Women are different from men in so many ways and as they say in French “viva la difference.”
Some of the differences are real, and some are imaginary or propaganda. I love imagination, and I don’t mind propaganda but when it comes to planning, I depend on reality.
Science supports the fact that muscle mass within the female human body is less than that of a male counterpart.
The difference in intensity of emotions is not as easily determined. Dumbbell exercises for women respond to the intensity of emotion far more than they do a female muscle size.
Women in almost every field including that of weightlifting exhibit astonishing strength beyond the capabilities of most men.
As a woman, it is important for you to remember this when you’re selecting dumbbells for women and choosing a dumbbell workout for women.
There are two principles within fitness training that could help you focus your attention on your capabilities instead of following the propaganda that is telling you that you’re not strong enough as a woman.
One principle is called the law of specificity. This law essentially means that you practice what you want to be good at. Or you get good at what you practice, assuming that the practice has the appropriate structure.
“Tone your tush” is another way of saying building your glutes. I guess those who use the terminology want to be cute or appeal to what they believe women can relate to. I’m not one of them.
I call glutes, Gluteus, or Gluteal muscles for a specific reason.
These are large muscle groups responsible for the most powerful motions in the human body and in sports performance not to mention the role they play in retaining your strength as you age.
When you use the specificity principle, you have to choose the appropriate load to engage and fully activate your glutes.
If you do 100 kickbacks, you may feel the burn of high repetition, but the weight is too light for your powerful glutes to be built.
How does this relate to exercises with dumbbells for women?
Recommendations for dumbbell workouts designed for women often refer to “light dumbbells.” I like to call them ridiculous dumbbells because they serve no purpose at all when it comes to building large muscle groups in your body.
If you want to build strong legs and shape them, you need to practice variations of squats with enough weight that challenges your muscles. This is part of the specificity principle.
Another principle in fitness is called the overload principle. Overload principle refers to creating workouts and training with greater intensity than your body is accustomed to. This has nothing to do with your gender. If you choose dumbbells that are too light for you, then you are not using the overload principle.
If you are frustrated with results.
Think about this, you are spending time, you are exerting energy, you are putting your heart into your workouts but you are using the wrong load because most fitness magazines for women show pictures of these ridiculous dumbbells that seem to be usually pink as the appropriate load.
I believe in human strength regardless of gender. I believe that you should use tools in ways that express the strength in your heart.
The process of selecting your dumbbells, or your dumbbell workout routine should not be any different.
This does not mean going crazy and risking injury. It just means using the appropriate weight for the muscle groups that you are intending to build. Since different muscle groups in your body have different levels of strength and effective way to approach this is through adjustable dumbbells.
Or you can join a gym that provides a set of dumbbells is a can use. Either way, focus on finding ways to increase your strength.