Primal Strength Training for Women: Not So Different After All
I knew they were coming, as soon as I hit “Publish.” I knew I’d get at least one or two comments from our female readers asking if last week’s muscle building post applied to them, too. You see, Conventional Wisdom has somehow drilled into our heads the silly notion that men and women are completely different species, especially when it comes to working out. There are definite differences – anyone who’s been married will be able to tell you that! – but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re all homo sapiens with the same basic physiological makeup. And so an outfit like Weight Watchers will push the chronic cardio, the ankle weights, and the step classes because of some underlying, self-defeating assumption that women aren’t “meant” to lift heavy weights. It’s insane, it’s preposterous, and it’s downright insulting. Men and women have different work capacities and different natural inclinations, but their bodies still work the same way.
“But I don’t want to get big and bulky!”
That’s another common one, and I can’t really blame them. Have you ever seen a women’s bodybuilding competition, especially one where the drug testing bodies are asleep at the wheel? Those women are frightening and incredibly ripped (for my money, the dudes look just as freakish), but more importantly, they just don’t look right. In fact, this is one area in which the underlying gender-specific physiology is limiting (thank god!): women, being testicle-free, do not produce enough natural testosterone to get those bulging pecs (just where do the breasts go, anyway?) and engorged thighs without supplementing with steroids (synthetic testosterone, essentially). Men generally do produce enough natural testosterone (the ultimate muscle-building hormone) to get big, and most of us still have trouble building a significant amount of muscle. Just imagine how difficult it is to bulk up for a woman.
If anyone’s still worried about looking like a female bodybuilder, just take a look at this selection of videos.
Women’s Olympic-style weightlifting at the 2007 Arnold Weightlifting Championships (below): No Arnold look-alikes here, just strong women performing Olympic lifts.
Snatches at the 2007 American Open in Birmingham: I don’t even know if I’d look twice if I saw these women walking down the street. Well, I would, but for a different reason. They simply look like attractive women in good shape.
Here is another example: Watch a 108 lb woman clean and jerk twice her body weight. And another.
These are women whose entire athletic lives are devoted to lifting big and lifting heavy – the very same movements that I’ve prescribed as truly Primal and strength-intensive – and yet they aren’t big and bulky. You’d think if it were likely, or even possible, for a natural woman to build major size without resorting to steroids, you would see it happen with Olympic-style female weightlifters, but you don’t. Time and time again, you don’t.
Now, check out these women.
Armenian bodybuilder Lisa Moordigian shows some sample workout clips: Notice the exercises she does – curls, machine curls, tricep pulldowns, and even more curls. She’s doing nothing but isolation exercises.
Brenda Smith’s killer leg workout (check out her crazy calves!): The closest she gets to a real movement is the lunge, but even her squats are assisted. She’s obviously not interested in learning actual athletic movements or developing real strength; she only cares about stoking that PUMP coursing through her veins.
Look at the bodybuilders’ bodies, their workouts, and their focus. Notice anything? They’re solely focusing on individual muscles to the detriment of the whole. There’s no catlike athleticism, nothing that indicates actual functional strength. Leg extension machines don’t exist in nature.
Seriously, though: men and women should work out the same way. That is, provided they have the same goals of developing functional strength, promoting lean body mass over adipose tissue, and improving health, both men and women are best suited to lifting heavy, hard, and with great intensity. Hormonal differences and diet will alter how this lifting program affects you and how much hypertrophy occurs, but the end result is the same: an increased strength to body weight ratio, which is vital for true Primal health and fitness. You’ll increase musculature, but it’s not going to be superficial, bloated muscle. It’s going to be muscle that makes sense, fat-burning muscle that fits your body and fits your genes. After all, you’re just providing the right environment for your genes through proper diet, adequate sleep, normalized stress levels, and – now – the right kind of movements.
There are a few other physiological differences that might crop up when it comes to working out. The “Q” angle, which describes the angle measuring from hip to knee, is larger in women. As a result, the quadriceps can pull on the patella and eventually cause knee issues. Cutting sports, like soccer and basketball in particular, can place additional stress on the knees and increase the chance of injury. This just makes maintaining proper form even more important (as if it wasn’t already). Here’s a great YouTube series of tips on improving your squat form. I should also mention that pregnancy, especially during the 3rd trimester, can soften the pelvic cartilage and relax the hips to prepare for childbirth. It’s absolutely essential for safe birthing, but doing deep squats with such tender cartilage and overly-relaxed hips will increase pressure on the knees and should be avoided.
Last week, I suggested that eating an extra dozen eggs on top of your regular daily dietary intake might be the catalyst for hypertrophy, especially for hardgainers. For women who perhaps aren’t so interested in adding a lot of muscle, skip the extra eggs. Keep eating Primal, get adequate protein, hit those deep squats and heavy deadlifts, and you’ll begin shedding fat and putting on lean mass that (because of the physiological differences between the genders) won’t be “bulky” or “big.”
In the end, though, it’s your choice. You could do the basic strength exercises and end up looking like this (thanks for the photo, Crossfit Rockwall), or you could spend hours in the gym and spend hundreds on steroids and stuff yourself with protein shakes to look like this. I think I know who Grok’d rather have on the hunt. What about you?
amber in norfolk Flickr Photo (CC)
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
Dear God that last picture was frightening. I’ve been sprinting a lot lately, and doing a lot more pushups, and I’ve found that my quads are getting a little bigger (they tend to build muscle very easily) but with the primal diet the fat is coming off too. So overall my legs look smaller even though the muscles are getting bigger
Agreed. The masculine stigma behind strength training is completely unwarranted. Strength training for women is probably more important than it is for men, since they naturally have less muscle mass to begin with (the most metabolically active and protective tissue in the body).
-Anthony
UGH That last picture was horrifying!!!! Yay for not having testicles!
) Thanks for a great article Mark
What an inappropriate comment for this site. Shameful.
That last picture WAS horrifying. Women are not meant to look like that. That is why AAS usage is absolutely required in order to achieve a look like that.
How timely of this blog post. I have been trying to convince my girlfriend that lifting heavy weights is the best thing to do. Of course, she was told by a personal trainer recently to do high reps, low weight. When I told my girlfriend that women don’t have the testosterone to get bulky like men, she didn’t care. She thinks that non-bulky muscular women are…too bulky. She doesn’t like the look. I found this worrisome because I find toned muscular women to be attractive. Perhaps what we see as a non-bulky muscular woman is indeed bulky in the eyes of the media. Most women models are extremely slender, now muscular. Even pop-idols like Paris Hilton – who so many young girls and college-age girls try to copy – are muscle-less extremely skinny women.
Thus, for some women, even if they believe that they won’t get bulky, they don’t strive for the muscular/ toned look either.
She should check out The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Schuler. I got it this weekend and it really breaks down a lot of Conventional Wisdom myths.
I agree this is a timely article, Mark, as I was just sitting here trying to decide if I wanted to go to your site today or read some more of this book!
Rock on CrossFit Women. You look fantastic! Great to see you waving the flag for fit, strong, healthy women.
I am a CrossFit Women – and CrossFit Affiliate in Auckland (Albany) New Zealand. 16 years in the industry, I think I’ve heard every ‘reason’ and explanation for women being frightened of strength training – or weights training.
Thank you Mark for sending me the link to this fantastic article. I was really impressed with the videos of the lightest weight class. And…in all honesty, before becoming a CrossFitter, I would never have known or beleived that women can make such rapid progress in strength and skill capability, and still look femanine while toned and athletic.
All fellas out there, keep encouraging your beautiful ladies to train full body functional exercises with weights. Its like medicine for the body!!
Yeah, yeah!!
I agree. I have the Lift Like A Man, Look Like A Goddess book and LOVE IT!
If your girlfriend is worried about looking bulky, show her my progress pictures:
http://www.crossfitfire.com/Jen%2014%20months%20progress.pdf
I can do 25 consecutive pull-ups, dead lift 1.5 times my body weight, and I can clean and jerk my body weight. By most women’s standards, I’m a STRONG. Your girlfriend will hopefully notice the lack of bulging muscles on my frame, and the absence of jutting veins.
I wish I could find the person that started that nasty rumor about women and weight lifting…I’d poke them in the eye. I own a CrossFit Affiliate, and I watch women start lifting weights, and the fat just melts off of them! Get her off the treadmill and show her the free weights!
You look amazing! Way to go!
Now you make me wanna crossfit, just for the skin tannability :p
(And on a more serious note, I’ve recently decided to exercise again, bought books, weights and did research. I’ve heard on forums other people talk about that problem – even some personal trainers (of both genders) try to steer women away from heavy weights.
Also some gyms are apparently infested with cardio bunnies, to the point of outnumbering and possibly driving out the other gym rats as the amount of treadmills and ellipticals that they consume increases and off-sets the gym’s delicate ecosystem. Pretty soon even squat racks may become endangered…
You look great!! Awesome progress!
“When I told my girlfriend that women don’t have the testosterone to get bulky like men, she didn’t care”
This is not strictly true – a lot of women don’t have ENOUGH testosterone to make man sized muscles. But if you’ve ever checked out a women’s rugby or soccer team – there are some women who DO have more than their female friends.
Rememeber – everything is relevant. Having your hormones in balance means you won’t bulk up. Having too much testosterone such as those suffering PCOS – may have a different effect.
Just sayin.
Listen… Most girls don’t gain muscle like men, but some do. And I unfortunately seem to be one of them. If I did literally nothing, I would be and have been bony (I always eat clean anyways). But I like kickboxing. I can lift extremely heavy weights; sometimes its challenging, but I can and do. I’m 5’11 and 170 and after reading this realized that I fall into the category of “rugby/soccer girls”. Need to run/kickbox more, lift weights under 100 lbs.
True. And the muscular differences between men and women isn’t nearly as big as most believe. It’s really not as unnatural or impossible for women to bulk up as certain people suggest.
I for one gain muscle/bulk up quickly as well and I most certainly don’t use supplements and the like.
Every woman is different I suppose. Sad how articles like these don’t take that into account.
So many women buy into that whole “size 0″ ideal which leaves them useless skeletons. While I, personally still have a fair bit of fat to shed to get that toned look I would love to be a size 6 and able to actually carry something larger than Paris Hilton’s 3lb chihuahua! I need more muscle, time to go make with the pushups and squats and get me a sandbag.
No matter how many deadlifts or squats you do, you won’t get “too bulky” if you keep your weight under control. Muscles don’t grow out of thin air. If you stay the same weight, or lower, the most you can do is exchange your fat for muscle, and who’s going to complain about that?
On a side note…I love your little silhouette of Grok, but you also need a female! (Grokette?)
hee hee, I asked for one a few weeks ago too. Maybe something Darryl Hannah-ish (ala Clan of the Cave Bear) with a sling?…
Ooh I would love a Grokette icon…
Unless you’re an extreme genetic outlier, as a woman you aren’t going to get “bulky” if you try- men have a hard enough time with it with their testosterone advantages. You can’t “exchange your fat for muscle” you can only burn fat and gain muscle (or, of course, gain fat, lose muscle, or any variety of those things). Dieting burns fat, but it also breaks down muscle, and lifting without increasing the weight over time may increase your endurance but that won’t do anything towards building muscle, tonus, and increasing one’s metabolism.
It’s not even like bulk just sneaks up on you – once you reach a musculature that you like and decide to go no further you can just lower your exercise intensity to maintenance-levels.
Simple as that.
It’s unfortunate how terrified some women are of touching a free weight. If it’s not a fear of looking like Arnold, it’s a fear of sharing gym equipment with people who do.
It took me a LONG time to convince my wife to do some real lifting, and despite her fear of bulking up, she’s still very thin. Even 10 years later, I still have to steer her away from silly isolation exercises from time to time. Dogma dies hard!
I’m assuming the women who are hesitant to lift weights share my opinion (I apologize to the ones who don’t..just trying to generalize.)
We know that if we walk into a gym and lift heavy weights, we are not going to walk out of the gym looking like Arnold. DUH!
But gaining muscle makes a person look bigger. We do NOT want to look bigger. Sometimes (not always, unfortunately), gaining muscle makes a person look smaller, but only if some fat is lost too. Lifting heavy (ALONE) does NOT guarantee fat loss. Therefore, there is a fear of lifting.
The difference in this “bulky” term is subtle, but there’s a difference.
This is about strenght, fitness, and health, not just being someonemwith a smaller body.
Why wouldn’t a woman want to look bigger? I do believe this mostly applies to yourself and those like-minded. It hardly fits everyone’s opinion though, unlike what you seem to be suggesting.
I for one happen to be a ‘bigger looking’ woman and I find it liberating.
I’d rather be muscular and actually make an impression in my work-field than to be another easily discarded skeletal female. I enjoy being taken seriously at first glance, thank you very much.
I like your attitude!
Actually, most women don’t like that look on men, either. Brad Pitt in Fight Club=sexy Mr. Universe=gross.
Luckily, it’s pretty difficult to get that look in either sex without the aid of steroids.
MOST women would actually disagree.
Hmmm….. you must be a female bodybuilder. Just a guess by your comments here. Anyway, I am a male bodybuilder and the truth is, the VAST-MAJORITY of women DO prefer Brad Pitt’s look over Mr. Universe or Mr. Olympia’s look.
another thumbs down & “Eeek!” for that last picture. Gross!
Thanks for the post & subliminal encouragement for us gals that needed a little prodding towards the next step – I know I needed it. Add that to the anticipation of another challenge & I just might actually make the progress that I desire.
I would still like to see some advice for how to gain muscle mass for women. No, I don’t want to look like “super size she” but I am a bodybuilder that would like something to show for my efforts!
Eat big, get big. Increase your protein and fat intake. There’s also the old standby gallon of milk a day.
You don’t get big in the gym, you get big in the kitchen!
My wife was the same way… not wanting to get too bulky… like she’s going to accidently get huge all of a sudden.
I wish that would happen to me
In general, the mode of strength training used does not matter as much as the dietary intake, and steroids only add an entire different level of physiological responses, separate from diet and supplement.
Thanks for an article for us ladies, Mark! We do need a Grokette and a girl’s T shirt too!!
@PrimalJAP – check out Stumptuous – http://www.stumptuous.com/. Krista got me on the righteous path. Lemme know what you think.
This post inspired me to get off my butt and go do some bodyweight work. I’m off to get physical!
Hey, I haven’t been following this site long but I think it is great. My wife ordered the book and I check it every day. How about a little Crossfit talk. Mark are you for it?…or is it a bit too much for the Primal Blueprint?
Do you have any advice for women post childbirth and doing squats?
I’m sure squatting is even more important, but are there any specific concerns of deep squats for women that have had babies?
Gordon, as far as I know there are no concerns for women doing squats who have had babies. I have plenty of moms at my CrossFit Affiliate, and they all do squats without issues. I’m assuming that regardless of how many babies a woman has had, she’ll need to get on and off the toilet on her own…which is essentially a squat.
Now, doing double unders after a baby is a different story…I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
What? Really?! LOL!!
YAY! Thank you! I was just talking to a male friend the other day and told him I’d started lifting heavier w/ fewer reps. He said his personal trainer cousin told him women should do higher reps with moderate weight or they’ll get bulky. I tried to convince him women don’t have the biological mechanisms to create large volumes of muscle the way men do, but he didn’t buy it. These pictures prove it. I especially like the linked Crossfit photos. Such beautiful strength. I was seriously considering changing my routine back. I’m glad I came across this serendipitous post instead!
Couldn’t agree more.
I get a lot of women who like my mma workout stuff and get great results with it, even though I don’t promote it to women at all.
Leigh Peele has an interesting series of posts about this:
http://www.leighpeele.com/bulky-muscles-and-training-females-the-definition
http://www.leighpeele.com/the-ideal-female-body
Valerie Waters also takes a stab
http://valeriewaters.com/2009/06/16/can-women-get-too-bulky/
Just got an email at our CrossFit gym from a women who put that request in all caps: “I don’t want to BULK up.” I just shake my head and start the explanation again.
Thank you for your article, Mark.
Aurtherb999- hilarious and so true: “like she’s going to accidently get huge all of a sudden.”
Neophytes believe that one morning they are going to look in the bathroom mirror and be packed and ripped: “oh my God, what has happened to me?!”
The amazing irony is, when our female clients start to get some strength and muscle, they get hooked on it.
Nicely stated.
Full body, multi joint movements. Lift heavy, and practice good form.
Thanks.
Love it. Let’s go DL!!
I was concerned when I heard that oral contraceptives may limit muscle gain, as discussed here for example (Science News blog):
http://tinyurl.com/my4xew
Any insights on what kind of birth control pill would be best to take, not just with regard to this issue but overall? I realize the most primal choice is probably not to use them at all, but for a lot of people it’s the best option.
The two female bodybuilders on the youtube videos you posted look like [and sound like] they’re using steroids. A lot. Those kinds of clips scare women off weight lifting.
Also, their muscle isn’t functional. Which is kind of anti-primal.
The Arnold isn’t drug free. Natural female bodybuilders do not look like these two. Casual lifters who are females will not get this big, which is good because most of us do not want look like this.
The crossfitter is an awesome example though.
Completely agree with this article. I can squat and deadlift 1.5 times my weight (120).
athletics (functional excercises) long outlast aesthetics (bodybuilding excercises).
Most female bodybuilders using steroids seem to have this massive square jaw and a deep voice. And I bet they are very hairy as well. So attractive…
I saw one once (no I’m not going to post a link in case anyone’s eating), her clit could have put my p*nis to shame . . . would have been an excellent excuse for Grok to do a very fast sprint . . .
three cheers for this post! I’ve been working w/ heavy weights since March thanks to my paleo trainer, Joe. My goal is to do deadlifts w/ 100 lbs+. I am not the least bit concerned about bulking up because I know bulky comes from cheesecake & donuts — not exercise!
I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and am currently on Armour. Now I know why I was unable to lose weight/build muscle on the PB- but hopefully the meds will help. I will continue w/ my heavy weight routine (and primal/ tabata sprints), so I imagine a stronger & leaner me is not too far away. I wanna look like a Grokette!
by “bulky” is meant visible muscle mass, not increase of body fat.
Further evidence…
Maria de la Puente: (NSFW)
http://www.la-cronica.net/2008/11/25/deportes/f_18097.jpg
Julia Rohde:
http://static.rp-online.de/layout/showbilder/169546-01-08.jpg
Natalie Woolfolk:
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/images/gallery/olypractice/3.jpg
Eric, I checked out your MMA website, and it looks great, but there’s a problem registering. The confirmation link is “no longer valid” and the log-in page is also “not there”. (According to my little error messages.)
Weight training is for men and women. I have worked out for a long time. I lift weights every other day and I don’t look like a man. Even in the days of Grok, women did a lot of heavy lifting, etc..with housework, cavework, etc…Staying strong is key to staying younger—it’s been working for me so far!!!Thanks
Check out my site: FitLikeTerri.com