Why it’s harder for women to get in shape –

To the womenthe task of gaining lean mass or losing fat can be more complicated, as the body has different characteristics, challenging the whole process

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The first step is to know these obstacles to achieving your goal.

Rodrigo Sangionphysical education professional and CEO of Les Cinq Gym (SP), selected some of these obstacles, and shows what can be done to overcome them.

MORE FAT

It is because of processes such as the possibility of pregnancy that women have more body fat. It’s simple: hormones that work during pregnancy, such as progesterone and estrogen, need this nutrient to function properly. In addition to regulating the menstrual cycle and acting on breast development, they prepare the uterus for pregnancy. The accumulation of fat, which serves as fuel for the action of these hormones and which can also be associated with cellulite, is usually concentrated on the hips, on the side of the thighs and on the buttocks.

While the ideal amount of fat, under normal conditions, in the male body varies between 16% and 20%, in woman fluctuates between 20% and 24%. It is worth mentioning that women who have less than 16% of body fat rate are at risk of having problems in maintaining organic functions. For example: they may stop menstruating.

“It’s not a case of working out to death to contain this excess, but of being very alert to the importance of physical activity in the process. And when we talk about controlling body fat through physical exercises, I suggest the practice of high-intensity interval training, which is when we reach some heart rate peaks close to maximum effort. They can be put into practice on a treadmill, during a run, or on the bike. I also suggest bodybuilding, which is a practical and safe way to build muscle mass, which is also important for fat control,” says Sangion.

In the case of high-intensity interval exercises, there is a greater use of fat in the energy generation process, as shown by several similar studies. And when we increase muscle mass, the tendency is for the metabolism to become more accelerated, even at rest, to generate the energy needed to maintain the acquired muscle mass. And that also implies the use of fat as fuel.

LESS MUSCLE

The increase in muscle mass is linked to testosterone, a hormone that woman have in small quantity. Adult men have between 241 and 827 ng/dl (nanograms per deciliter of blood) of this hormone. Women adults have much less: between 14 and 76 ng/dl.

That’s why a man can gain muscle faster.

The good news is that there is no risk of woman gaining “masculine” features during weight training, if that’s your excuse for staying away from weight lifting. This only happens with the use of extra testosterone. The bad news is that the effort of woman to acquire muscle mass, which impacts on the look, it must be big. “For physiological reasons, the woman it is more difficult to gain muscle, but that does not mean that it is an impossible mission. With proper training, which can include bodybuilding, associated with a nutrient-rich diet that benefits muscle mass gain, any woman it can improve the body,” says Sangion.

MORE FLUID RETENTION

The appearance is swollen. Retention or edema occurs when liquids leave the blood vessels and accumulate in the subcutaneous tissues, between cells – it would be normal for them to remain in the vessels. A sedentary lifestyle and excessive consumption of industrialized foods can contribute to this. In the women, this, let’s say, liquid escape also occurs for specific hormonal reasons. One is the menstrual cycle.

During this process and in PMS (premenstrual tension) it is common to have this extravasation of liquid, also taking into account the fact that the blood vessels are more permeable in the women and to be even more prone to it during these periods. More: in menopause this also becomes common due to the hormonal changes typical of this phase.

“It is a fact that the regular practice of exercises, such as a faster walk or pedaling, can favor the elimination of excess liquid. The simple contraction of the musculature of large groups, such as legs and arms, during a physical activity program, already leads to this”, says Sangion. “It is also worth remembering that a healthy diet and water intake, at least two liters a day, cannot be left out of the game against liquid retention. Therefore, the advice of a nutritionist is always valid to overcome the problem”.