Now a healthy lifestyle and its attributes - proper nutrition and exercise - are at the peak of popularity. Girls line up at the gym, not only paying tribute to the fashion for a healthy lifestyle or “to improve their figure for the summer.” Working out in the gym is a whole philosophy of body building and a way of life.
When a girl comes to the gym, the result depends on a combination of factors: genetics, goals, motivation and effort, nutrition, a competent trainer, etc. But still, the main factor in building a body is the right training program. How to train in order to achieve the desired result in the form of a beautiful, pumped-up body, without harming your health, we will consider below.
Physiological features
When drawing up a training program, you need to take into account the peculiarities of female physiology, which differs from male physiology, which determines the specifics of the classes.
- Testosterone . Many girls are afraid to pump themselves up in the gym and acquire a masculine figure. This will not happen only because the male hormone testosterone in girls is several times less. And they can't perform exercises to failure, which prevents their muscles from growing as much as men's.
- Muscles . Firstly , the muscle structure of women is different; they contain fewer muscle fibers, which are responsible for contraction and stretching. Therefore, they hypertrophy less during strength training with a small number of repetitions to increase mass.
- Secondly , in women, muscles are distributed differently - there are more of them in the lower part of the body - legs, buttocks. Therefore, pumping up this part is faster than the upper part, plus the lower abdominal muscles are weaker.
External signs of a girl’s readiness to meet someone in the gym
To meet a sporty girl in the gym, a man needs to pay attention to other more telling signs of a girl’s readiness to communicate. First, you need to take a closer look at the girl’s ring finger to make sure there is no wedding ring or a trace of it. As practice shows, a girl looking for acquaintances and a potential partner will give herself away by external signs.
Unconscious signs - such manifestations of a girl will arise without her control, rather, under the influence of instincts and the subconscious. For example:
- she will preen herself, straighten her hair, straighten her clothes, look at herself in the mirror from different angles;
- she will stroke herself while the man glances at her, running his hand over her neck, hair, legs, showing him her wrists.
Conscious manifestations - the above signs are not controlled by the girl, but conscious manifestations are a weapon in her hands. Their deliberate demonstration is nothing more than a “green light” for action on the part of a man. For example:
- the girl herself will seek visual contact with the man;
- she will perform exercises, demonstrating her best sides and viewing angle in front of a man;
- as soon as the man looks at the girl, she will perform the same exercises more sexually and gracefully;
- in order to find a reason for conversation, on the contrary, she will do the exercises incorrectly in front of a man.
Just one look will be enough to understand the girl’s predisposition to dating. She will look at the man appraisingly, and when their eyes touch, she will be embarrassed, look away, but after some time she will glance at him again.
Advice! Her outfit can tell a lot about a girl's interests and goals. As a rule, to attract attention, representatives of the fair sex wear very revealing sportswear that demonstrates all the charms of their figure.
Training basics and how to create a program
To start working out in the gym, you need to know the basics and create a program.
Let's talk about the 5 pillars of training for girls.
Goals
Girls come to the gym with three main goals:
- Lose weight and give your muscles definition,
- Build muscle mass and shape your figure,
- Keep your figure in shape.
There are other goals: preparation for fitness bikini competitions, professional bodybuilding.
Program
The program is selected based on the goals.
- The fat burning program is aimed at losing weight and building muscles. It includes more cardio. Strength exercises are performed in 3 sets of 12-20 repetitions with high intensity, but with light weight and gradually increasing it. The breaks between approaches are less than a minute (from 40 seconds to 1 minute). Circuit training is good for fat burning.
- The muscle mass gain program is aimed at muscle growth, in this case we reduce the number of repetitions in the approaches, but increase the weights, taking breaks between approaches for 2 minutes, and exclude cardio.
The training program can be carried out in two ways:
- For the whole body, when exercises are performed on all muscles (both upper and lower body) in an hour. Some trainers consider this program preferable if the goal is to maintain shape, in which case the whole body is pumped evenly. It is also convenient if you don’t have enough time to go to the gym all the time and have forced breaks.
- Split program, when on a certain day you pump only one muscle group, for example: 1 day - legs and buttocks,
- Day 2 – arms, shoulders, chest,
- Day 3 – back, abs.
System
To get results, the system of visiting the gym and the system of classes within one workout are important.
- It is considered ideal to visit the gym 3 times a week with a break of 1 day, but at least 2 times a week to get results.
- Between workouts there should be rest for muscle recovery (1-2 days).
- A quality strength training session takes no more than 1 hour, plus time for cardio and stretching before and after the session.
Equipment and base
Two important postulates that any coach will tell you are:
- Follow the technique
- Make a base.
Technique is the holy of holies of any training and sport. Without the right technique, your efforts will be wasted.
Some technique tips:
- Don't grab heavy weights right away
- Spend time on technique, practice exercises at home or in the gym (with a trainer),
- Do the exercises slowly, preferably in front of a mirror,
- Be sure to watch the video on the technique of performing the exercises,
- Don't neglect technology. One correctly performed exercise brings greater results than 10 without technique.
The basis of any program is the base, these are exercises that build the body and form muscles - with a barbell, dumbbells.
The second type of exercises is isolating exercises, they additionally pump up the muscles, are performed on all types of exercise machines and help to refine the muscles.
Diary
A diary is needed to record results and track progress. Now it can be done electronically, fortunately there are many programs and mobile applications for this, but if there is no time for this, then the main results need to be recorded in a notepad.
If your classes are held with a personal trainer, then the trainer keeps a diary himself.
A training program can be created in two ways.
- On your own , if you have knowledge in the field of fitness, or you have acquaintances or friends who are athletes or trainers. They will always help you adjust your plan. Nowadays there are many mobile applications and ready-made series of video lessons from famous athletes and bikini fitness champions on working out in the gym. However, you still need to keep your goal and your body type in mind.
- With a coach . If you are new to sports, it is better not to conduct independent experiments with your body and contact a professional trainer. The trainer will create a competent program, taking into account your goals and body type, will record your results, evenly distribute the load, set the technique for performing exercises, draw up a nutrition plan, and much more.
Differences between women's training programs
The training program in the gym for girls has certain differences due to the physiological and biochemical characteristics of the body.
They affect the periodization of loads, the number of repetitions per approach, rest pauses and other characteristics. But first things first.
Decreased testosterone levels
Testosterone is a male sex hormone that is also produced in women. True, in much smaller quantities.
Testosterone has many functions. But we are interested in the following:
- influence on fat metabolism (fat burning effect)
- increase in physical performance
- stimulation of growth of muscle volume and strength
The more testosterone in the body, the more pronounced these properties are.
This feature affects the training process:
- The weight of the burden is less
A relatively low level of strength does not allow training with near-maximal training weights (as is customary in men's programs).
However, women are very comfortable with medium to light weights and higher rep ranges.
In this case, the focus of training is to develop strength endurance.
- More focus on reducing fat levels
On the one hand, a small amount of testosterone in the body impairs fat burning, and on the other hand, the percentage of body fat in women is an order of magnitude higher by nature.
Hence the need for more energy-intensive training.
- Increased training frequency
The level of general physical performance in women is approximately the same as in men. But the rate of recovery after strength training is an order of magnitude higher.
This means the ability to train individual muscle groups more frequently in a weekly cycle.
Higher levels of body fat
The average body fat rate for women is 20%, for men – 15%.
Historically, girls need more subcutaneous fat to function properly. Hormone levels and women's health depend on this.
Therefore, in order to lose weight, they need to put in more effort both in the gym and in the kitchen.
Critical days
One of the main features of the female body is a regular monthly cycle.
It is with this in mind that the training process is built and the periodization of loads is calculated.
Even in big sports, classes continue on such days, but their intensity and volume are reduced by 50%. We are talking about health-improving exercises in the gym.
Therefore, during the period of menstruation, the recommendations are as follows:
- If you feel severe pain, it is better to skip the workout.
- In the first days of your cycle, prioritize upper body training, light cardio, or stretching.
- Eliminate abdominal exercises
- Avoid strong straining in the pelvic area
If your periods are painless, you can do exercises for your leg muscles, but the load should be reduced. It is better to postpone working with heavy weights for this period.
The important part is warming up
Warm-up is an essential part of training, but, alas, it is neglected by many.
Warm-up is needed to warm up the joints, ligaments and muscles, which will help prevent injuries during exercise.
Never handle hardware without warming up. As a warm-up, you can do intense exercises without weights (squats, swinging arms and legs, bending to the side, etc.), jumping rope, and stretching exercises.
If you do not have a goal to lose weight, then instead of warming up, you can do cardio for no more than 5 minutes. If the goal is fat burning, then the warm-up will be replaced by intense cardio for 15-30 minutes - a treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical or jump rope.
Telephone operators
They spend more time in the gym with a phone in their hands than with exercise equipment. The exercise is completed for 30 seconds, then the phone conversation lasts 5–10 minutes, be it a voice call or a text chat. Of course, it’s a personal matter for everyone how to spend their time in one place or another, but often ladies like this engage in telephone communication without leaving the exercise machine or barbell and preventing others from using this equipment. When you politely and carefully ask to be released (due to the lack of analogues in the gym), it’s easy to run into outright rudeness, like: “What’s wrong, I work here, don’t stop me from training!” Yeah, how about “training”.
Girls, if you really decide to spend your time going to the gym and improving your physical condition, leave your phone in the locker room or valuables locker. Don't take him to the gym. There is a great dependence on time in the efficiency of performing the same work. Do ten sets of 10-15 repetitions with a break between sets of 1-1.5 minutes, and you will effectively load the target muscle group in 25-30 minutes. Do the same thing, but with “phone” breaks between sets of 5–7 minutes, and you will simply waste an hour and a half to two hours of your life.
Basic training program for girls for a week for weight loss
Classes 3 times a week, 3-4 sets of 15-18 repetitions, take weights depending on your own weight and preparation; if you are a beginner, it is better to take light weights or consult a trainer. Rest between exercises 1-1.5 minutes, between approaches 40 seconds.
1 day
- Cardio up to 30 minutes, warm-up.
- Hyperextension,
- Squats with a barbell (first approach with an empty bar) or in a Smith machine.
- Scissor lunges with dumbbells (or weights)
- Breeding legs in the simulator,
- Leg abduction in the simulator,
- Leg bending in the simulator, lying on your stomach,
- Seated leg extension
- Horizontal pull-down on the shoulders,
- Horizontal pull-down to the chest,
- Bent over press crunches,
- Cardio 10-15 minutes,
- Stretching for 5 minutes.
Day 2
- Any cardio up to 30 minutes.
- Hyperextension.
- Squat with dumbbells.
- Lunges with weights (or dumbbells)
- Vertical platform bench press,
- Pull of the upper block behind the head,
- Standing dumbbell raises
- Dumbbell bench press,
- Graviton push-ups
- Vertical leg raise,
- Twisting,
- Cardio 10 minutes
- Stretching for 5 minutes.
Day 3
- Cardio up to 30 minutes,
- Hyperextension with weights,
- Plie squat with dumbbells,
- Smith machine reverse lunges
- Romanian deadlift,
- Lifting dumbbells for biceps,
- Pulldown of the upper block to the chest,
- Wide grip pull-ups
- Hanging leg pull-ups
- Ab crunches,
- Cardio up to 15 minutes,
- Stretching for 5 minutes.
Set of exercises
This training program will be effective if you provide the body with complete recovery.
- Full sleep.
- Balanced nutrition - for weight loss here, reinforced in the article.
- The use of sports supplements in an article on sports nutrition.
From the first to the third week
The first two weeks you should not increase the weights in the exercises, but during the third week you should add a little weight in the first three exercises of each workout. Day 1 (legs, shoulders, abs)
- Squats with or without an empty bar 3-4*8-12 (sets/repetitions) - make sure you perform the technique correctly - everything about squats;
- Roman deadlift with a bar or dumbbells 3-4*8-12 - ensure the correct execution technique - details in the article about deadlifts and Roman deadlifts;
- Shin, standing 3-4*8-12 - possible on one leg and with a dumbbell;
- Raising dumbbells to the sides, standing (on shoulders) 3-4*8-12;
- Lifting dumbbells in front of you (on your shoulders) 3-4*8-12;
- Press crunches 3-4*8-12.
Day 2 (back, chest muscles, triceps, abs)
- Pull of a wide upper block behind the head 3-4*8-12;
- Bent-over dumbbell rows, one at a time, resting on a bench 3-4*8-12;
- Dumbbell press lying on a bench 3-4*8-12;
- Knee push-ups 3-4*8-12 (more exercises here);
- Block pull (triceps) 3-4*8-12;
- Raising legs while hanging on the press 3*12-15.
Day 3 (emphasis on cardio, back, legs, arms, abs)
- Easy jogging - 20 minutes;
- Squats with dumbbells, wide leg position 3-4*8-12 - also called dumbbell plie;
- Lunges with dumbbells in hands (8 steps with each leg in a set) 3-4*16 - how to do lunges correctly;
- Extensions (bending over a goat) 3-4*8-12;
- Lifting dumbbells at the same time (biceps), standing or sitting 3-4*8-12;
- Bends (abs) on a Roman bench 3*15.
From fourth to sixth
When replacing exercises with new ones, it is important not to increase the weight of the equipment. Changing the direction of the load connects stabilizing muscles that did not work previously. Spend time choosing comfortable weights for each exercise, starting with the minimum. 1st day
- Platform leg press 3-4*8-12 all leg exercises in the gym for replacement;
- Leg curls (hamstrings) on the machine 3-4*8-12;
- Shin in the simulator, sitting 3-4*8-12;
- Lifting dumbbells up (military press or Arnold press), sitting 3-4*8-12;
- Lifting dumbbells to the chin 3-4*8-12;
- To the previous one, add a plank for 3 minutes (can be done with short breaks).
2nd day
- Thrust of a narrow upper block to the chest 3-4*8-12;
- Row of a wide block to the abdomen (with support for the legs or abdomen) 3-4*8-12;
- Bench press, lying 3-4*8-12;
- Dumbbell flyes lying on a bench 3-4*8-12;
- Triceps on a machine with an auxiliary weight, or lifting a dumbbell from behind the head with two hands 3-4*8-12;
- To the previous one we add a bar for 3 minutes.
3rd day
- Easy jogging 30 minutes;
- Deadlift 3-4*8-12;
- Leg extension on the simulator 3-4*8-12;
- Extensions with or without weight 3-4*8-12;
- Lifting dumbbells (biceps) alternately, sitting 3-4*8-12;
- Super set: Roman bench curls 12 times + plank for 1 minute after each set. 3 such approaches.
Basic training program for girls for a week to gain muscle mass
In this program for mass, we reduce the number of repetitions in the approach to 6-12, and increase the weight required to perform this number of repetitions. We do not use cardio in the training, only warm-up. Rest between sets – 2 minutes, between exercises – 1 minute.
1 day
- Warm up,
- Hyperextension,
- Ab crunches,
- Barbell squat,
- Lunges with dumbbells,
- Wide grip push-ups
- Reduction and extension of arms in the butterfly simulator,
- Press dumbbells with each hand alternately,
- Pull of the upper block behind the head,
- Stretching.
Day 2
- Warm up,
- Hyperextension,
- Lifting your legs to your chest
- Deadlift,
- Lunges with dumbbells (or Smith machine),
- Bench press,
- Dumbbell lateral raises
- Wide grip push-ups or pull-ups
- Twisting,
- Stretching.
Day 3
- Warm up,
- Twisting,
- Squats with dumbbells,
- Scissor lunges with dumbbells,
- Standing barbell press from the chest,
- Barbell row to the chin,
- Horizontal block thrust,
- Close-grip lat pull-down,
- Pullover with dumbbells,
- Stretching.
Circular training cycle for girls in the gym
Circuit training is suitable for those who are losing weight. Cyclic training has a powerful fat-burning effect, depleting all glycogen reserves in the muscles. Several exercises are performed without breaks at a fast pace, after which we do the 2nd and 3rd round of repetitions of these exercises. We increase the repetitions to a maximum of 20.
An example of circuit training by Ekaterina Usmanova
Complete three circles:
- Pull of the upper block behind the head.
- Leg extension in the simulator.
- Pulldown of the lower block to the waist in a sitting position with a narrow grip
- Scissor squat (with or without weights).
- Triceps extension.
- Lifting dumbbells alternately for biceps with supination.
- Press crunches.
Exercises in the gym for the back
Often girls neglect working their back, focusing on their legs and buttocks. Meanwhile, working on the back muscles is important so that the body looks evenly sculpted; strengthened back muscles help to perform all other basic exercises.
The most effective exercises for the back muscles:
- Traction of a horizontal block behind the head,
- Hyperextension,
- All types of deadlifts,
- Pull-ups and push-ups
- Bent over dumbbell row,
- Plank,
- Bent-over barbell chest press.
Exercise and the menstrual cycle
Women's training and the menstrual cycle are directly interrelated concepts. This should be taken into account in the program. In the first weeks after ovulation, the female body is full of strength, when you need to increase the load and work intensively, 2 weeks before ovulation it is better to reduce the load and not overdo exercises on the lower body.
In the first days of menstruation, women's endurance decreases and fatigue appears. Therefore, it is better not to carry out heavy training at this time.
Proper nutrition
Another commandment of all trainers is that without proper nutrition you cannot build a healthy, beautiful body and you will not get high-quality muscles. What does it mean?
If you are planning to lose weight, then prepare for a calorie deficit, but not for starvation.
You will have to give up sweets and fast carbohydrates (baked goods, bread, etc.) and replace them with slow carbohydrates, also fully consume protein and fiber, count calories and eat fractionally up to 5 times a day.
If you're bulking up, you'll have to do the same thing, but on a larger scale.
To gain quality mass, not fat, you cannot sit on buns and cakes, only proper nutrition with healthy foods, counting calories and no fasting.
The body must receive the full amount of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the correct ratio.
Fitness Monsters
There are two options here. The first is good, when a girl is really a fan of training, understands what she is doing, works a lot and diligently (by the way, women are tougher than men) and constantly. The result is usually visible to the naked eye:
The second option is not very good. A girl comes to the gym full of enthusiasm and 110% confident that the more she does during the workout, the faster she will lose excess weight and gain a toned figure. Without nutrition control and any training program. Grab more, throw further. First, run for 30 minutes, then work for an hour and a half on exercise machines, then orbitrek or exercise bike for another 30 minutes. And so on 5 times a week. Then cakes, ice cream, sweets and other goodies at night (after all, I worked / will work at the gym!), in the morning - with coffee, at lunch - after a heavy meal, to cheer myself up for a fruitful workout in the evening.
Unfortunately, this principle does not work. Even if you do it every day. Nutrition is 70% of success in getting a toned figure without excess. And overtraining does not bode well. Usually the fuse lasts for 3-4 weeks for girls, after which, disappointed, they disappear from the horizon. There are no miracles.
If you want results, control your diet and don’t rush . Exercise at least 2-3 times a week, but constantly. Limit yourself to sweets and forget about constant snacking with coffee/tea, sweets and cookies. A good piece of cake or 3-4 substantial cookies, which many girls perceive as a small snack, is 400-600 kcal and almost a third of your daily nutritional requirement.
Results and time
With the right training program, taking into account nutrition and systematic training, the first results will appear within 2 months.
The body quickly adapts to the load, addiction occurs and progress stops. Trainers advise changing the program once every three months and be sure to increase the weights and load; in the process, you can also replace the exercises with similar ones so that there is no addictive effect.
To track your progress, be sure to keep a journal (as we discussed above).
If progress has stopped, we use 2 methods, increase the number of repetitions, or increase the weight if the number cannot be increased.
Rules for training in the gym for girls
Schedule for beginners
Most trainers suggest that beginners immediately start working on a split training program - working only 1-2 muscle groups in each workout. But such a program is more suitable not for beginners, but for those who already have general training and need to pump each muscle group separately, do more exercises on lagging muscles.
For beginner girls, a training program that works the entire body at each gym session, 3 times a week, will work better.
If you have such a work schedule that you cannot always go to the gym on the same schedule, then it is much more convenient to do exercises for all muscle groups at each workout. Then it won’t turn out that you missed one of the workouts during the week and, as a result, did not train your legs or back even once in 7 days. This is especially true for girls during menstruation, when due to pain it is simply physically impossible to go to the gym to train.
It is best if you train with a break of one day. For example, three days a week: Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. But if your schedule doesn’t allow it and you have the strength, then sometimes you can do two workouts in a row.
