Attention Women! You want to know how to get a toned body?
(Guys, read for information purposes only)

* Do you want a sexy body?
* Do you want that toned look?
* Want a low body fat percentage?
* Want small hips and a pert butt?

I’m sure not many women answered ‘No’ to those questions 😉

‘Weight training for women‘ is, unfortunately, extremely misunderstood. There is nothing that comes close to weight training that can give a woman the toned, lean physique they want.

In addition to the purely cosmetic reasons. Here’s a list a some of the health benefits I hope you’ll take note of:

1. Strengthened tendons and ligaments
2. Positive changes in lipid profile (cholesterol & triglycerides)
3. Improved bone strength and density
4. Improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (warding off diabetes)
5. Increased metabolic rate – You’ll burn more calories even when resting
6. Decreased blood pressure

Weight Training For Women

Despite the health & beauty benefits, weight training gets overlooked while marathon cardio sessions and ‘home video workout routines’ steal the limelight.
This is a real pity.
But why? Well, we’ve all heard the main concern about weight lifting haven’t we?

“I don’t want to get bulky”

If you’re a man, that statement probably bugs the hell out of you. Some women seem to think you just pick up some dumbbells and the muscle starts to swell right in front of your eyes.

As we know, that’s not the case. And it’s certainly the case for women then who have far lower levels of testosterone than us men (generally 10 times less circulating testosterone). Let me put it bluntly:

Women: You are not going to get bulky unless you start taking steroids. Even then you’ll not be nearly as big as a natural guy at his peak.

Ok, that’s the rant over. There are some physiological differences between men and women:

1. Women have more body fat than men
2. Women have less muscle mass than men
3. Women’s muscle fibers are smaller than mens

However, does this mean that women should train differently than men, even if they can’t look the same? In short: No.

Women should train just as the guys do. Think about it ladies…

* Nothing in the world will sort out that sagging butt better than squats – NOTHING
* Nothing in the world will give you square, toned shoulders like overhead barbell or dumbbell shoulder presses
* Nothing will improve your posture more than weight training
* Nothing will give you those nice sculpted arms you want more than weight training

You can fall for all the latest gimmicks if you like. You can turn up religiously at aerobics class, but these activities will never even come close to the power of weight training. They simply do not provide the progressive overload required to make radical changes in body shape that weight lifting does.

In fact, excessive cardiovascular work will lead to muscle loss which not only looks worse, but slows your metabolism – bad news.

What The Hell Is Toning?

‘Toning’ is a marketing term. You can’t tone a muscle. Muscle can definitely look toned but you can’t tone it so to speak. What they really mean is ‘build muscle’ and lose the fat covering it. This leads to the ‘toned’ look. There are certainly no gadgets you can buy that will ‘tone’ a muscle for you, though plenty of companies will tell you that theirs works like a charm.

So the real goal ladies, is to build muscle and lose fat, just like us guys. I encourage you to download your free workout program for women ‘Total Anabolism‘. Yes, it’s EXACTLY the same as the one for us guys.

I encourage you to stop listening to the big companies, get serious and get started on really transforming your body today.

Your Buddy,

Mark McManus

image credit: TopMuscleFeminin