Do Women Bulk-Up by Lifting Heavy Weights? · don’t want to eat so healthy because you don’t...

Do

Women

Bulk-Up

by

Lifting

Heavy

Weights?

Do Women Bulk-Up by Lifting Heavy Weights?

© 2013 HoffmanFit, LLC- All Rights Reserved of 33 http://www.hoffmanfit.com


Exposing the biggest myth in woman’s fitness, and how to develop a stunning, sexy body.

I dedicate this article to all the women who have been deceived, duped and

downright lied to by the media, women’s fitness magazines and anyone

else attempting to profit on selling women worthless information and

exercise gadgets.

Millions of women have been deprived of what I believe to be

the most empowering method of training for improving the body.

All because of the myth that lifting heavy weights will cause you to

develop a bulky-looking body.

The myth never seems to die, and the question never stops being

asked: will women get bulked-up if they lift heavy weights?

For more than 25 years women have asked me this question, and my

answer has always remained the same: you’re much more likely to get bulky (read fat) if you

don’t lift weights.

Misconceptions pervade the fitness industry,

but nowhere is it more prevalent than in women’s fitness.



It’s time for more industry professionals step up and refute these false notions and spread the

word so that women can at least know the truth. Little is being done to educate women on the

truths about muscle building, metabolism and permanent weight loss using honest, sustainable

methods and strategies. I’m determined to do my part by writing this guide for women.

It’s easy to understand why so many women fall prey to this myth. It’s everywhere!

To a large degree, part of the problem is lack of knowledge

about the benefits of strength conditioning with weights.

Many people think if they want to lose weight, they

shouldn’t be lifting weights. It’s like there’s this nonsensical

thinking that heavy weight lifting produces heavy, bulky

humans. Some women immediately create the image in

their mind of a she-male bodybuilder freak when someone

mentions lifting weights. The truth is that the opposite

occurs.

Some of you may have aspired to lift weights at one point

or another but ended up not following through for one reason or another. Maybe you were

simply overwhelmed by the whole gym experience, strolling aimlessly through the maze of

exercise machines like a lost puppy in the gym.

Since I’ve spent a significant part of my life coaching clients, I know what goes through people’s

minds when they are new to the gym.

You start by doing what you’re confident with doing. This usually means walking over to one of

the treadmills, elliptical walkers or some other cardio machine, but you’re afraid to try anything

else.

Here are 3 commonly stated reasons why women fear lifting weights:

1. You are afraid you’ll get too big and bulky.

2. You want to tone muscles, but not build muscles

3. You fear lifting incorrectly and are intimidated by free weights



Before I address these fears, let’s first clarify exactly what is meant by the

term heavy weights.

The term “heavy weights” is relative. It’s a meaningless term by itself. It

must be placed in proper context for it to have special meaning.

A weight that is considered heavy to me might be light for another guy. Or what’s light weight

for you might be heavy for your workout partner. Make sense?

In other words, the number of pounds of the weight doesn’t define whether we call the weight

heavy or light.

When we speak of lifting heavy weights, what we mean is; a weight which is heavy enough for

you to properly perform a given exercise for approximately 6-10 repetitions. The number

stamped on the side of the dumbbell or barbell is completely irrelevant to the idea of heavy or

light weight.

As elementary as this may sound, the concept is important for you to understand. Why?

Because I hear people complaining all the time about only bench pressing with X-amount of

weight, or they can’t even perform one pull-up and have to use the assisted pull-up apparatus.

As long as the weight you choose is difficult enough to perform about 6-10 repetitions for a

specific exercise, you ARE lifting heavy weights. If for example you are doing three sets of a

barbell bench press with a given weight, the last couple reps must be challenging for you in

order for the weight to be considered heavy.

Without a stimulus (stressor) of a heavy weight, your body won’t respond physiologically,

therefore no changes will occur. You will not create the necessary micro-tears to the muscle

tissue that result in your muscles getting stronger, nor will you stimulate the neuro-endocrine

response that results in the release of a set of hormones that help your body to burn fat and

increase lean muscle tissue. The most noteworthy hormones of this response are testosterone,

growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor and cortisol.

This is why pumping endless numbers of repetitions with colored Barbie weights at the gym is

an absolute waste of time. The body doesn’t need to adapt to any stress from the exercise

because the stressor (Barbie weights) is insignificant.

“The purpose of physical training is to stress systematically the body so it improves its capacity

to exercise. Physical training is beneficial only as long as it forces the body to adapt to the stress

of physical effort. If the stress is not sufficient to overload the body, then no adaptation occurs”

- Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine & Science

http://msurecsports.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/neuroendocrine-response-to-resistance-training/

http://msurecsports.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/neuroendocrine-response-to-resistance-training/



1. The fear of getting big and bulky

If you’re bulky, it’s because you’re fat. It’s not because you have too much muscle. If you

don’t lift weights, you won’t have a lot of lean muscle mass. And if you don’t have a lot

of lean muscle mass, then that bulk you’re referring to is nothing more than fat tissue.

That may be a difficult fact to accept, but it’s the truth.

If you doubt what I’m saying, schedule a body composition analysis test so you can see

the results yourself. The test will indicate the amount of lean vs. fat tissue you possess.

Once you begin a serious weight lifting routine, you’ll see your body composition greatly

improve while you actually get smaller from losing fat tissue.

In some ways, I find it almost insulting on a personal-level when someone says they

don’t want to gain too much muscle or become too big from lifting weights. I bust my

butt at least five days a week and have done so for many years; let me be the one to tell

you that getting big from lifting weights is the last thing you need to worry about.

The reality is that muscle mass is difficult to develop and you should celebrate every

ounce you can gain. As you age, your life will depend on this muscle.

When someone says they don’t want to develop too much muscle, it’s like saying you

don’t want to eat so healthy because you don’t need all that health. Or you don’t want

to work too much because you’ll make too much money. It really isn’t something you

need to be concerned about. You should only wish it were so easy.

Increasing muscle mass, unless you’re a male between age 16 and 25, with high-levels of

testosterone, takes time to develop. You have to work hard using effective and proven

strategies while training with heavy weights.

Let’s assume for a second that women could develop large muscle mass by heavy

weight training. As soon as you stopped lifting, you would lose most of what you gained.

The body begins to immediately shed its extra muscle mass when a stimulus is removed

(i.e. Heavy weight lifting).

Maintaining muscle mass requires a constant stressor and isn’t something the body

permanently holds. Your muscles will begin to atrophy as briefly as two weeks after

discontinuing your workout routine.

Lifting weights does not create a bulky, unfeminine body. In fact, it creates a leaner,

more athletic, elegant-looking body. Muscle is far more compact than fat; so the more



muscle you build, and the fat you lose, the smaller you’ll actually become. And the more

lean muscle tissue you acquire, the more calories you’ll burn 24/7.

As a result, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will increase which should be the ultimate

goal for anyone wanting to decrease body fat and stay lean. Increasing lean muscle mass

by lifting weights is by far the most effective strategy for increasing your BMR.

In more than 35 years, I’ve yet to see even one female get big, bulky and muscular with

the exception of those who took anabolic steroids. If I haven’t personally met a single

woman that developed a bulky body by lifting heavy weights, how have other people

come across these individuals?

Are people using women in bodybuilding magazines to base their conclusions?

Has anyone ever honestly seen the elusive women who have acquired large, bulky

muscles that aren’t in fact bodybuilders who take steroids?

The physiological reason women don’t develop big muscles from

lifting weights

It’s all in the testicles

There is one simple reason why women are incapable of acquiring muscle mass

anywhere close to that of men; the hormone testosterone.

Normal testosterone levels in men are 300-1100 ng/dl whereas in women normal is 15-

70 ng/dl. If you compare the median-range testosterone levels in men and women,

men’s = 700 and women’s = 42.5. On average, men produce roughly 16 times more

testosterone than women, and many research articles quote levels greater than 25

times more!

Testosterone levels in the body have a wide range because all age groups are

considered.

Consider this fact for a moment; every male in the gym works out to gain as much

muscle as possible. Recalling the fact that men produce more than 15 times the

testosterone of females, you’d think men could easily develop as much muscle mass as

desired.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003707.htm



But there are very few men that are capable of gaining a significant amount of muscle

mass without the use of anabolic steroids. Ask any male gym-enthusiast if he needs to

decrease the amount of weight lifting because of developing too much muscle mass and

see how he responds.

Instead, males eagerly search for any supplement or training method that can provide

them with an edge in developing muscle. That’s because muscle gains are slow and

difficult to acquire for most men unless they know how to train properly.

If gaining muscle was so easy to do, why does there exist a multi-billion dollar market

for muscle-building products and information?

My point is this; not even males have to worry about getting too big! Anyone that you

see with grossly large muscles is using steroids. Unless you have a rare set of genes,

you’re going to work your ass off to gain a respectable amount of muscle.

Another point to clarify here is that women do produce testosterone, but it’s in such

small quantities that it’s ridiculous to debate the natural ability of growing massive

muscles on 99.9% of females.

Even for women who dedicate their entire lives to lifting weights don’t get large and

bulky because their bodies don’t naturally produce enough testosterone.

In addition to large differences in testosterone levels between men and women, there

are also major structural differences in the size of their muscle fibers.

Men have contractile muscle fibers that are two times larger than women. In fact,

research continues to reveal that although females can make significant increases in

strength by weight training, they are not capable of increasing muscle size to the degree

that men can.(1, 2)



Men Women

3-4% 6-7% 10-12% 10-12% 15-17% 20-22%

15% 20% 25% 25% 30% 35%

30% 35% 40% 40% 45% 50%

Oct. 22, 2013 @ 54 yrs. old

Philip J. Hoffman 4.3%

2. The desire to tone muscles but without building



One of the most commonly-stated myths in women’s fitness is that you can “tone” your

muscle without building muscle.

There is no difference in these terms, but the fitness industry and media use these

terms to trick women by making them think they don’t have to worry about building

bulky muscles. Women are misled into believing they can “tone muscles”. This is an

aesthetically-sounding euphemism that’s very effective in marketing.

“Tone” is a term women’s fitness magazines use as an alternative to “building muscle”.

To avoid the chance that women will envision images of steroid-induced, huge, bulky

women bodybuilders, slick marketers use the “toned muscle” terminology in their

advertising.

The toning myth has led to another misconception:

Should women workout differently than men?

The toning misconception is strongly supported by the media and fitness industry for

the sole reason of selling gender-targeted products and gym memberships. This, of

course is at the expense of your fitness goals and best interests.

The marketing gender is powerful and is done so for good

reason-profits. Fitness clubs sell memberships to women

according to classes that are appealing. Clubs that have

the latest treadmills with insulated cup-holders to keep

your water cool or high-tech, selectorized weight

machines that are stylish are all part of the plan to attract

the female client.

Statistics indicate that females make up two-thirds (66%)

of all gym members. That’s why there’s so much emphasis

on appealing to women. Helping you get results is

secondary to what’s best for the health clubs.

What women need to assess when they’re looking to

become a member of a gym are the free weights such as

the dumbbells and barbells, number of benches, and area

to perform your core-training exercises. This is the area of

the gym and equipment you need to focus on to develop a

stunning body.



Instead, what we observe is the fitness club person walking a potential gym member

through the gym, showing you the fancy equipment, while walking past the free weight

area with a comment like, “oh-and this is our free-weight area” with nothing

significantly more to say.

The key point is this: Women don’t have special needs when it comes to equipment or

training methods to develop a fit, strong and feminine body. Anyone telling you

otherwise is lacking in knowledge and experience.

The truth is women need to train using the same type of equipment, applying the same

principles of training, and performing the same exercise routines as men.

There’s no such concept as exercises for men and exercises for women. All the crap you

read about in women’s fitness magazines only serves to sabotage women’s effort for

making crucial, life-changing progress in their strength and body shape.

If you have any doubts about what I’m saying, take the time to do some research and

read about the fitness philosophies of some of the foremost strength and conditioning

authorities in the nation such as, Alwyn Cosgrove, John Berardi, Tom Venuto, Shawn

Phillips or Bret Contreras.

It drives me crazy whenever I see inexperienced personal trainers at the

gym, training women using weights so small they could perform sets of

40 repetitions.

The common nonsense remark is this is the way to “tone” muscles to

look slim and feminine. In reality, all the trainer is doing is wasting their

clients’ hard-earned time and money.

There are millions of frustrated women across the world that are

making little to no progress with their fitness goals due to the powerful

misconceptions that have been deeply engrained in their minds by the

media and fitness industry marketers.

The current approach that women are following is failing miserably.

Einstein once quoted; the definition of insanity is someone that does

the same thing over and over again yet expects a different result.

It’s time to change the way you work out if you expect a different result.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/alwyn.htm

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/about/john-berardi

http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/4-reasons-women-should-strength-train.php

http://www.mystrengthforlife.com/

http://www.mystrengthforlife.com/

http://bretcontreras.com/about-me/



Understand the fact that you need to workout performing the same exercises as men

and you’ll be miles ahead of other women, and on your way to strengthening and

shaping your body in a way you never dreamed possible.

3. You fear being judged by others and are intimidated by free

weights

You’re not alone with your fear and intimidation of how to lift and use the free-weight

area of the gym. In fact, I would say that men who are novice lifters have a greater fear

than women because expectations are higher for males.

To help remedy the fear of being judged, you have a couple different solutions.

First, you can purchase equipment for home-based workouts until you gain a baseline

level of experience and feel comfortable moving on to joining a gym. I recently wrote an

article on my blog called How to set-up a home-based gym. You can view the list of

equipment necessary to perform the

exercises I recommend in this guide.

You could also seek out a qualified

trainer that can teach you how to

properly perform the compound

exercise movements discussed in my

example workouts. I seldom see

personal trainers coaching women how

to train this way, so you’ll have to get a

referral from someone that knows what

they’re doing.

Another option is to join a local cross fit

gym and learn a few basic exercises. After one month, you should know how to perform

the exercises on your own and then you can join a gym.

The worst thing you can do is allow fear to deprive you of experiencing the incredible

benefits of weight training. There’s no reason to be intimidated by guys in the free-

weight area of the gym.

Start reading articles on websites that write about weight training, watch YouTube

videos and join a respectable forum or post on my blog where you can get help with

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/how-to-set-up-a-home-based-gym/



questions. There will definitely be a learning curve just as there is with everything we do

in the beginning.

You might feel intimidated in the beginning and want to say “to hell with it.” Or you

might want to hide out in the cardio area of the gym, but you must get over this. No one

really cares what you’re doing in the gym. If you think people are staring at you because

you’re not lifting with perfect form, you’re most likely wrong. People are wrapped up

with their own problems and that doesn’t include you.

Guys also have respect for women that weight train, and there’s a chance you’ll

intimidate a guy with your level of experience. Especially once you know what you’re

doing. The number of males that incorrectly perform the basic, functional exercises in

the free-weight area is notoriously high.

In my book, The 9 Principles For a Lean & Defined Body, I mention improper exercise

form as one of my principles. One of the major reasons why most males don’t make

significant progress is because of their poor exercise form and technique.

Learn proper exercise form, lose the fear factor, and you’ll intimidate some of the guys

by your performance! I guarantee it. Your level of self-confidence will also sky-rocket.

Girls who don’t

train look like this

Because they think they’ll

look like this

But they actually

look like this

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/the-9-principles/



Why you’ll actually get smaller by lifting weights:

The density of fat vs. muscle tissue

I’m sure you’ve heard before that muscle is more compact than fat.

The reason for this is because of the difference in densities of the two

types of tissue.

Fat takes up more space because it’s very soft and loose so fat

occupies more space on the body than muscle does when comparing

equal weights of both tissue types.

Muscle density is 1.06 kg per liter of space and fat density is 0.919 kg

per liter of space. That makes muscle about 18% more dense than fat.

If you gained 10 lbs. of muscle at the same time you lost 10 lbs of fat,

you would be smaller in size. On the scale you’d weigh the same, but

your pants for example would be looser.

Here’s an example to clarify the point

If you were to take 15 lbs. of fat and 15 lbs. of muscle and make them ball-shaped, the fat ball

might be the size of a small cantaloupe and the muscle would be the size of a large apple.

So if we took two women of equal weight and height, and compared their dress size, you’d find

the woman that lifts weights and has more muscle would have a dress size of 8 vs. the woman

who doesn’t lift weights has a dress size of 12.

Five pounds of fat takes up more space than 5 pounds of muscle

A woman who lifts weights will have a much lower percent

body fat than a woman who doesn’t lift weights. The reason

for this is attributed to training with heavy weights.

I hope it’s now clear to you why using a scale to weigh

yourself is the worst indicator of losing fat. Fat tissue is the

only tissue you should be losing. Instead, you must use body composition measurement devices

to obtain meaningful information.



The cardio myth for fitness and fat loss

Long, slow and repetitive workouts like jogging, treadmills, or cycling can actually increase a

hormone called cortisol which can cause your body to store more fat—especially around the

belly. It can also result in the loss of muscle via catabolic processes.

That’s not what you want if you’re interested in altering your fat-burning hormones to aid in

developing a lean, sculpted body.

For the past couple of decades we’ve been told that aerobic exercise is the best way to burn

calories and fat. How often have you read in fitness magazines?

“perform 30-60 minutes of steady cardio 3-5 times per week”

Some cardio proponents argue this is the “fat-burning zone” when exercising like this.

If burning fat and improving your overall body composition is an important goal, aerobic-type of

exercise is not nearly as effective as weight training. Research has consistently proven this(3,4).

That’s because aerobic exercises do not stimulate increases in lean muscle tissue. Without the

development of metabolically active muscle tissue, you’ll be hard-pressed maintaining a lean,

shapely body.

Although the belief is popular, the truth is you’ll receive minimal benefits in terms of both

strength and fat loss. The bottom line; endless cardio doesn’t produce real results.

The most recent research shows that short bursts of high-intensity drills are much more

effective for developing a lean, muscular body compared to low-intensity, steady-state

exercise. This type of training is termed high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and I recommend

you replace any long-duration cardio work with HIIT.

The best example of this can be seen with sprinters and marathon

runners. Sprinters have very lean and muscular physiques, while

marathon runners often look emaciated and weak. Let’s not forget

that the whole idea of maintaining a lean body is to keep as much

muscle tissue as possible.

Long cardio sessions burn calories only during the exercise session

while HIIT helps develop lean muscle tissue. Since muscle tissue is the

metabolically active tissue in the body, the real benefit – in terms of

burning calories – comes from the extra calories burned throughout

the day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catabolism



This phenomenon of calories burned hours after completing the exercise session is termed the

after-burn affect. Nobody knows exactly the number of additional calories burned due to this

affect, but it’s estimated at 15%.

There is also strong evidence that long cardio sessions are actually unhealthy. Not only does

this type of training cause excessive damage to the tendons, ligaments and joints of the body,

but it also results in cellular damage through the production of free radicals. I’m strictly

referring to individuals that run many miles per week and engage in long-distance running or

cycling, not the occasional runner logging a few miles each week.

Another commonly debated topic is that of conditioning the heart and lungs for the purpose of

lowering resting heart rate. There is no evidence proving long cardio sessions are the sole

means of lowering resting heart rates. In fact, strength training with weights results in

conditioning of the heart and lungs because it’s often practiced using high-intensity resistance

training (HIRT). Essentially, this is weight training with short rest periods or recovery periods of

about one minute or less between each set of exercise. I’m personally a strong proponent of

this method of weight training.

Here is yet another fact to consider: Dr. Kenneth Cooper, author of Aerobics and the

cardiologist who coined that term and promoted aerobic exercise for over 25 years, now

admits…he was wrong. According to Dr. Cooper, further research has shown there is no

correlation between aerobic endurance performance and health, longevity, or protection

against heart disease.

The idea that long, low-intensity cardio sessions fail to efficiently reduce body fat is making

headway. There will always be controversial debates occurring because of financial interests

involved with cardio equipment manufacturers. Cardio machines, treadmills, stair-steppers and

stationary bike sales are big business in the fitness industry, and manufacturers are not going to

succumb any time soon to the notion that cardio is ineffective for long-term fat loss or

protection against heart disease.

If you absolutely love to train many hours a week doing cardio and don’t care about gaining

lean muscle for the purpose of increasing your metabolism, then go for it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excess_post-exercise_oxygen_consumption



The skinny-fat body

This is a commonly used term in the fitness industry to depict a person that is thin yet has no

shape or muscle to their body. It is just one more reason why every woman needs to include a

weight training program whether they are thin or overweight.

Here is a definition taken from urbandictionary.com.

“People who are not overweight yet have a skinny look but still have a high body fat

percentage and low lean muscle mass. Usually these people consume a low calorie diet,

and that’s the reason why they are skinny. Most of these individuals are not involved in

sports activities or training of any type, and this is the reason they don’t have muscle.”

- urbandictionary.com

How to start getting a lean & shapely body

To be successful, you need to set goals, follow a coherent plan or system and record your

progress. I’m also a firm believer that you must keep things as simple as possible. The second

you start getting into the minutiae and asking questions that have little to no effect on your

progress, you’re heading for trouble.

Here’s a list of actions to take when starting:

Learn how to perform and master the basic compound exercise movements using free-

weight barbells and dumbbells (see exercises below)

Learn about the different pieces of equipment in the weight room

Lift heavy enough weights but never to the detriment of good exercise form

Stay away from any single movement exercise machine with the exception of cable

machines

Don’t think you need to engage in aerobic classes to get aerobic activity

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else because only your progress matters

Train with intensity using HIRT and HIIT

Focus on developing a strength base and forget other complicated details

Get a journal and start recording your goals, workouts and progress or look into the online

site Fitocracy for tracking your workouts

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/minutiae

https://www.fitocracy.com/



Here are the primary exercises to focus on learning

Lower body movements:

Squats

Deadlifts

Lunges

Upper body movements:

Bench press

Military or shoulder press

Pull-ups or chin-ups (assisted)

Dips

Barbell curls

Pushups

Planks

These are all basic exercises that stimulate your body to develop muscle tissue and increase the

release of fat-burning hormones. This is how you change the metabolism of your body so you

become strong, lean and defined, not bulky.

There’s no reason to get confused by adding other additional exercises to start. Learn these

well before moving on to other exercises. Mastering these movements alone will be a huge

accomplishment which you’ll find very rewarding.

It’s important to build a solid foundation of strength as

well as a strong mind-body connection. Allow your mind

to get in-tune with your body. I can’t stress enough how

important this concept is for making progress and for

how you feel about the “experience of lifting”.

With the exception of a free-motion cable machine,

most exercise machines are relatively ineffective.

Working out on exercise machines that move your body

through a restricted path of motion severely rob you of

everything that weight training provides.

Benefits such as developing the mind-body connection mentioned above and working the

smaller, intricate stabilization muscles of the body and many other benefits are sacrificed when

you choose to train with machines vs. free weights.



Machines are simply meant to attract new health-club members and give the club an upscale

appearance during the sales pitch to make it look like you’re getting a lot for your money. You

don’t have to take my word for it, do a search on the benefits of free weights vs. machines.

Examples of weight training routines

Which workout routine is appropriate for you will depend on how many days of the week you

can commit to working out, and your current physical condition.

To view exactly how to perform each of these exercises, I suggest you enter the exercise name

in YouTube to get a better picture of proper form. The images listed on my website aren’t

nearly the quality you can find in videos.

Here are a few routines for you to begin:

2 or 3-day per week full-body workout (beginner)

Exercise #Sets #Reps Rest

Squats 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Deadlifts 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Lunges 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Pull-ups 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Bench press 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Military/Shoulder

press

3 8-10 1-2 min.

Dips 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Barbell curls 3 8-10 1-2 min.

Planks (front) 3 1 min. 4. 1-2 min.



Instructions for workout routines:

A word of caution!

If you are a beginner new to lifting weights, only perform 2 sets of each exercise for the first

two weeks. This will help your body get used to the exercises and get you through the

inevitable period of muscle soreness. After two weeks, you should be able to perform 3 sets of

each exercise as they’re listed in the chart here.

First, make sure to warm-up using a light enough weight in which you can perform at least 15

repetitions. All you’re trying to accomplish here is getting your muscles accustomed to

performing the movement. Two warm up sets are warranted, especially before moving into

some of the heavier, more demanding lifts such as squats and deadlifts

After you’re warm-up set, perform three sets of every exercise while paying attention to your

form. Choose a weight that is heavy enough so that the last few reps are challenging to

perform. In other words, on your 6th repetition, the weight should start getting difficult to

move.

If you’re struggling to keep good form before completing the last couple reps, you need to

reduce the weight. There’s no need to over-do it in the beginning. You’ll see your strength

increase quickly the first 30 days of training.

It doesn’t matter if you have problems only lifting the bar without any weights on it in the

beginning. All that matters in order to make progress is that your muscles have enough of a

stressor placed on them and are overloaded to cause fatigue towards the end of each set of

exercise. Do NOT get frustrated because you have to start with small weights.

Keep rest periods between 1-2 minutes so intensity levels stay high. You will experience a rapid

heart rate and heavy breathing and will understand why heavy weight training provides

cardiovascular benefits as well as increases in strength and conditioning.

For pull-ups, find a method to assist you in performing them because it’s doubtful you’ll be able

to do them on your own. You can use exercise bands or other methods for assistance. Most

gyms have assisted pull-up machines as well. Try to complete as many pull ups as possible in

the beginning.

You can follow this beginner full-body workout routine either two or three times per week,

depending on your schedule. This is the minimal amount of training I recommend to achieve

good results with noticeable increases in strength and fat loss.



The only thing you must keep in mind is that there should be at least one day of rest between

workouts. So for example, if you decide to workout three days per week, you could workout on

Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Additional points to note:

The workout routines listed here are not set in stone. There are alternative exercises that can

be performed in place of some of these. But there is a reason why I’ve specifically listed these

exercises. They are proven to be the most effective, results-producing exercises. If they

weren’t, I would not bother to list them.

You can substitute pushups for bench press if you’d prefer. I recommend using the barbell or

dumbbell though, because your body will learn how to balance the weights. This is an

important benefit of free-weights and shouldn’t be neglected.

You can also substitute any barbell movement with dumbbells. For example, if you don’t want

to do squats with a bar on your back, hold dumbbells by your sides instead. The bench press,

and military press can also be performed with dumbbells instead of a barbell. Both provide the

important benefits of using free weights and train your body how to balance and coordinate

the weights.

The schedule of days listed for workouts can be changed according to your schedule. The main

point to keep in mind is to not work the same muscle group two days in a row. You must have a

minimum of 24 hours of rest, recovery and repair for each muscle group.

Lastly, many times we here about the dangers of weight lifting, usually from amateurs that

know nothing about the subject. The dangers are way overblown. In fact, sports like tennis,

basketball and volleyball, all have higher rates of injury than weight lifting5. And for those who

like to quote that exercise machines are a safer alternative to free weights, research indicates

they are equal6.

I’ve been lifting for over 34 years and been in gyms all over the world and only witnessed one

accident involving weights. Weight training is an extremely low risk sports activity which the

research clearly indicates here

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html



4-day per week split workout (intermediate)

Monday & Thursday (Legs & Back)


Squats 3 8 1-2 min.

Deadlifts 3 8 1-2 min.

Lunges 3 8 1-2 min.

Swiss ball hamstring

curls

3 10-12 1-2 min.

Pull-ups (assisted) 3 8-10 1-2 min.

One-arm DB row 3 8 1-2 min.

Planks(front & side) 4 1 min. 1-2 min.

Tuesday & Friday (Chest, Shoulders, Arms)


Bench press 4 8 1-2 min.

Push-ups 4 max 1-2 min.

Military/Shoulder press 4 8 1-2 min.

Dips 4 8 -2 min.

Barbell curls 3 8 1-2 min.

Planks(front & side) 4 1 min. 1-2 min.



Instructions for workout routines:

The same rules I mentioned for the beginner full-body workout also apply here. Additionally,

there are a few more rules to keep in mind when following this workout routine.

The big difference with the split routine is now we are NOT training the entire body during

every workout. Instead we will split the muscle groups so that half the body is trained during

one workout, and the other half during the following workout.

This is considered a more advanced routine, and allows you to increase the volume of work

performed during each workout for maximal strength and muscular gains.

I wouldn’t recommend following this workout schedule until you’ve learned how to perform

the basic exercises with good form and have conditioned your body enough to progress to the

next level.

It’s difficult for me to suggest when you should move to a higher level of training. Some of you

might be very motivated to learn quickly. If you’re inspired to advance to the next level of

conditioning, by all means go for it!

A helpful tip: Don’t mistake the meaning of the term “basic exercises” to imply beginner level,

less effective or easier to perform. In fact, basic exercises refer to the group of compound,

multi-joint exercises that are anything but easy. They are exercises that athletes from every

sport include in their conditioning programs.

A special note about abdominal training:

When training on a split routine, you’ll have to pay attention to choosing

which days you want to incorporate working your abdominal muscles.

Keep in mind that the majority of the exercises in all the routines I’ve

listed, indirectly involve and work your core muscles, including your abs.

For the time being, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to include a

separate abdominal routine other than the plank exercises recommended.

Once you get accustomed to weight training, you can add a few effective

exercises that target your abs more directly.

Abdominal training is a very hot and controversial topic for professional

athletes, competitive bodybuilders and fitness models in the industry

today. I’ll be publishing an extensive guide on this topic later this year

titled: Six-Pack Abs: The Art & Science to a Flat and Defined Set of Abs



What to expect the first month of training with weights

Depending on the individual, you will experience muscle soreness during the first week or two.

The third and fourth week, muscle soreness will be considerably less, or none at all.

This is completely normal as your heart begins to shunt blood to muscles that haven’t required

the increased oxygen until now. In fact, this is one of the most important reasons for beginning

a weight training regimen.

When blood flows to an area of the body (in this case a muscle group you’re training), it

delivers vital nutrients and oxygen via the blood to keep that specific tissue from deteriorating.

That’s one reason why we hear elderly people complain of shoulder pain or a myriad of other

musculo-skeletal ailments.

When the body doesn’t have a demand for blood to flow to certain tissues, the capillary beds

that feed those tissues reduce blood flow. This in turn results in deterioration and atrophy of

the muscle tissue in that region of the body.

Getting back to the muscle soreness topic, once your heart starts delivering oxygen to a muscle

group, your body becomes more efficient at creating the energy needed for muscle contraction

and no longer produces the lactic acid that is believed to cause the muscle soreness

encountered when starting a workout program.

The phenomena of blood shunted to muscle groups leads this conversation to another

controversial topic related to the bulking up myth.

Confusing the sensation of the muscle pump with getting bulky

When women first begin training with weights they experience the feeling of “the pump”. This

is nothing more than the heart shunting blood to the individual muscle group you are working

as the capillary beds within the muscle tissue are gorged with blood.

This “pump” phenomenon is temporary and subsides within an hour after the stressor (the

lifting of weights) is discontinued. There is nothing permanent about it. It’s simply a

physiological response of the body due to the working muscle requirements for increased

oxygen as we already discussed.

Unfortunately, many women freak-out and immediately think they are getting huge muscles at

that very moment. Once you understand the way the human body functions, many of these

myths and pre-conceived notions about muscle-building start to make sense.



You can also expect to experience a significant increase in strength after one month of weight

training. I can’t promise that you’ll lose a lot of body fat so quickly, but you’ll start to notice a

difference in how your body appears. A firm and tighter body will begin to develop and this will

be the motivating factor that inspires you to make that transformation you’ve always wanted.

In fact, I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that you’ll become addicted to how you feel from

weight training. Your self-confidence and feeling of accomplishment will sky-rocket. You will be

asking yourself why you didn’t begin weight training sooner.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend lifting heavy weights as part

of a healthy lifestyle. Research indicates that regular strength training results in a longer

lifespan as well as many other benefits.

Top 8 Reasons why every woman should lift weights:

1. Increases your metabolism and BMR so that you are burning fat 24/7 basis.

2. Become empowered and increase your confidence. Becoming strong carries over into

many other areas of life and helps you to be successful.

3. Creates curves, sculpts and shapes your body by increasing muscle tissue.

4. Reduces chances for osteoporosis by increasing bone density

5. Most effective anti-aging activity that exists for creating the “Fountain of Youth”.

6. Reduces chances for many life-style related diseases and chronic illnesses.

7. Increases energy levels and mood through the release of brain-chemicals that reduce

anxiety and depression.

8. Increases quality of life and well-being in countless areas such as sexuality, vitality, and

relationships.

Other considerations:

Continue the same program for at least 8-12 weeks before changing your routine. There is an

often talked about theory called “the muscle confusion theory”. This theory is predicated on

the belief that changes must be made to the exercises, reps and sets that compose your

workout routine. The P90X program is the most well-known program for marketing of this

theory.

Here are a few of the most commonly stated reasons in support for this theory:

1. Your routine should be changed often or your muscles will adapt and not respond any

longer to the exercises you’re doing.

2. You must continue to trick or confuse your muscles by constantly changing up your

routine.



3. Reaching exercise plateaus with progress requires a change in your routine.

The only truth to these statements is the part about muscles adapting, but that is only due to

insufficient volume load, not exercise selection. It is true that if you don’t apply a strong enough

stressor to muscle cells, very little change will occur.

There is no such thing as tricking, fooling, or whatever other name you want to give to

deceiving your muscles into responding by means of changing-up the exercises that comprise

your routine.

Once again, I believe the muscle confusion theory is simply another marketing ploy. The theory

takes a piece of what we know to be true, derived from the muscle adaptation principle, and

creates a philosophy of training from it.

The point of this debate is not about P90X or any other program being good or bad. Numerous

programs have helped many individuals get into fantastic shape. I’m strictly pointing out the

use of a myth for perpetuating a fear of not making progress unless you change your exercise

routine often.

The truth is that to remedy any plateaus with your training progress, the solution resides in

addressing the overload principle of weight training, NOT exercise selection.

I like to think of the muscle confusion theory as more of a theory to confuse your brain, not

your muscles. It’s simply one more way to add a new layer of confusion when it’s completely

unnecessary.

On a practical level, I’ve stayed with the same series of exercises for over 33 years. Do you think

I’m going to change the exercises in my routine any time soon?

My theory as to why the idea of changing things around in exercise routines became so

attractive is because society has become attention deficit disorder-like, so the idea of sticking

with the same program and not changing the variables for any length of time is thought to be

wrong or ineffective.

I belief this is the main reason so few individuals make noteworthy progress today. How can

you possibly determine what’s effective or ineffective when you’ve tried 10 different methods

for doing something in 10 weeks?

Stick with the basics and follow the principles that govern muscle development and fat loss.

Principles don’t change, only methods change.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/Adaptation_def.htm

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/Overload_def.htm



World class athletes, fitness models and strength and conditioning coaches all stick with the

basic lifts. They are tried and proven.

I’m not saying there aren’t factors within your routine that shouldn’t be changed at some point,

but the majority of individuals are far from requiring a change in exercises to their routines.

Nutrition & weight training

I didn’t intend on including a segment on nutrition in this report, but it wouldn’t be complete

without including a brief discussion covering some basic principles and rules to follow to get

you started. Nutrition is intimately connected to your workouts and determines how your body

is fueled for efficient functioning.

There is a question I’ve been asked a thousand times which is worth mentioning; which is more

important for losing body fat, exercise or diet?

The answer is they are both important, but for completely different reasons.

Exercise and nutritional habits serve different purposes. Exercise- in our case, weight training is

meant to develop the musculo-skeletal system to be functionally strong, conditioned and

attractive. Good nutritional habits don’t build muscle. Don’t confuse this statement with

feeding of the muscle.

On the other hand, fueling your body with poor quality food will have a significantly negative

impact on body composition ratios. What I mean by this is that by eating a poor diet, you will

likely be carrying a high percentage of body fat relative to lean muscle mass.

No matter how much time you spend in the gym, you’ll never reduce your body fat down to a

point where you can see muscle definition without practicing proper eating habits.

This is one of the reasons you may believe weight training makes you bulky. Males for example

more often than not, prefer to train hard to gain muscle but aren’t disciplined with nutritional

habits. As a consequence, you see a lot of muscular guys that also carry a large percent of body

fat. If they would eat to reduce body fat, they would lose size throughout their entire body and

wouldn’t look so bulky. My point once again is that “bulk” is fat.

To help get you started on the right track with your nutrition, I’m providing you with a copy of

my Master Grocery List that I use to purchase my food items. You can also take a look at a

sample one-day diet I’ve created.

Both of these sheets will give you an idea as to which type of foods you should be consuming.

The sample daily diet sheet is an example that was created for a female in the 150-170 lb. range

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MGL.pdf

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Daily-Meal-Log.pdf



that desires to lose from 15-25 lbs. of fat. The chart is only an approximation of total calories

and grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats, so don’t assume this is ideal for everyone. There

are other factors that should be considered when designing a nutritional program. Having said

that, I believe it would be a vast improvement in nutrition to what many women are currently

consuming.

Like everything else in the fitness and weight loss industry, the topic of nutrition is overly

complicated and more confusing than it needs to be.

I would bet that most of what you currently believe regarding nutrition is not accurate. Again,

the media is to blame, but even more so, the multi-trillion dollar food industry and their food

packaging, labeling and marketing tactics. The average person struggles with knowing how to

interpret and properly make intelligent choices and decisions with respect to food.

Placing blame on the media and dwelling on political issues with food conglomerates is a waste

of time in my view. Instead, you need to take responsibility by educating yourself on the subject

and then take the appropriate action to improve your life and health.

I’m here to help you navigate through the quackery and gimmicks that are so rampant in the

fitness and nutrition/weight loss industry. Make sure you are subscribed to my free blog so you

receive all my articles to help you live a healthier life through proper training and nutrition.

Here is an action list and set of rules to get you started:

Rid your house of all processed and packaged foods. This in turn will knock out most bad

carbs in your diet automatically.

Think of salads and greens as the staple of your meals. Proteins should accompany the

salads and preferably be eaten together.

Eat a serving of protein with every meal.

Prepare food you consume in advance so it’s readily available and quick to serve.

Stay away from restaurant food, pre-made meals and fast food. Getting lean is tough when

you frequently dine out.

Reduce liquid calories, including alcohol to a minimum.

Choose meal frequency that works for you. The 4-6 meal per day theory has no scientific

merit. Training your body to always have food in your system is bad in my opinion because

your body begins to crave food every three hours. You can be just as successful following an

intermittent fasting protocol of eating during a 12 hour window, then fasting for 12 hours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting



Whichever method suits you best is the one you should follow. At the end of the day, all

that matters is total intake.

If you prefer to eat carbs at night, feel free to do so. It makes no difference if you consume

carbs in the evening vs. day. That’s because energy expenditure during sleep is no different

than your average BMR during the day(7,8).

Practice an eating program that’s sustainable. Forget going “on a diet” because you’ll be

lost with what to do when you stop the diet.

Consume carbs that are complex carbohydrates. That includes all plant foods and fresh

fruits. The best fruits to consume are berries, citrus fruits, and apples. Limit fruits like

bananas and pineapple. Avoid fruit juices entirely.

Breakfast is not the most important meal. I personally skip breakfast. This is another myth

with no scientific basis. If you feel better by eating a healthy breakfast, by all means do so. If

you can go without or eat a small snack to hold you until lunch, that’s a perfectly acceptable

plan as well.

Stop reading fitness magazine articles to learn about fitness and fat loss. You will only get

more confused, frustrated and most likely quit.

If you’d like to read my blog article that summarizes the principles from a book I wrote about

getting a lean and defined body, here’s the link to that article: A short course of the 9 principles

for a lean defined body. I believe this will help drive home most of the points covered in this

guide.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-complex-carbohydrates.htm

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/a-short-course-of-the-9-principles-for-a-lean-defined-body/

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/a-short-course-of-the-9-principles-for-a-lean-defined-body/



Final thoughts

Of every exercise fad or gimmick that has come and gone, the method of training that will

remain forever is strength training with free-weights.

Women that take the step and add this method of training to their workouts will never resort

back to exercise machines or the little Barbie weights. The increased confidence and self-

esteem, and the feeling of being empowered in both the physical and psychological realms are

difficult concepts to merely explain with words.

You can be assured that my young, almost four-year-old daughter will learn how to train lifting

heavy weights and mature into a strong, confident woman. Developing a strong body is one of

the greatest confidence-builders in existence.

If you want to make significant changes to your body, enhance your curves, tighten the overall

look of your body, increase your BMR and exhume the confidence that goes along with all these

benefits, then you need to make weight training the central part of your fitness program.

Making it a once-in-awhile activity won’t cut it though.

If you follow the principles I’ve discussed, you’ll start to notice the envy that other women have

for the transformation you’ll achieve. Give yourself about six months’ time and see what I

mean.

Experience the sensation yourself with being in contact with the iron barbells and dumbbells

and you’ll understand why the results cannot be compared to any other method of physical

conditioning.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to workout and eat to develop a lean, fit and

muscular body, please get yourself a copy of my book on Amazon. I priced it ridiculously low so

everyone can have a chance at improving their body and health:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBFDDZ2

HoffmanFit LeanBody365 System-Coming soon!

Setting a new standard in the fitness, fat loss and body transformation industry, my

comprehensive workout and nutrition-meal preparation strategy guide, LeanBody365 System

will be available to the public by fall 2013.

For those of you that are confused, frustrated and ready to give up don’t lose hope yet! I have

the solutions to your problems and struggles for losing body fat and shaping your body.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBFDDZ2



The LeanBody365 System is the culmination of my life’s work of more than three-decades of

time. It includes all my strategies and tricks of the trade that I personally use every day to

maintain a lean and defined body 365 days a year.

The distinguishing factor of my LeanBody365 System is that it’s a lifestyle program rather than

a gimmicky, short-term fix type of program which fail 95% of the time. I will reveal the priceless

skills that very few individuals know how to use to develop the body you desire.

My publication will focus on the 40+ age group who have doubts about their ability to make a

serious body transformation and major improvements to their health.

The goal of the LeanBody365 System is to help my followers achieve their greatest level of

health and fitness so that the second half of their lives is their most enjoyable. This isn’t

possible unless you know how to train and nourish your body for superior performance and

look your best.

Remember, I’m of the baby-boomer generations and personally made my biggest

transformation at 50 years-old and even became a sought-after fitness & lifestyle model!

I have one request for you; please tell two of your female friends about this e-book I’ve written

for women about lifting weights. Give them my web address so they can receive a copy of my

free e-book and start making improvements to their body and health.

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/

Yours in good health,

Philip J. Hoffman

http://www.modelmayhem.com/1812682

http://www.hoffmanfit.com/



Certified Sports Nutrition Certified Fitness Trainer Expert Fat Loss Coach



Research cited 1 Brown CH, and JH Wilmore. The effects of maximal resistance training on the strength and body composition of

women. Med. Sci. Sports Exercise 1974 2 Wilmore JH. Alterations in strength, body composition and anthropometric measures consequent to a ten week

weight training program. Med. Sci. Sports Exercise 1974 3 Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Tremblay, A. et al., Physical

Activities Sciences Laboratory, Laval University, Quebec, Canada Metabolism.1994; 43(7): 814-818. 4 High-intensity Interval Training: A Time-efficient Strategy for Health Promotion. Martin J. Gibala, PhD,

Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada Current Sports Medicine Reports 2007, 6:211-213 5 Stone MH (1990). Muscle conditioning and muscle injuries. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 22(4):457-462.

6 Rhea (2003) suggests there is no practical difference in injury rate between using free weights or 7. machines in

healthy adults. Requa RK, DeAvilla LN, Garrick JG. (1993) Injuries in recreational adult fitness activities. Am J Sports Med, 21(3):461-7. 7 Seale JL, Conway JM. Relationship between overnight energy expenditure and BMR measured in a room-sized

calorimeter. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Feb;53(2):107-11. 8 Zhang K, Sun M, Werner P, Kovera AJ, Albu J, Pi-Sunyer FX, Boozer CN. Sleeping metabolic rate in relation to body

mass index and body composition. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002 Mar;26 (3):376-83.

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