Trainer says ‘female-styled’ workouts are old hat and girls should be lifting heavy weights like the guys (and they won’t bulk you up)

• Brando Hasick, a strength guru, says weights do not lead to a ‘bulky’ look 

When it comes to toning up, women are often worried about strength training and steer clear of the weights rack for fear of ‘bulking up.’

But sports scientist and strength and conditioning Guru, Brando Hasick, from Sydney, says this mindset needs to stop. 

‘There is so much programming for women out there because women think they have to do things differently to men to get a feminine body or tone up,’ Mr Hasick told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘This isn’t right. Women get results from training the exact same way as men do and they do get that feminine style body that they want.’

Mr Hasick, the founder of Body By Brando, trains his female clients just like his male ones. 

‘Women have been told for years that they need to do a higher rep range so they don’t get bulky and they end up staying away from anything below 10 reps because they think they will have less dense muscle,’ Mr Hasick said. 

‘But this is an old school way of thinking and their muscles are not getting the stimulus they should be getting.’

Mr Hasick says the more muscle mass a woman has, the higher their metabolism is. So essentially, by increasing their metabolism through intense weight training their bodies then continue to burn calories after the workout. 

In Mr Hasick’s opinion, weights are the only thing that will help women achieve a tighter and more toned body. 

 

 

WHAT IS THE IDEAL STRENGTH PROGRAM TO FOLLOW? 

6 minute EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) warm up

Min 0,2,4- 8-12 strict and slow push ups

Min 1,3,5- 10-15 goblet squats with a kettle bell (controlled)

(+ mobility after blood is flowing)

 

Strength: 25 minutes

4 sets of 10 Barbell Back squats (aiming for a perceived rate of exertion (RPE) of 7-8/10)

4 sets of 5 Heavier Barbell Back squats (aiming for a perceived rate of exertion (RPE) of 7-8/10)

(start a new set every 90 seconds – 2 mins for the above 8 sets of squats)

 

8 minute EMOM

Pull Ups (with assistance if needed) x 6 reps

Barbell Strict Press x 8 reps

 

Conditioning aspect: 8 Minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible in 8 minutes)

20 metre walking lunges

15 sit ups

10 kettle bell swings

*please note if you are unfamiliar with barbell back-squats, regress to a kettlebell goblet squat or an air squat for safety until you feel comfortable loading your body with extra weight

‘This perception that women need to train differently; or that weights will have a negative impact on femininity, I can assure you, is false,’ he said. 

‘Even if women were to perform the exact same exercises as men, the way the female body responds to testosterone makes it impossible for women to naturally build muscle mass to levels comparable to men.’

Strength training also helps develop a ‘strong mind and muscle connection’ which is essential for things like improving posture, helping to control our ‘cognitive emotions’ and assisting with concentration. 

An ‘old school’ approach to training for women sees them doing things like three sets of 20 reps of squats, three sets of 15 tricep extensions and three sets of 20 situps. 

But this kind of workout doesn’t stimulate a response in the neuromuscular system – something that is needed for a lasting effect. 

‘It is also crucial for women to train different intensities every day… it means their muscles are able to identify the need to create more or stronger cells,’ Mr Hasick said. 

‘If you walk 10,000 steps everyday your body is used to that, it adapts. If you add squats to that it then recognises the need to change. It’s the same with strength-training.’