Why Women Should Work Out Like Men & Men Should Work Out Like Women

How do YOU exercise/ workout/ train?

Did you know that MORE WOMEN should WORK OUT like MEN and more MEN should WORK OUT like WOMEN?

But Ally, what do you mean?

Let me preface by saying that there is no BAD exercise or workout unless it's causing you pain. If it gets you moving and you enjoy it, great!

But...I'm talking about training or working out OPTIMALLY here, for your BEST physical health...and we should all strive for being the best we can be...I think!

Are You Just Practicing Yoga?

So I thought about this after reading a post about this , but also after personal observation at my weekly yoga class. In that class, most of the women are my age or younger and I think they could all benefit from being stronger and having more muscle. Why do I think it would benefit them?

-Stronger in their poses

-More mobility in their poses

-More muscle

-More curves in the right places

-Less body fat

-Generally fitter

-And all the confidence and life benefit crossovers that comes with the above

Women on the whole don’t go to the gym very much, and if they do they usually only frequent the treadmill, bike or rower, because they don’t want to get ‘big’. Little do they know that weights don’t make you big, they give you shape, feminine curves and power and the ability to burn more fat out of the gym. The types of ladies that enter bodybuilding contests, with A LOT of visible muscle, train A LOT and eat A LOT, over a number of years.

Get Stacked!

Personally, I think women’s bodies look amazing with muscle, waaaay better than skinny minnies that look like they need a good meal. Oh and that’s another benefit. You need to eat when you do weights in order to grow muscle. Not rubbish processed food, but good honest whole food. You’ll also want to adopt better lifestyle habits; getting into the gym early doors requires getting enough sleep and getting up early before work or domestic duties. You’ll need to drink good quality water and alcohol is catabolic – meaning it’ll steal your ‘gains’ as well as make you fat and anxious. So you’ll be sober/ ish and going home to bed early and feeling a squillion times better.

Also, think about the long term benefits.

If you're 30 or younger and reading this, my advice is, start adding muscle to your frame now, while it's easier. It's possible, but it gets harder to add muscle in your 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. As we age, we need muscle to ensure we don't turn into a frail old lady/ man with limited range of motion, stability and mobility and without the strength to even get up off the toilet unaided, let alone run for the bus.

What’s Not to Like?

More Cross Training is Better for Men

Men generally go to the gym more than women but they tend to do bench pressing and bicep curls, maybe some ab work maybe some rows or shoulders and not a lot else.

Why? They often train the muscles that they can see in the mirror!

Men could benefit by training the way women train in the gym (tends to be focused on lower body/ bum). Men who don’t train their lower body tend to have tight hips and hamstrings regardless of whether they do other sports or not. If this carries on, it will affect their ability to walk, sit/ stand as they get older. Often, I find their stability on one leg is not as good as it could be and again, this is super important for any sport but also so that we keep our balance and power as we age.

Warm Up Like a Boss!

Men (and women!) often skip warm ups or just do a few lighter reps or walk or run on the treadmill. I take my clients through a six-phase dynamic warm up, which works on mobility, corrective exercises and activatiing the specific movement pattern that we'll be training that day. This prevents injury and negates the need to extended static stretching on the whole after the workout.

More effective training boosts testosterone which drops off as men age. Very important for muscle mass, sex drive and just well feeling like a man!

Yoga would be great for most men as they tend to be less flexible than women, but they likely need a sympathetic yogi to guide them. If they don’t do cardio with another sport, it’s also beneficial for men to look after their cardiovascular system with targeted training sessions as men tend to get more cardiovascular issues than women.

Ladies, don’t sell yourselves short!

Guys, you can train smarter!

Personally, as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, I love the trails and yoga just as much as the gym. I love it all! It’s all about balance.

My question to you, is how balanced is your training/ exercise/ physical composition?

If you’d like to get stronger, add muscle or tone, lose fat, get more mobile, more stable and generally fitter, Strength Training is THE place to start. Anyone can do it, regardless of fitness or ability. It builds confidence and life crossover benefits like no other exercise (including burning more calories).

If you want to feel great, look great and be great (at life!), then drop me a line!

Ally van de Pol is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-CPT) Strength & Conditioning Coach, Pain Free Performance Specialist, Pain Free Knee Specialist, Senior Exercise Coach, as well as a Naturopath & Herbalist.