As a personal trainer, the majority of my clients were females. In Seattle, Washington, I had a highly diverse clientele consisting of women, men, and teenagers. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of training housewives, attorneys, physicians, athletes, dancers, actresses, actors, bikini contestants, and male and female bodybuilders.
Remarkably, my youngest client was a 13-year-old female tennis player, while the oldest was a remarkable 93-year-old lady whom I trained in a convalescent home.
I observed that women tended to seek fitness assistance more frequently than men. Interestingly, their commitment to achieving fitness goals was not driven by ego. They were willing to seek help and make payments for it. In contrast, many men, on the other hand, would allow their egos to hinder them from seeking assistance. This is the reason I believe I had more female clients.
One of the most frequently asked questions I encounter is, “How do I train a female client?” This is an excellent question, and the answer lies in recognizing that there are indeed differences in fitness objectives between women and men. Women typically prioritize goals such as weight loss, toning, and firming their entire body, rather than focusing on gaining muscle mass, size, and raw strength.
While it’s true that women typically have less muscle mass than men, my goal is to help them build strength. Back in 1990, I took a weight training course specifically focused on training women. The instructor, despite being a petite 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 105 pounds, possessed a profound understanding of the human body. She emphasized a simple yet powerful principle: “The stronger the muscle, the more toned it becomes.” She encouraged trainers to approach women’s weight training in the same way they would with men.
But what does this principle mean in practice? To effectively lose weight, the key is to build muscle. More muscle equates to a higher metabolism, leading to enhanced shaping and toning. To gain muscle, one must engage in weight training, not weak training. There’s a pervasive myth in the fitness world that women can become overly muscular or “muscle-bound.” However, this is simply untrue.
Never Believe This Myth and Lie That Women Will Look Like a Man.
- Women do not possess the testosterone levels of men. So they can not build huge muscles and look like men.
- Most women who achieve muscle mass of men are using steroids. Yes, that is true.
- Even if a female were to attempt to develop such massive muscles naturally, it would require an extraordinary commitment that goes beyond what most individuals are willing to undertake. It often involves sacrificing relationships and adhering to extremely strict lifestyles and dietary regimens.
Some of the fittest women achieve their impressive physiques by performing many of the same exercises as men. Therefore, it’s essential to understand that the quickest and most effective way to transform a female’s body is through weight training, as no other exercise regimen can match its transformative power.
While there are psychological differences between men and women in fitness, delving into them would be beyond the scope of this discussion. Instead, let’s focus on how training women differ.
Weight and Fat Loss
Most women aim to either maintain their current weight or lose weight and body fat. To cater to this, I developed customized cardio plans to either burn fat, prevent fat accumulation, or facilitate weight loss. While women will gain more muscle, it won’t be excessive. They will notice their bodies changing and toning within just two weeks. With proper nutrition and healthy eating habits, within 30 days, their clothes will fit better and drape more flatteringly over their bodies. I’ve always maintained that “if you lose weight without incorporating weight training, you’ll end up with the same old flabby body, just smaller.” This principle applies to men as well, and we commonly refer to this condition as “skinny fat.”
Shaping and Toning
I’ve never encountered a woman who didn’t want firmer and well-shaped buttocks. Therefore, I often incorporated exercises like side kicks, lunges, and butt thrusts and an abundance of other exercises into their routines, offering a variety of techniques to target the glutes effectively. A flatter stomach toned thighs, and a tighter back were also common desires among my female clients. They wanted to feel confident in mini skirts, jeans, and various clothing styles. Consequently, I tailored my training to focus on exercises and techniques that would best target these specific areas while simultaneously promoting overall health and fitness.
To be clear, the majority of exercises my female clients performed were designed to build strength, mirroring the approach I used with male clients.
My ultimate goal was to empower both men and women with the numerous benefits of increased muscle mass and strength, recognizing that these attributes benefit all individuals, regardless of fitness levels, health, age and gender.
