Are you a petite female looking to create that fitness model physique only to ask “How do women build upper body muscle?”
If you’ve looked on the internet you probably have found a lot of information that teach the guys about muscle gain, but little is spoken of regarding the women. Well, that’s about to change. In this article you’ll learn how women build upper body muscle starting with this first step which is:
- Change your mindset – many women have the misconception that muscle building for women is different than that for men. This is simply not true. The same fundamentals of gaining muscle apply to both sexes. In addition, women believe that lifting heavy weight will cause them to become like the Lucy Lawless character Xena Warrior Princess. Rest assured that doesn’t happen without a little help from some not so good friends. (IE: supplementation of the unnatural kind.)
Now, let’s get to the good stuff… Here are the steps required to help women build upper body muscle.
- Perform full body workouts 3 times a week – These workouts should be composed of compound exercises such as seated leg press or squats, dead-lifts, push-ups, chest press, pull-ups, dumbbell or barbell row, and tricep dips. Use modified versions of these exercises if the original version can’t be performed at this time. Use a set/rep routine of 3 sets of 10. Work to muscle fatigue which means using a heavy enough weight that by the final 2 to 3 reps of each set, the lift becomes very difficult.
- Eat plenty of “healthy” calories – Food is the energy that helps muscles to grow. The more muscle you have or want to acquire, the more energy your body needs. Now eating more calories does mean go for a “free-for-all.” You want to consume healthy calories so as to feed the muscle but limit fat storage. For most women, that means about a 2,000 to 2,600 caloric intake with a 30{2dd333ed9c7b2074fdfda098a56357c21ab487243e335d9241a31e34dbd5cf30} portion of protein, 55{2dd333ed9c7b2074fdfda098a56357c21ab487243e335d9241a31e34dbd5cf30} portion of carbs, and 15{2dd333ed9c7b2074fdfda098a56357c21ab487243e335d9241a31e34dbd5cf30} of healthy fats. Of course these figures vary based on desired goals and size of your body.
- Get plenty of sleep – One imperative step for a woman to build upper body muscle is to make sure and get plenty of sleep. This is where the actual building process occurs, when the muscle tissue is repaired from the day’s workout. Plus, sufficient sleep allows for the correct portion of natural body hormones to be produced such as leptin, human growth hormone, etc. Not only will these hormones help promote muscle growth, but they are also natural appetite controls within your body as well.
Now, it’s important to know that there are a multitude of other steps involved to learn how women build upper body muscle; these are your essential three. Apply them in your workout routine and prepare to do a little shopping. You’ll need some new clothes to show off those muscles in all the right places.
