Female Beach Body versus Bodybuilding Physique – How to Train for Each 

Women are far from being the weaker sex when it comes to progressively hoisting heavy iron and enhancing other key parameters of fitness, such as cardiovascular functioning. Rather, many are superior to their male counterparts in several important ways. As far as building muscle, gaining strength and improving athletic performance is concerned, women have unique advantages that have led many of them excel athletically at the highest levels.

A long-standing misconception has it that women, with lower levels of muscle-building testosterone and generally smaller and with less strength than men, cannot compete with men in the weights room, nor develop the kind of size and strength typically associated with the male species.

Unfortunately, many women, led to believe they are simply not equipped to excel in the lean body department, either do not apply themselves enough to the task of building symmetrical size, or opt for less intensive pursuits (like endless metabolically-damaging cardio).

The intention of this article is to show that, with the right encouragement, advice and incentive, women can, and often do, experience improvements both in physique and performance in line with those of men. However, while men and women both may become larger and stronger with more and more gym time, there are differences in how each must train for ongoing size and strength improvements.

In fact, although women may train ‘like men’ (heavy, less endurance-based and in a more explosive fashion) and reap some rewards, a different approach may be needed for optimum results. Based on key research findings concerning which training methodologies are best for women, this article aims to highlight the best way forward.

In addition, this article will also highlight the distinction between the softer more athletic female look and that of the hardcore woman’s bodybuilder. Specific ways to train and diet/supplement for each will also be provided.

The Bodybuilding Physique

Just as the way in which a woman trains for muscle and strength may be different to that of a male, there are further differences in how a woman may train for the harder and more muscular look versus the softer, beach body physique. The differences in how to train for these contrasting looks are relatively minor so this article will focus mostly on how a female bodybuilder needs to train, as these same training protocols will, to a large degree and with a few minor adjustments, also be used to develop the beach body look.

The advantages of a muscle-cloaked bodybuilding physique are many. But before addressing these bodybuilding benefits, I would like to clear up a couple of misconceptions. A ‘non-assisted’ woman training for maximum mass will not become ‘too bulky’ but instead will take on a much firmer appearance while ultimately possessing enough size to differentiate her from the average fit female. Thus, notions of excessive muscularity must never hold the female trainee back from applying maximum intensity in the gym.

In addition, women should forget about ‘toning’ their physiques, as there is no such thing. What people may term a toned physique is simply a muscular physique covered by a modest amount of subcutaneous fat. Minus the fat, the physique appears more muscular (or, some might say, less toned).

So, whether training expressly for size or a softer look, muscle and strength development and body fat reduction are to remain the major criteria (as they would be for male lifters, who, incidentally, would never be accused of ‘toning’ their physiques, regardless of whichever approach is used).

For females, as it is for males, the muscular physique is a more functionally capable physique. This means more staying power and strength when tackling daily activities. The muscular physique also conveys power and is more commanding. This lends a psychological advantage when competing in the oftentimes unforgiving arena of life (with more muscle we may feel more powerful and ready to take on any challenge). Bodybuilding-style training can also accentuate the beauty of the female form, with more muscle resulting in a more curvaceous physique.

To build maximum muscle, female trainees are encouraged to do the following.

Higher Reps and More Volume

Muscle fiber distribution is the same for both men and women. However, with training, muscle fiber conversion for women typically results in a greater percentage of Type I (slow twitch – smaller endurance-based) fibers compared to males, who end up with more Type IIa (fast twitch – larger and more explosive) fibers.^{1, 19} Because of this difference in fiber conversion, women are known to be better at going the distance, and are more resistant to muscle fatigue, compared to men.^{7, 10}

With their greater Type I fiber distribution, women are able to do more reps at a given intensity level.²⁰ This means to grow to their fullest potential, women are advised to train with higher reps to thoroughly stimulate and exhaust their unique muscle fiber composition. In addition, having a greater percentage of larger Type I fibers means that women can also train at a higher volume compared to men (employing more reps and more sets).

Women also have the estrogen advantage. Often considered a catabolic hormone, estrogen is in fact anti-catabolic in that it can, when not produced in excess, aid muscle repair, protect against muscle damage and lessen protein degradation during training.^{2, 16, 21, 26} It’s believed that a woman’s unique fiber distribution combined with her higher estrogen levels may allow her to train harder and for longer without becoming overtrained (of course, women must also keep tabs on muscle recovery and closely monitor training frequency to avoid this deleterious state).

Full range of motion (ROM) training is important for both males and females. However, it’s been shown that women may better handle and recover from the added stress of a full ROM (including heavy negatives, which cause the most muscle damage in both men and women). Therefore, to grow and improve athletically, the higher training stress associated with greater training volume and more full-range reps is ultra-beneficial for women, and must not be neglected.

Less Explosive Training

Besides those who engage in power pursuits like powerlifting or enjoy the ego boost of hoisting a near maximum (1RM) weight, women are, in general, better served by training with lighter weights and in a less explosive fashion.

Due to a possessing a larger motor cortex (which controls movement) and a correspondingly more efficient nervous system, men can, on average, generate more force and are thus more explosive compared to women.¹⁴ Because of this discrepancy, women are advised to play to their strengths and aim for higher reps, with more control and less weight.¹⁵ As a bonus, higher reps (15 or more) combined with respectable poundages will create more metabolic stress, and with it, greater hypertrophic adaptations.⁴

This is not to say women should not train heavy, explosively and dynamically, as in pressing maximum weights for around 8-10 reps, but are instead genetically better-suited to more endurance-based activities. The same goes for bodybuilding-style training. In fact, it’s been shown that women may take 72 hours to recover following explosive sprint training.⁵ As well, women may not build as much muscle protein compared to men following such training.²³

The comparatively fewer training adaptations for women following explosive training and the greater number of adaptations following endurance-type training mean women can make greater (and faster) progress with less power-oriented protocols.²³ This also translates to rep speed. Because women are less explosive than men, a more controlled rep cadence is required (thus prolonging the set and increasing overall training volume).

As well as recovering better with more volume, due in part to less-incurred muscle damage, women may also recover better between workouts and may therefore train with greater frequency.¹³

It’s also been shown that women can recover better between sets and, thus, require less rest between sets. This also allows for more overall training volume, and potentially greater progress.⁸   

Finally, women are better able to tolerate metabolic stress compared to men.^{6, 11} This important capacity to endure longer bouts of training before muscle function is impaired through an accumulation of metabolic byproducts such as intramuscular lactate, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), inorganic phosphate, magnesium, hydrogen ions, and reactive oxygen species enables the muscles to function for longer periods under stress. Thus, metabolic stress, a primary mechanism for muscle growth which creates systemic hormonal release, hypoxia, cell swelling and, ultimately, positive muscle adaptations, may be extended, in women, to produce greater gains.⁴

Steady State

Cardiovascular training remains an essential requirement for anyone wanting to produce a lean, muscular physique. For women, steady state cardio appears to be a better option compared to other forms, such as the famed HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This is because a woman’s unique physiology is well-adapted to endurance-style training and fat burning via long, more moderately-intensive cardio protocols.

In addition to burning fat and keeping the body healthy and better primed for growth, cardio also improves mood, which, in and of itself, aids body transformation by increasing motivation and focus. For women, cardio is not only essential when seeking to achieve a lean physique, but it also provides greater mood-boosting benefits compared to men.^{17, 18}

More Fat, Less Protein

Because women typically have a higher bodyfat percentage to begin with, and due to nervous system and hormonal differences, including estrogen balance, the female trainee will invariably burn a greater percentage of fat during training compared to men.^{24, 25} In addition, because fat serves as the major fuel source, women tend to conserve more protein and carbohydrates when training. Thus, due to their greater protein and carbohydrate-sparing metabolism, women may not need as much protein and carbohydrates in their diet.²²

This is good news, as fats have been shown to be more satiating and also better for enhancing estrogen and testosterone production and also keeping insulin sensitivity stable in women.^{3, 9, 12} As well, because women oxidize less protein during exercise and have less lean mass and more essential stored fat, their reliance on protein is not as critical compared to men.

Still, along with a good balance (around 35%) of essential fats daily, women must also get in sufficient protein and carbs to complete the muscle-building equation. A little less than 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (around 20% of daily caloric intake) combined with a daily carb composition of around 45% may produce the best results.

Supplement Wisely

Supplementation is equally as important for hard-training women as it is for men. For both the bodybuilding and beach body look, specific products provide specific benefits. The best supplement stack for women wanting more lean muscle is:

ISOFLEX

Though requiring less protein than men in order to maintain muscle, women still need sufficient levels of this unparalleled builder to recover from and grow in response to resistance training.

Besides quality proteins like lean red meat (important for women due to high levels of heme iron, a major constituent of the oxygen-carrying protein molecule hemoglobin), chicken and eggs, the best protein for muscle building remains ISOFLEX. Containing a hefty complement of high-grade whey isolate (the most rapidly absorbed and most bioavailable protein source), ISOFLEX will help round out the female trainee’s daily protein requirements in the most effective manner.

VITASTACK

Another supplemental essential for the serious strength trainee, VITASTACK provides hard-training women with all of the essential nutritional factors needed to recover from heavy resistance sessions. Each nine pill serving of VITASTACK contains a full spectrum array of performance enhancers such as an electrolyte matrix for fatigue reduction and optimal nervous system functioning along with omega-3 fatty acids for brain and cardiovascular health.

AMINOCORE

Keeping the body anabolic is equally as important for the female lifter. Here, AMINOCORE, loaded with L-Leucine, provides the perfect foundation for around-the-clock muscle protein synthesis to keep growth gains consistent. Because women can, and should, train longer for optimal gains, the potent BCAAs contained in AMINOCORE, taken before and during training, keep muscle from being burned for fuel and ensure the body remains in an anabolic state.

RAPIDCUTS SHREDDED

A hardcore fat-burner, RAPIDCUTS SHREDDED is only for the dedicated bodybuilder seeking an impressive level of shreddedness. With clinical doses of 17 potent ingredients, including the thermogenesis-activator green tea extract, RAPIDCUTS primes the body for maximum fat loss, signals for fat to be released from fat cells, and promotes consistent fat oxidation to promote greater muscularity. This product is more for the female bodybuilder, rather than beach body hopeful.

The Beach Body Look      

Just as the athletic male look is often most popular, the more modestly muscled female physique is most sought after by female trainees – the bikini or figure look rather than the physique or bodybuilding look.

A Less Hardcore Training Approach

The beach body lifter is advised to adhere to each of the above-listed bodybuilding protocols, but with a few subtle adjustments. Instead of taking advantage of high-volume resistance training, scale back on the number of weekly sessions, further lighten the training load, include more cardio, and incorporate fewer heavy compound movements (for more detail, refer to the respective training plans outlined below).

While the bodybuilding female requires thickness and muscularity across the entire physique (without becoming blocky and disproportionate), the beach body trainee can still achieve a healthy strength balance without potentially thickening up those areas which may negate desirable aesthetics. Here, abdominal work (particularly weighted) along with heavy squats, deadlifts and bench presses will not as much of a priority as they are for bodybuilding types.

Lower Caloric Intake

As well as lowering the training volume, the beach body trainee can also cut back on nutritional volume. Whereas the bodybuilder may consume 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, the softer, less hardcore look may require around .7g. If you find you are looking more ‘bodybuilder-like’, cut back further on the training and food intake until you get the look you want.

Supplementation

Rather than taking the advanced and highly-potent VITASTACK (designed as much for pure muscle growth as it is for improving health and vitality), the beach body female lifter will probably fare better with a good multi-vitamin/mineral product along with extra calcium and vitamin-D for bone health.

As well, the more aesthetic female physique can be built with:

ISOFLEX

Whether the goal is more muscular or shapely, protein will always be the key to bringing about the best physique transformation results. ISOFLEX is a superior source of high-grade whey isolate – perfect for translating gym efforts into whichever type of physique a woman wants to achieve. Perhaps best of all, this quality builder can be included in precise amounts so the trainee knows exactly how much protein to include, to the very last gram (remembering that protein intake in excess of one’s daily beach body requirements may result in a more muscular look).

AMINOCORE

Muscle recovery is a vital component of the physique transformation process, whatever the goal. The precise ratio of clinical-grade BCAAs contained in AMINOCORE expedites the recovery process to keep the body anabolic and in a constant state of growth, without the excess calories.

ACUTS

Boasting high levels of fat-burning L-Carnitine, Taurine and Green Coffee, among many additionally powerful ingredients, ACUTS is ideal for the beach body aspirant. Also containing a full array of clinical-grade amino acids (including the BCAAs and other essential aminos), ACUTS not only taps into stored body fat but also keeps muscle nitrogen levels high (essential for both muscle building and fat reduction). For best results, take one scoop of ACUTS pre-workout and a scoop of AMINOCORE during training.