Hi there.
I thought it was time we started a dialogue about some of the issues surrounding women and exercise, particularly weight-training.
Most research on bodybuilding (and medicine, and health...) gets done on men, because men don't have hormonal fluctuations throughout the month.
While some of the knowledge gleaned from this research may be applicable to women, some of it is not.
For example, CKD, which many of us have seen the fellas use VERY successfully to cut bodyfat, often produces less-than-optimal results on the women who use it.
At issue may be the fact that men have a LOT more testosterone than women (we all have testosterone and estrogen, but in different proportions), and hence, a LOT more muscle mass, or at least the potential for it. There is a relationship between the insulin response and testosterone that may not be strong enough in women to produce the same anabolic response as it does in men.
For example, on TKD, men are often advised to take in post-lifting dextrose or other carbs. For women, pre-lifting carbs can often be beneficial, but post-lifting carbs are problematic for some, but not all of us. In many women, the spillover into fat stores has come as a most unwelcome shock.
It seems reasonable to me that we can learn from each other here.
Fellas, you are MORE than welcome to join in. If you now something relevant, either from working as trainers with female athletes, or by watching the struggles and successes of your partners and friends, by all means, contribute.
I'll keep this first post updated with links to female-specific exercise-related information, so we won't all have to go reading through a hundred pages to find things.
Post 'em or PM them, and I'll tuck them in.
- Built
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<Strength Training For Women>
Discusses the typical amount of muscle gained and fat lost when women partake in resistance training, and nine other reasons why women need strength training.
Both of these studies involve endurance athletes and glycogen storage with carb loading:
<Supercompensation (Carb loading) in women may not work as well as in men...>
<Another one about carb loading and women, difference may be hormonal...>
Some info on carb cycling: (keep in mind, the guidelines are for men - for example, unlimited carb meal size, suggestion that carb meals should come before AND after lifting...)
<Twin Peaks Carb Cycling article>