A Girl's Guide to Muscle Gain: Resistant Training

One of the most common misconceptions about weight lifting is that it causes women to "bulk up." This is completely false. Many women who "lift" weights, on the other hand, consistently pick up the same 5-pound dumbbells week after week and wonder why they don't see any aesthetic changes in their physique. This could be due to a variety of factors, but for the purposes of this article, we will focus on the impact of weight training.

Before we get into the "how" of weight training, let's look at some tried-and-true principles and dispel some myths.

1. Move heavy objects.

A stimulus must be applied to the muscle in order to stimulate muscle growth, or hypertrophy. As previously stated, women typically stick to weights that they are comfortable using for a full three sets. However, a stronger stimulus must be applied to the muscles in order to see any real changes. You must push yourself outside of your comfort zone and place greater physiological demands on your muscles. Once you've made this mental shift, you'll be able to make significant progress in both strength and muscle gains.

2. How to Select the Appropriate Weight

Women frequently underestimate their own strength and, as a result, gravitate toward lighter weights. This is a blunder. Instead, choose a weight that can be lifted 10 times, with the last two reps being particularly difficult. When performing your exercises, it is critical to maintain proper form. Drop the amount of weight being lifted or take a break as soon as your form begins to fail. The goal here is to lift heavy without injuring yourself. When performing exercises like back squats, bench presses, and overhead presses, use a spotter, especially when increasing the weight.

3. Sets and repetitions

The typical muscle-building recommendation is three to four sets of eight to twelve reps of an exercise. You're more likely to gain muscle strength if you use a heavier weight and do fewer repetitions (e.g., 3 to 6), whereas lighter weights and higher repetitions lead to gains in muscle endurance. Take a little more rest time between sets if you want to gain strength. Reduce the amount of time you rest between sets if you want to bulk up your muscles.

4. The frequency.

Consistency is one of the most important aspects of gaining muscle, so aim to weight train four to five days per week, if possible. Keeping a journal of your workouts and weights is a great way to keep track of your progress. You can have good intentions to lift heavy, but the only way to know if you're getting stronger is to keep track of the sets, reps, and weights you use during each workout. Another thing to think about is how your weight-training sessions are broken down. Will you do total-body workouts or will you concentrate solely on upper- or lower-body exercises? Or how about working out two body parts at a time? Whatever decision you make, the key is consistency and overload.

5. Selecting your exercises

There are numerous ways to design a muscle-building workout. Exercises that require larger muscle groups, such as squats/squat variations, bench press, deadlifts, lat pull-downs, and overhead press, should be performed first. This allows you to expend more energy on these movements while still performing well on smaller movements near the end of your workout. On any given day, choose six to eight exercises to perform. You can do them in circuits or separately, with a rest period of about 60 seconds in between sets.

As previously stated, muscle growth is stimulated when muscles are pushed beyond their comfort zones. Include some of these exercises in your workout to maximize muscle hypertrophy.

Squat

This exercise is great for shaping and building muscle in your quads and glutes, whether you use heavy dumbbells, a barbell, or a squat rack. Maintaining proper form is essential, so gradually increase the weight as you train while maintaining good form. When you look in the mirror, you should imagine yourself sitting in a chair at the bottom of your squat, heels on the ground, hips back.

Shoulder Pressing Exercise

The dumbbell press, Arnold press, and behind-the-neck press are some shoulder-press variations. These exercises are excellent for strengthening the shoulders, traps, and upper body. Don't be afraid to add some weight, and if you're really pushing yourself, make sure you have a spotter.

Deadlift

This versatile exercise works the hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles, whether you do a single-leg or traditional deadlift with dumbbells or barbells. Form is essential for this exercise, so maintain a flat back and a slight bend in your knees. Drop the weight and refocus on your form if you notice your back rounding.

Chest Exertion

A chest press can be done in a variety of ways, including on an incline, decline, flat bench, or the floor, which will target the chest from multiple angles. Dumbbells or a barbell can be used, and if you're really pushing your limits, have a spotter nearby.

Curls of the biceps

The biceps, despite being a smaller muscle group, can lift some weight when pushed. Include a few curl variations in your routine, such as barbell curls, dumbbell seated curls, hammer curls, and rope curls. Make sure not to rock for momentum, and if your back begins to arch, it's probably time to reduce the weight.

Kickback of the Triceps

Show off your "horse shoe" triceps by sculpting them. You will need a pulley and an attachment such as a straight bar, rope, or v-bar for this exercise. Begin with your arms at 90 degrees and press down until they are perpendicular to the floor. Stop at 90 degrees on the way up. To truly isolate the triceps and shape those arms, keep momentum out of the equation.