Venus vs. Mars: Can Women Strength Train Like Men?
Grace DeSimone & Neal Pire, Fitness Experts
- Guest Bio
Neal Pire is a nationally noted expert on fitness and personal training. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and has served on the Executive Council of ACSM's credentialing arm, the Committee on Certification and Registry Boards.
Neal served as vice president of a leading national health management company and now serves as an Exercise Physiologist at HNH Fitness, a medical fitness center in Oradell, NJ. He is widely sought after as a consultant for athlete training programs, performance enhancement centers and fitness industry management. As a 35-year veteran with deep understanding of the subject matter, he is often asked for background, commentary or analysis by media covering wellness, fitness, and personal training.
Grace DeSimone has been in the fitness industry for over 30 years and brings a variety of experiences in commercial, corporate and community settings. She is the editor of ACSMs Resources for Group Exercise Instructors (LWW, 2011) and is an ACSM certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor. Grace is the National Director of Group Fitness for Plus One Health Management, an Optum Company.
Topic Info:All adults should strength train at least twice weekly.
Women and men can use the same strength training techniques, but the results will differ.
Men typically see greater muscle mass gains than women. Men are also less susceptible to injury, due to increased tendon strength from exercise.
Men and women both respond similarly to muscle endurance conditioning. Two to four sets of 10-25 reps, with 30-60 seconds rest between, will improve endurance.
Workouts for strength and size are the same for men and women, even though men see greater muscle mass gains. For volume, try one to three sets of 8-12 reps, with one to three minutes for rest between sets. For strength, try one to three sets of 8-12 reps, or two to six sets of 1-8 reps, with one to three minutes of rest between sets.
Listen in as fitness experts, Grace DeSimone and Neal Pire, share the he-said/she-said perspective on strength training.
Neal Pire is a nationally noted expert on fitness and personal training. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and has served on the Executive Council of ACSM's credentialing arm, the Committee on Certification and Registry Boards.
Grace DeSimone has been in the fitness industry for over 30 years and brings a variety of experiences in commercial, corporate and community settings. She is the editor of ACSMs Resources for Group Exercise Instructors (LWW, 2011) and is an ACSM certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor. Grace is the National Director of Group Fitness for Plus One Health Management, an Optum Company.