Female Vs. Male Workout Routine - Is There A Difference?

It's certain that there is a fairly clear divide at your local fitness center between where most of the men workout and where the women workout.

A gym with both male and female clientele always shows its colours when women are too nervous to head over to areas saturated with guys. Does this reflect the abilities of women? The difference between how men and women should workout? Absolutely not!

Women with Manly bodies

The primary reason why women are afraid of taping into the same workouts as men is the fear of developing manly bodies. This fear was brought about in the 90's when women began to join in on bodybuilding competitions. In bodybuilding, the objective of the sport is to be judged on how muscle size and definition, created by any means possible.

As such, lifting weights in a particular way, with just the right parameters of sets, reps and frequency, may result in larger muscles. On the other hand, if larger, more defined muscles is not the objective, then a different set of parameters is followed.

Bodybuilding is not the Norm...

While it may seem as though everyone who lifts weights gets bigger, this is not the norm. In fact, women who lift weights as a part of a healthy program, or who follow the same type of program that their male counterpart follows, are some of the leanest women you'll find at the gym. Lifting weights burns a huge number of calories, improves strength, and is the most effective way to change body composition.

A part of what separates the sexes physically is the hormone production and balance. Building muscles is a role of testosterone, which exists in large quantities in men, and lesser quantities in women. Without this hormone, building muscle mass becomes very difficult. Female bodybuilders (as well as the men) are known to use hormone supplements as a means of developing their desired bodies.

All this to say that women and men can train in the exact same way and women will not develop in the same way or at the same rate as men. To put it generally, women are physiologically incapable of this, even if they train with a bodybuilding program.

Whether your goal is to lose fat, get into better cardiovascular shape, prevent injury or illness, improve self-confidence, improve strength, or improve flexibility, women's and men's programs can be completely, 100% the same. The only exception is that women may have to chose a lighter weight, and men may have to spend more time stretching.

Best Workouts for Women who want to lose fat

Even if your instincts tell you otherwise, be aware that women who lift weights as a part of their workout routines have lower average body weights and less body fat percentages. Studies have shown that lifting weights and high intensity interval training is the quickest way to burn fat off the body.

Both of these styles of exercise require heavy loads to be moved at a fast pace. If you are looking to lose weight, get rid of that treadmill and hit the gym.

The difference between men and women

The only real difference between men and women is the hormone balance, as mentioned before.

If you're working out with your guy friend, be aware of what your strengths and weaknesses are, and work to change these.

Though you may not be able to lift as much weight as your guy friend, don't be afraid to lift heavier weights, and finish at 5 to 8 repetitions. More repetitions will not “tone” your muscles. It will simply teach the muscle to be able to contract for a longer period of time. The more you lift, the stronger you'll become, and the more your muscles will eat away at your body fat.

What is HIIT

High intensity interval training is used by cross-fit and other fitness organizations who have taken recent research into account when programming. Research shows that big bursts of intensive exercise is the best way to beat your fat.

An example of a HIIT workout would be:

3 rounds (without stopping)

• 10 jump squats

• 10 burpees

• 10 medicine ball slams

This is short and sweet. You'll go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds, challenging your body to keep up. While it may take some people 1 to 3 minutes to finish, it may take others 5 or 10 minutes, depending on muscular and cardiovascular condition. This is the perfect workout for a guy or a woman to try out, on their path to losing the last few pounds.

Training with your workout buddy

While a lot of folks might recommend training with a partner who is at your fitness level, you can also consider training with a person who has the same goals in mind as you. Define your goals carefully and give yourself a deadline to measure them in. If you want to lose weight and your partner wants to build muscle, its probably not the best match up. If you both want to lose body fat, this is likely the best partner for you, man or woman! Use the same workouts, and even find a trainer for you both.