Females desire a toned body but they do not want to look bulky. They want specific figure shape and they also want the curves to be in the right places. Well they can have all of these without hitting the gym like a maniac or eating too little.
All you need to do is:
- Add enough muscle in the right places
- Reduce body fat
If you do this for sure you will have the body of your dreams.
How to gain muscle?
Before we learn to gain muscle let’s talk about the myth that women cannot or shouldn’t make muscles like men. Well, the truth is that women do not produce as much testosterone as men, which is the primary muscle growing hormone. Women produce oestrogen in high levels which helps to stimulate growth hormone production, prevents muscle breakdown, increases metabolism and significantly aids post workout recovery.
So, while low production of testosterone puts women at a disadvantage, for turning their bodies into a desired shape, they do make up for it with the above.
So why can’t women have whole body muscles like men? The answer is simple. They have a different anatomy and hormones altogether.
Remember, muscle is what gives your body curves, shape, and “tone” when you’re lean. Without adequate muscle all you will look is “thin.”
To attain the look that they desire most women would need to gain around 10 to 20 pounds of muscle and reduce their body fat percentage to the 18 to 20%.
Now how do you go about it? The answer is simpler than what it is made out to be by fitness experts.
- Get your calorie count right
- Eat the right amount of carbs, proteins and fat
- Do effective muscle building exercises.
- Get your calorie count right
A common mistake made by women while making muscle is to eat very little. That means few calories. If you eat fewer calories than you actually burn, then you are bound to hinder your body from building muscle.
A calorie deficit will reduce anabolic hormone and increases catabolic hormone levels. This causes a systemic shift away from muscle gain and toward muscle breakdown.
On the other hand, eating slightly more calories regularly than you burn produces the opposite effects, which aids in muscle growth.
So can you over eat to gain muscle?
The answer is ‘no’ because more calories will also make you fat. So be very careful and do not pile up fat. It would be best to maintain a moderate calorie surplus of just 5% to 10%
Eat the right amount of carbs, proteins and fat
If you really want to improve your body composition then you have to watch out how many calories you eat and from what food groups are those calories coming such as carbs, proteins and fats.
The arithmetic is simple.
Each day you are to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight and 0.3 grams of fat per pound of your body weight.
This would be sufficient to reap all the benefits of a high protein diet and also faster muscle growth.
The rest of the daily calories must come from carbs. Natural carbs from fruits, vegetables and whole grains are highly recommended.
Do effective muscle building exercises.
Your exercise essentially has to be all about building muscle and strength. Consistency in your workout is paramount. Make sure you work out only under a professional trainer or you could end up injuring yourself seriously.
Ample amount of squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, hip thrusts are going to be your new best friends.
Be prepared as you’re going to be lifting heavy weights and giving each rep, set, and workout all that you’ve got.
- Focus steadily on heavy weightlifting.
- Emphasize on compound movements for best results.
- Emphasize more on the lower body than the upper body.
- Keep cardio exercises to a minimum.
Ensure that you work out in the gym only for an hour and a half. This should be enough for most women. So gear up and follow the points above and you will certainly be on your way to a super toned body that could be the envy of all.