Your thoughts on training frequency & volume for women?

[magnusman33]

I have been doing alot of reading lately on the topic of training frequency and volume. I have fully adopted the idea of low volume, high itensity with no more than 1-2 times a week on each body part for the majority of my male clients. I am a firm believer in lifting heavy and intense with my female clients. My only question is what is the best frequency and amount of sets per bodypart for the typical female who wants to drop body fat and maintain or build muscle. I'm a big believer in using cardio to drop the body fat. I just am unsure if hitting each bodypart once a week with low volume of sets & reps is the best way to achieve the desired look of small, lean, and muscular.

 

[magnusman33]

Come on ladies. Just a little advice please.

 

[MS]

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=156780&highlight=poliquin

 

[JJFigure]

You just described my workout - I train each body part once/week, and usually do low volume, high intensity. I prefer to lift in the 4-6 rep range (although I'm doing this intense 8x8 workout right now pre-comp).

I think it's better to focus on weight training than on cardio to develop a tight body. Just look at all the people spinning their wheels doing contant cardio at the gym, with nothing to show for it. With weight training, you can actually change the shape of your body. Losing fat is primarily about diet, but having more muscle boosts your metabolism and enables you to actually increase your calories and continue to lose fat. I'm not dissing cardio; it's good for your heart and lungs, but weight training's good for your body.

The biggest problem you may have is getting past women's preconceived idea that weight training will make them big. 'I don't want to look like those women on tv' is the most common complaint I've heard. They really don't believe me when I tell them with weight training and a clean diet, they will fit in a much smaller size of clothing than ever before.

 

[magnusman33]

thanks for the help so far ladies