For women, getting hard, female muscle is an uphill battle — low testosterone levels limit our ability to sculpt a muscular physique. Although you’ll never be as big as a man — at least naturally — you can build solid, lean muscle with the right game plan.
Here are the three keys to gaining hard, female muscle:
1. A well-balanced diet. To build muscle, it’s more than just controlling your calories — macronutrients also count. These macronutrients include:
- Protein. Aim for one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
- Fat. Aim for 0.35 grams of fat per pound of body weight at the minimum.
- Carbohydrates. After meeting your protein and fat goals, fill up the rest of your calories with carbohydrates.
In terms of body composition, it does not matter where these macronutrients come from, as long as these macronutrient goals are met on a consistent basis. In terms of health, however, aim for natural, non-processed foods with a strong nutritional base. These are essentially clean foods. Colorful vegetables, whole grain pasta or bread, fish, chicken breasts, and peanut butter are excellent, nutritional sources of macronutrients. While eating processed foods will not slow down your progress, muscle-wise, it is important to stay relatively healthy.
2. Getting enough calories. If you’re already thin and want to gain female muscle, eat above your maintenance intake. This is how many calories should be consumed to maintain your current weight. Have considerable body fat? You’ll need to shed some body fat first before eating in a caloric surplus.
To find out the maintenance intake, use this calculator based on the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula, as provided by ScientificPsychic.com. This formula is considered one of the most accurate ways to calculate the maintenance intake. The number listed next to “Your BMR times Activity Factor” is how much you need to eat to maintain your weight.
Additional key points:
- To lose weight, subtract 20 percent from the maintenance intake. For example, a woman who has a maintenance intake of 2100 should consume 1680 calories to lose weight.
- To gain weight, add 20 percent to the same intake. For example, the woman above would consume 2520 calories to slowly gain weight and lean muscle.
3. Engaging in smart exercise to build female muscle. Doing endless biceps curls will not build lean, female muscle, but a smart training regimen can. Here’s what you should do:
- Most of the workout should consist of five to six compound exercises. These are exercises that use more than one muscle group. The squat is a good example of a compound exercise.
- Aim to lift heavy for moderate repetitions — at least eight repetitions per set is ideal for building muscle. Avoid doing more than 12 repetitions. Three sets per exercise is sufficient.
- Stick with barbells and dumbbells, which will work your body harder than machines. While machines are convenient, they engage less of your body. This includes the Smith machine.
Practice these tips consistently to see gradual but permanent gains in your physique. Female muscle is difficult to build, but staying consistent with your program will help you gain muscle.
Source:
ScientificPsychic.com
