Effective Training Programs For Men And Women

I'm gonna do a post about the difference in training programs for men and for women. That is, the difference in effective programs for men and women; not the difference between programs marketed towards one sex or the other.

I was working in a little gym last year and I would say 90% of the people didn't really have "a program" as far as I could tell. Especially the females were mostly just doing the usual bike, treadmill, x-trainer "plus some dumbbells to tone the arms" sort of ... unproductive activities, let's call them.

So anyway I took it upon myself to put people on an actual program. Pretty much the same as the free program on Lose Weight No Bullshit, right? And people were happy because someone had finally shown them how to use some of the equipment and explained why it was useful, and they felt like they were actually doing something worthwhile that would produce results.

But you know... a few times I had to sort of explain or justify myself to people who thought they knew better. Like, shouldn't everyone get a different program? Shouldn't males and females do different programs?

Well, not really. The difference in how men and women train usually come down to not knowing any better. Once you actually have some understanding of effective training, you realise that it's not about programs for men or programs for women. It is about programs for human beings. 

Now how you put these programs together can vary a little or a lot but there are a few bases that always need to be covered, as follows:

• Pushing Movements
• Pulling Movements
• Bending & Extending At The Knee
• Bending & Extending At The Hip

You can do this with free weights, leverage machines, cable machines, body weight exercises, TRX, resistance tubes... and you have different choices of exercises from each of these options. A competent trainer will be able to choose the most suitable option, or variety of options for each client from within their preferred method and either ascend or descend them as required. That is, make each exercise more or less challenging to suit the current abilities of the client.

Regardless of age, sex, ability level, natural aptitude or even your goal. You do it by getting stronger and healthier. Sporting performance goal? You need to get stronger and healthier. Body composition, weight loss or aesthetics based goal? You need to get stronger and healthier.

Any effective training program is about making human beings, people, stronger and healthier.

And happier.