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Female Bodybuilding & Weight TrainingBodybuilding & Weight Training GuideWomen in bodybuilding have faced a difficult time. Although female bodybuilding first gained a measure of popularity in the 1980's, they remain a level below their male counterparts. This is partially true because for many, the idea of a muscular woman is unfeminine and violates the gender stereotype. For this reason prizes in female competitions are typically just a small fraction of those in men's. Also, the competitions themselves are often judged more on vague notions of what a woman should look like than the more rigorous criteria of muscular development and symmetry used by the men. However, this is beginning to change. Many thanks to the growing number of women who are ignoring the traditional stereotype, and pushing female bodybuilding to a whole new level. The size of the women in today's competition is much greater than in the past, thanks to an increased focus on muscle development. In the past, women who were interested in weight training were taught to use light weights and not to push themselves to failure. There was a philosophy that women were not capable of creating muscle mass in the same manner as men. Research has shown that this is a myth, and that many of the techniques used by male bodybuilders are also suitable for females. Women can not expect to achieve the same overall muscle mass that a male bodybuilder can achieve due to hormonal differences. The sex hormone that is most useful for developing muscle mass is testosterone. Women naturally convert the testosterone their bodies produce into estrogen. It is possible to lower estrogen levels and increase testosterone levels through the use of steroids and other supplements. However, this can lead to some unpleasant side effects, including hyperadrogenisim, hirutism, a thickening of the vocal cords, and acne. Low estrogen can also cause menstruation problems, and lead to infertility. The exercises that women bodybuilders use are the same as the ones used by men. It has been shown that the staggered lifting schedule used by male bodybuilders is also effective for women. The results a female bodybuilder may be trying to achieve might differ slightly in terms of particular muscle development and overall symmetry, so there may be a slightly different focus on which exercises to use, but the exercises themselves do not change. The best thing that any women who is interested in bodybuilding can do is research. Be careful about using websites or bodybuilding magazines for this research, as many are operated by supplement companies and thus may not offer unbiased advice. However, there are many excellent books on the market that can point you in the right direction. Filed under: Bodybuilding & Weight Training Guide |
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