Women typically shy away from wanting to build muscle, since
some feel the muscles will make them massive and masculine. Because of working
out, however, women have gained a better understanding of the importance of
having muscles. The only drawback is that not all women know how to properly
build muscle, and they are also not aware of how to use supplements to assist
with their muscle growth. This article provides this information.
In the article, women will learn proper training methods to build muscle and the nutritional supplements required for muscle growth.
Workout Schedule
The first step that women need to take to start building their muscles is to develop a workout schedule. This workout schedule should consist mainly of resistance training, since it provides the means to stimulate muscle growth.
When engaging in resistance exercise, women should concentrate on working certain muscle groups. The body's muscle groups can be divided into six parts: legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and abdominals. Aside from the abdominals, which can be worked out several days a week, women should work each muscle group one day per week.
However, since time is a factor for many women, they should work no more than two muscle groups each day. Good muscle group combinations are: chest and arms, shoulders and back, and legs and abdominals. These muscle groups complement each other, which is why they are typically worked together.
Nutritional Supplements
Protein
The most important supplement that women need to build muscle is protein, and here's why. Biochemistry teaches us that the building blocks of many tissues in your body is made up of amino acids, which are also the components of protein. When women engage in resistance exercise, their muscle tissues breakdown. Thus, they will need protein to repair these tissues.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, protein intake should be around 1.4 – 2.0 g/kg/day for physically active individuals. For a woman 110 pounds, that would mean that she would need to take between 70 g and 100 g of protein a day.
A popular protein supplement choice is whey protein. When choosing a whey product, women need to make sure that it has a high bioavailability. This term simply means that the whey's amino acids are closely matched to a person's body's amino acids requirements, which is, of course, a good thing.
Carbohydrates
Adequate amounts of carbohydrates are also needed in women's muscle building diet. This is because carbohydrates are the predominant energy source used to power their workout. When women ingest carbohydrates, their body converts it to glycogen, which is stored in the muscles.
Since muscles can only store a limited amount of glycogen in their cells, women need to make sure that they eat an adequate amount before working out. Sport nutritionist suggests 2 - 3 g/lb/day of carbohydrates when working out for about an hour. If women plan to work out longer, they may need to go as high as 4 g/lb/day.
Good sources of carbohydrates are grains and vegetables, which are complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates also have their place. Since they are more quickly absorbed into the body than complex carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates should be taken after a workout. Their quick absorption helps to replace nutrients that are lost during workouts.
Fats
Despite what the media has been trying to convince us to believe, fats are good. Fats supply the full feeling you get after you finish eating. In fact, it is the hormone leptin that is secreted from fat cells that send signals to your brain that you're a full and you need to stop eating.
Like carbohydrates, there are also different forms of fat. They are monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats. The fat that you want to avoid is the saturated fat, which has been associated with heart disease and other maladies.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have generally been associated with lowering bad cholesterol levels and raising good cholesterol levels. Great sources of fats are olive oil, flaxseed oils, and fish oil supplements.
In short, when women adhere to their exercise program and supplement with the proper building blocks for muscle growth, they will be fast on their way to building muscles.
In the article, women will learn proper training methods to build muscle and the nutritional supplements required for muscle growth.
Workout Schedule
The first step that women need to take to start building their muscles is to develop a workout schedule. This workout schedule should consist mainly of resistance training, since it provides the means to stimulate muscle growth.
When engaging in resistance exercise, women should concentrate on working certain muscle groups. The body's muscle groups can be divided into six parts: legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and abdominals. Aside from the abdominals, which can be worked out several days a week, women should work each muscle group one day per week.
However, since time is a factor for many women, they should work no more than two muscle groups each day. Good muscle group combinations are: chest and arms, shoulders and back, and legs and abdominals. These muscle groups complement each other, which is why they are typically worked together.
Nutritional Supplements
Protein
The most important supplement that women need to build muscle is protein, and here's why. Biochemistry teaches us that the building blocks of many tissues in your body is made up of amino acids, which are also the components of protein. When women engage in resistance exercise, their muscle tissues breakdown. Thus, they will need protein to repair these tissues.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, protein intake should be around 1.4 – 2.0 g/kg/day for physically active individuals. For a woman 110 pounds, that would mean that she would need to take between 70 g and 100 g of protein a day.
A popular protein supplement choice is whey protein. When choosing a whey product, women need to make sure that it has a high bioavailability. This term simply means that the whey's amino acids are closely matched to a person's body's amino acids requirements, which is, of course, a good thing.
Carbohydrates
Adequate amounts of carbohydrates are also needed in women's muscle building diet. This is because carbohydrates are the predominant energy source used to power their workout. When women ingest carbohydrates, their body converts it to glycogen, which is stored in the muscles.
Since muscles can only store a limited amount of glycogen in their cells, women need to make sure that they eat an adequate amount before working out. Sport nutritionist suggests 2 - 3 g/lb/day of carbohydrates when working out for about an hour. If women plan to work out longer, they may need to go as high as 4 g/lb/day.
Good sources of carbohydrates are grains and vegetables, which are complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates also have their place. Since they are more quickly absorbed into the body than complex carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates should be taken after a workout. Their quick absorption helps to replace nutrients that are lost during workouts.
Fats
Despite what the media has been trying to convince us to believe, fats are good. Fats supply the full feeling you get after you finish eating. In fact, it is the hormone leptin that is secreted from fat cells that send signals to your brain that you're a full and you need to stop eating.
Like carbohydrates, there are also different forms of fat. They are monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats. The fat that you want to avoid is the saturated fat, which has been associated with heart disease and other maladies.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have generally been associated with lowering bad cholesterol levels and raising good cholesterol levels. Great sources of fats are olive oil, flaxseed oils, and fish oil supplements.
In short, when women adhere to their exercise program and supplement with the proper building blocks for muscle growth, they will be fast on their way to building muscles.
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