The Most Effective Weight Training, Cardio & Nutrition for Women | Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  Muscle responds to training the same way in women and men

  Colenso-Semple, an exercise scientist, says muscle protein synthesis and growth after training or protein are very similar in both sexes. Men start with more muscle because of the testosterone surge at puberty, but untrained men and women gain similar relative size once they start lifting.

• 02

  Natural testosterone differences within the normal range don't predict gains

  A man at 400 ng/dL doesn't build noticeably more muscle than one at 600 if both are within the roughly 300–900 ng/dL range, and the same holds for women. Only well-above-normal doses from steroids change the picture. Post-workout spikes in testosterone and growth hormone were once thought to drive growth, but they don't predict long-term gains, so programs built to maximize those spikes miss the point.

• 03

  Lifting heavy won't make women bulky by accident

  She credits the bikini category in bodybuilding, group fitness and CrossFit with making lifting feel feminine. Yet 'where are all of these bulky women?' Very muscular physiques take years of hard work and often drugs. Keeping teenage girls out of weight rooms is a cultural habit, not a safety issue.

• 04

  A good beginner program trains the whole body two or three times a week

  Treat lifting as a way to grow muscle, not shrink. Train all major muscle groups two or three times a week (upper/lower splits make sense at four days, more detailed splits at five or six). After warm-ups, do at least 2 hard sets per exercise, ideally 3, and up to 4, since more is probably overkill. Mix squat-type and hip-hinge movements, and progress load or reps month to month.

• 05

  Any rep range builds muscle if you train close to failure

  Stopping one or two reps short of failure is enough. Growth is similar with heavy, low-rep sets and lighter, high-rep sets, but heavy sets need many more sets to match total volume. To maximize a one-rep max, you need some very heavy, low-rep training. She is skeptical of partial reps and tempo tricks because they're hard to repeat consistently.

• 06

  Rest about two minutes, or pair pushes with pulls

  Two minutes works for most exercises and three for squats and deadlifts. Heavy one-rep-max work may need 4–5 minutes. To save time, alternate a press with a row or pull-down, which doesn't seem to hurt results.

• 07

  Cardio rarely interferes with muscle gains

  Cardio blunts muscle growth mainly with very high volume done right before lifting, so avoid sprints before leg day. If strength is the priority, lift first and separate the two by several hours. Enjoyable outdoor activity counts, and high intensity mainly saves time. Walking needn't be obsessively tracked, and the 10,000-steps figure was more or less arbitrary.

• 08

  No need to train by menstrual cycle phase

  The data don't support changing training by phase. Train hard and consistently, and adjust or skip a session if symptoms hit, but you aren't less capable during your period. Studies of combined oral contraceptives, which make up most of the research, show no effect on strength, muscle growth or power. Hormonal IUDs and patches are less studied.

• 09

  Train the same way through perimenopause and menopause

  The goals don't change: build muscle and strength, maintain bone density and reduce the risk of falls and fractures. Maintaining nerve-to-muscle connections matters too, not just hormones. A gym's circuit of machines is a good starting point for women who are nervous about the weight room.