TB for women.
Re: TB for women.
I want to add, I've also heard this about women responding better to higher volume (when training for max strength). It would be interesting to see a study on it.
Re: TB for women.
Yes, I'm not crazylennarn wrote:I want to add, I've also heard this about women responding better to higher volume (when training for max strength). It would be interesting to see a study on it.
Re: TB for women.
Chiming in as a female who's been running TB programs for much of this year. I second the suggestion to use a training max, but otherwise just run the programs as written. I have run Fighter both with and without training max and when I did not use the training max, I was unable to complete all the reps in the heaviest weeks.
Rippetoe has some theories about differences between strength training for women & men: https://www.t-nation.com/training/stren ... -for-women A couple of takeaway points: Women can do sets of 5 closer to their 1RM than men, and women can train heavier more often (e.g., multiple sets/sessions of deadlifts) because we recover more quickly. Note that these are only theories of his and I'm not sure they are borne out (yet?) by any actual studies of exercise physiology. Personally, I experience the same difficulty making the leap from 5RM or 3RM to 1RM, and I also can train deadlifts multiple sets, multiple times a week without any problems that are apparent to me. The first point (our 5RM is closer to our 1RM than for men) tends to support the use of a training max.
EDIT to add: I don't have any opinion as to whether the leap from 5RM to 1RM is more difficult due to some difference in physiology or due to the mental aspects, and the other user who suggested women may not be accustomed to or comfortable pushing ourselves to grind out that heavy rep may well be right. I certainly have never had anyone encourage me to lift heavy and never have a spotter pushing me to get that heavier 1RM, so that could be a factor.
Rippetoe has some theories about differences between strength training for women & men: https://www.t-nation.com/training/stren ... -for-women A couple of takeaway points: Women can do sets of 5 closer to their 1RM than men, and women can train heavier more often (e.g., multiple sets/sessions of deadlifts) because we recover more quickly. Note that these are only theories of his and I'm not sure they are borne out (yet?) by any actual studies of exercise physiology. Personally, I experience the same difficulty making the leap from 5RM or 3RM to 1RM, and I also can train deadlifts multiple sets, multiple times a week without any problems that are apparent to me. The first point (our 5RM is closer to our 1RM than for men) tends to support the use of a training max.
EDIT to add: I don't have any opinion as to whether the leap from 5RM to 1RM is more difficult due to some difference in physiology or due to the mental aspects, and the other user who suggested women may not be accustomed to or comfortable pushing ourselves to grind out that heavy rep may well be right. I certainly have never had anyone encourage me to lift heavy and never have a spotter pushing me to get that heavier 1RM, so that could be a factor.
Re: TB for women.
Really interesting article. 2 other excerpts :b00tler wrote:Chiming in as a female who's been running TB programs for much of this year. I second the suggestion to use a training max, but otherwise just run the programs as written. I have run Fighter both with and without training max and when I did not use the training max, I was unable to complete all the reps in the heaviest weeks.
Rippetoe has some theories about differences between strength training for women & men: https://www.t-nation.com/training/stren ... -for-women A couple of takeaway points: Women can do sets of 5 closer to their 1RM than men, and women can train heavier more often (e.g., multiple sets/sessions of deadlifts) because we recover more quickly. Note that these are only theories of his and I'm not sure they are borne out (yet?) by any actual studies of exercise physiology. Personally, I experience the same difficulty making the leap from 5RM or 3RM to 1RM, and I also can train deadlifts multiple sets, multiple times a week without any problems that are apparent to me. The first point (our 5RM is closer to our 1RM than for men) tends to support the use of a training max.
EDIT to add: I don't have any opinion as to whether the leap from 5RM to 1RM is more difficult due to some difference in physiology or due to the mental aspects, and the other user who suggested women may not be accustomed to or comfortable pushing ourselves to grind out that heavy rep may well be right. I certainly have never had anyone encourage me to lift heavy and never have a spotter pushing me to get that heavier 1RM, so that could be a factor.
Sets of 3, or perhaps even 2s, are required to get close enough to a weight that is actually heavy enough to drive a strength adaptation. And in fact, experience has shown that 5 sets of 3 for women works as well, and for as long, as 3 sets of 5 does for men.
If men can recruit 98% of their motor units into a 1RM contraction, women are only able to recruit some lower percentage into the same relative effort – maybe 90%, maybe 85%, maybe less. Quite literally, a 1RM for a male and a female are two different neuromuscular events.
Are you doing more sets or you stick to 3?
Re: TB for women.
Right now, I do 3 x 5. I wish I could get another set in, but my schedule is pretty tight and I usually don't have the time.
It might be interesting to see how a 5 x 3 scheme would work for me...perhaps I will try a block of that at some point & report back.
It might be interesting to see how a 5 x 3 scheme would work for me...perhaps I will try a block of that at some point & report back.