XXL Guide for muscle building as a woman

No more thin arms and legs. Muscles are sexy, especially for women. How you can build muscle and what you need to pay attention to when building muscle as a woman, you will learn here.

Size zero jeans, skinny arms and legs have had their day. We want more. And more muscle. Because Muscle building as a woman is really worth it.

Gone are the days when dumbbells were reserved exclusively for men.

More and more women are discovering strength training for themselves. The result: slim but well-defined bodies and visible muscles.

Whoever hears muscles may now immediately think of Arnie as he presented XXL muscles on stages in his best times.

Like a huge muscle mountain with legs and arms and nicely creamed brown - a real bodybuilder.

But do not worry. Who starts as a woman with muscle building, does not immediately become a bodybuilder.

That takes quite a while and is hardly feasible as an amateur athlete.

Why muscle building as a woman is worthwhile

We have collected 4 good reasons why muscles in women are not only sexy, but also more than pay off in everyday life.

1. more self-confidence thanks to muscles

For this reason alone, muscle building is worthwhile. A woman with muscles simply has more self-confidence and we radiate that with every breath.

Moreover, it is a really great feeling to be able to lift heavy weights yourself or to open the tightly screwed glass. To manage these two things without the help of a man, makes proud and so affects our self-confidence.

Note: The more Muscle building woman operates, the more benefit the physical and psychological strength. We feel sexy and unbeatably strong. And we are.

Revealed! These are the most effective abdominal exercises!

2. slim with muscles

Muscle building as a woman brings the advantage that it can be Slimming helps. Because strength training - whether with dumbbells or body weight - consumes a lot of energy.

Not only during the workout itself, but also in everyday life. Or when you don't feel like it and treat yourself to an evening on the sofa.

Like any sport, training for muscle building also increases the Basal metabolic rate of the body. This means you can eat more because you burn more calories after exercise and also at rest. Without being afraid that you will gain weight.

Of course, you're not allowed to stop working out and then throw yourself on the sofa with a packet of potato chips. In between, however, this is of course allowed.

Note: The more Muscle building woman the more energy your body has. The greater your muscle percentage in relation to body weight, the more calories you burn at rest.

This is how you boost your basal metabolic rate!

3. strength training shapes the body

You have a wide pelvis and you are annoyed about it? Then take up strength training exercises. Because if you train your upper body a little more and thus pad it, the pelvis will no longer be noticeable.

And if you have broad shoulders, you can use your lower body with legs and Butt exercises strengthen.

Note: The more muscle building woman does, the more she can get the body in the shape she wants.

4. muscles protect us from pain

Too little training and Lack of exercise have a very negative effect on our body. Even if you don't feel it right away. For example, an untrained back and neck can cause you to get headaches. Or that you hurt yourself much faster.

Also Tension in the neck occur more frequently when we have not built up muscles. This is because muscles also protect us in a certain way from poor posture when sitting at work.

Anyone who has had enough of neck and back pain should do special back exercises. They build up muscles and don't give tension a chance. If the stubborn tension just does not want to disappear, you can start with Fascia yoga exercises release adhesions.

Note: The more muscle building woman does, the less pain in the back and neck.

This is how you release stubborn neck tension!

Tip: Train more effectively with EMS

If you want to save time on strength training, then you should read up on EMS. The muscles are stimulated with light electrical impulses, which promotes muscle growth and makes you fit faster.

Instead of pedaling for an hour, you're done with the workout after just 20 minutes. For this, you slip into a tight-fitting suit and do bodyweight exercises. But you don't feel like going to a gym?

There are more and more companies that offer EMS equipment for rent.

At Stimawell you can rent all the equipment for 3 months for a very reasonable price. The package includes suit, controller, remote control, manual.

On top of that, there's a free app. In the virtual training room, you can watch videos and train directly.

The operation is very simple and suitable even for beginners.

If you're curious, you can get more information on the Stimawell website smart.

With the set you can easily get fit in your living room. You can exercise when and how often you want.

Be quick! The EMS set is currently on sale!

What a low body fat percentage and strong muscles have in common

Muscle is heavier than fat. Who Muscle building as a woman actively, you absolutely have to know that. For you, this means: Don't orient yourself exclusively on the scale. But on your body fat percentage.

As the word suggests, this is the proportion of your body that consists of fat.

How high the ideal body fat percentage for women should be, there are different opinions among doctors, trainers and sports scientists. The answers range from 10 to 25 %.

Strong muscles go hand in hand with a low body fat percentage. So from under 20%. Only in this way can the muscles really become visible.

Because every one of us has muscles. Without them, we could neither sit, walk, nor lift our head or arms.

Muscles hide under the body fat. To make them visible, the fat must melt. How quickly and easily this can be done depends on the body part.

Calculate your body fat percentage here!

Because biologically we have more body fat on the butt than on the arms, for example. If the muscles on the buttocks are hidden under large amounts of fat, this must first be removed before the buttocks look firm and crisp.

By the way, very thin women can also have a high body fat percentage. You often don't see the fat at first glance, but it's there. And it is unhealthy. One speaks in this connection From Skinny Fat.

You can determine how high your body fat percentage is with a body fat scale.

Or grab a tape measure and take a measurement of the typical female problem areas - thighs, upper arms and belly.

Write down the dates and measure again and again. This way you can see how your body will change.

There is more protein in these plant foods than in milk!

What you need to know about anatomy for muscle building as a woman

Before we start into muscle building training, you need to get to know your body better. Only then can a woman really understand muscle building and then actively practice it.

There are three types of muscles

• the skeletal muscles
• the heart musculature
• the smooth muscles

Muscles that we cannot control are the cardiac muscles and smooth muscles. They are responsible for circulation, heart, breathing, digestion and metabolism. They function on their own without us having to tense them.

It is quite different with the skeletal muscles. It is connected to the bones, stabilizes us and can be trained.

And then muscle fiber types are distinguished. There are fast and slow contracting muscles.

These foods contain particularly high levels of protein!

Slow contracting muscle fibers

They are also called slow twitch muscles and are very persistent. Slow contracting muscle fibers are thin and not very strong.

Fast contracting muscle fibers

The fast contracting fibers (fast twitch) are responsible for really fast power. They last a long time and are involved in all fast and powerful movements.

Basically, we all have both types of fibers. But not in the same ratio. The ratio of muscle fibers determines whether someone is more likely to run long distances, sprint fast or jump far.

Which type of muscle fiber you are depends on your genes. You can't just change the type yourself. But you can train specifically and get the best out of your body.

With little weight and many repetitions you train the endurance fibers.

With high weight and few repetitions you train the strong fibers.

Better than gym: muscle building without equipment

Why strength training won't make you a bodybuilder

You are afraid that you will suddenly get huge mountains of muscle from building muscle as a woman? The biggest fear of many women are XL muscles.

They are afraid of turning their graceful body into that of a bodybuilder. We say: do not be afraid. :)

A few squats or a few Dumbbell exercises do not make you a mountain of muscle.

For us women, that's not so easy. This is where genes and hormones come into play.

What is the difference in muscle building woman vs. man

Not only do we tick differently, we also have different physical prerequisites. The body fat percentage of women is much higher than that of men.

Our body is ready at any time that suddenly pregnancy could occur. So it stores more fat in advance to nourish the possible baby.

And then there's a difference in muscle building woman and man, which concerns hormones. Compared to men, we women have little testosterone.

This hormone helps men grow their muscles quickly. Women, on the other hand, have plenty of estrogen in their blood. This hormone makes it difficult for our body to build muscle mass.

But of course we women have testosterone too - it's just lower than in men by at least 20%.

So the chance to become a muscle mountain overnight is almost zero. Also, if you have a lot of testosterone, you would have to train hard for many hours a day and maintain a very strict diet.

From a purely anatomical point of view, however, the muscles of men and women are the same. Only the build-up is much harder for us. That means we have to train more to achieve the same result.

With EMS you can build muscle especially fast!

Muscle building woman and hormones

But let's quickly go back to hormones. If you want to get stronger and build muscle, you need to listen to your body. Before you start training, start by listening to yourself.

If you know what stage of the cycle you're in, you can use your Training to the cycle Customize.

Right after your days, you have the most power. You could be taking out trees and you feel wonderful. This is the ideal time to start building muscle as a woman.

The female sex hormone estrogen is very much involved in our muscle building.

Studies show that the hormone, which is particularly active around ovulation, promotes the build-up of protein. And thus has a positive influence on muscle building.

Interesting to know: Women who take the pill find it harder to build muscle. The synthetic hormones in the pills stop the muscle building process.

A US study found that women who do not use hormonal contraception can build 60% more muscle mass in the same amount of time. Also the pill inhibits the absorption of nutrients!

How to build muscle as a woman

Training to build muscle is all about making the individual muscle fibers thicker.

You can achieve this with hypertrophy training - training that goes beyond your usual level of performance. You have to physically go to your limits. So 5 to 10 squats will not be enough.

Intense training, which the body is not used to and strong training stimuli, cause microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. This is not a bad thing and you don't have to be afraid of it. These tears you feel the next day as Muscle soreness.

The body begins to repair the broken fibers the day after - or sometimes even a few hours later.

They become thicker and are thus better prepared for renewed loads. The muscle grows :) The body simply adapts to the new conditions - that's why muscle building is also called an adaptation process of the body.

Therefore, sport without regeneration is pointless!

Why you should plan muscle building

Those who train without a goal and without a plan will soon be disappointed. At least a rough plan must be made. Because the muscles want to be properly challenged to also grow beautifully and visibly.

How intense the training stimulus is, you can control yourself. As a beginner, it will of course be much less intense than later, when you already have muscles.

You can control the intensity by the number of repetitions and the weight.

Anyone who wants to build muscle must Exercise regularly. The minimum are 2 training days per week. As a beginner, start with a full-body workout that targets all muscle groups evenly. Exercises from our HIIT workout are particularly suitable for this.

You'll love these 22 HIIT exercises!

But we'll tell you right away: building muscle is no walk in the park. It is very very strenuous, but that is also good. Because only in this way can the muscles really grow.

Do you know the burning and trembling in the muscles when you have done an exercise very often? You should get used to this if you want to build muscle as a woman.

The right weight for muscle building

There is a basic rule that says you should just manage 2 to 3 more nicely executed repetitions before you finish the exercise.

Let's take as an example dumbbell training and the exercise in the photo. Here dumbbells with 4 kg are in use.

You should be able to do 8 to 12 repetitions of this exercise.

There are now three possibilities:

1. You can easily do more than 12 repetitions
   Then the weight is too light. Take heavier dumbbells.
2. You manage less than 8 repetitions
   Your hands are shaking and you stop at 5? Then your weight is clearly too heavy. You're not doing yourself any favors. Grab lighter dumbbells.
3. You manage 8 to 10 repetitions
   Your arms are shaking a little, your muscles are burning slightly and you can do 8 to 10 reps? Perfect! Then you have found the right weight for your muscle building.

At least the weight is right for the first units. Soon you have built up the first muscles and the exercises become easier. If you manage more than 12 repetitions, you simply increase the weight :)

I change the weights during exercises especially during the Arm training. In fact, my biceps are stronger than my triceps.

The ideal way to do this is to buy either a dumbbell set or dumbbells where you can increase the weight.

The same applies to barbells. As a beginner, however, we recommend that you first start with short dumbbells and Muscle building in the arms to start. Because for exercises with barbell strong upper arms, shoulders and back are a prerequisite. Otherwise, this can lead to terrible injuries.

If you already feel ready for phase 2: So muscle building as a woman with barbell, we recommend a barbell, where the weight can be increased quite easily. By the way, there will be a separate article on this topic shortly.

Muscle building for women: The procedure

So now we know: if you want to start building muscle, you can do it in harmony with your cycle.

This is especially recommended if you are a real beginner. If you start at the right time, you simply have more power and we need that very urgently during the workout.

11 ingenious calisthenics exercises for beginners

Build muscle as a beginner

You have done sports the last time in school? And still no strength at all? Then start your muscle building workout with bodyweight exercises. You'll first learn classics like push-ups and squats.

Leave dumbbells and weights alone for now. Your own weight is perfectly sufficient for the beginning. Anything else would be too much for you, you could injure yourself and lose the joy of training.

The ideal start for your muscle building program are exercises from our HIIT Workout. They target your entire body and make you sweat profusely.

Such as one of the classics: squats with jump

This exercise targets your thighs and butt. So you first strengthen your lower body.

One of the best upper body exercises without weight are Push-ups. But even here you probably lack the strength at the beginning. That's why you start with very simple planks.

 

Bring your body into a line. Your elbows are under your shoulders. Make sure you don't sag too much or stretch your butt too far in the air.

Start with at least 30 seconds and then slowly increase.

By the way, there is a lot of this exercise Variations that your muscles additionally demand.

Build muscle as an advanced

If you can already do the exercises with your body weight very well, you can grab dumbbells. Then you already count to the advanced :)

Now it depends on whether you want to build muscle in your upper body or lower body. Ideally, you do both alternately. That is, one day the lower body and the next the arms, shoulders and back.

Theoretically, you can train every day or every other day. The only important thing is that you alternate the muscle groups. Like: Day 1: lower body (butt and legs), Day 2 upper body (arms and back).

10 awesome barbell exercises you'll love!

By alternating the training days and muscle groups, you avoid overloading.

We recommend a trainer for the first few exercise sessions. He can correct you and show you how to do the muscle building exercises correctly.

Because especially when you work with weight, a correct and clean execution is essential. Otherwise, you can injure yourself.

Why training breaks make you fit

Whether you're a beginner or already weight training, recovery time is hugely important for your muscles.

The muscles must have time to recover. During this time, your body replenishes nutrients and removes metabolic products that are produced during energy combustion. It needs a lot of time for this.

Did you know that muscles do not grow at all during training, but only afterwards?

That is why it is important to give the individual muscle groups about 2 days.

If you don't feel like missing two days of training, just divide it up nicely. That means day 1: lower body, day 2: upper body, day 3: break and start again.

If you give your body a break, you will reach your goal faster. Because if you load the same muscles too soon, the body can't recharge its batteries.

How to relieve your sore muscles

The more muscle building woman does, the worse muscle soreness. But this is completely normal and should not scare you.

It's not pleasant when your muscles ache. But just look on the bright side: you know you were really hard at work the day before.

Sore muscles are caused by micro-injuries to the muscle fibers. When you push yourself to your performance limit while building muscle as a woman, you exhaust the energy from serving muscles.

The day after, it really gets you. Because in the regeneration phase, the muscle compensates for the energy deficit. It gets bigger and stronger. The muscle gets used to the workout after the time. This is also the reason why you should definitely increase the weight after the time.

You can alleviate sore muscles a little before the workout. Namely through simple Warm-up exercises. But if you start without a warm up, you risk not only more muscle pain, but also injuries.

This is what you need to know about muscle building with the Vibraplate!

Muscle building diet: Here's how

Who trains may and should also eat more. Especially if you want to build muscles. After all, they need a lot of energy and want to be well supplied.

Did you know that 75% of your training success depends on your diet? So if you continue to eat chocolate, white bread, etc., you will see little progress in muscle building.

Woman needs a lot of protein

Muscles are therefore made in the kitchen. Their most important building material is protein. By the way, it is also called protein and makes our muscles grow quickly.

Moreover, it keeps us full for a long time at the same time. After a really hard workout, proteins strengthen our muscle fibers. Sounds great at first, doesn't it?

The only problem is that our body does not have a protein store. So you have to supply it every day anew.

Quickly to the crisp buttocks with our belly legs butt training plan

Anyone who trains should take a close look at their protein budget. Because if you exercise diligently but eat too little protein, you will lose muscle. If the body finds too little protein, it falls back on the muscle mass.

Without physical activity, you need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, according to the German Nutrition Society. If you exercise, you need 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

If you want your muscles to grow fast, protein should make up about 20-30% of your diet.

Woman needs carbohydrates

Even if low carb is currently in vogue, you should definitely consume sufficient carbohydrates during your training phases. They provide the body and the muscles with fast energy. And you need plenty of it during training.

Pay attention to good carbohydrates such as wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, oatmeal and co. Keep your hands off white flour and sugar.

Woman needs fats

Fat is disgusting? No, it really isn't! In fact, we need it pretty badly. Because fats are a very sustainable source if you want to build muscle.

For example, the hormone testosterone can only be formed very poorly if you do not eat fat.

This does not mean burgers, fries and the like, but healthy fats. You can find them in nuts or fish. Take a look at our Peanut butter on. Here you get lots of healthy fat and lots of delicious flavor.

Is it possible without dietary supplements?

You don't necessarily need to drink masses of shakes. You can get your Fitness shakes very easy to make yourself. Make sure you get enough protein in your diet. You can find it in fish, meat, milk, and many Vegetarian and vegan protein sources.

Supplements can be a help, but you can do it without. They help to cover the increased need for protein.

But the basis should always be a healthy and balanced diet. So no sugar, no white flour and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Taking supplements to build muscle as a woman and otherwise eating an unhealthy diet clearly does not lead to the goal.

There are foods that can help you become stronger and have power.

So you finally get strong arms! 

Muscle building food

Water: Water is the undisputed number one. Because our body, and thus also the muscles, consist to a large extent of water. The human body needs a lot of fluid to function properly. But you can also increase this through water-rich foods. Like: cucumbers, watermelon, salads, soups, etc.

Milk and dairy products: Milk, yogurt, cottage cheese best in combination with fresh berries, fruits and vegetables help your muscles to wake up.

Legumes: Whether beans, lentils or peas: they contain lots of proteins and also other important ingredients such as zinc, iron or calcium. Try our Lentil fritters :)

Eggs: For a long time they were discredited for driving up cholesterol levels. However, this has already been proven several times. If you want to build muscle, eggs should definitely be on the menu. They have a high proportion of protein.

Meat and fish: You can replenish your protein stores after a workout with fish and meat. Chicken and turkey in particular are good sources of protein. You can combine them in any way you like and in countless ways. As in the photo with broccoli, soy sauce, Cashews* and sprouts.

Nuts: Treat yourself to a few nuts every now and then. Since there is a large amount of variations, it will certainly not be boring. Brazil nuts, almonds and walnuts contain a lot of protein and important fatty acids.

Our conclusion

Muscles are sexy and bring many health benefits for us women. We become stronger, do something for our health and can also bring our body visually in shape.

The low level of testoserone ensures that we do not immediately become bodybuilders. Muscles on legs, back , arms and buttocks provide beautiful curves and tighten the body.

The more muscle building woman does, the more important it is also to take the diet under the microscope. Because without a change in diet it is very difficult to make progress in building muscle.

To browse further:

• Mega abdominal workout with scissor kicks
• Lunges with dumbbells - how to do them correctly
• Squats: How deep do they really need to be?

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