range seems to promote staleness after a while. So many people feel like they need to stay in the "mass" rep range and consistently use heavier weight to make progress. I even did this for a long time. I actually found something that worked much better. A lot of people, strength lifters in particular, alternate heavy and light weeks or come up with complicated formulas based on volume and perceived exertion. I took these theories and came up with something much easier. Since my recovery time and my perceived level of exertion was directly related to the rep range I worked in(lower reps and thus heavier weights were harder), I decided to change my rep range every week. This not only hit all my muscle fiber types over the month, but it allowed me to follow up my heaviest week with a very light week which really helped with recovery. Later on I read an article that had this exact same idea, but an even better progression. Since then, I've been using this, and by the time I come back to the heavy rep range a month later, I'm always stronger. It's very simple: week 1: 13-17 rep range, week 2: 8-12 rep range, week 3: 3-7 rep range, week 4: 18-30 rep range, then right back to week 1. Not only do I consistently get stronger, but I also consistently get bigger. This kind of progression is really a bodybuilders dream, consistent gains and better recovery. Of course nutrition is important too, but that's a bit more complicated.

[MsFit]

Progressive overload does not cause staleness because the focus it to progress in reps or weight each time, it may become boring though.

2a fibers are used in high rep ranges. High reps in the 20-25 area will not work 2b growth fibers, however it will stimulate 2a. If fat loss is more the goal, then this could be a good idea.

Stimulating the 2b fibers is the fastest and most effective way to make a muscle grow. The growth fibers are hit in the 6-8 rep range.
MsFit

[freaker]

Originally posted by MsFit
Progressive overload does not cause staleness because the focus it to progress in reps or weight each time, it may become boring though.

2a fibers are used in high rep ranges. High reps in the 20-25 area will not work 2b growth fibers, however it will stimulate 2a. If fat loss is more the goal, then this could be a good idea.

Stimulating the 2b fibers is the fastest and most effective way to make a muscle grow. The growth fibers are hit in the 6-8 rep range.
MsFit

I think staying in the same rep range(regardless of what that rep range is) causes staleness to a certain extent becasue the body adapts very quickly. The focus may be to progress in reps or weight everytime, but it doesn't always happen. I've even seen people, including myself, backslide using the traditional approach(probably due to overtraining or nutritional shortcomings, but possibly due to staleness). A limiting factor of muscular growth is the mitochondrial content of a muscle which is why I think doing high reps as well as low reps will help muscular gains in the long run. High reps increase the mitochondrial content of the muscle. That's generally why powerlifters get stronger more so than bigger, proportionately low mitochondrial content in the muscle. Some people can get consistent gains by continuously going heavy with lower reps. For instance, Skip Lacour says he always goes with 4-6 reps, some people, like myself, would overtrain and wear out our joints doing that kind of rep range all the time. I'm not an exercise physiologist or a biochemist or anything, and on paper according to scientific principles the rep scheme I outlined may not match up to a constant 6-8 rep range, but in the real world it has worked quite well so far. It has worked MUCH better for me, as well as for some of my more ectomorphic clients, for gaining mass and strength than the traditional "stay in the mass rep range" approach. Super_nova's wife might try the traditional approach for a month and then try the approach I described for a month to see what works better for her.

[icequeen]

Supernova:
How often do you change up your program?
I find that my body adapts to workouts very quickly, so I change things around about every 4-6 weeks. I vary EVERYTHING--sets, reps, exercises--sometimes I pyramid, others I go with straight sets, sometimes drop sets, sometimes overload, more cardio, less cardio--I have to keep my body guessing.
Because of my time schedule (I am a teacher with 2 kids of my own), I do try to keep the same body parts on the same days, but during my breaks I even change my split from 5 days with 2 of cardio to 3 with one cardio. I am gaining strength consistently if not rapidly and I do not get bored or burnt out.
I train alone for the most part; I am not sure anyone else could put up with my training style, but it does work for me.
I hope this helps and I am really in awe of couples who train to together--that is so cool!

[Kane Fan]

hey man maybe she would respond better to HIT
look into it

[MsFit]

If the muscle it being hit harder each time it's proven to show progress in strenght and size. If you're not going forward, then you're moving backwards.
MsFit

[Super_nova]

Originally posted by icequeen
Supernova:
How often do you change up your program?
I find that my body adapts to workouts very quickly, so I change things around about every 4-6 weeks. I vary EVERYTHING--sets, reps, exercises--sometimes I pyramid, others I go with straight sets, sometimes drop sets, sometimes overload, more cardio, less cardio--I have to keep my body guessing.
Because of my time schedule (I am a teacher with 2 kids of my own), I do try to keep the same body parts on the same days, but during my breaks I even change my split from 5 days with 2 of cardio to 3 with one cardio. I am gaining strength consistently if not rapidly and I do not get bored or burnt out.
I train alone for the most part; I am not sure anyone else could put up with my training style, but it does work for me.
I hope this helps and I am really in awe of couples who train to together--that is so cool!

We change our program every 4 to 6 weeks.

She tells me that, for example bi's, while doing the sets her arms
get tired and she gets the burn, but a few hours after the work out she feels like she didn't do anything. she is hardly ever sore the next day. The weird thig is, I kick her ass through the work out, I won't let her slack. So she is really working. Oh ya she told me this weekend, she doesn't get pumped during the work out- she gets the burn but no pump.

[icequeen]

Is she burnt out mentally or physically?

I don't walk around sore very often, but I have noticed that when I am a little burnt out, I don't do as well.

[tracyb555]

Check out the following site for women:

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

Found the following article there that amuses & educates at the same time (men training women)

**************************************
boy butches up girl

a man's guide to training women

Even though this is ostensibly a site about women, a lot of male readers email me. Some are trying to encourage the recalcitrant females in their lives to hit the weights and are looking for evidence of why weight training is a good thing. Some would like assistance in training their wives, girlfriends, friends, moms, daughters, and female clients. Some just like the training advice, most of which is gender neutral.

I am always happy to hear that guys are encouraging their female acquaintances and partners to train with weights. Many women are introduced to weights by male partners and friends, and this introduction creates an ongoing interest. Some women athletes may find themselves entirely surrounded by men, either because their sport of choice is so male-dominated (like powerlifting) or because the assistance they need can only come from another very physically strong person, and there aren't as many of strongwomen around as there should be! I think that men can be a very positive influence in the gym, and certainly there have been numerous men who made a wonderful contribution to my training experience, both as trainers and workout partners. However I have also heard and experienced many negative things from men in the gym. Sometimes the guys are just clueless, other times they're being deliberately obstructive and rude. So, what if you're a guy that's interested in women's training, and want to know how to do a good job? Read on!


Thanks again to Mighty Lingster for this image!
Do encourage the women in your life to train with weights. No matter what her skill level, ability, age, or body shape, every woman can benefit from weight training.

Don't push her if she's not interested. She may be uncomfortable, she may hate weight training, she may not want to work out with you (I know you're a swell guy, but hey, it happens). She might prefer to work out in a different setting or in a different way.

Do debunk myths about women and weight training. Explain to her that she will not get too big, or turn into a man, or wind up muscle-bound and slow, or whatever people think happens when they lift weights. Assure her that it is okay to work out with free weights, and that it is much more effective to squat than to do a thousand unweighted leg lifts. Send her to this site if you must.

Do show her positive examples of what weight training can do, particularly examples which relate to her needs. She may want strength and power for another sport or activity. She may want functional strength. She may want to lose bodyfat. She may want to increase her bone density. All of these and a variety of other goals can be accomplished through weight training.

Don't assume she shares your goals, but be happy if she does.

Don't indulge in worries about her weight training threatening your masculinity. There is no direct, inverse relationship between her bench press and your penis size. Of course, if you're reading this you're probably not overly threatened. Strong women are cool! Every straight boy should want one!

Do be positive and encouraging about her progress. If possible focus on strength achievements and skill mastery, not losing bodyfat. For most male-female couples who aren't pro bodybuilders, discussions about bodyfat are dangerous territory. This also goes for discussions about femininity.

Don't criticize her body. There's a good chance she will be more critical of herself than you could be of her, but make sure you're not saying anything negative anyway. Also don't compare her to other women (unless you want to score points by telling her how much more buff she is than Jane So-and-So).

Do start her off small if she is a beginner. Let her work within a range where she is comfortable and understand that many people need to progress slowly within the bounds of their security. Think long term progress rather than short term gains. A good weight to start with is something she can handle for about 12-15 reps per set, not because this is for "toning" but because it's light enough that she can learn good form, as well as allow her connective tissue to adapt. After 6-12 months she can start going heavier.

Don't underestimate her capacity to gain strength. She may gravitate immediately towards the heavy stuff. Let her run with it and you might be surprised where she ends up.

Do gear her training program to her needs and goals. This might not be the same kind of program you use. But do also steer her away from the typical female program of hours of low intensity cardio and tiny weights, if you can.

Don't give her a lame-ass program just because she is a girl. Don't tell her to tone, firm, or sculpt. Women do not need special programs with ultrahigh reps and low weight. We can squat, deadlift, power clean, throw a shotput, do one-rep maxes, yadayadayada, just fine thankyouverymuch! "Definition" is just a function of bodyfat levels, but I'm sure you know that already. (If you don't, read this)

Don't advise her against using "too much weight" unless that advice is genuinely useful (i.e. if you see her about to bench press 400 lbs. on her first day). Don't tell her she is going to hurt herself unless, again, this is genuinely useful advice. Don't worry about her hurting her reproductive organs. Her reproductive organs are much better protected than yours.

Do realize that the average untrained woman is going to be weaker than the average trained male. Don't expect her to immediately do stuff that was easy for you. I recall seeing a guy and a girl working out together. She was just starting out and he could not figure out why she couldn't do a pullup. In his mind she just wasn't trying hard enough. For him it had been easy to do a pullup right in the beginning.

Do be aware that while in most ways a woman's program does not differ from a man's, there are some things that might be dissimilar. Starting strength is one thing. She may also find that her menstrual cycle affects how her training goes from workout to workout. She may react differently to carbs than you, and will quite likely find it more difficult to lose bodyfat. Her squat or deadlift stance may be different than yours, or she may find it more comfortable to use narrower dipping bars. Her flexibility is likely better, but the downside of that is that her joint laxity may be too, which means watching out for joint hyperextension.

Do take her, her goals, and her progress seriously. Don't make stupid sexist jokes or comments, because this sends a negative message (and it also makes you look like an ass).

Do be aware of how other women feel in the gym, which continues to be a somewhat male-dominated space. Be aware of how you're using the space, and be considerate of the fact that women may not feel as comfortable as you. Think about how you feel when you're in a situation where you're the only person like you and everyone else is different.

Don't leave machines and bars loaded up with heavy weights. Don't ogle. You may think you're being subtle but most of the time you're not. If a woman is wearing a Walkman that's likely a signal that she doesn't want to be disturbed during her workout.

Do help your female friend, partner, or client feel more comfortable. Include her as much as you can in the gym community. Help her feel like the gym is her rightful space too.

Now get out there and get your old lady hauling some iron!

[Kane Fan]

maybe you shouldn't kick her ass so much
if she's just starting out and you been at it awhile you must know that she wont be able to train at your level of energy output
also she might respond better with more rest time
personally (I'm a guy but still) I lift better when I take a good solid break between sets