How To Build Muscles For Girls

As a woman, you can build muscle the same way men do: by engaging in resistance exercises that include weight-lifting. Because you don't have as much testosterone in your body, you shouldn't expect to build as much muscle as a man as quickly as a man. However, if you keep at it and challenge yourself in the weight room, you will build muscle, which in turn will burn fat. Don't be afraid to gain some weight. Remember that muscle is denser than fat; if you replaced all the fat on your body with muscle, you'd be a lot leaner and healthier, but weigh significantly more.

Step 1

Decide what muscle groups you want to build, then choose some exercises to do. What exercises you do will depend on your access to gym equipment, such as weight machines and free weights. Here are some examples of exercises that will strengthen specific muscle groups:

Arms: bicep curls and tricep raises

Legs: leg presses, calf raises, lunges, squats, quadricep curls

Back: dead lifts, lat pulls, chin-ups, lower back raises

Chest: bench press, dumbbell flies, push-ups

Abdomen: sit-ups, declined sit-ups, sit-ups while holding weights to your chest

Step 2

Start each new exercise by finding an appropriate weight to work with. Start by doing one set of 10 repetitions with a light weight, then slowly increase the weight for subsequent sets until you are thoroughly challenged. Aim to do at least three sets of each exercise.

Step 3

Alternate the muscle groups you work out each day. Do not work out the same muscle group on two consecutive days.

Step 4

Challenge yourself continually as the weeks pass. Don't allow weight-lifting to become easy. When a certain weight is no longer difficult for you, add more.

Tips and Warnings

Increase the lean protein in your diet to promote the building of muscle mass. Be patient; allow at least a month of consistent weight-lifting before you expect to see results.
If you choose to use free weights, make sure to have a spotter with you. Serious injury can result if your muscles fail while you're holding weights above your head or other parts of your body. You should not experience pain while lifting; if you do, reduce the weight you're working with.