When you hear the term “bodybuilding”, what comes to mind? You might envision men wearing skimpy posing outfits than bulging muscles, but that’s an old stereotype. These days, men and women of all ages, shapes, and sizes work with weights to keep their bodies healthy and buff. It’s no longer a “male” thing either.
More women than ever seek the health and fitness benefits that weight training offers. The biggest myth is women who work with heavy weights will “bulk up.” Most women don’t have enough testosterone to build big, bulky muscles. Rather, females who lift weights get leaner and stronger.
Why are women more limited in how much muscle they can build? Women typically have a testosterone level of between 15 and 70 ng/dl, whereas men have between 200 and 1200 ng/dl. However, women with a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome have higher levels of testosterone circulating in their system. This can lead to greater muscle growth than the average woman can achieve.
Both men and women can build significant strength and muscle through training. You might wonder whether women are more limited in the amount of muscle growth they can achieve and whether they build muscle more slowly than guys.
Differences in Strength Between Men and Women
Men are stronger than women in the upper body, lower body, and abdominal region, and women have, on average, 37 to 68% of the strength of a male when you consider upper and lower body strength. However, the strength differences are more pronounced in the upper body than in the lower body.
Researchers at California Lutheran University carried out a study that found women have between 25 and 55% of the upper body strength of a male. However, females have 70 to 75% of the lower body strength that a male does. So, women are stronger in their legs than in their arms. But women, just like men, can improve their strength by 20 to 40%. So, both sexes can make similar strength gains through strength training.
Strength Gains by Gender
Do men increase muscle size faster than a woman? It’s certainly easier for a man to build muscle, as they have more testosterone to drive muscle growth. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone that turns on the muscle-building machinery, which leads to muscle hypertrophy.
With only about a tenth of the testosterone that a man has, women are at a disadvantage. Yet, some women, based on genetics and body type, have an advantage over other women. For example, some women have a natural mesomorphic build, meaning they’re more muscular naturally. Whereas, endomorphs, who carry more body fat, and ectomorphs, who are naturally lean, are more limited in the amount of muscle they can develop and may see slower changes in muscle size.
Beyond Gender: Other Factors That Affect Muscle Hypertrophy
Age, hormones, diet, and type of training are other factors that impact muscle growth in men and women. For example, older women have lower estrogen and testosterone levels than younger women, which makes it harder to build muscle. Plus, beyond the age of 60, both men and women are more resistant to anabolic signals that promote muscle growth. This phenomenon is called anabolic resistance. There’s some evidence that consuming more protein and getting omega-3s from fish oil helps counter anabolic resistance.
Women of all ages must optimize their training and nutrition to get substantial gains. That means consuming enough calories and protein. You’ll need about a gram of protein per pound of body weight and should divide it up so that you’re consuming around 30 grams with every meal. It’s tough to build muscle when you’re also restricting calories to lose body fat. When you do this, you send your body mixed messages, telling it to both build and break down.
Weight Training Intensity Matters
Another mistake women make that limits strength and hypertrophy gains is they don’t lift heavy enough. Fortunately, that’s changing as more women realize that little pink weights won’t build muscle. The ideal weight range for muscle hypertrophy is lifting at around 70 to 80% of your rep max. This is a weight that should allow you to complete 8 to 10 reps before the muscle is spent.
But you also must increase the load you place on your muscles over time to get the muscles you’re working to grow. The principle of progressive overload applies to both men and women. When it’s no longer fatiguing to complete the last few reps, it’s time for a weight increase. Violate the principle of progressive overload, and you won’t get consistent gains, regardless of gender.
How Quickly Can You Gain Strength and Muscle?
Regardless of your gender, strength gains are apparent before the muscles you worked increase in size. That’s because neurological adaptations make you stronger before the muscles actually grow in size. You probably won’t observe a change in muscle size for at least 8 weeks after starting a new training program.
If you’ve trained in the past and took a break, you’ll likely see gains a bit quicker. Both guys and gals who optimize their training can gain one to two pounds of muscle per month. Women are likely to be at the lower end, especially ectomorphs and endomorphs. It takes a bit more work and focus on nutrition for these women to realize significant gains.
Also, make sure you include more compound exercises than isolation exercises in your routine. These are exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time, like deadlifts, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and lunges. A good ratio is 3 compound exercises for every 1 isolation exercise.
The Bottom Line
The advantages of strength training for women are huge, contributing to a healthier and fitter body, greater self-confidence, and helping you perform better in all areas of life. These are the benefits that pay off with a longer, fitter, healthier life.
References:
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1988 Aug;20(4):338-44.
Puori.com. “Muscle Myths: Does Muscle Recovery Differ for Women?”
California Lutheran University. “Women and Strength Training”
WebMD.com. “Do Men Develop Upper-Body Strength Easier?”
Stack.com. “How to Build Muscle for Women”
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