Ladies Gym Thread - Don't skip arm days.

[Big Miss Steak]

Tomorrow I hit the gym with my personal trainer after 3 weeks being out due to illness and then Milton. Not looking forward to it.

 

[Big Miss Steak]

This whole week at the gym has been just as bad as I feared, if not worse.

 

[pork and beans]

I assume this topic has already been talked about but I would like to bring it up again

For those of you lady kiwis that train for hypertrophy, do you approach it in any specific way because of being a female? In the way that you program your volume, frecuency ratios and intensity. Or the way you choose your split, or your exercise selection. Or perhaps the way you may or not combine the hypertrophy training with cardio or other exercise.

Or what do you think about this topic in general? I see from people this idea that women can and should train exactly like a man, while others say the exact opposite. I think balance and middle ground is where the truth may lie. I mean that in the sense that only letting woman lift weights with baby pink 1kg dumbells is neglecting them the same way that putting them in front of a 205 bench press is. Many women have different physique and fitness goals than men and so it makes no sense that the program would be the exact same... and even you love upper body training, women and men still have different endocrine systems, hormonal differences and anatomical differences that might affect the leverage on some exercises and therefore might make some exercises preferable to others, if only for a personal enjoyment perspective.


Obviously if you want to achieve hypertrophy you're going to want to do progressive overload and go to failure in your sets, recover adequately and eat enough for the muscle to grow, no matter if you are a dude or a woman, That said, I can believe that women are suited best for different ways of handling volume, combining weights with other exercises or choosing to calisthenic variations of some exercises, etc. I'm not very interested in training based on cycle but I also know that's a thing some women do, and I could understand why.


i write this as a very open ended question, and asking for some advice, I'm not really defending any point here. How do you guys approach programming? I've found myself that what I personally like best is a higher frequency to distribute the volume, which is lower, in favor of a high intensity.

 

[Nickle]

Hi, first time posting. I figure I'd chime in with how i've been training I've been trying to train for hypertrophy with a shitty apartment gym, but I've been basically just making sure I have at least one hard set going for about 6 to 10 reps with only a few reps left in the tank. I don't pay attention to cycles either, but I have an IUD so I don't mensruate so I don't even know where my cycle is. i'm mostly trying to follow a cheap book I found on Amazon that has two leg days and upper body has each part hit once. I haven't tried any other ways live German volume training or anything yet. Basically, I think it's true that men and women are similar enough to follow the same advice. It's more about individual differences: each person finds different modes work for them best, it's all an individual expriment.

 

[pockywocky]

Trying to start going to the gym consistently after being constantly ill and malnourished for most of the year... Very difficult, but I already feel my energy coming back.

However, does anyone else struggle with sleep after they start going to the gym? I notice I get horrific restless legs after I begin exercising that only trigger during the night time, and if that doesn't happen, my brain just refuses to shut off, no matter how early in the day I went to the gym. Melatonin has stopped helping with this as well.

 

[Red flag]

For those of you lady kiwis that train for hypertrophy, do you approach it in any specific way because of being a female? In the way that you program your volume, frecuency ratios and intensity. Or the way you choose your split, or your exercise selection. Or perhaps the way you may or not combine the hypertrophy training with cardio or other exercise.

I wouldn't say it's because I'm female, but I do put 60-70% of my workout into legs. Not for any aesthetic booty reasons but because that seems to be a weak spot for most people as they get older and I want to be self sufficient throughout my life instead of wasting away. The number of people I see in a store that are 20s, 30s and older that go AHHHHH EHHHHH trying to reach shit from the bottom shelf, refusing to bend their knees because they know they won't be able to get back up again has legit terrified me into wanting to have the most stronk laygs.


Also, don't do cardio before weights on the same session/day, you'll tire yourself out and your lifts will be weaker. Can confirm. I think I saw that in a Jeff Nippard video many years ago and moved cardio to after weights.

does anyone else struggle with sleep after they start going to the gym?

I'm doomed to a lifetime of working out if I want to have a good deep sleep.

 

[CharcoalChkn]

I'm doomed to a lifetime of working out if I want to have a good deep sleep.

Yeah, my sleeping habits have become horrible in the last year while I've taken a break from training.

I'm looking forward to going again just so I can get an 8 hour sleep consistently.

 

[skekChuck]

Getting back to my pool after a three-week hiatus.

Ladies, the pool is the best cardio and I will continue to shill for Big Pool.

 

[Meursault's gun]

Getting back to my pool after a three-week hiatus.

Ladies, the pool is the best cardio and I will continue to shill for Big Pool.

The chlorine the fucking chlorine. I adore swimming, but it fucks with skin and hair so so so bad

 

[skekChuck]

The chlorine the fucking chlorine. I adore swimming, but it fucks with skin and hair so so so bad

Have you ever used hair pre-treatment? Also get a hair cap (the long hair ones cover your head very well). It’s rare but some places will use salt water instead of chlorine.

Alternatively, once warm weather comes back, open water swim is so much fun.
This is what I’m actually training for but since it’s cold out, the pool is my holding tank.

 

[Meursault's gun]

Have you ever used hair pre-treatment? Also get a hair cap (the long hair ones cover your head very well). It’s rare but some places will use salt water instead of chlorine.

Alternatively, once warm weather comes back, open water swim is so much fun.
This is what I’m actually training for but since it’s cold out, the pool is my holding tank.

I've considered treatments, but from what I've read of long-time swimmers, the chlorine will do its damage regardless. It's just something that delays it a bit. Long hair + chlorine + blow dryers + harsh winters = Do enjoy the water for me, though.

 

[NoReturn]

Ladies, the pool is the best cardio and I will continue to shill for Big Pool.

People pee in there

 

[skekChuck]

People pee in there

And people sweat bad all over the gym.

You’re safer in a chlorinated pool than on half-cleaned gym equipment. You cannot convince me that every person sticks to the “sanitize before and after use” policy.
Chlorine is meant to kill any and all bacteria.

 

[CharcoalChkn]

You’re safer in a chlorinated pool than on half-cleaned gym equipment. You cannot convince me that every person sticks to the “sanitize before and after use” policy.

You're absolutely right.

Anyway, I've been living it up sitting all over others nasty sweat puddles. Finally attending gym on a regular schedule again. My boyfriend has been coming with me to keep me accountable, as I tend to drop off after a few weeks. Been going well so far. DOMs are insane and I am not enjoying that part.

End goal is to drop 20kgs and return to 50-55kg range that I was at about 2 years ago before the post 30 back injuries started fucking up my life.

We're doing a ton of meal prep and eating incredibly clean, I will say that's almost more difficult than keeping up with gym on a schedule, I miss my snacks. (And also the free lunches my boss buys for the office )

 

[Moon Pie]

Trying to start going to the gym consistently after being constantly ill and malnourished for most of the year... Very difficult, but I already feel my energy coming back.

However, does anyone else struggle with sleep after they start going to the gym? I notice I get horrific restless legs after I begin exercising that only trigger during the night time, and if that doesn't happen, my brain just refuses to shut off, no matter how early in the day I went to the gym. Melatonin has stopped helping with this as well.

Have you tried magnesium glycinate at night? Most people are deficient and it helps with sleep. I think there may be a vitamin OE supplement for restless legs, but I can't recall what.

 

[pockywocky]

Have you tried magnesium glycinate at night? Most people are deficient and it helps with sleep. I think there may be a vitamin OE supplement for restless legs, but I can't recall what.

Did some more research, and it does seem there is a link! I've ordered some supplements now, hopefully they will help thank you!

 

[Moon Pie]

Did some more research, and it does seem there is a link! I've ordered some supplements now, hopefully they will help thank you!

No problem!

 

[Hassou Tobi]

I’ve read that wetting your hair before swimming really helps, keeps the chlorine from being able to saturate your hair(?).


I alternate everyday lifting weights and hot yoga.


Random unsolicited advice:

I really recommend lifting for mental and physical health and confidence even if you don’t like the muscled look. Try to get a trainer to go make a routine for you (record it on your phone) and just do that every other day, increasing the weight slowly as needed. That’s what I did and it’s super easy to stick with.

 

[NoReturn]

I alternate everyday lifting weights and hot yoga.

Tell me more about this hot yoga. Is there a way to benefit without the hot-part but still more than normal yoga?

 

[Hassou Tobi]

Tell me more about this hot yoga. Is there a way to benefit without the hot-part but still more than normal yoga?

AFAIK there’s no special benefit to hot yoga except that heat makes you more flexible. I just do it cos it feels good to me afterwards especially during the winter.