Getting Lean vs. Getting Muscular
I have been asked several times by women about getting lean and lifting hard without getting big and bulky. It seems to be a women's number one topic in fitness and mass media has only thrown the truth way out of proportion. I am not sure who started saying that high repetitions with no increases in weight was going to get you that Jessica Biel look, but they have made our jobs as strength coaches a pain in the ass trying to prove to women that this theory is simply not true.
The most compelling factor as to why women will not gain muscle like their male counterparts is that women have 15 to 20 times less testosterone than males. This makes the muscle building process very difficult. To date, there are no studies providing evidence that females have the same testosterone response to hard training as men. Of course, there are always outliers, so this cannot be taken as a blanket statement for every female.
When you train hard, (i.e. heavy weights, lower reps, shorter rest, etc) there is a hormonal response that occurs. Growth hormone increases. This hormone is responsible for burning fat and increasing lean tissue. We already know that females will not put on muscle like men as a response to hard training, so the result is a positive fat burning effect.
Now, ladies, you will put on some muscle. You need to! The only way to get the lean, look you desire is to add a little muscle. Adding this muscle will assist in burning fat that is hiding your great body! Adding 1 pound of muscle will increase your resting metabolic rate by 50 calories per day! That means you burn an extra 50 calories while reading this article!
Stop wasting time with high repetitions and low weight! You are only making it harder and taking longer to get to your end goal! The key to getting lean is using a progressive overload system. For example, if the target repetition goal is 10 using a weight where you can just get 10 an no more, after reaching that target you must increase weight. Even if it is 1 pound! Another way to progress workouts is to decrease your rest periods between sets every week. This will tax your lactic system and result in more growth hormone production. This of course leads to the burning of fat!
A quick side note. Doing long duration cardio work will burn muscle and increase fat. I know, you're thinking everyone is doing it. That's right, they are. Would you also follow them off a bridge? How many of those people doing cardio everyday have you seen get the body you desire?
Putting on muscle and getting lean are similar but have different results depending on the hormone make-up of the individual. Ladies, breath easy, it is very difficult and takes a lot of hard work to put on a substantial amount of muscle. Trust me, if it were that easy to put on muscle, then you would see a lot more guys (with 20 times more testosterone than you) who look like Arnold than those who don't.
Good luck and have fun getting lean!
