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Muscle Building for Girls

Dec 27, 2010 | By Eric Brown
Muscle Building for Girls
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Girls build muscle the same way boys do -- slowly. With the use of basic, compound exercises and good technique, along with proper diet, a girl using free weights can build muscle and sculpt her physique in far less time than many other types of training. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

Diet

Your progress will often begin with diet. When you train in the gym, you break down muscle tissue and burn amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. The only way to replace what you have lost and progress beyond your current levels of lean body mass is to consume more protein. Active individuals require more protein than inactive individuals. Post-workout consume simple carbohydrates with your protein, as research by Dr. Antonio Manninen of the Advanced Research Institute has shown that this can help with not only your recovery, but also your ability to build muscle.

Use the Compound Lifts

Exercises that work the most muscle tissue in the minimum amount of time will give you the greatest growth, or anabolic effect. Exercises such as the squat, dead lift, chin-up, row, bench press and military press will allow you to work nearly every muscle in your body, and using them you can alter your physique much faster than with exercises that just work the little muscles. Exercises that utilize multiple muscle groups also have a greater effect on bone density, which can become an issue for girls.

High Intensity, Short Rest Periods

To not only build muscle, but also burn fat, train with intensity, and this means heavy. This will stimulate your body to produce more of the hormones that promote growth, and this is harder for girls who produce only 10 percent of the testosterone that boys do. By keeping your rest periods short, you also affect your hormonal balance, as well as burning more fat by causing your body to work harder in the gym, according to research by Dr. George McCaulley of Appalachian State University.

Limit Your Cardio

Excess cardiovascular work can limit your ability to gain muscle, as you may be burning more calories than you take in, particularly with respect to protein utilization. If you are going on long runs, or spending hours on an exercise bike, or anything similar, you are also breaking down more amino acids which need to be replaced via diet. Instead of long bouts of cardio, you can increase your intensity by running while pulling a parachute, which will strengthen your legs, or dragging a sled, which will increase your tolerance for training volume.

References

Article reviewed by Stacy Simon Last updated on: Dec 27, 2010

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